The new news 24 thread

[vulgalour]

Great link, this carpet is exactly the type I'm after so now I have reference to go from to make describing it easier.  Leicester isn't too far away either.  I shall give them a call at a more sociable hour once I've measured what I need doing.

 

[TagoraSX]

Tagora collection organised for Tuesday!

[derskine]

Decided to set about repairing the rotten jacking point on the 18.

Here's how it started

 

 

Heres how it ended up

 

 

 

And heres the panel I made for the cross member part, I've stopped for today though.

I used 2mm steel to negate the need for the strengthening panel.

 

 

The lower part of the wing was also pretty rotten so I'll make a replacement panel for that too.

Hopefully have it all welded up by next weekend/during next weekend.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I took the dash apart on my Toledo today in an attempt to get the charging light working properly. Theres defo a dry joint in there somewhere.

 

 

Annoyingly I got the bloody lot to pieces (without breaking any clips, get me) then found I needed a microscopic torx bit which i didn't have, there was flip all i could do so I put it all back together again. A good hour and a bit wasted!

 

[Lankytim]

Hey Boll, is that a JTD in your Doblo? I need to do the belts on our Multipla, is it a straightforward job?

[Mike D]

My wanky old sj/jago came home yesterday after I leant it to my mate who replaced the engine and tested it up as he needed some transport... it was running a bit rough, so I had a fiddle and got the timing all spot on, and it actually ticking over, and it seems to have repayed me by shitting its OMGHG, it's missing like a bastard and chuffing smoke out now... I think these sj motors are renowned for it though, and it's only an old school 8v effort so shouldn't be too much hassle to change

 

 

[Barry Cade]

The Geordie Clio, which came North with me this week is now in rude health, with all the mad electrical gremlins sorted, apart from the airbag system which is a mess.. according to the diagnostic computer it has been in a shunt, and fired off the seatbelt pretensioners and the drivers side,side airbag. Not to worry, I just shut the whole system down

 

It is actually a great drive,and economical too. OMG shock. All Rennos are NOT shite. Warming to them fast.

[Asimo]

Tagora collection organised for Tuesday!

Is that what the metric tyres are for?

[Pillock]

Vulg, I live near Leicester and got quite a few days in Sheffield coming up. If you need any Shitely action for carpetty stuff let me know.

[TagoraSX]

Is that what the metric tyres are for?

Yes.

[rml2345]

^ Tagora collection thread when jt happens PLZ.

Had a play with the new toy today which went well. Except that it wouldn't start because I'd left the interior light on all night like a clot and flattened the battery.

Fortunately FATHA_RML was around so I jumped it off his Omega and all is well again.

[vulgalour]

News on Princess #1.

 

I have secured storage, I've confirmed this numerous times and it's secure.  Only trouble is that the storage is 280 miles away from the car and I haven't any means of transporting the car at present.  I'm still investigating options, the obstacle is the three month deadline and a lack of free funds due to a house move happening in about the same time frame.  If anyone can assist with transportation please do drop me a line and you will have my eternal gratitude and much good karma...  I'm aware this is no good for purchasing beer and chod with, I make no apologies.

 

The car was first registered in September 1977, before which it is believed to have been used as a factory test car.  From the info I received from Nick Larkin, it sounds like it had the same owner from 1977 until he acquired it in 1997, at which point it had likely been off the road for four years as the tax ran out in 1993.  The logbook is still available and DVLA still hold a record on the car, showing it as a Morris which also adds to the rarity of the car.

 

Having seen more photographs I now know the car needs a pair of front wings, substantial repairs or a replacement front valance, ideally a rear quarter on one side and repairs to the sills.  There's been crude repairs to the bottom of the windscreen surround too.  It looks like the car has had the usual repair treatment to get it through MoTs and I expect the floor to be a proper patchwork mess.

 

The engine - 1800 B series - is an unknown, as is the gearbox, clutch and brakes so I'm assuming they'll all need rebuilding.  All the rubber hoses will be knackered, the carb will need rebuilding and it'll need additive as it will pre-date the unleaded Princesses.

 

The unique bonnet and grille are intact, these are virtually impossible to get hold of and very important to the identity of the car.  The blue interior isn't the original, but it is the one it's had since about 1977 so it's original enough.

 

If I can secure transport I'm looking at assessing the extent of the rot before deciding whether to restore or break this car.  If it is viable as a restoration I'll work through it a small area at a time and hone my welding and fabrication skills as I go, something that will be very useful for the business I'll be a part of.

 

I think this is a sensible approach to this particular car and as I've said before, if it were any other Princess and not free I wouldn't bother with it but because of what it is, there is some worth in at least giving it a chance.

[Inspector Morose]

If this is princess no 1 PLEASE don't scrap it. Leave it on a plinth, donate it to a charity, anything but scrap it. I will come and help for free if it means that it has a future.

[stuboy]

weres it located being 280 miles from you!!

[vulgalour]

Car is near Chipping Sodbury, storage is in Thornaby, Middlesbrough.

 

I've been considering a crowd-funding thing with this one but I don't know what sort of incentive to give back to supporters of the restoration if I did.  Obviously I'll need to confirm the history of the car and actually make sure it's restorable before I committed to that properly.

[gordonbennet]

Catching the train to Bury in 45 mins to collect the ebay Outback.

[Angrydicky]

Vulgalour, I think it would be awful if this car was scrapped, but at the same time, it isn't in any immediate danger. I know your situation isn't that great at the moment, as fantastic as it would be to see you end up with this car, I'd think long and hard before deciding if you can afford to dedicate the vast amounts of time and money it needs to be restored.

 

If you do take it on and decide its too much work for you, rather than breaking it you should offer it back for free here and in the Princess club. There are still a few rotten Princesses out there which are useful for spares and don't involve scrapping such a historically significant car. Good luck

[dollywobbler]

Given that the car is at a storage facility at the moment, is there any scope for simply paying for it to stay where it is? Just to give a bit of breathing space.

[trigger]

Personally speaking I'd say it sounds like your taking on too much and will end up getting none of them done, you've still got the Renault 6 to sort as well as the red one and your beige one needs TLC still IIRC, You can't save everything as much as your trying.

 

I don't mean to sound harsh but your going to get yourself in trouble if your not careful, good luck!

[scruff]

I don't mean to sound harsh, Vulg, and I know your heart is in the right place but given your current situ I would take a step back and reassess things. 

 

I love free stuff as much as the next shiter, but, factor in £200 or so to get it from Sam's to Middlesbog, plus the travelling from your house to the car and it suddenly isn't cheap any more. I'd shift it for nothing if I could as it is, after all, Princess No. 1 but I can't. 

 

How about taking a different approach - and this might not work but is worth a go: 

 

Approach a classik mag of your choice and offer a tale of derring-do regarding the previous history and saving of this particular motor, followed by regular updates. In return for hard cash ask for sponsorship to move the thing.

 

Any classic museums near you? Sprayed up with diesel to make it look less shit and with a good presentation board/photos/drawings/history, a sympathetic curator may see it as an interesting eye catcher and the thing gets put up for a while as part of the bargain. 

 

I don't know, probably bollocks. It's easy for internetz folk to tell you what to do and how it's all going to end in fire and dead kittens - but I've been there, done that, got the debt and the nervous breakdown T-shirt. Be careful!

[vulgalour]

Same comments as I've had before, I think there's still some misunderstanding so I'll try and clear this up.

 

Storage - its current storage is due to disappear in June, I've been told it will have to be scrapped if someone can't be found to at least rehome it because there won't be any space at the new inn.  The new storage I have is available immediately and for the long term.

 

Restoration - this will only happen IF it's viable.  The car may be too far gone and I'll break it if that's the case.  I'd like to restore it but it might not be tenable and I'm aware of this.

 

Projects - This one replaces the HLS I've almost finished and will not run along side it.  I won't be commuting between Derbyshire and Middlesbrough as the new storage is going to be basically where I'm moving to, I may not have made this very clear.  The Renault, once sorted, may very well be sold after I've had a bit of fun in it so at no point will my active car count exceed three.

 

Finally, the fate of the car.  This is an incredibly difficult car to shift.  The owners club appear to want nothing to do with it, I can't think why on earth a museum would want it in anything other than A1 condition and it needs some mental like me to give it a fighting chance at being anything more than storage filler.

 

This is not something I've rushed into and if I can't get it transported then I will let it go, it's as simple as that.  If I do get it transported and it's too far gone it'll get binned with as much as possible saved from it.  I am, strange as it sounds, being pretty realistic and rational about this one it's just difficult when the car has turned up at a time when it's the hardest for me to move it.  If it had appeared at the end of the year this would be far, far easier.

[barefoot]

In exciting news today, the T2 is still at the garage having a bit of a service and chap has noticed that although

my discs and pads have plenty of life left in them, the callipers are very worn and appear to be the originals. 

That's 35 years old.

I bet the replacements don't last anywhere near as long!

[Lukas]

Bought this 89 Pajero V6 3000 by the end of last week. Don´t know exactly what to do with it by now, my mechanic has to take a look at it how bad it really is. I know of a slipping clutch, a blowing exhaust and a starter-motor that starts the engine many times, but not every time. It has rust too, so let´s wait and see.

 

[saucedoctor]

Chattering door solenoid swapped out on the 25. I got a working one from a wrecked MG ZR.

 

Here's today's Top Tip: Just because the parts from a breaker are SUPPOSED to be the same, doesn't mean they actually are. MG ZR button on the left, Rover 25 item, on the right. MG item jams the door handle in the Rover because it's too short, but looks the same, and is the same shape.

[vulgalour]

More Princess quandary.  Went to view the one less than 10 miles from home with a view to stripping what I need off it.  To take the car whole is £250 and there's enough and more on it to sort out pretty much everything that's amiss with both my cars.  I couldn't get the guy at the yard to give me a price on parts, he's already been messed around a bit with other cars and is used to chancers.

 

I've been offered the opportunity to strip everything of use off the car on a weekend and leave with however much I can carry which is fine, but there's more to take than I can realistically do in a weekend in a yard with no electricity.

 

It has a pristine black velour interior, the 1.7 O series engine runs and has the thermostat housing I'm after.  The suspension all sits level as it ought and the bodywork is rough but not terminal.  It's an earlier car and is most likely vermillion and it's worth the £250 being asked as either a project or as a breaker as the value in parts outweighs the asking price of the car considerably.

 

What to do?  This one car solves all my car woes in one fell swoop but it's awkward to resolve.

 

Never mind!  A solution presented itself and we're arranging delivery.

[Tayne]

Have you asked what he'll charge to haul it the 10miles to your house?

 

Where you spend a week tearing it pieces and then invite him back for a bare shell.

[Lankytim]

Binning Princess 1 is VERBOTEN, that's the point and why nobody wants to own it.

[Mr Livered]

Do tell, Vulg. It's getting hard to keep up with your Princess-related antics.

[vulgalour]

Princess status then.

 

#1 - Undecided fate on this one, in all honesty, given the latest development.  Let's forget that for the moment.

 

Red HLS - Got to get to the bottom of this running issue, pump up the suspension, bleed the brakes, stick new tyres on and it's pretty much done.  That'll be leaving the stable in May.

 

Beige HL - In need of more work.  I can do the work, but the car needs cash spending on it which is where the latest comes in.

 

Orange HL - from the waistline up it's solid, the interior is pristine but also black which I'm not fond of.  Engine runs, spheres are level, tyres are knackered.  Clutch is knackered but it has a wealth of useful parts that Beige HL and Red HLS need.  I'll be getting this car delivered so I can decided what to do next.

 

One of the HLs will not survive, I won't know which one until the Orange one is delivered.  The Orange car has all the parts (bar tyres) that the other two I've got needs and has more value in the parts than how much the car will cost me, especially being so close to home.

 

As a result, I'll temporarily own 3 Princesses, but only 2 will survive.  It's still something that's turned up at the wrong time for me, but it's an opportunity that thankfully has not passed me by and it should pay off.

[ShiteRider]

My mate Mick has invited me to the isle of wight scooter rally, i don't ride so the plan is for me to follow them down in the cortina estate as a mobile canteen/workshop/parts hauler/campervan/recovery service.

Now i've got the kick up the arse to actually start working on it.