The new news 24 thread

[Rust Collector]

I think I must have been living under a rock, as everyone is talking about Drive It day in mutual understanding - is this an annual thing or is it a code name for Sundays now or something??

Surely every day is drive it day on Autoshite 😅

[High Jetter]

It's an annual thing, like National Sickie Day (Feb 6th). Some people celebrate both more frequently, of course.

[Rust Collector]

1 hour ago, High Jetter said:

It's an annual thing, like National Sickie Day (Feb 6th). Some people celebrate both more frequently, of course.

Ah ok, yes it's drive it day in my household every time the moderns are blocked in and I can't be fucked with playing car tetris before the morning commute.

I didn't know about National Sickie Day either, every day is a school day.

[brownnova]

I do miss every day being drive it day. Since I got the XC90 the convenience and comfort of having it has overtaken and I tend to use it for most things! I’m hoping having the TransSport back on the road might change that! 

[stuboy]

i let the missus drive me about sun(day) and she drives like looney but get too a car park and its 2mph..

[richardmorris]

On 4/23/2023 at 6:06 PM, Six-cylinder said:

Thank you @richardmorris

I think the bx and x1/9 sharp edge styling are making the pale blue car look a little dumpy.

[richardmorris]

22 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Well as predicted Drive It Day was a complete washout.  I actually drove all 11 of the four-wheeled fleet members over the course of the day (although the Mazda was just down to the car park and back to pump up the tyres as that's not MOT'd) but there was very little out and about - I took the Innocenti down to Roys of Wroxham to buy a few bits and passed someone just putting away their Shadow 2, then on the way back I passed a pre-war Austin 10 and an E28 5-series going the other way, but that was about it. 

I took the Renault 6 to Tesco and when I came out there was a chap looking round it who told me he'd had one as his first car and we had a brief chat, then later on when I went to fuel up the Volvo there was a giffer in a Dacia Sandero who told me he also had an Austin A55 van he was doing up so I had a bit of a natter with him, so I think I've done my bit to make classics more visible, which is after all the point of the day.

I was initially going to take the Visa to Tesco but it didn't want to play ball - it was only running on one cylinder.  Later on when the rain eased off a bit I took the nearside plug lead off and gave everything a spray of WD40 and the second cylinder gradually rejoined the party, so I went for a drive and once it was properly warmed up it actually drove really well.  All the others fired up and ran fine (the van needed a boost from the jump pack but then I've been buggering about with the windows a lot which has probably run the battery down).

Very little fettling done this weekend, but I wasn't really expecting to get anything done (yesterday's weather turned out to be a lot better than forecast) so even a little bit is a bonus.  I got the driver's door speaker working on the 75 - when I had the door card off to sort the window I noticed the speaker wires had been cut, I'd genuinely never noticed that speaker wasn't working (the rear door speaker is actually closer to my right ear which is probably why).  £5.64 for a speaker plug and a quick joining of wires and I now have a full complement of working speakers again - the difference is noticeable if not massive.

I also refitted the window regulator on the Maxus, which was a fiddly greasy twat of a job but it's all back together now.  As a temporary* bodge I've extended the wires to the motor out through the door card via the hole for the handle, and fitted bullet connectors so the wires can be swapped round to wind the window up or down.  At some point I'll have a proper go at tracing the wiring fault but that's not at the top of the priority list at the moment.

I started to have a go at investigating why the Visa's fuel gauge isn't working, but only got as far as ascertaining that there's power to the tank sender before I ran out of time so that's another job that remains on the list.

Today was the first time in a long while that some of the fleet have been driven in the rain, and my inner wiper nerd was mildly amused by the difference in approach between the two 1972 cars on the fleet, so I took a quick video.

 

@Six-cylinder showed two fingers to a very nice lagonda we overtook on the way to Bicester. on the way up to him i overtook an mx5 on the m25 which was  limited in speed because of the noise from the cross channel ferry sized exhaust.

on the way back a couple in an xk120 waved at princes risborough and I waved at a broke down Saab on the a308m just before the m4 junction.

[dozeydustman]

Got the dipped beam angling correctly in the Saab, as partially wired in the dash cam for C2.

[Barry Cade]

Just been told I'm getting a new van in the next few weeks 🙂 20k on the pov spec hire Transit I have since mine was written off. Hope its got cruise and heated seats at least!

[Noel Tidybeard]

On 22/04/2023 at 23:22, Popsicle said:

Picked up a Lidl oil transfer pump the other week, its called Ultimate Speed and was around £10.

Wasn't expecting much for the money but its a nice little bit of kit. Comes with decent length hoses, jubilee clips to secure them and crocodile clips for the battery. Put it to use for the first time today pumping the old power steering fluid out of the Caddy.

It was like gnats piss, all lubricity had deffo gone from it, Mannol's finest green coloured jizz went back in.

The steering had been getting a bit heavier at slow turning speeds, so flushed a few lots of this through till it was coming out green and it seems to have sorted out the slow speed stiffness - result. Pretty impressed with the oil pump too, might dangle it down the dipstick tube next time I service something to see how it does.

I also went all posh wiper wanker and fitted some hybrid Michelin Stealth wiper blades, think they where about £7 each in Costco. I've been using the Bosch Aero's for a few years, they always start off well for the first few weeks then slowly deteriorate and start smearing and juddering, so thought I'd give something else a whirl.

I know I do more miles than most but the Bosch's are shot after a month or two (15-20k), so see how these hold up.

costco by me have a newer variation called hydro-edge with a tidier connector system- the stealth always looked a bit incomplete if using hook type arms

don't rate bosch wipers at all

for my car bosch £28 for front pair, gen honda £11 each front or rear, costco £10 max each

[Popsicle]

2 hours ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

costco by me have a newer variation called hydro-edge with a tidier connector system- the stealth always looked a bit incomplete if using hook type arms

don't rate bosch wipers at all

for my car bosch £28 for front pair, gen honda £11 each front or rear, costco £10 max each

Ah that might explain why the stealth wipers were reduced in price. Agree re the fixings though, I couldn't fathom it out at first and had to read the instructions on the packet! There's about 5 different fittings in the pack so I'm sure it'll fit most things.

Agree with the Bosch wipers, deffo not as good as they used to be.

New wipers had a good test today, 380 miles covered and I had my own personal rain cloud following me all day, first impressions are good though.

[alcyonecorporation]

I did a small drive it day thing yesterday; what I call 'a Sunday' most weeks, weather dependent.

A couple of friends and I went to the Lancaster Insurance Cars & Coffee meet. Having a Fiat Coupe 20V in convoy must have looked odd, as both cars are weirdly styled.

Stranger still, people wanted to look at - and talk about - the SVX.

This confused me, as on the occasions I do take it to shows it gets ignored in favour of whatever [insert British classic] turns up adjacent.

This time, it was different. As everyone was clearing out, a bloke in an E-type FHC S1 drove in, scoped out the car park and then wanted to know more about it; as it turns out, he ran a '92 Legacy estate a daily driver, and had never seen an SVX before. Sadly, it also remains something of a bell end magnet - and a very specific bell end magnet at that. It doesn't look fast or provocative to me, but every other cunt in the East Midlands disagrees;  it's middle-aged blokes in Mazda 6s who are triggered the most.

I had a right war pulling on to the A1(M); I was there for one junction, joining the A605 from Stilton. Some boggle-eyed thick bastard saw me on the entry slip, dropped several gears to draw level and wouldn't stop tailgating  despite the fact I wasn't trying (at all, I just wanted to get away from him) before veering across all four lanes in a massive strop when I gestured for him to fuck off.

Later on, driving through a village near Graffham Water, I was tailgated back to fuck by...yes...you guessed it, a miserable middle-aged cumbauble driving a Mazda 6.

Fuck knows what that's all about. Any ideas?

[BeEP]

So with the white 1300 departed for its new life in Portishead (almost back to its Bristol origins) a bit of a reshuffle occurred this morning, so that the limeflower 1100 owned since 2005 can be worked on as a background project without blocking the workshop. As it was out I couldn't help taking a photo of it alongside the identically coloured shed 1300.

[barefoot]

@BeEP How do you get on with the 'wing' mirrors as opposed to the more modern/useful door mirrors? I remember learning to drive in a Morris 1000 & couldn't see a bloody thing in them.

[wuvvum]

16 hours ago, alcyonecorporation said:

it's middle-aged blokes in Mazda 6s who are triggered the most.

I had a right war pulling on to the A1(M); I was there for one junction, joining the A605 from Stilton. Some boggle-eyed thick bastard saw me on the entry slip, dropped several gears to draw level and wouldn't stop tailgating  despite the fact I wasn't trying (at all, I just wanted to get away from him) before veering across all four lanes in a massive strop when I gestured for him to fuck off.

Later on, driving through a village near Graffham Water, I was tailgated back to fuck by...yes...you guessed it, a miserable middle-aged cumbauble driving a Mazda 6.

Fuck knows what that's all about. Any ideas?

 

Probably completely unrelated to you or the SVX, just desperate to get home before the DPF regen fails and dumps a gallon of diesel into the sump.

[The Vicar]

I just can’t be stopped; another new purchase 🫣

[hairnet]

25 minutes ago, The Vicar said:

I just can’t be stopped; another new purchase 🫣

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

[TheIsleofShite]

Drove past this not long after it happened, sad demise of what’s becoming a rare sight. Hope the driver is ok and that it’s just their Pride that’s dented…..

 

https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/23480452.isle-wight-crash-sees-car-go-wall-man-taken-hospital/

[wuvvum]

1 hour ago, The Vicar said:

I just can’t be stopped; another new purchase 🫣

Excellent choice, Sir.

[BeEP]

2 hours ago, barefoot said:

@BeEP How do you get on with the 'wing' mirrors as opposed to the more modern/useful door mirrors? I remember learning to drive in a Morris 1000 & couldn't see a bloody thing in them.

Mostly they're useless!  The only car I've had where they acted as anything more than decorations was the beige Mk1 1100 I sold in 2019.  That said, if new ones were fitted which still adjusted properly they might work better.

[The Vicar]

2 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Excellent choice, Sir.

We’ll see what my welder has to say about that!

[GMcD]

Blue Mazda is sold. Only a car but 7 years in my ownership is good going.

[wuvvum]

2 hours ago, The Vicar said:

We’ll see what my welder has to say about that!

Ouch!  Unfortunately that panel is now unobtainium too, as far as I've been able to ascertain.  (Mine's going a bit around the base of the screen, nowhere near that bad though.)

[brownnova]

Took the Pontiac to the local car night tonight, cruised in with the windows down… more than once I heard the comment “What the fuck is that” followed by expressions of how awesome it is. Always enjoy how much it confuses people! 
 

[Schaefft]

1 hour ago, brownnova said:

Took the Pontiac to the local car night tonight, cruised in with the windows down… more than once I heard the comment “What the fuck is that” followed by expressions of how awesome it is. Always enjoy how much it confuses people! 
 

It's funny how people in different countries react to cars that are (were) entirely normal elsewhere. One of the reasons I own the obscure stuff I own, EDUCATE!😂 I'd recognize a dustbuster from a mile away.

[PicantoJon]

Parcel of brake bits seen here being inspected for hidden cat treats... 

Cheers @castros_bro

[Joey spud]

My old Avensis has been giving me a concern for the last few weeks. First start of the day it would briefly run on three before being ok for the rest of the day.

I checked the glow plugs and one was dead but modern HP diesel systems don't really need them for starting but I changed it anyway but it still fired up on three. Then one morning it reverted to starting on four again but it now had a noticeable diesel knock between 1200 and 2000 rpm until it had warmed up instead.

I don't possess a scanner as I only run old jap stuff so I couldn't look at what the injectors were up to so instead I splashed out £8.35 on a bottle of snake oil and glugged the whole lot into the fuel tank.

Well its taken about 100 miles but last week the old girl finally stopped knocking from cold and is now positively brisk again (well as much as 154k/126hp Toyota can be).

Was it the fuel additive or just coincidence I've no idea but whatever has managed to unclog the injectors nozzle then happy days.

[stuboy]

Trying to find the source of a bang when going over bumps, nothing obvious but noticed rear exhaust clamps rotted, and exhaust rubbers where soft....

[bunglebus]

https://www.essexlive.news/news/essex-news/man-arrested-suspicion-murder-after-8390251

Next road to me. Partner etc knew the woman who has been asking for help regarding domestic violence for years.

Not really the kind of thing we're used to here. Police and forensics etc have been there all day and removed a car

[camryv6]

On 4/25/2023 at 5:55 PM, TheIsleofShite said:

Drove past this not long after it happened, sad demise of what’s becoming a rare sight. Hope the driver is ok and that it’s just their Pride that’s dented…..

 

https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/23480452.isle-wight-crash-sees-car-go-wall-man-taken-hospital/

I see what you did there. lol