The new news 24 thread

[EssDeeWon]

Not been the busiest Friday afternoon so carried out some R'75 homework. Only 580 painted in Primrose Yellow, a good fair few were exported so only a handful of these now left in the UK. The shade was only available for a few months at the end of 1999/start 2000.

 

My lunchtime spot was even more a rare spot than I first thought. Cannot find a single one for sale in the UK.

[dollywobbler]

Aye. Not seen many in Primrose. Used to be one in Leominster, I think owned by a pub landlord.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Turns out the reason my indicator stopped working was because the unit was rotten enough to disintegrate when I took it off the car. Wanted it done for tonight, so here's one for the horrible bodge inventiveness and resourcefulness file. Surf washing powder dispenser pot. 

 

Bodge by cdconelrad, on Flickr

 

Can't tell with the lens on, super.

 

edit: fixed pic. so if you delete a photo in iPhoto it deletes it from Flickr too?

[Junkman]

I'll rummage the dungeon in search for a more betterer unit.

GR9 effort, though.

[HillmanImp]

When I click on that link, I'm asked to "follow" (WT actual F??) two Greek swinger couples.

I assume then what it suggests to you based upon your recent internet search history

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I'll rummage the dungeon in search for a more betterer unit.

GR9 effort, though.

Thanks. Quite happy with it considering how delicate the metal was! The one on the other side is perfect, but this side was missing its gaskets leading to this.

[twosmoke300]

Phill , you haven't pulled the ht lead off after reading the security thread have you ? 😃

 

Oh and check the kill switch.

[bub2006]

Regards Chinese bikes. I personally am not a fan myself but I know a few people with Chinese bikes and they are doing well. Engines in the geared bikes are either cg pushrod copies or Honda rebel twin copies and seem to hold up well. Electrics and body tend to be their downfall but wd40 on the connections and acf50 wouldn't do any harm. As with any bike if you maintain it then it will be OK. A lot of wrecks on eBay are bought by people who want a cheap bike to run on a shoestring. The quality is getting better though. Remember that jap bikes where slated in the 70's. Also people tend to not realise that the later cg was built in Brazil an snot as good as earlier models. Yam ybr are china built as are the Honda CBF/CBR 125 i believe and also the yzf r125. I use a c90 cub as my daily and it is a Brazil built bike and the lower quality does show compared to earlier models. I am looking for a cheap 125 and i will probably buy a tidy jinlun,pioneer or ajs as they are the better built Chinese bikes

[greengartside]

After the death of my mechanic friend last month, I have been left with the task of clearing his garage of all of it's items - and there is a shiteload of items, bearing in mind it was a repair/servicing garage from the 60's until the early 2000's. There is plenty of tools and odds and sods to sort - I will try and make a list of what's there and I will post some details/prices up on here should anyone be interested.

 

This does mean that there is some chod too as he hoarded cars as well as everything ever.

 

Namely this....

 

 

1978 Volvo 245 DL in lovely yellow. I've known this car all my life and this is where it's been parked all my life. It's very rarely been out except for about a week in 1991, two weeks in 1993 and then once a year for an M.o.T down the road but apart from that has stayed here. My mate stopped taking it for an M.o.T in 2004 and I don't think it's been started since - until now.

I'm heading on over armed with fresh fuel, a battery and all my mechanical knowledge and I'm going to attempt to get this Swedish beauty to go once more, and then I will be cleaning it up ready to sell it to someone who may want it?

Sadly this Volvo is nowhere near Scotland. East Anglia to be precise. Will be posting the results and EPIK KULLEKSHUN FRED* on here as soon as I have the green light from his wife.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

wow!!!!! That looks ace man!

[bub2006]

That Volvo looks lovely. Did all the early 240's have fogs on the bout lid? My dad had a 1981 i think it was and if i remember it was under the bumper? Guessing this will be a round headlamp model?

[cms206]

WOAFT! I'd hit that like a ginger stepchild.

 

East Anglia is not over a sea so the SVM, collectively, would. Repeatedly.

[greengartside]

It's not too bad - there's a bit of crustiness around the scuttle panel and the side body trims have a bit of surface corrosion but generally okay. I think he fitted the rear fogs himself. Yes it's the round headlamp model with a ULTRA RARE Hella grille!

[phil_lihp]

Phill , you haven't pulled the ht lead off after reading the security thread have you ?

 

Oh and check the kill switch.

Thanks, no the HT lead is firmly attached! There's no kill switch on these.

 

Alas, on closer inspection the HT lead is in horrible condition and wrapped in about a centimeter thick layer of electrical tape.  After removing the petrol tank I found the ignition coil assembly is very rusty and looks in a pretty sorry state.  The spark plug is filthy, doesn't want to come out and may in fact be the original - in fact, the whole lot looks pretty hopeless although as I say it was running a treat last weekend.

 

I've tinkered and fiddled, on a bump start it 'runs' while pushed but won't catch, it smells of fuel so I reckon there's little or no spark aside from one single massive backfire early on with the throttle wide open - not so much as a cough since.  Fuel is getting through and there's plenty of electricity from the battery and good compression so I think the ignition system is to blame.  I'm ordering a good secondhand coil with HT lead and brand new condenser, points and spark plug.  Not a bad little haul for £20, hopefully that will sort it.

[rml2345]

FPHWHOARRR! That's a foxy fox of foxyness!

Good luck getting it fired up and into the world, it shouldn't be too much of a struggle I'd think.

[garbaldy]

Agreed regarding Chinese bikes, ebay appears to be full of 3-5 year old examples in impressively poor condition.

 

Loads of people recommend CGs, but I find it hard to pay £500 for a learner bike when my 'posh' car was £300 ! The search goes on...

 

I took a 58 plate mikilon 250 with only 300 miles on it as a swap, it looked good and seemed to be well enough made but the lad I sold it to popped it in for mot and it failed big stylee,

back shock to hard they reckoned seized, swing arm has excessive play, play in wheel bearings, headlight beam pattern, wheel alignment, front fork leaking, loose spokes, tyres are also marked not for road use, not bad for a 300 mile bike

not sure I would have another if that's the standard of build quality.

[twosmoke300]

Hell Phill , yours must be an early cg to have points

[phil_lihp]

1988 - according to various websites they had points until 1995. 

[hairnet]

omg - its lovejoys volvo (111s?? )

[greengartside]

omg - its lovejoys volvo (111s?? )

 

Sadly not, I think his was a 265 GLE...

 

[stuboy]

quality nursing in cheapo transport....lol

[Lord Sterling]

Love the Volvo. I'd roll it just to pretend to be some Lovejoy-type character buying antique crud from various auctions just to fill the Volvo.

 

So yeh, WANT.

[TagoraSX]

BL chod incoming (hopefully!) tomorrow....

 

I R EXCITE!

[Junkman]

Last Sunday, a trip was made with the RoD, to a destination, that is called something like a sexually transmitted disease, located in deepest Yorkshire.

Mr. Conelrad can fill you in with the details, but as far as I can remember, it was somewhere between Upper Cantbearsed and Nether Henslayeggs.

Anyway, one of the crustiest P6es of ever was inspected for potential purchase, which was the purpose of the trip, and subsequently dismissed, in a severe breach of Autoshite laws (I plead guilty as charged, but will call on our resident pettyfogger, if need be).

Overall, the ectoplasmatic Rover returned a reasonable 23 OMGMPG, and when checking the oil after a hearty full English at a roadside cafe with a lot of motorcycles parked out front, everything appeared to be just fine, thank you.

 

Imagine my consternation, that today, a mere 80 odd miles later, when doing an oil change, only three litres of old oil came out, and this despite the big Range Rover oil filter was installed last time.

 

Is there anybody, who still doesn't believe, that the ruddy thing is haunted?

[greengartside]

Love the Volvo. I'd roll it just to pretend to be some Lovejoy-type character buying antique crud from various auctions just to fill the Volvo.

 

So yeh, WANT.

 

Well there's plenty of antique shite in the back of it - most probably a leather jacket too.

[Angrydicky]

Apologies for the lack of Maestro updates, have been mopping/polishing the paint, refurbishing the plastic bits and getting it back together. A few bits have had to be resprayed as well, due to the polishing mop going through to the primer here and there. However, it looks stunning now, like a new car. The only thing left to do really is the headlining, just waiting for the material to arrive from Ebay. To celebrate I've finally taken out an insurance policy on it, so I can at last drive it legally. I've also booked a mobile windscreen fitter to come and fit the new screen on Wednesday, in preparation for its inaugural outing to the BMC/Leyland show at Gaydon next Sunday, where it will be on the Maestro and Montego club stand. Hope it makes it!

 

I also need to make a trip back to its home town of Maldon, to get some photos outside the original selling dealership and the original owner's house

[greengartside]

Following on from my post, I have been over to see the (non-Lovejoy or Scottish) Volvo..

 

 

I have yet to get it running but I've made a few preliminary checks on her. The brakes are seized solid but there is brake pressure so it may just be a case of freeing them off. I have tried to syphon any old fuel out of the tank but there seemed to be so little in there that none came up through my syphon pump. I'll chuck a can of unleaded in before I start working on her.

 

 

Bodywork wise, the bottoms of the doors and the panel at the base of the windscreen on the passenger side are a bit scabby and I think the driver's side has had a dodgy respray in the 80's by my mate. All adds to the patina of it all though.

 

Has the Hella foglamp grille and some rare Volvo hubcaps as well as some snazzy brown velour seat covers (which will be removed, washed and refitted).

101,479 reading on the odometer, has the Volvo instruction manual and a couple of Haynes books. Tailgate is heavy to open but I think they're all like that, Sir.

 

 

Scarily original though!

 

 

 

There are literally toolboxes full of imperial sockets and spanners (1/4 1/18 etc. etc.) which are up for grabs, amongst other bits like brand new oil filters, brand new sealed headlamps (round), bulbs, old metal wiper blades, Haynes manuals and probably a lot more besides. If anyone has requests then please PM me, although this may benefit the people in the East of England more as I simply don't have time to box up and send out bits as I've got a 12-hour a day job and a 6-month old daughter who is a handful at the best of times!

Obviously if there is an Autoshite relay service then I'm up for that. Prices are simply whatever you are willing to pay as this is what my late friend's wife has said.  All proceeds will go to her - I am not benefiting from it, just helping her out.

 

More updates as soon as I go back over.

[Inspector Morose]

Well that looks a real worthwhile project. Given a little clean and spruce up, it looks just right as is!

 

In other minor news, the Citroen got a little attention this afternoon as it got pressed into service from the day it came from Wales without anything apart from fluid checks and a quick wash. I just haven't had time to do anything with work being hectic and the Cit being reliable as he'll apart from minor Exon Valdez impressions.

 

Today's job involved dash lights. Dash was removed and all the bulbs were tested and replacements from the spares mountain sought and fitted. A minor arse of a job but it whiled away an hour or so. While the dash was in pieces, I examined the non functioning heated rear window switch only to find its a sealed unit. Anyone got a working one in grey?

 

Just out of curiosity, I've put the original wheel trims back on just to see what they look like. I like them but the wheels definitely need a clean up and paint. Trouble is they'll show up the rest of the car then which means I'll have to do something about that. Might just take the easy option and enjoy the workhorse look.

 

On the soon to do list are the brake discs and exhaust then maybe the lower engine mounting as I'll have a few days off in a couple of weeks to get to grips with things unless SWMBO finds me another project on the allotment to do.

 

Seems to enjoy running on veg too. Runs smoother and apart from the fuel filter bowl making a bid for freedom one morning, there's been no real problems. Our local Chinese supermarket is doing veg for £14.99 for 20 litres at the moment so I've just bought 40 litres for tomorrow!

 

I could do with the radio out soon to put a USB unit in that I've kicking around. Dollywobbler, have you the keys to hand to remove it to bring tomorrow?

[dollywobbler]

Hmm. That's the head unit out of the Sirion. Wonder how I removed it. I suspect I improvised. I have a few tricks up my sleeve for tomorrow though!

 

As for the HRW, it does actually work, it's just the warning light that doesn't so be careful. If you've been clicking it, it might well be on!

 

Also forgot that in the parts stash was a set of rear brake discs for a Mercedes-Benz 300E. Just in case you know someone who owns one of those.

[The Moog]

After the joy at fixing the cooling fans i got in with the other jobs.

 

Ordered two washer pumps during the week that came today. @ £5 each i thought they were a bargain. Swapped out front pump, it took a whole 30 seconds and reliable washing is restored. Need to do the same to the back.

 

Blower motor ordered from eBay -£19 delivered.

 

The other little niggle was that the passenger side mirror seemed to magnify everything and gave a shit view. Replaced it with proper glass and now i can see where i have been.

 

Picked up 200l of veg from costco today (73p a litre) which should see us to south of France and back next week.

 

I still need to shield the front fan relays in some way and dip them in vaseline to protect the prongs.

 

The drivers door has dropped as well so i need to find a way to adjust that if possible.

 

Not quite enough hours in the day at the moment