The new news 24 thread

[lesapandre]

Metro at 40. 

Poor article on the car from the BBC - I don't recall it being designed in 6 weeks or derided -they sold over 2M FFS. They were always a useful little work-a-day thing that took a lot of development - and citing rust on cars decades old seem pretty naff. At least these cars could be fixed unlike a lot of stuff these days. Some - the MG and GTA were a bit aspirational I recall - and even Princess Di had a Metro. 

Sometimes I feel the BBC are very out of touch.  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-54423328

[richardmorris]

Peak 1980s in the drizzle this morning.

[wuvvum]

3 hours ago, Angrydicky said:

Reliable Honda running gear on this one so hopefully no repeat of the grief I had with the 45.

I thought it was only the auto 620s that used the Honda engine?

[MarvinsMom]

i thought that the 618 and the 623 both ones with Honda engines?

and  that 620 used a T16 and the diesel was the L-series derived from the perkins prima, both of them been Rovers own engines, with a Rover gearbox.

the honda engine is the wrong way round, Rovers, and just about everyone else's end-on transverse engine, sits on the left hand side of the engine bay, Honda at that time, for some reason best known to themselves were the other way round, with the engine sitting on the right hand side of the engine bay.

or did i dream it?

[barefoot]

It appears that my job has gone down the pan.  For anyone interested, I was assistant editor of a popular, or as it turns out, not popular enough, aircooled VW magazine. The publisher has pulled the plug. However, it appears that I've been scooped up as part of a consortium who've bought the rights & will be publishing it themselves...

Hmmm, we'll see how that pans out.

In the meantime I've managed to land myself the plum position of  Transport Supremo by the local volunteer mob, and I now have full responsibility for cleaning and checking the oil & water on a fleet of mini buses.

The bright spot amonst this lot is the Renault with its special comedy gearbox

- it is totally fucking deadful to drive & changes gear at all the rong times!

[lesapandre]

Sorry to hear that BF - the job not the gearbox. Hope the new crew can make something of it.

Which mag was it?

[puddlethumper]

My heap earning me a living carrying tower scaffolding to a warehouse to change dead strip light tubes.

[barefoot]

33 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

Sorry to hear that BF - the job not the gearbox. Hope the new crew can make something of it.

Which mag was it?

VW Camper & commercial - 'the original & best'

http://www.volkswagencamperandcommercial.co.uk

[treehugger]

58 minutes ago, puddlethumper said:

My heap earning me a living carrying tower scaffolding to a warehouse to change dead strip light tubes.

That looks a proper heap for the job. None of that modern rubbish. 

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, puddlethumper said:

My heap earning me a living carrying tower scaffolding to a warehouse to change dead strip light tubes.

no pictures of the light fixtures, the old or the new tubes? aww LOL

[Craig the Princess]

Quick french supermini swap.

 

[Mally]

2 hours ago, puddlethumper said:

My heap earning me a living carrying tower scaffolding to a warehouse to change dead strip light tubes.

You any good on slate roof strips/ felt/re-slate?  They don't use felt now. Need a scaffolding company for mine probably,  gable is high.

Stone terrace, end house. Not been done for hundreds of years, but all the others have. 

 

[Slowsilver]

Interesting variety of vehicles on the Silver's drive yesterday:

Then about 10 minutes later:

An unexpected Fiat Panda no (A)less(i).
 

[bunglebus]

Man I hate decorating, but the pink had to go

 

[clayts450]

5 hours ago, MarvinsMom said:

i thought that the 618 and the 623 both ones with Honda engines?

and  that 620 used a T16 and the diesel was the L-series derived from the perkins prima, both of them been Rovers own engines, with a Rover gearbox.

the honda engine is the wrong way round, Rovers, and just about everyone else's end-on transverse engine, sits on the left hand side of the engine bay, Honda at that time, for some reason best known to themselves were the other way round, with the engine sitting on the right hand side of the engine bay.

or did i dream it?

Correct on all counts. 

[wuvvum]

618 and 623 were defo Honda engines, but I'm sure I remember reading that the auto 620s used Honda mechanicals as well.

[clayts450]

Yes, 620 was either Honda (auto or manual - mine is the former) or the Rover T-series turbo-nutter ti version

[Ghosty]

2 hours ago, Slowsilver said:

An unexpected Fiat Panda no (A)less(i).

Has it got a rear silencer yet?

 

[puddlethumper]

3 hours ago, Mally said:

You any good on slate roof strips/ felt/re-slate?  They don't use felt now. Need a scaffolding company for mine probably,  gable is high.

Stone terrace, end house. Not been done for hundreds of years, but all the others have. 

 

Sorry @Mally I'm too old and creaky for roofing.

[Mally]

Just now, puddlethumper said:

Sorry @Mally I'm too old and creaky for roofing.

Me too, I once got the chimney sweep brush stuck in the pot and had to go up and pull it out from the top, but it was 40 years ago.

[Angrydicky]

7 hours ago, wuvvum said:

I thought it was only the auto 620s that used the Honda engine?

Nope - all petrol 600s had Honda engines and gearboxes with the exception of the 620 ti. Defo Ronda.

I think @Ghosty will correct me if I'm wrong, but I reckon you're thinking of the 400 series, where autos were Honda and manuals K series.

[wuvvum]

Could well be.  I've only owned one non-turbo 620 and that was nearly 20 years ago...

[Ghosty]

10 minutes ago, Angrydicky said:

Nope - all petrol 600s had Honda engines and gearboxes with the exception of the 620 ti. Defo Ronda.

I think @Ghosty will correct me if I'm wrong, but I reckon you're thinking of the 400 series, where autos were Honda and manuals K series.

The nasp 620 was a Honda F-Series. 
I don't know much about HHRs (I'm more interested in Civics and R8s) but I think you're right in the case of the very early models, they carried over the engine and autobox from the R8. It took until about 1997 for Rover to work out how to mate an autobox to a K-Series for an in-house automatic option (I think this happened when the Honda partnership ended), which they did using a 1.6 K-Series and a CVT. The 'bubble dash' 2/400 (Tourer, Cab and Tomcat that lasted longer than the hatch/saloon, overlapping into HHR production) also had K-Series engines with CVTs for the auto option, whereas the earlier R8 dashed models from before the HHR's arrival were available with Honda engines and gearboxes. 

[Jamie]

Had the Axle swapped on my 206 Gti, exhaust was held together with a coke can #autoshite

[richardmorris]

The scenic left work today on the next stage to its new home. Battery connected and it started first time.  As @Wingz123commented , it is very quiet especially given its near 170,000miles. Given that the only other car movement outside was that white Lamborghini  I know which will be cheaper and more reliable!

[chancer]

5 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Man I hate decorating, but the pink had to go

 

Saw this and thought @stuboy had been let loose in your gaff 😂

[Cord Fourteener]

This beast is going to need a nearside rear wheel bearing I think. It's definitely starting to make noises.

[MarvinsMom]

 

today i have had to drag me dad round to sort out the jobbie pipe in the back yard.

i had wanted kerry to put a couple of brackets on the soil pipe to stop it bouncing about, as there were none fitted.

there had been some at some point, but these had long since rotted through.

brackets bought, but kerry starts twittering on about it been a bodge and something more permanent is required.

so the existing jobbie pipe got pulled out, and then we find that in spite of having some shiny new lengths of pipe and a selection of fittings, we didn't have, of all things a saw.....

so i put it all back together, and this morning, it had come to bits, resulting in jobbies in the yard.

oh for fucks sake!

one panicked call to me dad, and a couple of hours doing the most horrible job i've ever done, and the pipe is now replaced, new and shiny and not leaking and concreted in., though its not shown in those pictures.

and i have had words with kerry, next time i want a couple of brackets, well i'll get a couple of brackets (or call a plumber)

the worse thing though, is that my dad isn't the man he was, i mean he is still as fit as ever, but he is getting old and at 72 its starting to show.

and that is very fucking shit.

[MarvinsMom]

6 hours ago, Slowsilver said:

Interesting variety of vehicles on the Silver's drive yesterday:

Then about 10 minutes later:

An unexpected Fiat Panda no (A)less(i).
 

you know, once upon a time, the Maxi was a pretty big car..... and that one looks glorious.

a Maxi isn't never ever going to be a looker, but as i get older, the more and more attractive they look.

hmmmmmmmm, Maxi.........

[Slowsilver]

5 hours ago, Ghosty said:

Has it got a rear silencer yet?

Nope. It fell off and still hasn't been replaced. Sounds dreadful. But nothing to do with me fortunately.