The new news 24 thread

[SiC]

My neighbour messaged me at a anti-social 9:30am, waking me up, asking if I wanted to go to a local car meet. Anyway I dragged myself out of bed and went down with him to have a look at a few varied cars. Started at 9am, we didn't get there till 11am and most had gone by then. Missed all the supercars which is a bit of a shame. Apparently a Mclaren Senna (700k or something) often turns up to the meets and occasionally a F40. Anyway I didn't see any of them but I had a good browse around the older stuff that had turned up.

This van was signwritten and looked to be a daily business driver for them.

 

A very nice E30 M3

 

Up the hill this went as I turned around after taking that photo

 

 

Not a real one (registered in 2011 apparently) but still cool.

 

Not sure what was in this but I reckon it was pretty beefy underneath. Lotus badges all over it so presumably something Lotus powered.

 

This Talbot (?) was mintola.

Proper AMG version I believe. Far cooler than that boring Escort in the background imo.

I love the shabbyness of this. Pretty sure I know the owner. Reminds me I need to push on with my Midget

Rare to see these nowadays especially not absolutely mint. 

Another boring Escort. Loads of these things about.

Yes a boring VW camper van but wait and read whats inside...

Pretty cool restomod imo. Especially keeping a flat engine in. Much more interesting build than the usual air cooled Porsche lumps.

Modern Porsche but a GT4 is pretty exotic. 

There were more cars but these are the ones that caught my interest. Has spurred me on a bit to get my two projects (especially the Midget) back started again.

[lesapandre]

Interesting mods to that XJS - they could just be giffer eccentricities or mean there is something more significant going on under the skin.

[chadders]

The Subaru campers go back 15 years or so, there's quite a few on the camper forums I frequent. Needless to say there are mixed views on them, if you want a lot more power it's cheaper and easier than the normal tuning routes and turbocharging is very dodgy by what I've seen.

If I did a lot of long motorway journeys I'd consider one but it still wouldn't help with the sensitivity to crosswinds or the wake of other vehicles.

https://fellowsspeedshop.com/

[stuboy]

Highlight of my last 24 hrs is i washed the car... yes very dull

[bunglebus]

Went to a little car meet at North Weald today. Mostly modernz, but there were some interesting things dotted about. Unfortunately space was quite limited, saw two series two RS Turbos and a MK1 Fiesta XR2 come in and leave straight away as there was nowhere to stop. Weald is massive but the planes need to use the taxiways!

Our mode of transport 

Dimma kitted R5 Turbo apparently has Golf R32 running gear!

BMW owner had bought his kids a climbing frame for Christmas by the looks of it

[vulgalour]

The annual tradition is upon us.  I make no apologies for Shaky Cam, it is what it is.

[wuvvum]

I bought a car today. 

Volkswagen Eos.  I've never really paid much attention to these before but this one came up on eBay cheap enough that I decided it was worth a punt.  It's a 2.0 TFSI so mechanically the same as a Golf GTI - a bit heavier obviously but it still goes OK.  Roof works fine, and other than a couple of scuffs, a missing headlight washer cover and a bit of rust on the nearside front arch it's pretty tidy.  It has leather, cruise control, working aircon, heated seats etc.  6-speed 'box but still not particularly high geared, but then it's a petrol engine.  Trip computer reckoned I'd done just over 34mpg on the 190-mile run back (with a stop off at the 6 Cylinders on the way past) which is a bit rubbish, but doing some proper calculations it did 125 miles on 20 quid which works out to 39mpg or thereabouts, which is a bit more acceptable - an 18-year-old 200bhp petrol engine is never going to be the most efficient thing.

[EspenO]

7 hours ago, bunglebus said:

BMW owner had bought his kids a climbing frame for Christmas by the looks of it

OEM+, m8. Homologation wing from the M3 GT, I think. 

[bunglebus]

2 hours ago, wuvvum said:

Volkswagen Eos... 18-year-old 

Well that's absolutely terrifying. I worked at VW when this was launched, went on the training course to learn all about it etc.

How the hell was that more than 18 years ago?

[beko1987]

4 hours ago, bunglebus said:

Well that's absolutely terrifying. I worked at VW when this was launched, went on the training course to learn all about it etc.

How the hell was that more than 18 years ago?

My dad had an Eos as a company car when they were launched! He loved it and still goes on about liking one nowadays 😂

I do have fond memories of top down drives in it, although he used to find bits of springs and stuff from the roof mech even back then, bet it's not a trip to the dealers and it's fixed for free if that happens nowadays... 

[EyesWeldedShut]

(Plus my 2008ish vintage Lidl/Aldi battery charger then threw some sort of internal fault and is also dead. Happy days)

[Royale80]

Range Rover exhaust fitted after derusting the underneath. Off the ramps now. MOT in Jan hopefully.

Had it 18 years.

[SiC]

On 15/12/2024 at 23:54, wuvvum said:

Trip computer reckoned I'd done just over 34mpg on the 190-mile run back (with a stop off at the 6 Cylinders on the way past) which is a bit rubbish, but doing some proper calculations it did 125 miles on 20 quid which works out to 39mpg or thereabouts, which is a bit more acceptable - an 18-year-old 200bhp petrol engine is never going to be the most efficient thing.

Mid 30s mpg is about right for a TFSI on a run. They're supposed to have more power if run on super unleaded. Honestly I couldn't really tell much performance difference on mine. They do run smoother and better fuel economy on it though.

You might need to dig out the gummi pflege for the seals though. Notorious on the EOS and never was properly sorted by VAG. Became a literal dealer service item to adjust and lube the roof seals.

[wuvvum]

I've got an aerosol can of Thetford rubber seal lubricant which usually seems to work pretty well - it's designed to stop cassette toilet seals leaking but door / roof seals are much the same.  I'll give the seals a good dousing in the spring.

Interesting about the super unleaded thing - the only car I've had so far which has run noticeably differently on super is the Volvo, which pinks like a bastard on 95 octane.  I might treat the Eos to some E5 next time I fill up and see if I can spot any difference.

[Split_Pin]

I am now officially a Student again.

[GeordieInExile]

The Panda is in to be made quieter today. £250 to replace the centre section of the (straight through) exhaust... assuming that can be done. If not, it'll need a new back box as well and it'll be £400 all in. 

I'm keeping all the visual mods, the tinted windows and Abarth badges, but while I rather enjoy the exhaust note as it is, it's just far too loud inside the car at motorway speeds for me to use it to ferry the baby around. It's obviously never going to be Citroen C6 quiet, but it can certainly be quieter than it is while still making quite a nice noise. 

Once that's sorted I'll enjoy it for a while, and then when I get bored I'll offer it on here for swaps for a fast estate. 

[SiC]

2 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

I am now officially a Student again.

Decent fire retardant overalls you can get from a welding supplies shop. 

I got my last set from BOC Gas and Gear.

Presumably this will be your nearest:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/eWbrQkhZK5fZvsGx9

 

[loserone]

They last for ages too, I don't wear mine that much but they must be 10+ years old

 

[hairnet]

On 15/12/2024 at 23:54, wuvvum said:

I bought a car today. 

*snip

literally

[Split_Pin]

22 minutes ago, SiC said:

Decent fire retardant overalls you can get from a welding supplies shop. 

I got my last set from BOC Gas and Gear.

Presumably this will be your nearest:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/eWbrQkhZK5fZvsGx9

 

Cheers Si I use Russell Gas at Larbert, good wee place.

[danthecapriman]

7 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

I am now officially a Student again.

Well done Iain, hope you enjoy it and get something from it👍

For clothing, don’t bother with fire retardant overalls, that’s what the idiots and amateurs wear! I can highly recommend a non fire retardant old sweatshirt thats covered in oil and grease from previous car fixing jobs. Made for the job😬

[Split_Pin]

13 minutes ago, danthecapriman said:

non fire retardant old sweatshirt

Flash point mandatory. 

[barefoot]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

For clothing, don’t bother with fire retardant overalls, that’s what the idiots and amateurs wear! I can highly recommend a non fire retardant old sweatshirt thats covered in oil and grease from previous car fixing jobs. Made for the job😬

And fuck steel toe caps too, toes don't burst into flames, they only smoulder a bit and a set should last a lifetime.

[loserone]

1 hour ago, danthecapriman said:

covered in oil and grease from previous car fixing jobs

Ideal!

[lesapandre]

Honda- Nissan merger talks:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/dec/17/honda-and-nissan-to-start-talks-on-potential-mega-merger

[stuboy]

1 hour ago, barefoot said:

And fuck steel toe caps too, toes don't burst into flames, they only smoulder a bit and a set should last a lifetime.

trainers with burn holes in them and socks too match..

[hairnet]

so it would be hondasan

[Stinkwheel]

Todays sad news, the Maestro is dead, scrap man arrived and drove it on his lorry and gave mrs stinkwheel 150 quid in scrap value, it’s last few moments were marked with photos and the draining out of 2 gallons of diesel I’m keeping to run through my garage heater

 

Still ran and drove as faultlessly as you could ask for, I don’t like seeing things sent off for scrap even after all these years and many cars, but this thing did well, 3 years service with only one FTP for a 500 quid BL product. Don’t let anyone tell you cheap old cars can’t give good service. 
Chod-speed manky old Maestro, Chod-speed

[Marshall2810]

7 minutes ago, Stinkwheel said:

Todays sad news, the Maestro is dead, scrap man arrived and drove it on his lorry and gave mrs stinkwheel 150 quid in scrap value, it’s last few moments were marked with photos and the draining out of 2 gallons of diesel I’m keeping to run through my garage heater

 

Still ran and drove as faultlessly as you could ask for, I don’t like seeing things sent off for scrap even after all these years and many cars, but this thing did well, 3 years service with only one FTP for a 500 quid BL product. Don’t let anyone tell you cheap old cars can’t give good service. 
Chod-speed manky old Maestro, Chod-speed

I want to like, cry and congratulate all at once 🫡

[jonathan_dyane]

Due to air ingress issues I have removed the 406's original fuel filter and housing and replaced it with a Chinese Lucas CAV copy.

A bit of a terrible bodge but a cheap fix...