The new news 24 thread

[Cavcraft]

Looks like I might be buying another car I neither need nor have room for.

[DaveAspley]

Ooh! Me likey the retroshite shirt. black one with white graphics in a small please!

[Faker]

Love that Herard Mr Barrett!.

 

This is my driveway today...

 

My current old car collection by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

I want the contents of that driveway! Civic is epic! No shite there sir.

[trigger]

 

A few more hours have been spent on this tonight, I'm going a bit OCD with the cleaning but it's coming up remarkably well, except for the front wing which needs paint the body work in very good with little rust worth worrying about, especially for a 39 year old Honda, I've straightened out the front bumper which had a dent and attacked it with autosol which has brought them up like new.

 

Tomorrow I'll do the bonnet and front panel before starting the nearside, the rear end looks like new now!

 

I find it very rewarding looking back and having such a clean car, shame it's a bit of a boring job really!

[wuvvum]

Not quite as productive a weekend on the shite front as I'd hoped due to me being a lazy fucker. 

 

Yesterday I spent some more time failing to get the broken bit of exhaust off the LNA (using Stilsons and a bit of scaffold pole this time), then watching my mate's daughter's boyfriend who's a tyre & exhaust fitter by trader also failing to shift it (which reassured me that I wasn't just being a complete pansy).  Looks like I'm going to have to take it to a proper exhaust place and get them to use the oxy-acetylene on it.

 

I also had my first proper ride of the Spacy yesterday - I  bolted the seat back on and then ratchet-strapped a fuel can to the luggage rack, with a length of 3/16" fuel hose running straight from there down to the carb.  I rode it around the estate and up the road towards the next village a little way.  It rides bloody well for something that's been off the road for so long.  It's a lot heavier than your average 125cc scooter, so it's not as nippy off the line as more modern stuff, but it's actually got a reasonable amount of poke once it's up and running - I only took it up to about 45 but it got there in fairly short order.  I really must see to getting a properly functioning fuel tank for it.  I also discovered, whilst pissing about under the front panel checking the coolant level in the expansion bottle, that the reason the headlight doesn't fold down when switched off is that the mechanism's been removed, and the light is just held up with a home-made bracket.  When I get a minute I'll try taking the mechanism off the spares bike and see if I can persuade it to work.  Not top priority at the minute though.

 

Today I took the exhaust off the Sym and smeared gun gum over all the holes I could see - hopefully that'll quieten it down a bit, at least temporarily.  Then I pulled the Innocenti onto the drive to give it a wash and glue the passenger door mirror back on (again).  I seem to have lost my special Innocenti-mirror-holding-up piece of wood, but after a bit of experimentation I found that my walking stick was exactly the right length, so I used that instead.  I've also ordered a new 2-pin flasher unit off eBay, as I fried the 3-pin unit on the car when I inadvertantly left the indicators switched on with the ignition off.  I couldn't find a 3-pin unit with the right terminals for the car, so the 2-pin will have to do for now - it means I'll lose the idiot light on the dash, but those metal 2-pin relays click loud enough that I shouldn't need it. 

 

A mate had suggested that the loss of power on the Rover of Doom might be due to EGR valve blockage, so I removed the EGR pipe and took the car for a spin.  No different, apart from a bit of extra noise.  I'm becoming more and more certain it's a melted cat - one of these weekends I'm going to attempt to take the cat out and see if that makes any difference to anything other than the noise levels.

 

I also took the 164 for a sneaky drive up the road this evening - the neighbours had considerately all parked their cars on the opposite side of the road, so I wasn't too worried about having to do an emergency stop.  The drive confirmed that a) my bleeding the rear brakes last weekend really didn't do much good at all and b ) the handbrake is actually perfectly adequate to stop quickly with up to about 15mph, but not a lot of cop from higher speeds.

 

Oh, and I took the pedal crank bearings out of the folding pushbike as they've been creaking embarrassingly loudly for several weeks now - the bearings themselves look OK but they're as dry as a bone so I'm going to repack them with grease and see if that helps.

[wuvvum]

Trig, I can't wait to see that Civic in the metal.  Maybe next year your Mrs could drive it to Wroxham?

[trigger]

I was moaned at today for not bringing it!, If you get time come down to Shotley Marina on Wednesday evening for our car meet, I should be taking it down to our meet along with the Alto, I think Spottedlaurel is talking about coming down too if he gets home from work early enough.

[Mike D]

I've had a reasonably productive weekend old tat wise, MOT'd the 330 after fitting some new tyres on Saturday, the old test ran out back at the start of May, but I didn't realise as I thought it was tested til the end of this month for some reason! No worries though as it blasted straight through

 

Also made and fitted some seat slider retaining pins / levers for the bug, and flushed the engine to rid it of it's clackety lifter, then changed the oil and filter and fitted a billet sump plate as the old tin one was leaking a smidge. MOT at 8AM! Fingers crossed!

[drum]

Currently holidaying in France and thinking of you all. Occasionally.

 

 

 

 

 

 

More to follow...

[cort16]

I spotted cms's Montego at the Eglington Park show yesterday but not being sure what he looked like I couldn't say hello and when I came back from getting a slush puppy it was gone.

 

I actually took a wrong turn and ended up parking the Jag in the show next to a chevette. It didn't stand out too much though as some of the other show cars included an x-type and a Vectra diesel!

[ShiteRider]

I've taken this week off work so i can go to...........work! Seems a bizarre holiday destination i know but i'm giving the beige cortina a bare metal respray. I'm also respraying the BMW........or at least i should be but it's 11:20 now and i'm still at home.......with a hangover........sat in my underwear......i fail at autoshite

[rml2345]

Volvo steering issues pt. 94...

After a pump change failed to cure the stiff steering I got a bit worried. Thoughts of steering rack replacement or other mega costly things tend to do that though...

One of the (many) suggestions however is stiff or binding UJs on the column itself and after cleaning and greasing the ruddy fuck out of them it has gone back to being lovely and light again.

In celebration I ordered the wrong size of aluminium trunking to replace the mangled bit twixt exhaust and air intake.

Oh, and the boot has started leaking quite badly, so a new seal is on order for that.

[cms206]

I spotted cms's Montego at the Eglington Park show yesterday but not being sure what he looked like I couldn't say hello and when I came back from getting a slush puppy it was gone.

 

Yeah, sorry about that... I saw the XJR and floated about for a while but didn't see anyone near it. Had to disappear back up the road via the car show at Erskine which I didn't know about until I got to Irvine. XJR looks the business.

 

KRA 11G by cms206, on Flickr

 

 

For future reference I don't look like Boris Yeltsin giving the fingers...

[phil_lihp]

 

Love that Herard Mr Barrett!.

 

This is my driveway today...

 

My current old car collection by Trigger's Retro Road Tests!, on Flickr

 

 

That picture deserves another requote, it could be straight out of 1984, taken the day you brought your brand new Suzuki Alto home to add to the fleet.  The Civic's a lovely little thing, good save!

[Rocket88]

I know that Beemer ragtops are usually the butt of many jokes on here.........but in this weather a lovely place to be.

[cort16]

Yeah, sorry about that... I saw the XJR and floated about for a while but didn't see anyone near it. Had to disappear back up the road via the car show at Erskine which I didn't know about until I got to Irvine. XJR looks the business.

 

KRA 11G by cms206, on Flickr

 

 

For future reference I don't look like Boris Yeltsin giving the fingers...

 

There were a few contenders there Boris Yeltsin. I felt like a bit of a fanny parking it there right up until I saw the vectra diesel.

[hairnet]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HONDA-SPACY-CH250-ELITE-CLASSIC-SCOOTER-FUEL-TANK-/251304328346

 

go wuv go wuv

 

needs persuading to post tho

[Mike D]

 

Yay! Passed!

[meggersdog]

I've just acquired one of these.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201306247460380/sort/default/usedcars/price-to/1000/model/323/make/mazda/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/postcode/pe67nb/radius/1500/page/6/quicksearch/true?logcode=p

 

That's the only other one I can find in autotraderland.The one I've bought is a one lady then

supplying dealer owned car with 62k and 15 service stamps.Not an import so must have

been a sales flop as I've not seen one before.

[theorganist]

Complete change in theorganists fleet,

 

The 14 has been sold to someone in Derby who is completent at welding so hopefully it will see the road again

The Black Maxi has been sold (well deposit paid) to a collector in Blackburn, I never intended to really sell it but I can't find a satisfactory solution to the paintwork and the overheating has got much worse. I need something reliable for the next few weeks so it had to go.

 

I should be getting my latest Maxi a Russett Brown 1750 in August, it is currently sitting in an old Chicken Shed outside Winchester, it has been of the road since 1997 so will take a couple of months to get on the road.

 

I have therefore won this this evening, possibly the most boring car of evar!

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1990-FORD-FIESTA-POPULAR-PLUS-RED-no-reserve-/121138737546?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=UU2fP91iJT82JotWUWgSvg4EJSg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

I haven't seen it and it only has a month mot but I don't think I can go too wrong at £250 (well maybe I can).

 

I never fancied these when they were new as I just found them boring, hopefully now they are 20 or so years old the combination of four gears, manual choke and a rattly OHV engine will excite the autoshiteist in me!

[Mr Lobster]

 

 it is currently sitting in an old Chicken Shed outside Winchester, it has been of the road since 1997 so will take a couple of centuries to get on the road.

 

 

 

EFA  

[Cavcraft]

Complete change in theorganists fleet,

 

The 14 has been sold to someone in Derby who is completent at welding so hopefully it will see the road again

The Black Maxi has been sold (well deposit paid) to a collector in Blackburn, I never intended to really sell it but I can't find a satisfactory solution to the paintwork and the overheating has got much worse. I need something reliable for the next few weeks so it had to go.

 

I should be getting my latest Maxi a Russett Brown 1750 in August, it is currently sitting in an old Chicken Shed outside Winchester, it has been of the road since 1997 so will take a couple of months to get on the road.

 

I have therefore won this this evening, possibly the most boring car of evar!

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1990-FORD-FIESTA-POPULAR-PLUS-RED-no-reserve-/121138737546?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=UU2fP91iJT82JotWUWgSvg4EJSg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

I haven't seen it and it only has a month mot but I don't think I can go too wrong at £250 (well maybe I can).

 

I never fancied these when they were new as I just found them boring, hopefully now they are 20 or so years old the combination of four gears, manual choke and a rattly OHV engine will excite the autoshiteist in me!

 

Hey, that looks class. Hopefully it'll do well at the MOT, they're actually strangely pleasant (in a mingebag way) to drive.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I have therefore won this this evening, possibly the most boring car of evar!

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1990-FORD-FIESTA-POPULAR-PLUS-RED-no-reserve-/121138737546?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=UU2fP91iJT82JotWUWgSvg4EJSg%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

I haven't seen it and it only has a month mot but I don't think I can go too wrong at £250 (well maybe I can).

 

I never fancied these when they were new as I just found them boring, hopefully now they are 20 or so years old the combination of four gears, manual choke and a rattly OHV engine will excite the autoshiteist in me!

 

You must let us know whether the gauges have the rounded needles or the pointy ones. 

 

(Phone the seller at 1am to ask.) 

[theorganist]

Lol I will let you know and put some pictures up!

 

Quite looking foward to it haven't owned a ford since 1997!

 

If it as clean as the seller makes out it will be the best 250 quid I have ever spent!

[cort16]

I seem to have lacquered my face!

[cobblers]

I've done a load over the weekend on the T25,  the window orifices are 99% done, so I've put them to bed while the primer dries - I'll generally leave the last few coats a few days to settle because without an oven 2k primer seems to sink a bit over 48 hours or so, so if you sand it too early it'll dropp back and show all the imperfections underneath. 

 

I had the sliding door off and went over all the awkward bits inside and out, slung some filler in the dents etc. I wanted to put a good few coats of primer inside and out, but the neighbours were having a BBQ and had loads of expensive new cars around, so I didn't fancy covering them with overspray. They don't mind about the dust, I've repeatedly offered to wash their cars and stuff

I'll have to wait til tomorrow morning when they are all at work to paint stuff, so I decided to take the front doors off and sort out all the cavity wax and stuff in the door shuts.

 

I added them to the kit form T3 I'm building in the back garden:

 

That shed is full from bottom to the top with stuff I removed from the van, plus that lot outside. It takes up a lot more space in pieces!

 

The wax was nasty stuff to remove so I had to give it a barnsley footscrub (2k thinners and wire wool) 

 

Fairly unpleasant job, but it came up nice and clean, and the wire wool leaves a really good key for primer, I'll mix a cupfull tomorrow and do all the little bits I've been putting off for a while.

 

I'm approaching the stage where I need to buy some actual paint - I'm going to do all the inside and the door shuts etc, and hand it over to the painter with all the doors on for him to mask the shuts and window holes and just paint the outside. I can't wait to sling some colour at it, just for a mojo boost more than anything really.

[barrett]

Time spent between buying car and it breaking: 53 hours - a new record for longevity!

 

Anyone wanna buy a Triumph Herald/ Bond Equipe/ Maestro/ Standard 8?

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Is that a Stromberg carb on there, and if so, how was it responsible for the breakdown?

[vulgalour]

Barrett's adventures with chod really ought to be a mildly offensive, slightly racist 70s sitcom set in Brighton and an unconvincing BBC studio.

[Lord Sterling]

I have therefore won this this evening, possibly the most boring car of evar!

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1990-FORD-FIESTA-POPULAR-PLUS-RED-no-reserve-/121138737546?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=UU2fP91iJT82JotWUWgSvg4EJSg%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

I haven't seen it and it only has a month mot but I don't think I can go too wrong at £250 (well maybe I can).

 

I never fancied these when they were new as I just found them boring, hopefully now they are 20 or so years old the combination of four gears, manual choke and a rattly OHV engine will excite the autoshiteist in me!

SKREAM! Ole Ma_Sterling had exactly one of these when I were a nipper. This is a car I really must see, in fact, if you need a lift to it/help picking it up, please let me know.