The new news 24 thread

[Carlosfandango]

I “may” have bought this today. Shite car with OMGHGF confirmed.

 

ballsack

 

CFD

[Tadhg Tiogar]

50 minutes ago, SiC said:

I like how everyone else standing there is completely ignoring the fact there is a horse in the queue. As if its a normal occurance... 

I noticed quite a few photos being taken. If you see anything showing a horse standing in a queue for the pub, that's probably us.

[brownnova]

3 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Waxham this evening. 

I miss read that as Wrexham... and I thought, that can’t be Wrexham, Wrexham’s a shithole.....

 

[richardmorris]

great colour

[HMC]

Nice to see it on those chromed steel wheels with the whitewalls. Period loveliness. 
 

Antidote to dog bollock red and chrome wire wheels.

[richardmorris]

Just now, HMC said:

Nice to see it on those chromed steel wheels with the whitewalls. Period loveliness. 
 

Antidote to dog bollock red and chrome wire wheels.

I think it was USA spec given the large indicators and small number plate recesses. No plates on it but LHD. It looked great in the colour.  Nothing else about today though.

[richardmorris]

15 hours ago, brownnova said:

I miss read that as Wrexham... and I thought, that can’t be Wrexham, Wrexham’s a shithole.....

 

Bits are, and bits aren’t. 

[brownnova]

1 hour ago, richardmorris said:

Bits are, and bits aren’t. 

Very true... said for comedy effect really... 

[Justin Case]

20 hours ago, SiC said:

I like how everyone else standing there is completely ignoring the fact there is a horse in the queue. As if its a normal occurance... 

Barman to horse : you know we don't get many horses in here 

Horse: at a fiver for a pint of San Miguel it's hardly surprising 

[Bren]

Shedtastic. And I have a tan similar to Richard Dreyfuss in close encounters of the third kind.

[Angrydicky]

I gave my Somerset a grease up earlier, followed by a bath and a quick blast up the road:

It ran really well but the multimeter confirms the alternator is goosed, it’s only showing 12.5v at idle and not much more when I blip the throttle, which would be below par for a dynamo, let alone an alternator. I chucked the multimeter on the Rover battery to check it, 14.3v at idle.

The alternator came in a conversion kit a few years ago, it’s a proper cheap no name one. Squeals like a bastard when it’s cold too. Anyone got a good one kicking around?

 

 

 

[HillmanImp]

Not been on here much peeps, hope everyone's groovy. 

Not much to update. Subaru was sat a bit as I've not been using it but I was taking it for a rag every couple of days but then it developed a drain on the battery. I couldn't figure out where it was from so stuck it in the naughty corner for a but but looked at it again the other day and it's mended itself. No drain. Result...... for now. 

However its started cutting out. Seems to have a misfire. Decided to give it an overdue service. Got plugs, oil filter, pollen filter & air filter. Coil packs are £120 each so if its one of them I need to find out which one it is rather than replace them if it is one of them that's the problem. 

Changed the air filter. Winner. 

Looked online to see how to change the pollen filter. 

Okay, fuck that.

Right, where are the plugs? 

Oh, boxer engine innit. They're on the side. Only accessible from underneath. Bollocks to that. 

Right, Where's the oil filter? *looks online *. Oh, impossible to get to as the manifolds in the way.  Plus if I'm paying some cunt to do the plugs I may as well get them to do the oil too. 

Booking the fucker in at a garage in the morning. 

Porsche is bang on though. Its the daily again. 

 

[KitKat]

36 minutes ago, Angrydicky said:

I gave my Somerset a grease up earlier, followed by a bath and a quick blast up the road:

It ran really well but the multimeter confirms the alternator is goosed, it’s only showing 12.5v at idle and not much more when I blip the throttle, which would be below par for a dynamo, let alone an alternator. I chucked the multimeter on the Rover battery to check it, 14.3v at idle.

The alternator came in a conversion kit a few years ago, it’s a proper cheap no name one. Squeals like a bastard when it’s cold too. Anyone got a good one kicking around?

 

 

 

That's a splendid looking Somerset  @Angrydicky

That blemished paint on the wings is perfect

[r.welfare]

13 minutes ago, HillmanImp said:

Right, where are the plugs? 

Oh, boxer engine innit. They're on the side. Only accessible from underneath. Bollocks to that. 

You can do them topside using a socket set with a universal joint if you take the airbox and battery out.  You’ll still remove some of the skin off your knuckles though.

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, Angrydicky said:

I gave my Somerset a grease up earlier, followed by a bath and a quick blast up the road:

It ran really well but the multimeter confirms the alternator is goosed, it’s only showing 12.5v at idle and not much more when I blip the throttle, which would be below par for a dynamo, let alone an alternator. I chucked the multimeter on the Rover battery to check it, 14.3v at idle.

The alternator came in a conversion kit a few years ago, it’s a proper cheap no name one. Squeals like a bastard when it’s cold too. Anyone got a good one kicking around?

 

 

 

what a lovely looking thing

I love the Registration mark too, for obvious reasons! will have to remember it for when I get a chance to go through the Essex registration ledgers for the same obvious reasons LOL

[Angrydicky]

1 minute ago, LightBulbFun said:

what a lovely looking thing

I love the Registration mark too, for obvious reasons! will have to remember it for when I get a chance to go through the Essex registration ledgers for the same obvious reasons LOL

Thanks for the thought, but I've already been there

The ledger revealed it was supplied new to an A.C. Starr Esq. on 18/9/1953. Here's the Somerset outside the address it was first registered to, in Romford. 

 

[HillmanImp]

26 minutes ago, r.welfare said:

You can do them topside using a socket set with a universal joint if you take the airbox and battery out.  You’ll still remove some of the skin off your knuckles though.

I read a shortcut with the pollen filter too but I'll only break something. I asked a mechanic mate who's out of work if he fancied doing it and he said no, take it to a garage and I don't blame him. 

[r.welfare]

I’m no great mechanic but it was ok.  The rearmost ones each side are the hardest as there’s not much clearance against the inner wings.  There’s just a lot of engine in the bay.  I changed a headlight at the same time and that was a faff.

The engine note makes it all worthwhile

[LightBulbFun]

4 minutes ago, Angrydicky said:

Thanks for the thought, but I've already been there

The ledger revealed it was supplied new to an A.C. Starr Esq. on 18/9/1953. Here's the Somerset outside the address it was first registered to, in Romford. 

 

ah very cool

(somewhat fitting  initials there!)

[HillmanImp]

2 minutes ago, r.welfare said:

I’m no great mechanic but it was ok.  The rearmost ones each side are the hardest as there’s not much clearance against the inner wings.

To be fair he said it was just because he'd never worked on one of these before so wasn't overly keen. Plus I probably put him off.

Maybe I should try harder. I probably won't though. 

[00833827]

Big work on the kangoo this evening.

This:

To this :

[Split_Pin]

1 hour ago, Angrydicky said:

I gave my Somerset a grease up earlier, followed by a bath and a quick blast up the road:

It ran really well but the multimeter confirms the alternator is goosed, it’s only showing 12.5v at idle and not much more when I blip the throttle, which would be below par for a dynamo, let alone an alternator. I chucked the multimeter on the Rover battery to check it, 14.3v at idle.

The alternator came in a conversion kit a few years ago, it’s a proper cheap no name one. Squeals like a bastard when it’s cold too. Anyone got a good one kicking around?

 

 

 

That is lovely. No other words required in my opinion!

[busmansholiday]

On 5/24/2020 at 9:11 PM, barefoot said:

forgot to mention, the fair wife thinks block paving looks really, really pretty, whereas I am becoming more & more aware that our selection of elderly cars  all leak oil to varying degrees...

Can anyone else see trouble ahead?

Been there as well. Got around it by buying Mrs BMH a car that she liked and wanted but also leaked oil.

Amazingly, when she realised it was her car covering the drive in oil (not me accidentally* spilling it whilst working on stuff) all comments on the state of the drive stopped.

[busmansholiday]

23 hours ago, lanciamatt said:

They repainted Barnsley main colliery other month, looks nice now. There is a preservation group too looking after the grounds too, put benches there etc. 

Been watching them do it every time I've cut over the back there whilst taking my Mrs to and from Oakwell.

[wuvvum]

I've said it before, but I bloody love that Somerset.  The B series conversion transforms it.

[Angrydicky]

5 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

I've said it before, but I bloody love that Somerset.  The B series conversion transforms it.

I must admit, it had been so long since I’d driven it I’d forgotten how quick it is! Well, compared to the Standard ?

[wuvvum]

Had the Tempra up on the ramps again today, to reattach the rack boot properly and have another go at tightening the fanbelt.  I managed to get it fractionally tighter, but it still squeals for a bit after starting, especially if there's load on.  I reckon it probably needs a new belt - it's been squealing for a while so is probably quite worn - but I'm fucked if I'm going to take that job on myself.  It actually probably wouldn't be that hard with the car on a proper ramp, but with my limited facilities and not having arms like octopus tentacles it's an awkward bastard.  I've had enough of the bloody thing now anyway, I'm going to sell it I think - I have more than enough projects already without the Tempra becoming one as well.  It's still perfectly usable but it's pissed me off now and I've lost my affection for it.

While I had the ramps out I stuck the Innocenti up on them to have another look at the front subframe which I need to change at some point soonish.  It's only the nearside that needs doing - the offside has been protected by having oil splashed on it over the years and is still solid.  In theory it doesn't look like a difficult job - two bolts at the front, two at the rear, and then just unbolt and remove the lower suspension arm and the anti-roll bar.  However at least one of the bolts has corroded into what appears to be a solid blob of rust and has about as much chance of coming undone as the Innocenti does of winning a drag race against the V70.  Best case scenario will be that it snaps off when I get the breaker bar on it - worst case I'll have to remove the subframe mounting bracket from the car as well and try and get them apart off the car.  I'm going to have to take the bracket off at some point anyway as it needs a patch welding on the front panel near where it bolts on.

Whilst it was up in the air I decided to do what I'd been putting off for some time and do a proper assessment of the grot situation.  It's actually not as bad as I feared.  Apart from the aforementioned rotten subframe and bit of grot near the mounting point, it's also going to need a patch in the front inner arch on either side, right at the front below the headlights, and a patch about 6" by 4" right at the back of the nearside rear floorpan and bottom of the inner arch.  And that is all I could find.  The sills have some surface rust but genuinely appear to still be solid.  Remarkable really given that it's a 27-year-old series-production Italian shopping car which has been in Blighty for at least 15 years, most of those outdoors, and did daily duty for me for a year and a half.  Even more remarkable is that it appears to never have been welded before.

So with the bits of welding done, a new exhaust centre section (which I can get, although not cheaply), a new pair of headlight mountings (ditto) and the subframe fitted it shouldn't be too far off a test.

 

That's about all I got done today - most of the rest of the day was spent mowing the lawn and playing with bicycles.  I am suffering from a bit of a shortage of mojo at the moment - primarily because I'm still constantly chasing my tail.  I currently have 12 cars, a van and two mopeds, and apart from the Rover 45 (which is departing soon anyway) every single one of them needs work doing.  It's daft really.  My efforts to trim the fleet don't seem to be getting very far - obviously it's a bit of a rubbish time to be selling cars, but whilst they're still sat there I keep feeling like I should be doing the jobs they need (hence spending pretty much an entire day of my life doing the CV joint on the V70, and most of another day getting the rear door to open).  If I could concentrate on just two or three vehicles then I'd be a lot more inclined to just crack on and get them done - the Innocenti and Spacy would both be on the road by now, the 75 would be fully sorted and even the 164 might have had some attention.  As it is they just keep getting pushed to the back of the queue by other projects, many of which weren't even bought as projects in the first place.

[mitsisigma01]

11 hours ago, richardmorris said:

great colour

I'd rather have a picture of the delivery vehicle, looks a nice bit of kit

[mitsisigma01]

1 hour ago, wuvvum said:

While I had the ramps out I stuck the Innocenti up on them to have another look at the front subframe which I need to change at some point soonish

Of course you sprayed all the bastard looking nuts and bolts with penetrating oil to prepare for when the big day comes???

Might save some knuckles and skin ??

[wuvvum]

I did indeed.  There is only so much penetrating oil can do though - it cannot restore threads that have completely dissolved...