The new news 24 thread

[davidfowler2000]

Trainshite.

It's British build from the 1970s so by definition it must be *UTTER FUCKING DROSS*.

Anyways, I have been playing with some serious toys this week...

5 days static depot training completed, next is 10 days main line handling before signing off...

     

Engines are bigger than my usual fare. Still not anything to boast about but...
All ours are mtu 4000 series - V16, 76.3 L with quad turbo rated at 2250bhp...

1 x Turbo. Tea for scale.

birb is ded...

Haymarket has also just gained this...

So a Shitefest™ 2016 was recreated...

[SiC]

20 minutes ago, davidfowler2000 said:

Trainshite.

It's British build from the 1970s so by definition it must be *UTTER FUCKING DROSS*.

Anyways, I have been playing with some serious toys this week...

5 days static depot training completed, next is 10 days main line handling before signing off...

     

Engines are bigger than my usual fare. Still not anything to boast about but...
All ours are mtu 4000 series - V16, 76.3 L with quad turbo rated at 2250bhp...

1 x Turbo. Tea for scale.

birb is ded...

Haymarket has also just gained this...

So a Shitefest™ 2016 was recreated...

I miss the HST from my usual commute on the GWR to Penzance. Went last/earlier this year. Now just have the IET and they always seem more broken than the HSTs. Plus the engine in the front/rear of the HST removes all that vibration. 

[davidfowler2000]

5 minutes ago, SiC said:

I miss the HST from my usual commute on the GWR to Penzance. Went last/earlier this year. Now just have the IET and they always seem more broken than the HSTs. Plus the engine in the front/rear of the HST removes all that vibration. 

All ours are ex GWR. Some have random First logos all over them.

[SiC]

1 minute ago, davidfowler2000 said:

All ours are ex GWR. Some have random First logos all over them.

Probably the exact trains that I rode in then. All named after castles. First group own GWR iirc?

[SiC]

I think @holbeck used to pilot them at one point from vague memories?

[stuboy]

Treated myself to a t shirt from aliexpress..

[auntiemaryscanary]

5 hours ago, The Vicar said:

The difference a bucket of soapy water can make!

Ooh, I do love a Daihatsu/Perodua of that vintage.

[Floatylight]

1 hour ago, wuvvum said:

Collectioned. 

Snap! 

Love mine.. Only got as a stop gap 18m and 25k miles ago...

[wuvvum]

And home.  Nice wafty drive and the computer reckons I averaged 50.7mpg, which isn't bad for a big old lump - certainly better than the Rover would have managed.  It's the first Merc I've owned with the 7G-tronic - I know the early ones don't have the best reputation but this seems fine, when pootling along changes are more or less imperceptible.  Goes pretty well too, although it doesn't sound quite as nice as the C270 I had off skattrd years ago, but then I'm a sucker for a 5-pot.

Only major fault I've found with it so far (apart from the radio not working which the seller had mentioned) is that it has a fairly serious brake judder, so it's going to need a couple of discs in the immediate future - I have a feeling it's the rears as I couldn't feel the judder through the steering wheel particularly strongly.  It's also going to need a couple of tyres at some point, although they're OK for now.  Other than that it seems pretty decent - everything I've tried has worked (although the horn is a bit feeble) and there's no warning lights on the dash.  

Overall I'm pretty happy with it so far for what I paid - I've fancied one of these for a while but people seem to want silly money for them, all the ones on eBay at the moment are around £2K or more, which I reckon is a bit much.  This one was significantly less than that.

[wuvvum]

2 hours ago, MrGTI6 said:

Sounds like a good buy! Is it a C320 CDI?

I had a CLK320 CDI with the 7G-Tronic 'box and at 150k it felt/drove spot on. 80mph at just under 2000rpm in 7th made motorway journeys effortless.

Yep, 320.  It rolled over 183K a couple of miles from home but apart from the brakes it drives really nicely.  It did have some new suspension bits for its recent MOT though. 

[wuvvum]

4 hours ago, davidfowler2000 said:

Haymarket has also just gained this...

So a Shitefest™ 2016 was recreated...

Did you stop it before you got to the platform again? 

[HMC]

Granada headlamps vs mist

the mist won

[Schaefft]

23 minutes ago, HMC said:

Granada headlamps vs mist

the mist won

Should it still be around by the time I collect the Alfa I'd love to have a go in this, very curious to see how it drives.

[Lankytim]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

Granada headlamps vs mist

the mist won

Look at THAT!

Gorgeous ! 

[MikeR]

https://extremebhptrackdaysandevents.eventcube.io/events/49320/extremebhp-summer-car-and-family-festival

A do in Southport on Sunday . 

[lesapandre]

More utter confusion about diesel v electric vehicles and what's really happening. Driver punishment on the way probably via further ULEZ style restrictions as seen in the Netherlands. Enjoy:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/jun/22/carbon-emissions-vans-rising-uk-drivers-diesel

[hairnet]

19 hours ago, davidfowler2000 said:

 

      

 

CSI ecosse in full effekt

[Dyslexic Viking]

Vivaro is back from the garage and now has passed the MOT and is road legal for 2 new years. The biggest expense to get it passed was 4 new Goodride tires and it needed several small things, including several electrical problems fixed such as a broken wire to the horn where they installed a new wire and new button on the dasch to it, defective hazzard light switch, etc.

I have been unsure what to do with this one but since it has become road legal again I have been reminded how good it is to drive and how much I like it so it will stay. So it is booked in for a new timing belt in August and I will continue my poor job of building it as a camper something I am now looking forward to.

[holbeck]

On 21/06/2024 at 22:25, SiC said:

I think @holbeck used to pilot them at one point from vague memories?

Nothing wrong with your memory!

Although I sadly no longer work HSTs., just Hitachi stuff now. 

 

[puddlethumper]

Had a blow out on Big on the M5. Nearside inner rear. Unfortunately I had no hazard lights because the alternator decided death was the best option and the batteries were not far off joining it. Getting a rear inner takes a fair bit of work as the outer has nuts but the inner is a big stud that you remove with a 3/4 square drive. I can't remember what they are called but I have a Torque something, pic below, that is an absolute doddle to get everything loose, and for tightening up, and it's a good solid piece of kit. Before, I had a big spider and a couple of 4ft scaff poles which was iffy as hell. 

[wuvvum]

Torque multiplier.

[wuvvum]

I went to the ACA classic auction today.  There was a familiar face there:

My old MGB GT, subsequently owned by a mate for the last several years.  It still runs and drives but the engine is getting a bit tired and smokey so he decided it was time to move it on.  He turned up in his latest acquisition:

It's a 2-litre petrol so just about able to get out of its own way, although it does like a drink.  He's been steadily modernising the interior as it was typical late '80s hearing aid beige fittings everywhere.  It's not huge but it has everything you need, including a toilet / shower, and it'll sleep 4.  He paid what I consider to be rather a lot of money for it, but then campers always do make a fair bit at this time of year.

Highlight of the auction for me was this thing:

It's a 1914 Metz Roadster.  I'd never heard of one either, but I was immediately intrigued by the strange looking gear lever.

Looking under the bonnet gave no clues (there was nothing other than a chuffing great flywheel on the back of the engine), so I had a look underneath.  It took me a few seconds to work out what was going on, but when I did I was gobsmacked.

That metal disc is on the end of what is effectively the propshaft.  It drives via friction a leather-wrapped drum which runs on a shaft perpendicular to it, so running across the car.  At each end of that shaft is a sprocket with a chain drive to the rear wheels.  The gear lever moves the drum along the shaft, and as the drum moves towards the outside of the disc it obviously spins faster, effectively raising the gearing.  Move the gear lever all the way forward and it pulls the drum across the centre of the disc to the other side, giving a reverse gear.  So it's basically a 7-speed sequential clutchless transmission.  110 years ago.  The other interesting feature was the total lack of wheel brakes - braking is done by expanding shoes on the inside of the sprockets on the rear axle.

The rest of the stuff on sale was the usual mixture of tat, megamoney stuff (Aston DB5) and "why the fuck is this in a classic auction?" stuff (Hyundai Atoz, Astra H estate).  A couple of interesting cars parked outside, including this L-reg Proton:

and this Lancia Beta coupé which @Spottedlaurel may recognise:

I went over in the Z4 as the forecast said it was going to brighten up later in the day, and I did indeed end up driving home with the top down.  I had an impressive collection of warning lights by the time I got back though.

The engine light came on on the way home and the fault code is something to do with a purge valve having gone open circuit.  It wasn't affecting the performance of the car so I didn't worry about it too much.  I have a new ABS sensor to fit, tomorrow if the weather holds, which should hopefully put most of those lights out...

[horriblemercedes]

22 hours ago, Floatylight said:

Snap! 

Love mine.. Only got as a stop gap 18m and 25k miles ago...

Those are the best kind of cars. Three years ago, I was about to start a new job which meant a 150 mile per day round trip, so I bought a BMW 320d estate on here to use until I moved closer to the job. I moved a while ago but the BMW stays. Just passed MOT again on 268k miles. I think it'll stay until it is time for the bridge 

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, wuvvum said:

My old MGB GT

Were you tempted?

[wuvvum]

6 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Were you tempted?

Not really.  I rarely buy back a car I've previously owned.  Plus I already have too many projects on the go. 

[wuvvum]

The North Sea at Walcott at 10:30pm this evening. 

[High Jetter]

Nice. The shepherds will be pleased.

[davehedgehog31]

Not been active on here for quite a while, despite some car movements there's not been anything particularly happening with them other than using and enjoying. My posting tailed off around October last year, so an update of comings and goings since then.

In October I sadly inherited a car, a 2018 Kia Cee'd Estate in 1.6 diesel flavour. It's a really good AN CAR, really just about the perfect form factor for a car as far as I'm concerned, big enough to do 99% of everything you could ever need, but compact enough to never be a pain to park etc. Other than slightly disappointing fuel economy compared to some similar cars I've owned, it's been great. It has been pretty much appropriated in the style of the British Museum by Miss Hedgehog on account of it's featherweight steering and general presentable modern-ness.

Once it had been fully commandeered, it meant her C30 was for the chop, it exited to @gm, a painless transaction as always after only a short period dealing with the finest minds of the West of Scotland on Gumtree.

Another exit was the GSA, I had bought this project with the best of intentions, but found my time and motivation sorely lacking, as I was in a "too many cars" situation it was decided to move it on.

Having not learned my lesson, in late March I picked up this very cheap, low mileage Kia Cee'd with a brief MOT fail list. I quickly set to work on it and a mere three months later it still sits in bits under my car port, should really get the finger out.

In another incoming, I bought this Peugeot RCZ 2.0 HDi from @Jazoli of this parish, a top seller. Other than a wheel balance it has simply been used and enjoyed. I'd always fancied one of these and when his well looked after example with the diesel engine came up my jimmies were suitably rustled. This was very much a heart over head decision, but it has actually turned out to be a very sound and actually reasonably sensible purchase. It's comfy, fun on the twisties and economical to run. It was bizarrely cheap for me to insure too. Cracking car and my son absolutely loves it, christening it the "race car". It's definitely one of those cars you can't help but look back at, it's an amazing design. 

Have had a boomerang moment with my old Kangoo, having sold it to @Jim Bell several months previous my dad decided he was after a small van and he bought it from him. It recently shat it's power steering pump and my dad not being particularly mechanically minded and fancying something a bit newer replaced it and bequeathed the Kangoo back to me. It has AC and as a consequence has some god-awful electro-mechanical power steering setup hidden down behind the front bumper. Pumps are ££££.

The two non-movers on the fleet have been the Lexus and Skoda. The Fabia has been kind of replaced by the Kia, but I can't bring myself to part with it as it's such a well sorted little thing, even the AC is ice cold. Lexus continues to do as it does, 40mpg in total serenity with tons of performance on tap and a cracking stereo, I don't see it going anywhere for a long, long time.

As it stands a six car household is at least one too many. The grey Kia was really meant as a flip so I just need to get that finished off and some degree of equilibrium can be restored. Finding it quite hard to motivate myself to finish a car I don't particularly want to drive at the end of it though, cars are definitely a hobby for me rather than a profit making exercise which is just as well!

 

[richardmorris]

8 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Nice. The shepherds will be pleased.

Red sky at night, sheep on fire 🔥 

[Supernaut]

Good to see you back @davehedgehog31