The new news 24 thread

[Zelandeth]

45 minutes ago, SiC said:

One year and four months with five "buyers" we finally exchanged on our house! ?

 

You have no idea how happy I am for you hearing that!  You've been through bloody hell with that process!

[egg]

Well done. We got to buyer* number four on our last (only) house sale - but eventually got there...

[artdjones]

10 hours ago, Skizzer said:

 

I also spent about £540 on a 2.5t scissor lift 

Any chance of a short review of the lift?

[BeEP]

7 hours ago, SiC said:

Currently got my eye on @BeEP Austin 1800, if that doesn't sell in the meantime before we get our house purchase lined up. 
 

It's not currently advertised anywhere (other than vaguely on here).  Still hoping my friendly welder will have time next month to get it up to MOT standard (although it's perfectly useable as is).

[HillmanImp]

11 hours ago, loserone said:

Think there might be another recall to check a brake hose for corrosion, so make sure that's done at the same time.

 

Sorry, I spent nearly 9 months trying to get it booked in and the local dealer here were utterly shit so I forgot about it.  It's the standard recall that affects 1/3rd of all cars globally, cars in hot humid climates have the airbag deployment thing corrode and instead of blowing a bag out it blows shards of metal round the cabin when it goes off.  Thankfully not being a hot climate makes it pretty much defunct.

 

Can't help with the steaming up, unless the cabin filter is dirty again? 

 

Assuming the stereo now works?

 

 

I'll check. I assume not as I assume they'd have done that too, as I guess they'll get paid by the manufacturer for it? 

Stereo now works. Not tried a cd in it though.

Trains were fucked last night so I drove to the restaurant and left the car there so will try on the way home when I pick it up. 

[Skizzer]

2 hours ago, artdjones said:

Any chance of a short review of the lift?

By all means, if you’re interested

I might start a new combined thread about various tinkerings, it could go in there.  Up to now I’ve tended to have a separate thread for each car (starting with, and often ending with, the collection).

I’ve also started filming stuff lately, including the lift.  I set up a YouTube channel about ten years ago, maybe it’s about time I posted something. 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

11 hours ago, brownnova said:

In other news I found this amazing book in a charity shop today...

 

It tells the tale of a Metro being bought including its first drive home running it in!!! 

What are the delightful* contents and illustrations?

[artdjones]

12 minutes ago, Skizzer said:

By all means, if you’re interested

I might start a new combined thread about various tinkerings, it could got in there.  Up to now I’ve tended to have a separate thread for each car (starting with, and often ending with, the collection).

I’ve also started filming stuff lately, including the lift.  I set up a YouTube channel about ten years ago, maybe it’s about time I posted something. 

Yes that would be great.Obviously they aren't as good as a full size lift,but they don't need 15ft headroom or a power supply,so I have been contemplating one for a while.

[Zelandeth]

Yep...going to be one of those days.
 

Two fence panels making or made a bid for freedom and it's only 10am.

 

[SiC]

7 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

You have no idea how happy I am for you hearing that!  You've been through bloody hell with that process!

Thanks. It's been pretty horrific. My life nowadays seems to be give with one hand and take away with the other. E.g. we exchanged on the Friday but my Grandad died on the Wednesday... ?

I'm still dreading something will go wrong because it has gone wrong so many times. The big storm blowing isn't helping this either! No idea what happens if there is damage to a house after you've exchanged.

 

1 hour ago, BeEP said:

It's not currently advertised anywhere (other than vaguely on here).  Still hoping my friendly welder will have time next month to get it up to MOT standard (although it's perfectly useable as is).

I'm still holding fire on any purchases until we at least get an exchange on the onward house purchase. Not only because I have the fear it'll fall through (because I can't have that much luck altogether!) but also we're pushing the top end of our budget and I need to be a little bit careful with cashflow until then. 

The fact the 1800 needs welding actually was an appealing aspect of it! ?

Dolomite is going to take a fair bit longer than originally I estimated and probably ready nearer next summer. Everything is just a pig to work on it. Even just trying to get a coolant hose replaced took 2 hours yesterday! Perished pipes wouldn't let go and they lived under the intake manifold. Then another 2 hours of faff trying to get the steering column attached. I'd say many modern cars are easier to work on than the Sprint!

Bumbling saloon cars like the ADO17 don't usually appeal to me. Coupés and convertibles are normally my thing. However there is something strangely alluring with the front styling of the landcrab with its eyeliner around it headlights. It's rear was just ahead of its time - it took Renault in 2003 to bring it back with the Mégane II. Plus I still want to experience hydrolastic as I never did with the 1100 (apart from it not holding pressure!) and the B-series up front is a familiarity that is good to have. 

I see your 1800 as a great project car for me, that I can get finished quickly and sorted in the remaining months of winter/spring. Then get fun in it over this summer, while leaving me to potter on with the Dolomite this year. 

Just need to get this house purchase done in the next few weeks. Not least because the clock is ticking closer to our exchange date. 

[Mr Pastry]

2 minutes ago, SiC said:

I'm still dreading something will go wrong because it has gone wrong so many times. The big storm blowing isn't helping this either! No idea what happens if there is damage to a house after you've exchanged.

The buyer has to insure the house at the time of exchange, so any storm damage is their responsibility.  Obvs. applies to you on your new place as well.  But let's hope it all goes well for you.  It's always a nightmare.

[Joey spud]

11 hours ago, brownnova said:

In other news I found this amazing book in a charity shop today...

 

It tells the tale of a Metro being bought including its first drive home running it in!!! 

This reminds me of my father in law who bought a new red Metro on an X plate.

Being a bit shrewd he imported it from Jersey (or maybe Guernsey) to save a few quid.

It came with 12 months warranty but the local BL dealer (Dutton Foreskins now a McDonalds) in Strood refused to do the 500 mile service for free so he did it himself,the oil and filter was no problem but he had to retorque the head nuts and being a builder didn't have a torque wrench.

Back in 1982 there were no cheap Chinese tools floating around on the yet to be invented Internet so he bought one from Halfords that looked like a cross bow where a long spindly pointer deflected across a badly printed display as you tightened the fixing.

Roll on 38 years and he came across the Torque wrench while clearing out his shed still in its box and only ever used once and still with a dab of paint he put on the display at 45ft/lb.

 

[Zelandeth]

...And I've just been told the shed roof is making a bid for freedom.  Legging it back to the ranch...

[mk2_craig]

12 hours ago, brownnova said:

In other news I found this amazing book in a charity shop today...

 

It tells the tale of a Metro being bought including its first drive home running it in!!! 

I picked up the full set of those (four) off eBay a year ago “for my son” neither of us have read any yet though. 

[HillmanImp]

2 hours ago, HillmanImp said:

Trains were fucked last night so I drove to the restaurant and left the car there so will try on the way home when I pick it up. 

That was fun.

River at Ilkley has broken already. We'd gone in over the tops as traffic is always shite on the a65 into Ilkley but it was still pretty flooded with water running off the moor. Went back on the main roads which proved to be a mistaka to makea. 

Was worried going through the flood but followed inbetween the wake of a Discovery ahead of me. Other normal cars were making it though so I'd probably have been okay. 

Then a tree had fallen down further along so I went through Menston village which was also badly flooded with water jetting a couple of feet in the air out of some of the drains. 

And I'd forgotten to take a CD so still haven't tested the CD player. 

On top of that our drive had flooded so had to unblock the drain by hand. 

And the boiler is broken in the house. 

And the stupid telly won't switch onto the PS4. 

I think I might go down to the pub. 

[egg]

1 hour ago, Zelandeth said:

...And I've just been told the shed roof is making a bid for freedom.  Legging it back to the ranch...

Hope it's ok, I've just lost a fence panel. It was an old one though.

[Zelandeth]

Shed roof nailed down just before it managed to part company with the framework.

Another two fence panels buggered and four panes of glass have blown out of the greenhouse.

[Saabnut]

Bit breezy here but not bad, the rain has stopped and the sun has just come out. Quite a pleasant February day.

Just thought I would help cheer up your day! (He says smugly as we have not had a severe winter up here for about 6 years now)

[mitsisigma01]

I've recently had 4 posts and gravelboards rot through because my fuckwit of a neighbour ramped all the flower beds up on his side even though I asked him not to after doing the same thing about 4 years ago... 

Fk his plants that he's put right next to the posts, the next lot are gonna be concrete posts and gravel boards, I ain't doing them again 

[loserone]

If you've explicitly asked him not to do it, paint the posts with engine oil.

 

It'll kill everything green for meters.

[Tickman]

1 hour ago, HillmanImp said:

think I might go down to the pub

Liked for this bit, not the rest

[beko1987]

Next door and the bloke at the end have been bodging up a snapped post on their side for a few hours. The panels between me and the neighbor are hanging on in there. It's my fence but I can call a magic number if it all comes down. 

The windmill from chitty chitty bang bang over in Turville is broken though

[Zelandeth]

Repaired the one panel...ten minutes later...

Dammit!  The bits I repaired are still there...the rest of the panel has just disintegrated around it.  The trees battering it from the other side (Council's) haven't helped.

Just spent an hour on the roof of the shed as the felt on there decided to part company with it so have nailed it back down for now.  It'll leak like a sieve but not as bad as if I let the felt head off to Norway.

Then just spotted this.

...and this.

Gimme a sodding break already...

[High Jetter]

Just had to shore up flappy plastic glazing panel in lean-to as timber disintegration accelerated by wind and movement. Plus phone call from tenant to say a tile has pinged off roof - that can sodding wait till it dies down.

[brownnova]

Bugger... a bit blew off!! 

[egg]

I've lost a wood frame that goes round our chimney pots on the roof. Not sure what it's purpose was, but it was rotten and now it's off.

Chances of getting down to my daughter's rural school near Ashford tomorrow are not good, bet there's blockages all over.

[Zelandeth]

I have now been forced to stop scrambling around duct taping and stapling the house back together as I have been bodily immobilised.

She does not like the fact that the weather is making noise and making the floor shake so has decided to come and hide with me.  It has been made very clear that I am not permitted to move for a while.

[trigger]

My brown wheelie bin has gone over, it's a disaster!

[High Jetter]

Why, was it full?

[trigger]

No thankfully, but it did mean that i had to go outside and get wet to recover it.