The new news 24 thread

[Justin Case]

Mazdashed passed its MOT today with no advisories. I am quite pleased delighted as it has been off the road for six months until today and there was a bit of rust on the discs, but it didn't seem to affect the brakes.

[N19]

Also shows why H&S folk are neurotic about ladders - and them only being used as a last resort.

[Fumbler]

BX now has tyres ordered... although I couldn't get a full uniform set because the Internet thought that would be too easy. I bought the last pair in existence by the looks of things. Out of stock everywhere. Fortunately my brother sourced some equivalents with the same speed rating and stuff. Not ideal but substantially better than what's currently on there.

[Zelandeth]

3 hours ago, richardmorris said:

Large Tonka Toy and a barn find DB6. Reg was STU404J but isn’t showing in gov tax website. I really liked the remote control trolley lift it was delivered on.

Nice...while I think a lot of Astons are overrated, I do like the DB5, and that's a great colour for it.  When they're being driven as intended they make a truly glorious noise.

Definitely one of the very expensive cars I was given a shot of by a friend which stuck in my mind as one on the "yeah...if I won the lottery I'd want one of them" list.

 

[richardmorris]

4 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Nice...while I think a lot of Astons are overrated, I do like the DB5, and that's a great colour for it.  When they're being driven as intended they make a truly glorious noise.

Definitely one of the very expensive cars I was given a shot of by a friend which stuck in my mind as one on the "yeah...if I won the lottery I'd want one of them" list.

 

When they opened the doors the surround seemed to be white, as did the engine bay, so I think it’s had a cheap respray at some point. No photo of that as I was doing actual work in the lab and had my hands full, but just looking out of the window. 

Perhaps @LightBulbFun can work his magic and find out when it was last registered for the road? Nothing is showing on the gov tax website,

[MarvinsMom]

have had a good day today, a really good day, the first in sometime.

see, this morning, well actually 3am cos i;'m having the insomnia something terrible at the moment, i fished this out and had a good look at the bit about seatbelts. i didn't realise that upto 1972 Austin-Morris shipped the cars off to the dealers without seatbelts, these were then fitted there as an extra, and there been several types available. when i last had these Kangol Reflex ones in the car, briefly some time ago, i couldn't get any sense out of them, i gave the belts a yank, and they would npt lock. well it seems that is quiet common, on these old belts the car needs to brake to make the seatbelts lock. having had a try this afternoon, they do work when you do that, most of the  time, when they feel like it of course!!

so today i have whiled away several pleasant hours tinkering with the black mini, its future is still unclear, but after today well maybe it'll stay with me, for now. i have already delated the advert that i had posted, as such, after reading the book, and looking on the interwebs about those old seatbelts, i have had a go at putting them back in the car. in truth i can see me putting the new belts back in, but for now i wanted to give them a try.

there is some evidence of corrosion in the inertia mechanism, and the webbing is grubby too, so, i'm thinking that the webbing will clean up using "Pledge" or something similar, i'm wondering if some wd40 in the inertia mechanism would clean that up inside? i have wondered about using brake cleaner on that part, but then what if that was too harsh on what are a mix of small nylon looking bits and diecast cogs?? 

well after that, i did go for a run into town again in it, just because, kerry has done a great job sorting the ignition out, new points, new condenser and the replacing the electric connections onto the coil has got the car running sweet. there has been a weep from the thermostat housing, while having the tools too hand i was going to change the gasket on that to, only to find that the bolts were not as tight has they should, could have been. i have given them a tweak, so i hope that will sort that.

the test run while been successful has shown a couple of things that need attention. the exhaust is blowing from the clamp, as is typical on an a-series given the shit clamp arrangement that BMC adopted, and the car pulls on braking. it seems that the o/s brakes are keen as  fook, while the n/s are not so in their operation, and the indicators seem to function in a rather hit and miss affair. so the exhaust and brakes will all get some much needed attention, the indicators though i think the fault is more with the stalk rather than the relay or actual bulbs. there  i think the contacts in the stalk must have got some corrosion or similar on them, so i am hoping that they will get better with some use. even so, with these faults i did find that i was indeed enjoying the car again. which was nice. and has me thinking that for now at  least, i will be hanging on to it. i will never, ever be able to have another one, if  i let that one go.... plus look at the odds and sods that i have collected out of the garage for this car, i am going to have a good look through whats here with a view to binning the stuff thats just crap, and sell,or at least attempt to sell on  those bits that are ok to go again.

i then decided that it deserved a quick wash, and the Toyota too got a wipe with a soapy sponge, as the car was filthy. i have ran about in that car for the first time in a long time, last time been when i was doing that shitty job which i hated. and i found i was hating the toyota too. not so today, yes, the toyota is CRUSHINGLY dull, but actually as a car to trundle about in, well its perfectly adequate! 

so what have i taken away from today? well i think if i'm in a poor placementally, then EVERYTHING is going to  be shit. Conversly if i'm ok, then things are peachy. it also means that i think i should get my happy tablets reviewed, though the shit and strife that getting any sort of consultation from the GPs currently make that unlikely!!

[Zelandeth]

1 minute ago, MarvinsMom said:

have had a good day today, a really good day, the first in sometime.

see, this morning, well actually 3am cos i;'m having the insomnia something terrible at the moment, i fished this out and had a good look at the bit about seatbelts. i didn't realise that upto 1972 Austin-Morris shipped the cars off to the dealers without seatbelts, these were then fitted there as an extra, and there been several types available. when i last had these Kangol Reflex ones in the car, briefly some time ago, i couldn't get any sense out of them, i gave the belts a yank, and they would npt lock. well it seems that is quiet common, on these old belts the car needs to brake to make the seatbelts lock. having had a try this afternoon, they do work when you do that, most of the  time! 

so today i have whiled away several pleasant hours tinkering with the black mini, its future is still unclear, but after today well maybe it'll stay with me, for now. i have already delated the advert that i had posted, as such, after reading the book, and looking on the interwebs about those old seatbelts, i have had a go at putting them back in the car. in truth i can see me putting the new belts back in, but for now i wanted to give them a try.

there is some evidence of corrosion in the inertia mechanism, and the webbing is grubby too, so, i'm thinking that the webbing will clean up using "Pledge" or something similar, i'm wondering if some wd40 in the inertia mechanism would clean that up inside? i have wondered about brake cleaner, though i wonder if that would be too harsh?? 

well after that, i did go for a run into town again in it, just because, kerry has done a great job sorting the ignition out, new points, new condenser and the replacing the electric connections onto the coil has got the car running sweet. there has been a weep from the thermostat housing, while having the tools too hand i was going to change the gasket on that to, only to find that the bolts were not as tight has they should, could have been. i have given them a tweak, so i hope that will sort that.

the test run while been successful has shown a couple of things that need attention. the exhaust is blowing from the clamp, as is typical on an a-series given the shit clamp arrangement that BMC adopted, and the car pulls on braking. it seems that the o/s brakes are keen as  fook, while the n/s are not so in their operation, and the indicators seem to function in a rather hit and miss affair. so the exhaust and brakes will all get some much needed attention, the indicators though i think the fault is more with the stalk rather than the relay or actual bulbs. there  i think the contacts in the stalk must have got some corrosion or similar on them, so i am hoping that they will get better with some use. even so, with these faults i did find that i was indeed enjoying the car again. which was nice. and has me thinking that for now at  least, i will be hanging on to it. i will never, ever be able to have another one, if  i let that one go.... plus look at the odds and sods that i have collected out of the garage for this car, i am going to have a good look through whats here with a view to binning the stuff thats just crap, and sell,or at least attempt to sell on  those bits that are ok to go again.

i then decided that it deserved a quick wash, and the Toyota too got a wipe with a soapy sponge, as the car was filthy. i have ran about in that car for the first time in a long time, last time been when i was doing that shitty job which i hated. and i found i was hating the toyota too. not so today, yes, the toyota is CRUSHINGLY dull, but actually as a car to trundle about in, well its perfectly adequate! 

so what have i taken away from today? well i think if i'm in a poor placementally, then EVERYTHING is going to  be shit. Conversly if i'm ok, then things are peachy. it also means that i think i should get my happy tablets reviewed, though the shit and strife that getting any sort of consultation from the GPs currently make that unlikely!!

Glad you're feeling a bit better.  It's really surprising what just one decent day can do for your mental state isn't it!

I'd love a proper Mini (well...I think I would, have never driven one!  Absolutely loved my Mk I Metro), but there's absolutely no way in hell I could afford - never mind justify - the prices they're worth these days. 

[LightBulbFun]

13 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

When they opened the doors the surround seemed to be white, as did the engine bay, so I think it’s had a cheap respray at some point.  Perhaps @LightBulbFun can work his magic and find out when it was last registered for the road? 

its not on any sort of internet facing computer system so its been inactive since before 1983 either came off the road before being computerised,

or was computerised, but came off the road before 1983 and saw no activity after then so got archived off the main DVLC/DVLA computer when they archived off most vehicles records which had seen no activity since before 1983 or so (I dont know when they did that, I just know that at some point in the past they did!)

if thats the case it would still exist in the DVLA's archives, but I cant search those sadly!

[MarvinsMom]

Just now, Zelandeth said:

Glad you're feeling a bit better.  It's really surprising what just one decent day can do for your mental state isn't it!

I'd love a proper Mini (well...I think I would, have never driven one!  Absolutely loved my Mk I Metro), but there's absolutely no way in hell I could afford - never mind justify - the prices they're worth these days. 

when i was thinking of selling this one, i had a value of £5500 in mind for it,.

since the bloody phone kept on ringing for it yesterday, i think i must have been valuing it too cheap!

mini's, like land rovers and escrots are seriously over priced, especially for what they are, frankly....

now all we have to do is get the other mini outta its garage, get it mot'd and the get them BOTH used!!

but, yes, a good day has made the world of difference. i have to do it more, much more oftern.

 

[wuvvum]

8 minutes ago, MarvinsMom said:

i'm thinking that the webbing will clean up using "Pledge" or something similar

MarvinsMom, earlier.

[richardmorris]

2 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

its not on any sort of internet facing computer system so its been inactive since before 1983 either came off the road before being computerised,

or was computerised, but came off the road before 1983 and saw no activity after then so got archived off the DVLC/DVLA computer when they archived off most vehicles records which had seen no activity since before 1983 or so

if thats the case it would still exist in the DVLA's archives, but I cant search those sadly!

My initial guess looking at it was 30 years off the road, but I don’t suppose 40 is unreasonable. There was a photographer climbing all over it this afternoon so I expect it is up for sale at auction soon ( rmsothebys, historics or silverstone probably ).

[SiC]

2 hours ago, MarvinsMom said:

when i was thinking of selling this one, i had a value of £5500 in mind for it,.

since the bloody phone kept on ringing for it yesterday, i think i must have been valuing it too cheap!

mini's, like land rovers and escrots are seriously over priced, especially for what they are, frankly....

now all we have to do is get the other mini outta its garage, get it mot'd and the get them BOTH used!!

but, yes, a good day has made the world of difference. i have to do it more, much more oftern.

 

If it's pretty much rust-free, that's a very good price for a 70s Mini. 

If you do ever sell, make sure you put an advert on here. I for one would potentially be interested and I'm sure others would be too. 

[cort16]

21 minutes ago, SiC said:

If it's pretty much rust-free, that's a very good price for a 70s Mini. 

If you do ever sell, make sure you put an advert on here. I for one would potentially be interested and I'm sure others would be too. 

You really are trying to fill that garden aren;t you 😃

I agree though it looks cheap at that price. My land lord just sold 3 Minis that have holes you could get your head through for a grand each so prices are definetly going up.

[SiC]

9 hours ago, cort16 said:

You really are trying to fill that garden aren;t you 😃

I agree though it looks cheap at that price. My land lord just sold 3 Minis that have holes you could get your head through for a grand each so prices are definetly going up.

Prices are on the up but I think they're in line with all the other pre-80s classics price increases. I really would like a MG Midget but they have increased a fair bit. Previously £4k would have got you a decent chrome bumper example, now that barely gets you a rubber bumper one. Likewise on the Spitfire. 

In contrast Minis are a cultural icon - possibly more loved and desirable than stuff like the Minor/Midget/Spitfire/MGB. Yet they aren't too dissimilar price.

Any cars I buy from now I really intend to be ready to go and not projects. I'm fed up of project cars and want to enjoy driving them, not having to heavily fix them before I can! Also I like cars with a ready parts supply (like the Spitfire/Midget/Minor/MGB/Mini/etc) as I really dislike having to hunt out an unobtainium part. If an unobtainium part breaks, the car ends up getting laid up for ages until said part can be located. Very frustrating when the weather is nice and you intend to go out in a car!

[cort16]

11 minutes ago, SiC said:

Prices are on the up but I think they're in line with all the other pre-80s classics price increases. I really would like a MG Midget but they have increased a fair bit. Previously £4k would have got you a decent chrome bumper example, now that barely gets you a rubber bumper one. Likewise on the Spitfire. 

In contrast Minis are a cultural icon - possibly more loved and desirable than stuff like the Minor/Midget/Spitfire/MGB. Yet they aren't too dissimilar price.

Any cars I buy from now I really intend to be ready to go and not projects. I'm fed up of project cars and want to enjoy driving them, not having to heavily fix them before I can! Also I like cars with a ready parts supply (like the Spitfire/Midget/Minor/MGB/Mini/etc) as I really dislike having to hunt out an unobtainium part. If an unobtainium part breaks, the car ends up getting laid up for ages until said part can be located. Very frustrating when the weather is nice and you intend to go out in a car!

If Marvinsmom sold it for 5500 you could bet it would be up for 8-9 the next day somewhere. The thing about selling them is if you do then you'll probably not get another without spending a fortune.

Capri's and to some extent Cortinas are now all out my price range. This is why I decided to spend more money getting a good version of a less popular car. It's nice having something that's not all been torn to bits in the past or needs torn to bits now.

[HillmanImp]

We're putting our house up for sale and they're coming round to take photos today. 

I feel really bad as I've had to move Meg to make the place look tidier. 

I mean its not that Meg is unsightly but I just need less cars on the drive and the Mazda does look a bit better in pictures for the average Joe I guess. 

[SiC]

10 minutes ago, cort16 said:

If Marvinsmom sold it for 5500 you could bet it would be up for 8-9 the next day somewhere.

Not if it was to me 😆

Because...

10 minutes ago, cort16 said:

The thing about selling them is if you do then you'll probably not get another without spending a fortune.

There could very much be a point where a pre-80s Mini becomes completely unaffordable. At least to me and especially if I want to keep a multi car collection.

Like my BGT, I could see no reason why I'd ever want to sell a pre-80s Mini if I ever bought one in good condition. All bar something major like personal financial strife of course. 

10 minutes ago, cort16 said:

This is why I decided to spend more money getting a good version of a less popular car.

Problem is, I end up have to having a particular model - even if expensive. As I can't afford expensive, it usually is the case I buy the bad/undesirable version of a car because it's in budget! Sometimes that works out well (i.e. non original colour 1100, undesirable colour BGT) but sometimes it works out less well (i.e. Dolomite that requires a whole lot of welding!). 

[SiC]

35 minutes ago, HillmanImp said:

We're putting our house up for sale and they're coming round to take photos today. 

I feel really bad as I've had to move Meg to make the place look tidier. 

I mean its not that Meg is unsightly but I just need less cars on the drive and the Mazda does look a bit better in pictures for the average Joe I guess. 

Hopefully you don't get as much hassle selling as we did! Different market now though.

The purple, rotten in progress 1100 had to go because of the "clutter" on the drive it caused was affecting viewings. I still regret not being in a position to have bought your GT6. Those now seem to have sailed away from me price wise. 

[tooSavvy]

12 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Glad you're feeling a bit better.  It's really surprising what just one decent day can do for your mental state isn't it!

I'd love a proper Mini (well...I think I would, have never driven one!  Absolutely loved my Mk I Metro), but there's absolutely no way in hell I could afford - never mind justify - the prices they're worth these days. 

You can have a go in mine.... Mk1 Metro steeringwheel feel, anyroads *not Quartic

[puddlethumper]

1 hour ago, HillmanImp said:

We're putting our house up for sale and they're coming round to take photos today. 

I feel really bad as I've had to move Meg to make the place look tidier. 

I mean its not that Meg is unsightly but I just need less cars on the drive and the Mazda does look a bit better in pictures for the average Joe I guess. 

I've heard that the first impression is the most important to many buyers. Eg, Only having one car on the drive can make the front look more spacious. Space = good. 

[beko1987]

I used to park on my mums drive for work and the day the photos were taken I was asked to park elsewhere... 

[SiC]

Prince Philip RIP

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11437314

 

 

[Cord Fourteener]

News: car body repair shop not interested in reparing headlining or sun roof of the Volvo 740!

 

[Cord Fourteener]

More news: I have the fittings for the headlight wipers! Got one blade, just need the other now. 

 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

2 minutes ago, Tim_E said:

News: car body repair shop not interested in reparing headlining or sun roof of the Volvo 740!

 

What a surprise!

[Split_Pin]

21 minutes ago, SiC said:

Prince Philip RIP

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11437314

 

 

My parents are 72 and he and QEII were married before they were born. Mind blown.

[Spurious]

30 minutes ago, Split_Pin said:

My parents are 72 and he and QEII were married before they were born. Mind blown.

It's crazy to think the things he's seen. 

A lot has happened in the world in 90 years. 

[Austat]

Had a nice evening stroll today and got chatting with the owner of a '74 Citroen DS Safari which he's had for 40 years. Interesting bloke, he said he previously had a '63 Mini at one point and that he once drove a Citroen Light 15 through Uganda a few years back.

[Wgl2019]

On 4/8/2021 at 6:03 AM, Jazoli said:

It's a dark brown

Once I've polished it up I'll post a pic as it's quite unusual.

Espresso iirc

[Split_Pin]

Had a message from the garage.

He's unhappy that there's more than 3 holes in the Cavalier. Towbar was hiding a lot. Almost like I purposely lied to him.

Not heard back about whether he can do anything with it.