The new news 24 thread

[wuvvum]

14 minutes ago, egg said:

Yeah, Villeneuve. We lived on Rue Aimé Pupin on the edge of the 1968 Olympic Village.  It was a little bit dicey.

I don't envy you - the Village Olympique had a bit of a reputation...  How long were you there for?

[egg]

27 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

I don't envy you - the Village Olympique had a bit of a reputation...  How long were you there for?

Sep 97-Jun 98. One of my mates had the good sense to live on Uni campus. We were living in a building for young rural workers seeking work in the 'big city' - in reality mostly young male migrants. We didn't walk through the Village after dark if we could help it, it was menacing even in the day time. Kept a low profile. 

This was my room in this lovely* block.

I've posted this before, but once my Flat mate burst into to my room naked at 2 in the morning because he could smell smoke....This was why...

This was the next morning, I guess when you're 20, these things don't bother you so much!

[Bren]

We got the vectra back from the garage. They admitted being too busy to do the job. I suppose it's easier than saying we would rather do MOT repairs.

I had it recovered to the local VX specialist. He said it might be after christmas before he starts however he messaged me to say one injector was a PITA so he has started it.

Up to now I am £120 in - £70 for recovery and £50 (!) for a timing belt.

[wuvvum]

1 hour ago, egg said:

Sep 97-Jun 98.

Heh, we just missed each other.  I moved away in August '97.

[RobT]

2 hours ago, egg said:

I've posted this before, but once my Flat mate burst into to my room naked at 2 in the morning because he could smell smoke....This was why...

I felt like doing that to my old 11 a few times...

[N19]

4 hours ago, BorniteIdentity said:

😏

As the actress said to the Bishop! 

Recovery complete. A bluebird towing a Mondeo probably isn't a usual sight. One snagged towrope, another bump at a set of lights (on the shiny new mondeo bumper! At least I'm good at fitting them now) and hopefully not too flat a battery. 

[davehedgehog31]

7 minutes ago, N19 said:

As the actress said to the Bishop! 

Recovery complete. A bluebird towing a Mondeo probably isn't a usual sight. One snagged towrope, another bump at a set of lights (on the shiny new mondeo bumper! At least I'm good at fitting them now) and hopefully not too flat a battery. 

Got one with tow rope in shot? Calendar shot!

[RobT]

Fleet update.  MoT pass on the Rover 820 last week, which was a relief as getting any work done was a hassle I could do without.  I spent ages on those rear calipers and handbrake so it felt like an achievement getting a fresh ticket.  After all that I'll make an effort to sell it now (not a process I'm looking forward to tbh), and will also ask actual money for it.  Gets a bit tiresome losing money on cars every single time.  Plus it's a lovely old thing and drives really well.

Front wheel is on lock as I was checking out the CV boot severely deteriorated advisory.  Doesn't look that bad, so I'll leave it for the new owner.

The Xantia keeps doing main car duties well, and my hydraulic pipe fix seems to be have worked.  Nail in the rear tyre last week means I'm running it in the 25 year Michelin spare, so I'll get that fixed soon.  Here it is with the Skizzer Espace, which is still fantastic despite losing electricity.  I'm hoping a new voltage regulator will fix that.  Got the part, just need to remove the alternator.  I'll do that on Boxing Day or something.

It's also an ideal location for a coffee break, when I couldn't be arsed fixing cars the other day.

I've also been mucking about with the Morris.  It needs a new brake master cylinder, or a refurb of the existing one, as the braking is finally comically shit.  Reversed into my garage wall the other day because no brakes and ill judged twattery.  No major harm done though, just a giffer style sent on the bumper.

The itch to buy something else has also reappeared.  Shouldn't, but these things are inevitable aren't they...

[Split_Pin]

Love that Espace interior!

[dollywobbler]

That Espace is amazing.

Pete - I reckon the Datsun is a 260Z 2+2.

[Pete-M]

58 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

Pete - I reckon the Datsun is a 260Z 2+2.

I reckon you could well be right. 

[SiC]

8 hours ago, RobT said:

I've also been mucking about with the Morris.  It needs a new brake master cylinder, or a refurb of the existing one, as the braking is finally comically shit.

Iirc they're basically Mini master cylinders, so cheap and easily got hold of. Try to go genuine AP/TRW/etc if you can though. 

[Mike D]

Few more bits done to the mini, radius arms cleaned and painted, and new shafts, bearings and bushes fitted and reamed:

Rear suspension cones, trumpets and hi-lo's all cleaned and painted along with the subframe trunnions and brake brackets

I also cleaned and painted the rear hubs and fitted the new uprated wheel bearings

And the rear subframe, that took some swallowing!

 

I've been doing a bit of tidying up of a few surface rusty bits underneath in preparation for rebuilding and refitting the subframe, and am having a play with the steerign wheel boss so I can incorporate a quick release into it to add a bit of security

[N19]

Old hose removed, revealing the crack.

One rummage around the Random Hoses Box of the garage at the end of the street revealed this Merc hose of the same dimensions. Again, appropriately autoshite? 

[Pete-M]

23 hours ago, dome said:

 

You could be a very useful man to me! 

 

 

Is this the kinda thing you're after?

https://link.mobile.de?link=https%3A%2F%2Fsuchen.mobile.de%2Ffahrzeuge%2Fdetails.html%3Fid%3D302842267%26utm_source%3DsharedAd%26utm_medium%3Dandroid%26utm_campaign%3DDynamicLinkApp&apn=de.mobile.android.app&amv=690&st=Opel Manta B 1%2C6&sd=First Registration%3A 01%2F1981 Mileage%3A 150.000 km Fuel%3A Petrol Power%3A 55 kW (75 Hp) &si=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ebayimg.com%2F00%2Fs%2FMTIwMFgxNjAw%2Fz%2FvuIAAOSwHqRfAw95%2F%24_20.JPG&utm_campaign=DynamicLinkApp&utm_medium=android&utm_source=sharedAd

[alcyonecorporation]

Bought another 960. 

This one's a 3.0 CD saloon. 

No, I don't know why, either. 

[vulgalour]

Found where the water is getting into the boot of the Maestro... found some rust bubbles in the seam sealer too which I have chosen to ignore because I don't want to feel like a Scottish Triumph owner.

[beko1987]

51 minutes ago, alcyonecorporation said:

Bought another 960. 

This one's a 3.0 CD saloon. 

No, I don't know why, either. 

Because volvo! 

[Lord Sterling]

1 hour ago, alcyonecorporation said:

Bought another 960. 

This one's a 3.0 CD saloon. 

No, I don't know why, either. 

Nice. That one reminds me of the Volvo 760 used in the 1991 film 'Delusion'

https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_479301-Volvo-760-764-1990.html

[wuvvum]

/\ That's an impressively obscure reference...

[N19]

14 hours ago, davehedgehog31 said:

Got one with tow rope in shot? Calendar shot!

Sadly not! I could always recreate it for the sake of it...

Also realised how painful it is to tow a car designed to be pulled by a screw-in towing hook, without one, having realised that it was missing at the critical moment. Another trip to ebay.

[wuvvum]

15 hours ago, N19 said:

A bluebird towing a Mondeo probably isn't a usual sight. 

Years ago I towed a mate's broken Saab 900 T8 to a Saab specialist for repair behind my Kia Pride.  That got some bemused looks.  Managed it fine though.

[Lord Sterling]

On 12/14/2020 at 11:30 PM, N19 said:

A bluebird towing a Mondeo probably isn't a usual sight.

A mate of mine years ago helped me recover my 1987 Rover 820e which was towed on a trailer from Swindon on the back of a Renault Avantime 😁

I have a picture somewhere....

[alcyonecorporation]

19 minutes ago, Lord Sterling said:

A mate of mine years ago helped me recover my 1987 Rover 820e which was towedon a trailer from Swindon on the back of a Renault Avantime 😁

I have a picture somewhere....

I will have to dig that pic of RD's J9 towing my Piazza out from my archives

[stuboy]

Any age of this?

[vulgalour]

As per info here: https://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/aa.htm that one is from the 1930s and used on commercial vehicles.

[Yoss]

22 hours ago, egg said:

Kids round here are so bored they're shooting out bus windows after dark with air rifles - they've had to divert from some parts of their normal route.

https://www.kentonline.co.uk/herne-bay/news/bus-route-no-go-zone-as-yobs-shoot-windows-out-237484/

This happened to me once. I was on a bus in Grenoble in 1998, when a brick came through a window 6 feet away from me one evening. A delightful* experience.

There's nothing new under the sun. This happened to me in 1988. I was on the last Routemaster of the night in Lordshill when there was a loud bang upstairs. Even the driver heard it despite being sat on a Leyland O. 600. It was practically the end of the route and I was the only passenger on board so me and the conductor went upstairs to have a look and found this. 

We think it was a catapult as we found a small round stone on the floor. As it was the last trip we switched the lights off and drove straight to my stop to drop me off (it was only four stops and I was familiar with most of the crews, the clippie was a young lass called Jenny). 

This was in the garage the next day.  A bit more glass had fallen out on the way back. 

It was RM 2011 in case @LightBulbFun is wondering. 

[Yoss]

I got another hire van at work today. But this one is the same as my normal van except it's silver instead of red. 

Though it is six years newer than mine and has a few differences. One of which is this. 

I don't think they will ever spec Royal Mail vans with touchscreens. I hope not anyway. It took me ages  to find 6 Music, the whole screen just seemed a mess. 

But even better, this van had a double passenger seat where ours have one and a cubby hole/armrest thing that you can keep your drink and lunch in. This is the double seat. 

They look a bit narrow from there but let's look a bit closer. 

Interesting leg room*

And that is a standard takeaway box that I had my lunch in. That seat is less than twice the width of a takeaway box with about 4 inches of legroom. How is that possibly usable? 

[Cord Fourteener]

9 minutes ago, Yoss said:

I got another hire van at work today. But this one is the same as my normal van except it's silver instead of red. 

Though it is six years newer than mine and has a few differences. One of which is this. 

I don't think they will ever spec Royal Mail vans with touchscreens. I hope not anyway. It took me ages  to find 6 Music, the whole screen just seemed a mess. 

But even better, this van had a double passenger seat where ours have one and a cubby hole/armrest thing that you can keep your drink and lunch in. This is the double seat. 

They look a bit narrow from there but let's look a bit closer. 

Interesting leg room*

And that is a standard takeaway box that I had my lunch in. That seat is less than twice the width of a takeaway box with about 4 inches of legroom. How is that possibly usable? 

It's for when you pick up hitching Cornish Pixies.

[Zelandeth]

Yep...we had water sitting in this motor then.

Thankfully aside from.one sticky brush we seem to have escaped otherwise unscathed.  Which is nice as a replacement is about £150.