The new news 24 thread

[andyberg]

11 minutes ago, grogee said:

It was all worth it

You were lucky to get out this morning. It's been chaos this afternoon, air traffic control went down and the brown stuff hit the fan. Have a good holiday 

[brownnova]

Prestatyn car show was much drier, and much better than yesterdays show! However, it was also absolutely heaving, so taking pics was a challenge. That and the two toddlers in tow I only took a couple of pics which weren’t of my kids sat in a fire engine!

This Maestro oddity claims to be the oldest registered Maestro!

My car of the show was this. 

As a bonus spot on the way I saw this on a Rhyl side street! 

[egg]

😲

[grogee]

6 minutes ago, brownnova said:

 

This Maestro oddity claims to be the oldest registered Maestro!

1) That Maestro makes me want to write a strongly worded letter to my local MP;

2)

[grogee]

1 hour ago, andyberg said:

You were lucky to get out this morning. It's been chaos this afternoon, air traffic control went down and the brown stuff hit the fan. Have a good holiday 

Cripes! There was me grumping about twenty minutes sat on the tarmac. Thank fuck for that! 

[grogee]

Sneak preview of a future installment... I'm in Turkey and during our transfer from the airport I found out what happened to the Fiat Regata... all of them. They're all here, and all still going. They look ace in an 80s 3-box kind of way. 

No pics yet but once we get out into the wild I will update. 

Also Renault 9 & 12. 

[4wheeledstool]

Just waiting on  a two post ramp to arrive now, all my junk has been arranged.

Cars still fit.

Still need to get rid of a load of tyres, wood and a few odds and ends, but ready to get back on with the body restoration now. 😎

[loserone]

23 minutes ago, grogee said:

Fiat Regata

 

23 minutes ago, grogee said:

Also Renault 9 & 12. 

Which are you bringing home?

[grogee]

5 minutes ago, loserone said:

 

Which are you bringing home?

I'm not a fan of unreliable French tat so the super-dependable* Fiat wins it for me.

Genuinely want to bring one home, some of them aren't too battered 

[bigfella2]

1 hour ago, brownnova said:

Prestatyn car show was much drier, and much better than yesterdays show! However, it was also absolutely heaving, so taking pics was a challenge. That and the two toddlers in tow I only took a couple of pics which weren’t of my kids sat in a fire engine!

This Maestro oddity claims to be the oldest registered Maestro!

I remember that Maestro being for sale in a rough area of Sheffield on eBay.

It was for sale for ages. I remember running its reg through one of those car data checks, what the bleeding hell is all that about!!

[richardmorris]

1 hour ago, brownnova said:

Prestatyn car show was much drier, and much better than yesterdays show! However, it was also absolutely heaving, so taking pics was a challenge. That and the two toddlers in tow I only took a couple of pics which weren’t of my kids sat in a fire engine!

This Maestro oddity claims to be the oldest registered Maestro!

My car of the show was this. 

As a bonus spot on the way I saw this on a Rhyl side street! 

That orange Saab is lovely. Maestro I don’t like, but I’m happy it’s cared for.

[High Jetter]

5 hours ago, grogee said:

It was all worth it

Enjoy. Will you be allowed back, though?

[lesapandre]

On way back from France - 5 days away...think I'm being put on an earlier ferry (I was booked for much later when it's cheaper).

Usual continental travel woes - the Citroen C15 has developed a duff alternator I think - so it flattens the battery gradually and won't start. Luckily I brough a spare battery with me (I am so used to breaking down in France) and a charger - so it's not been too much hassle. Motto 'Be Prepared'.

Just hoping it starts now at the port - I just swapped the battery in the Calais suburbs...

Still fun though...

The oldest vehicle by far again going back.

Still least I am not at an airport tonight...

[Dick Cheeseburger]

4 hours ago, brownnova said:

Prestatyn car show was much drier, and much better than yesterdays show! However, it was also absolutely heaving, so taking pics was a challenge. That and the two toddlers in tow I only took a couple of pics which weren’t of my kids sat in a fire engine!

This Maestro oddity claims to be the oldest registered Maestro!

My car of the show

 

I remember that one. The original owner passed on, and then the new owner struggled to sell it for ages, even with the registration ASV 240. It was relisted numerous times and went for <£1.5k in the end I believe. It did used to look immaculate, if not odd.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/264114004555?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=r9P_KrtZR06&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=FV05_6LQQo2&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=140&t=1779504

[brownnova]

27 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

It did used to look immaculate, if not odd.

It certainly doesn’t look immaculate any more…. 

[brownnova]

Following my 2 for 1 fix by changing one fuse I investigated the non functioning full beam lights on the Saab.

After checking fuses and bulbs my suspicions turned to the lamp control relay - so I ordered a replacement. Usually the first hunch is wrong, but on this occasion it was right, and we now have fully functioning full beams!

Admittedly the headlights are still by some distance the worst on the fleet, but at least we have full beam now. 

[horriblemercedes]

Life is treating me well. This weekend I've moved to a new house, had some great friends visit me at short notice, got a new phone, had a birthday and bought this bad boy because one of my friends persuaded me to. I love it 

[lesapandre]

Just conclude the C15 account - it did start twice, once on and once off the ferry, and with slowly dimming headlights did get me right home. Result. Now to find out what's-up...

[lesapandre]

8 hours ago, horriblemercedes said:

Life is treating me well. This weekend I've moved to a new house, had some great friends visit me at short notice, got a new phone, had a birthday and bought this bad boy because one of my friends persuaded me to. I love it 

Look - even the cat on the steering wheel is smiling - and it has a manual gearbox too...

Grace Space Pace - indeed.

[Split_Pin]

11 hours ago, grogee said:

Sneak preview of a future installment... I'm in Turkey and during our transfer from the airport I found out what happened to the Fiat Regata... all of them. They're all here, and all still going. They look ace in an 80s 3-box kind of way. 

No pics yet but once we get out into the wild I will update. 

Also Renault 9 & 12. 

You obviously didn't see the several posts I made early in July from my Trip to Turkey.

Here are a few again:

Those are not Regatas, they are Tofas Sahins, otherwise known as Murat 131s. They are based purely on the Fiat 131, although the front and rear do look like a Regata. They were made until 2000.

The Renault 12 is called the Toros, made until 2000 and the 9 was made in updated form until about 2004.

Enjoy your trip, there are thousands of Murats and Toros,  it's heaven.

[grogee]

8 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Enjoy. Will you be allowed back, though?

Hope not. 

[grogee]

3 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Just conclude the C15 account - it did start twice, once on and once off the ferry, and with slowly dimming headlights did get me right home. Result. Now to find out what's-up...

Excellent shiting. 

I guess an old diesel like that uses next to zero battery power while being run with the lights off. Just a bit for the instruments and fan if it's on. 

I remember a similar journey in my old Favorit, alternator borked and rationed use of any electrics. Windscreen wiper roulette. 

[loserone]

7 hours ago, horriblemercedes said:

this bad boy

I have a massive want for one of those. Good work!

[lesapandre]

1 hour ago, grogee said:

Excellent shiting. 

I guess an old diesel like that uses next to zero battery power while being run with the lights off. Just a bit for the instruments and fan if it's on. 

I remember a similar journey in my old Favorit, alternator borked and rationed use of any electrics. Windscreen wiper roulette. 

About 200 miles on a battery charge with the lights off - and 60 lights on. But having the spare battery and charger saved the day. I did four swap-overs in all.

Being prepared is the thing...a lot of routes in France are pretty remote and a long walk to the next town/garage and a bit of pre-planning avoids a world of grief. Also wherever possible I like to try and solve things myself rather than summon (sometimes expensive) help.

Now home supping tea and waiting for the plumber who is doing a gas check.

Otherwise I'd still be on the side of an autoroute somewhere (like some Dutch lads who'd run their Volvo out of fuel last night on the A28 and were stuck at an aire with little prospect of leaving).

[grogee]

9 hours ago, brownnova said:

Following my 2 for 1 fix by changing one fuse I investigated the non functioning full beam lights on the Saab.

After checking fuses and bulbs my suspicions turned to the lamp control relay - so I ordered a replacement. Usually the first hunch is wrong, but on this occasion it was right, and we now have fully functioning full beams!

Admittedly the headlights are still by some distance the worst on the fleet, but at least we have full beam now. 

Are they xenon? My 9-5's were dreadful until I changed the "bulbs". Apparently xenon burners wear out, who knew. I think a semi-reputable brand was £25 the pair. 

[SiC]

Yeah Xenon bulbs generally don't just fail off (at least until very knackered). Before then they start loosing light output over time. As they can easily last 100k+ miles, by that point they could be on the original bulbs and very worn. Especially on something like a Saab where they're running all the time. Halogens dim over time to some degree too. Especially on modern vehicles where they control the power going to them and make them last longer. 

[somewhatfoolish]

15 hours ago, bigfella2 said:

I remember that Maestro being for sale in a rough area of Sheffield on eBay.

It was for sale for ages. I remember running its reg through one of those car data checks, what the bleeding hell is all that about!!

Either the old duffer worked at Swansea or bribed someone who did; it's not any kind of Cooper, not even Tommy Cooper.

[mercedade]

I'm a student* again.

Figured I've spent so long being annoyed at my lack of mastery of the dark arts (AKA welding), and the ever-decreasing supply of back street garages that do it, that I'd sign up to the local Adult Education college for their Intro to Welding (MIG and TIG) course.

So I officially enrolled this morning and - best of all - despite having budgeted a couple of hundred quid for it, they found the magic box on the form that brought the cost down to £zero. Not quite sure how, but I'll take that as a win.

10 weeks of Monday nights, get my head around the basics of sparkly sticks and decide if it's something I've got a handle on or not.

I've had years of looking at welding forums, 'try this, get stuck in' kind of advice, but needed something to force me to get started as I've never actually bothered. My only experience of welding was literally 25 years ago when I tacked a sill on my old Chevette under the supervision of the patient garage I was doing Saturdays and holiday work in. Quite looking forward to it.

[TheOtherStu]

25 minutes ago, mercedade said:

I'm a student* again.

Figured I've spent so long being annoyed at my lack of mastery of the dark arts (AKA welding), and the ever-decreasing supply of back street garages that do it, that I'd sign up to the local Adult Education college for their Intro to Welding (MIG and TIG) course.

So I officially enrolled this morning and - best of all - despite having budgeted a couple of hundred quid for it, they found the magic box on the form that brought the cost down to £zero. Not quite sure how, but I'll take that as a win.

10 weeks of Monday nights, get my head around the basics of sparkly sticks and decide if it's something I've got a handle on or not.

I've had years of looking at welding forums, 'try this, get stuck in' kind of advice, but needed something to force me to get started as I've never actually bothered. My only experience of welding was literally 25 years ago when I tacked a sill on my old Chevette under the supervision of the patient garage I was doing Saturdays and holiday work in. Quite looking forward to it.

When I first got my MR2, I tried to sign up for the "introduction to Mechanics" course and found it almost impossible to get a place.
I ended up following a YouTube channel that taught the basics (how to properly jack up a car and so on - a few years on, I'm happy to have a go at anything now).

I'd absolutely love to do one of these though. I'm hoping my MR2 never needs it, but it could mean that I could get a project car (I'd still love a Mk1 MR2).

[TheOtherStu]

So in my own news, I spent the weekend at Carfest. Lovely. I'll put some pictures up of the various McLarens that were enjoying their 60th anniversary at some point.
And the Ferraris in the stand up from ours. But that's not really shite.

What was amazing was the Car Club next to ours. They were from a mile up the road in Overton. A mixture of everything from the 1950s up to moderns (and genuinely, everything in between including a lovely old Volvo, a Bedford camper and a Fiat Barchetta!). I'll find some pics.
What I loved about them was that they allow absolutely anything to join them. They basically said they're a drinking club that collects cars. That sounds up my street.

In addition, was one of the guys on our stand. They "acquired" (for very few tokens) a Mk1 MR2 that had been sitting in a garage for nearly 30 years. At first glance, you'd think it was absolutely rotten. It had been sat under tarps, with all manner of sailing gear, lawn mowers and all sorts, gathering damp. But it's just damp that's caused the paint to lift.

Despite Mk1s being absolute rust buckets (and I genuinely expected to be using a dustpan and brush by the end of the weekend), the car is absolutely rock solid. It needs a teeny tiny bit of welding on one of the sills, but the wheel arches are as solid as I've ever seen a Mk1 and they've never been touched!

I really need him to join this place too. Apparently at home he has a large selection of vehicles, none of which work (including the transit that he towed this from Cornwall to Basingstoke which apparently doesn't like to start if the filler cap is fully closed). Including 9 (NINE) Land Rovers. He's also a Mini fiddler, has bikes and other stuff, some of which is quite rare. At least I don't think he's a member, but he'd definitely fit in here well.