The new news 24 thread

[EyesWeldedShut]

[Metal Guru]

3 minutes ago, Momentary Lapse Of Reason said:

@Metal Guru got any predictions on the lottery?

I’m not convinced he was actually alive when he delivered* his Easter message. He was propped up in the wheel chair, it could have been a recording or an Italian Rory Bremner. 

[IronStar]

Ordered new tyres for 307CC. 
 

I’d rather pay for this next month, so I initially wanted to throw partworns on. Not sure wtf is going on with the prices, they are something like 80% of the brand new ones for 10+ years old tyres, so the idea was swiftly scrapped. Next I was considering buying Davanti DX640 which have a mix of glowing reviews and deathrings, avoid, suggesting QC issues so I decided not to buy. I settled for my personal first-pick reasonably priced tyre but as no one seems to have any fresh stock, so I ended up with 2022 dated rubber. I’m guessing they kept it properly, and I got 15% off as they’re not fresh-fresh, so I’ll take that. Worked out 25% more expensive than Davantis, but I really like these, so probably worth it. 

[alcyonecorporation]

14 hours ago, EyesWeldedShut said:

I cheated and googlefoo'd  it:
https://www.hagerty.co.uk/articles/classic-cars/elswick-envoy-the-1970s-concept-car-you-can-buy/

LOL 

[captain_70s]

On 18/04/2025 at 22:29, captain_70s said:

Away down to Englandshire for a long weekend in my only working car... 

Well, 240ish miles later we were back home.

No real issues to speak of. A multitude of knocks and rattles from the engine have been ignored and it hasn't exploded but I suspect I'll need to throw big end bearings at it as it has started to sound a bit grumbly under load. Not a major job.

We drove down via the A706, A702 and B7076, on the way back we went via Dumfries, so the A75 and A701. Significantly less unpleasant than being sat on the motorway as we could sit at 55-65mph without being a rolling roadblock. It took 2.5hrs to get from here to Gretna, vs the 2hrs Google reckoned the motorway would take. Over the trip we managed about 38mpg, which isn't too shabby for an underpowered car with no concessions made to aerodynamics.

The poor thing is hopelessly undersized on the roads, and while the routes south were fun, once we were back in the central belt you started getting hassled out of the way by crossovers and SUVs that can't keep up on the twisties but need to do 70-80mph on the straights and will desperately dive around you on blind corners or in 30 zones.

[Snake Charmer]

2 hours ago, captain_70s said:

The poor thing is hopelessly undersized on the road

Our boss has found this out twice recently in the huge new pickup, wiped out a customers car and a colleagues in the car park on two separate occasions.

Had a Toledo as a shared first car, red oxide primer with a white roof  we had aome real laughs in that car. The rear axle did not survive my mates burnout attempts unfortunately 

[Tayne]

2 hours ago, captain_70s said:

crossovers and SUVs that can't keep up on the twisties but need to do 70-80mph on the straights and will desperately dive around you on blind corners 

 

 

Is it possible that the height of those crossovers and SUVs means the corners are not blind for their drivers?

[Split_Pin]

Met up with one of the other basketball dads this evening as the grounds of the hall are perfect for RC cars and he has a few very high spec examples. 

Plenty of jumps, dirt and leaves for the Monster Beetle and it was thoroughly Christened as I rolled it several times, no damage other than some scratches. Unfortunately I misjudged where a bollard was when the car was further away and it fucked it into it at full pelt, rolled down a short flight of stairs and lost drive. Expecting the worst, there was just a few scratches and a drive shaft had popped out and shredded the boot. Popped it back in and ran it till the battery died, new boot on order for six quid. 

Loads of fun!

 

[captain_70s]

48 minutes ago, Tayne said:

Is it possible that the height of those crossovers and SUVs means the corners are not blind for their drivers?

Not unless they can see above trees or through walls...

[silvercar]

10 hours ago, Split_Pin said:

Met up with one of the other basketball dads this evening as the grounds of the hall are perfect for RC cars and he has a few very high spec examples. 

Plenty of jumps, dirt and leaves for the Monster Beetle and it was thoroughly Christened as I rolled it several times, no damage other than some scratches. Unfortunately I misjudged where a bollard was when the car was further away and it fucked it into it at full pelt, rolled down a short flight of stairs and lost drive. Expecting the worst, there was just a few scratches and a drive shaft had popped out and shredded the boot. Popped it back in and ran it till the battery died, new boot on order for six quid. 

Loads of fun!

 

It is an obsession I tell thee.

Current queue for completion/fettling/rebuilding:

Latest acquisition:

[Sunny Jim]

Me and the Travelling Whippet are on a collection mission.

Been after a new minibus for work and unable to find anything locally widened the search. Something suitable came up in Poulton-Le-Fylde so work are paying me to do a collection mission.

[Sunny Jim]

He's such a flirt, gets far more attention from women than I ever do!

[Sunny Jim]

Collectioned, on our way back to North Wales now.

[High Jetter]

Fido's thinking 'great, no-one new to get to know until we get to wherever the guvnor's driving us to' 😀

[Floatylight]

On 17/04/2025 at 20:27, brownnova said:

Don’t think I’d ever seen the famed early GPO Morris Minor vans with rubber wings before, but a trip to Avoncroft Buildings museum in Bromsgrove yielded this treat! 

As well as some excellent buildings, fabulous phone boxes and in one of the most random shite moments I can ever recall a chance meeting with @SiC with both of us far from home! 

SmollFl & future Mrs SmollFL's wedding reception is going to be there!

[brownnova]

22 minutes ago, Floatylight said:

SmollFl & future Mrs SmollFL's wedding reception is going to be there!

What a superb place for a wedding! We thought how good a wedding would be there! 

[beko1987]

Seems the bubblecar museum in lincs had a fire today. We had a shitefest there several years ago 

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, brownnova said:

What a superb place for a wedding! We thought how good a wedding would be there! 

The one we went to there was great, and I've been to a good few, as a guest, family or in the band. B & G put in a huge effort tho

[Popsicle]

Shits getting expensive again in couriering caddy world.

Pads, discs, front & rear shocks, top mounts, sleeves and bump stops, came in at just over £300 from Autodoc, turned up in just over a week which is not too bad for saying it was a long bank holiday weekend - was a £100 more from GSF or ECP.

Splurged out on a genuine VCDS kit, my knock off one had packed up and as we've 3 VW's at the mo, all with various issues, it seemed the sensibly expensive thing to do.

Just got to find the motivation to fit the parts next, spring compressors shit the life out of me.....

[New POD]

11 hours ago, Floatylight said:

SmollFl & future Mrs SmollFL's wedding reception is going to be there!

Tell me he is spending the first night of his honeymoon in one of the prefabs on site? 

Son lives about a mile away.  

[Dyslexic Viking]

My old Mercedes is finally back on the road after its winter hibernation.

[Bren]

I dropped the oil in my lads astra. I said I would show him what do but I was presented with zero enthusiasm.

I used my pela because I had a set of gates to chop up for the tip. I sealed the top of the tube with duck tape as it never gets it all out - I actually got 3.5 litres out which the capacity.

Apparently car was always serviced when the MOT was done - you can tell a shop has done it due to the kwality oil filter. A bosch went back in.

I paid £37 for the bits. My lad pulled a face - it was more than he was expecting- I told him it would be much more at a garage.

Bloody kids.

[Popsicle]

55 minutes ago, Bren said:

I dropped the oil in my lads astra. I said I would show him what do but I was presented with zero enthusiasm.

I used my pela because I had a set of gates to chop up for the tip. I sealed the top of the tube with duck tape as it never gets it all out - I actually got 3.5 litres out which the capacity.

Apparently car was always serviced when the MOT was done - you can tell a shop has done it due to the kwality oil filter. A bosch went back in.

I paid £37 for the bits. My lad pulled a face - it was more than he was expecting- I told him it would be much more at a garage.

Bloody kids.

I feel your pain Bren, I get the same facial expressions from daughters 1 and 2 about the costs of filters, oil and my free labour. At least when I'm rolling around under their cars they feign interest and bring me cups of tea. I have pointed out how much it would cost for a garage to do, when they pick their jaws up off the floor they soon realise they are on the right side of things keeping their old man sweet.

[New POD]

1 hour ago, Bren said:

I dropped the oil in my lads astra. I said I would show him what do but I was presented with zero enthusiasm.

I used my pela because I had a set of gates to chop up for the tip. I sealed the top of the tube with duck tape as it never gets it all out - I actually got 3.5 litres out which the capacity.

Apparently car was always serviced when the MOT was done - you can tell a shop has done it due to the kwality oil filter. A bosch went back in.

I paid £37 for the bits. My lad pulled a face - it was more than he was expecting- I told him it would be much more at a garage.

Bloody kids.

Couldn't use my lidl pump on my 1.4T astra as the tube had something stopping it getting to the sump. 

And on my daughter's KA, the fiat 1.2 engine had some sharp edge that caught the tube and wouldn't let me pull it out. 

I haven't told her it's been serviced.  I just used a paint pen to write the service history on the air filter cover. 

[artdjones]

37 minutes ago, Popsicle said:

I feel your pain Bren, I get the same facial expressions from daughters 1 and 2 about the costs of filters, oil and my free labour. At least when I'm rolling around under their cars they feign interest and bring me cups of tea. I have pointed out how much it would cost for a garage to do, when they pick their jaws up off the floor they soon realise they are on the right side of things keeping their old man sweet.

All this makes me glad to be childless.

[comfortablynumb]

When your kids are into cars, ALL your tools, parts, oils etc all mysteriously go'missing'

' what, me? No, definitely not, it's just identical to the one you had, no idea where yours has gone!' 🥺

Latest thing is actually nicking my car because 'well you're not using it, and I need to pickup that engine I bought....' 

Funny how it never comes back with the same amount of diesel in it tho

[Snake Charmer]

Not often you go for an Mot and meet other old chod.

[Dyslexic Viking]

Cleaned some winter wheels today and it's amazing how much crap builds up on the wheels over the course of one winter.

It's around 10 mm thick in places.

[Yoss]

35 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

Cleaned some winter wheels today and it's amazing how much crap builds up on the wheels over the course of one winter.

It's around 10 mm thick in places.

Now I can see why you don't use the Mercedes over winter. 

[grogee]

Did the Morgan factory tour today. 

Must admit I've been ambivalent about them up to now but I may be a convert. 

Deliberately contrary and the 'factory' is pleasingly olde-worlde. I even got a free piece of leather off cut which I'll use to make some soft jaws for my vice.