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6 hours ago, Angrydicky said:

Crap I’m afraid, that’s the post 2001 font! Having said that, I think the A1 guy on Facebook can do the correct font as I’m sure I’ve seen some of his work before. Needs a better script font and Ford logos too. Worth asking?

My Royale has its original plates and the front one is in really poor condition, cracked and delaminated! In the absence of DMB I’m not sure I trust anyone else to replicate exactly so I’m just ignoring it (it will be MoT exempt soon anyway). 

I think there’s also a company called Fancyplates that at least do three different old font styles that are the correct size. Would be worth forgoing the Ford logos etc for the correct font imo.

Cheers Dicky, that is supposed to be their pre-2000 (why not 2001?) font....I'll check them out on facebook.

I looked at Fancyplates fonts, and I'm not keen on any of theirs either.

I wish that I'd bought front and rear from DMB, rather than just rear. False economy, time has proven.

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The V70 started showing signs that the in tank pump was about to die last week (ran out of fuel at half a tank) so I bit the bullet and bought a new one. It turned up today and I got to work fitting it.

The job went surprisingly well and the new pump was quickly fitted. With the tank totally empty the fuel gauge still shows just above the red instead of empty. I swapped over the passenger side sender for a spare and it’s still the same.  I’ll just have to live with it and fill up when it’s 1/4 full. 
 

Incidentally the araldite repair I did last time was still holding, turns out araldite can take immersion in diesel! 

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Managed to remove The Aero's remaining sump bolts via the holes I created when I got home from work today using a 13mm 1/4 inch drive socket augmented with a smol extension bar and an equally smol universal joint. The sump remains in situ though, due to some very tenacious gasket sealant holding it very firmly in place. I think that a judicious application of a rubber mallet, a big block of wood and some wooden wedges will set it free at the weekend ?

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I really need to wake up a bit more before I set off for work. This morning was not a repeat of slippergate (looking down while driving to work to see that I have my carpet slippers on).

This time I nearly lost the car while de-icing it. It all started so well, I took some warm water out to pour over the screen, started the car but stupidly put the wipers on. Lovely smeared ice over the screen so I got out to pour some more water on the screen, at this point I noticed the car rolling down the drive, luckily I managed to get in and pull the handbrake on preventing the car going straight across the road into a neighbour's car. Unfortunately I also chucked the jug of water in the footwell in my panic. I have no recollection of releasing the handbrake so am now wondering if the car had sat there all night without rolling away.

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31 minutes ago, anonymous user said:

now wondering if the car had sat there all night without rolling away.

I wonder if you did apply the brake enough to click on the handbrake handle and enough force to stop the car moving but when the brakes cooled over night it was just sitting there, then when you disturbed the car it was away ?

 

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1 hour ago, rusty998 said:

I wonder if you did apply the brake enough to click on the handbrake handle and enough force to stop the car moving but when the brakes cooled over night it was just sitting there, then when you disturbed the car it was away ?

 

No the handbrake was all the way down, I may have left it parked in reverse last night and taken it out of gear this morning when I pushed the clutch down to start it. I need to pay more attention. 

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Been pottering around doing a few bits to the fleet during the few fleeting hours when it is both light enough to see and warm enough that my hands will function as intended.  I got the headlining out of the Scudo to see if the water ingress was indeed coming round the aerial as the previous owner suggested.  It was, so I've removed the aerial for now and stuck a bit of Gorilla Tape over the hole - I've ordered a new aerial base on eBay, but it's coming from Singapore so could be a while.  The coolant leakage into the cabin continues unabated sadly - I had a bit more of an attempt at trying to see where it's coming from and noticed water dripping out of the bottom of the blower housing.  So that's going to come out at some point soon - hopefully with it out I'll be able to see a bit more.  I don't fancy trying to take the whole dashboard out, especially as there doesn't appear to be a workshop manual available for these so I'd probably fuck it up.  I also fitted the £29 ECP Black Friday special Varta battery - it starts a lot better now, although I think the glow plugs have had it - and look a bit of a twat to get to, only two of them look even remotely accessible.  Also my cunning plan to keep the electrics live using my mini jump pack failed - apparently the bit of engine I clamped the earth lead onto wasn't actually an earth.  Fortunately I found the radio code in the paperwork, although with no aerial it doesn't work anyway.

Ordered some touch-up paint for the Alfa which arrived on Friday.  Disappointingly it's not a particularly good match - I've ordered paint from the same seller before and hitherto it's been fine, so I was slightly annoyed that they've missed the mark with this one, but I used it anyway to touch up some of the worse scuffs and it does look a bit better from a distance.  I've also found that my Raleigh Wayfarer bike will fit in the boot with the seats down, but it has to go in backwards and it's a bit of a faff so it might not be taking over daily commuting duties from the Elantra.

Took the back wheels off the 75, gave the trailing arms a clean and then smothered them with underseal.  Ideally I'd like to do the whole suspension but I didn't have time and the trailing arms are the bits that are pretty much unobtainium now, and hence the most important bits to protect.  I've done both subframes as well as I don't really fancy having to replace those.  I'm still going to try and avoid using it when there's salt on the roads as much as possible - that's what I've bought the Elantra for after all.  I'm fully reconciled to the fact that that is probably going to Hyundai heaven when the MOT runs out in March.

I've also put the Spacy away for the winter, which involved clearing numerous bicycles out of the garage to make room.  Every estate car I own now contains a bicycle, as does the Elantra.  The van has three, the Sonata has a folding bike in the boot, and even Exiled_Tat_Gatherer's Saab is providing refuge to my other folder.  I think I have too many bicycles.

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Ahhhh just as i thought the whole "Modern" daily estate thing wasn't going to happen, the 406 seller has got back to me having had no bites at the "future classic m8, not many left m8, MOT tester says it's the cleanest one he'd ever seen m8" price and now at sensible money.....

And then 2 different vec 1.9 150 cdti estates come up, one sri, one elite.... all around the same mileage (not that it's the be all and end all) and price. 406 has the longest MOT, Elite the shortest but most toys.

Decisions decisions......

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11 hours ago, egg said:

I wish that I'd bought front and rear from DMB, rather than just rear. False economy, time has proven.

As DMB possibly still has your plate design on file, is it worth asking if they could send you the digital rendering so you can provide it to another plate manufacturer?

Alternatively, you could ask for a cheeky under the table deal to make you a plate, hush hush of course.

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Wanaka is one of the scenic delights of New Zealand, with a stunning lake, beautiful mountains and a tree people seem to like taking photos of. I found this.

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Which reminded me that I cannot remember the last time I saw one of these in the UK. Where did they all go?! Note the Nissan Prairie Joy in the background - a remodelled version of the M11 Prairie we got here.

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Not only have I driven around looking more of a dick than usual - roof off but I have also polished the car.

I love driving it roof off 'cos, when the revs get to about 3000 the VVTI thing does its stuff and it sounds effin' amazing! Yes it really is worth freezing your tits off and looking like an utter twat just so you can listen to an engine having a bit of a sing.

As for cold, well, not really as the heater is brill, the Airscarf is brill, the seat heaters are brill... I even turn it all on the passenger seat so the fat dog is warm as well. Still look a dick but Chester doesn't seem to care.

Polishing it with that Meguirs stuff is easier than washing it not to mention warmer and faster. Meguirs for winners :) 

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Second day in a row I’ve forgotten to call the garage to book in the 323 for putting new drive belts on to replace the ones it flung off faster than a  hooker’s knickers on the M1.

I’d do it myself but the 14mm bolt at the bottom of the alternator is inaccessible unless I have a very slimline adjusty spanner, which the recovery man had (if only he had a drive belt that fitted too :() plus it’s getting far too cold to be twatting my own knuckles and swearing.

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Had to go to Warwick university today, which for reasons known to someone is in Coventry. Mercedes had already done 180 miles since I filled up on Saturday on they way up to @Six-cylinder but I’ve managed to get home again (200miles round trip) just as the fuel light has started flickering. Not stopping at all in traffic today helped. 

So that’s 58litres when the light comes on which is 29.8mpg- compared to the long term average that’s pretty good, it is a 25year old 24valve 3.2litre straight six after all. Cheap fuel from texaco last Saturday too (£122.9). I expect if I’d driven like Great Aunt Agatha at 60mph I’d have got more, but nigel farage came on the radio, and between shouting at him and the audi drivers I did find the speedo heading past 80 on occasion.

The funny noises seem to have stopped ( for now), but it’s still impersonating a fish tank. 

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12 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Had to go to Warwick university today, which for reasons known to someone is in Coventry. Mercedes had already done 180 miles since I filled up on Saturday on they way up to @Six-cylinder but I’ve managed to get home again (200miles round trip) just as the fuel light has started flickering. Not stopping at all in traffic today helped. 

So that’s 58litres when the light comes on which is 29.8mpg- compared to the long term average that’s pretty good, it is a 25year old 24valve 3.2litre straight six after all. Cheap fuel from texaco last Saturday too (£122.9). I expect if I’d driven like Great Aunt Agatha at 60mph I’d have got more, but nigel farage came on the radio, and between shouting at him and the audi drivers I did find the speedo heading past 80 on occasion.

The funny noises seem to have stopped ( for now), but it’s still impersonating a fish tank. 

It will be interesting to see what you get out of the V6 CLK in due course.

I think 29.8 mpg was better than I used to get out of my E320 W124.

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1 minute ago, snagglepuss said:
23 hours ago, Bucketeer said:
The joys of winter. It's just after 7pm and icicles are forming on the ceiling of my home (AKA the inside of the roof of my van).
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Get a hat ... Or an afro.... Or both.

Could be a little late for an affro given what he has to work with! Ha!

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