The new news 24 thread

[Skizzer]

However, it had been discovered north of Watford the wells would have been drilled last night.

 

You mean like, say, the M6 toll road?

 

Announced in 1980, opened in 2003 after a six year initial consultation, two public enquiries and God knows how many lawyers.

[EssDeeWon]

^Yeah but Tories hate all northerners and everything north of Tottenham

[Coprolalia]

Scirocco will have it's MOT tomorrow as finally sourced a non-fucked distributor to fit. This being an ongoing saga which has relegated number 1 vehicle to the local garage for three weeks:

 

Began as an emissions fail - fix the Pierburg carb (vacuum and wax operated automatic choke... ooh the wonder!). Get the idle good, get the cold start good. Oh, the second butterfly isn't working, no problems, that's fixed.

 

Still failing emissions.

 

Ok let's check the spark.

Plugs... ok.

Leads... ok.

Rotor arm... 1/2mm of contact left. Contacts on the points all rusted. Worst of all, the contact bearing in the bastards worn and the whole distributor shaft is waggling about like mad, meaning it only makes contact every now and then. 

Speak to VW - "new dizzy? that'll be £260 sir, it'll arrive in three weeks." Bugger off.

Speak to Bosch direct - "new dizzy sir? that'll be £230, and arrive in two weeks." Bugger off.

Speak to GSF/ECP/local smaller chains - new dizzy sir? 1989 Scirocco sir? Oh, you want the whole dizzy, not just the cap? Computer says no.

Check the forums - none being broken with an intact dizzy.

Bollocks.

 

Then I get a call off a nice local bloke who know's his Sciroccos - "oh yeah, common problem, the bearings fed by engine oil via a capillary, if it blocks up they wear out. Just stick any distributor on off an 80s VW 8v engine and time it up until it pinks, then back it off a bit."

Win.

 

Call GSF - distributor in stock for a 1989 1.6 Scirocco. £47.50.

DONE!

[HillmanImp]

You won't believe this. The lock on the drivers door on the GT6 has broken and I am locked in the car. The other door is against the wall with crap up against it so i am going to have to find a way out of the rear window.

 

*edit* out now. As if that would happen twice in a month. Its the handle on the inside I need to sort.

[dollywobbler]

As Elly the 2CV heads for retirement, she's been having some fun. First, she went train spotting, but was disappointed to find a diesel replacing a steam service.

 

Then she did a spot of gardening. The other Dollywobbler vehicles wouldn't be much use transporting will of this length.

 

I really am beginning to feel a bit down. Elly is starting absolutely beautifully at the moment, and driving very nicely. I need to find some money and get planning this restoration. 2CVs are ESSENTIAL to my health.

[jonathan_dyane]

On the tyres front the other day I had a couple of Kingpin remoulds supplied and fitted for £25 per corner by a very nice Polish gentlemen in Wrexham. I very much liked the way he happily jacked the car where I asked him and generally did a careful and meticulous job handling everything with care and mechanical sympathy which isn't always the case with tyre fitters.

 

This was the chap for anyone in the area, he doesn't just do remoulds: https://www.facebook.com/tyreswmgarage

[HillmanImp]

Anyhoooo the reason I was in the GT6 was that I was popping the new rear leaf spring in. I had started this on Sunday after the shops were all shut and soon realised that the bolts that were holding the spring down against the diff were rusty as fook and I was going to have problems.

 

 

There were obviously no shops open to get some more so I had a dig around and found some bolts of the correct thread

 

 

Wanged a longer thread on them:

 

 

and lopped off the top. 

 

 

I managed two of these before I realised that I only had one nut of the correct thread so this was a totally pointless exercise and I may as well have waited and got some of the right bolts from the shop. I spent about an hour trying to find some suitable nuts to rob off another car/bike/golf trolley etc until I gave up. 

 

So on Tuesday I went to nuts and bolts in Pudsey to get some bolts. Whilst I was there I picked up this:

 

 

Which I just cut down to the approx. size for the other four bolts......

 

 

.....and behold, the GT6 is rolling again!

 

And how does it repay me for all my hard work, by locking me in. I went for a jog yesterday and my limbs hurt so maneuvering myself out was pretty painful.

 

I was going to clean off all that old paint round the edge there as it looks cruddy (its solid, just looks gash) but I am in a sulk with it now so will maybe look at that tomorrow.

 

Obviously I could have bought some of these bolts from Rimming Bros. but that would have taken some foresight, planning and more money to achieve the same result so all in all its not bad. 

[gordonbennet]

Daughters Civic failed the MOT on airbag...what she didn't tell me was that the bloody thing failed last year and after waggling a few wires which extinguished the light,it passed, but came back on the next day...364 days ago that is...and she just ignored it...bloody females i'm surrounded by the sods and they're all bloody bonkers and sending me the same way.

Also the bloody MOT had run out three weeks ago....where's the double facepalm smiley.

 

How i've still got hair i have no bloody idea.

 

Anyway, i don't go anywhere near airbags cos i value me empty head, so she took it to the Honda dealer for diagnosis...are you sitting comfortably...needs new NS airbag madam, that'll be £1200 please...fuck off.

 

So, i'm at work and my scatty but brilliant mrs has a chat with the little auto electrical place round the corner that i never knew existed (be using him again)...he's cleaned up the contacts and reconnected and it's working OK, well for the time being,  the bill was £36, that's more like it, and what passes for my brains arn't splattered up the rear hatch so that's even better.

 

MOT passed today, and the car being on our drive i was able to give the poor thrashed bloody Honda a quick service.

 

To be fair, these up to 05 plate Honda S types (slighty derated type R but with springs and proper tyres) are damn good cars, this is her second, she thrashes the thing mercilessly and her mileage is huge, but the engines and boxes are virtually unbreakable, Christ knows where i'm gunna find another bugger when she wrecks this one, a modern piece of crap would last about a month in her hands..

[twosmoke300]

Are you using threaded rod for spring mounts ? Most thread rod is only 4.8 low tensile so I would be a bit wary of using it tbh .

[Lord Sterling]

Anyone got a waterpump for a Mercedes E280? Mahmoud has hit a dead end, all the parts suppliers are supplying him with the wrong one. Mercedes want something like £170 + VAT.

[richardmorris]

Have you tried rob Parker?

 

Threepointedparts.co.uk

[spike60]

Are you using threaded rod for spring mounts ? Most thread rod is only 4.8 low tensile so I would be a bit wary of using it tbh .

Agreed. High tensile threaded rod is available but the standard stuff is made from shiny cheese.

[Rusty Pelican]

Bit of a mild / blind panic here in the last few days.

Checked the brake fluid on the Singer and most of it had vanished !!!

BUMHATS Its got its MOT Saturday .

Any i tore the fecker apart brake wise looking for said leak only to find no issues anywhere.

Twas at this point i remember id bled the brakes  a month or so back and being as it has feck off GR8 reservoirs of a Jagwar i dont need to top it up whilst doing this , twas also the point i remember not filling it up afterwards.

I R BAFFOOON 

[Skoze]

Is that "the camping and caravan club" from The Simpsons?

 

Forgot about that! Two birds... 

 

Friend found it in a box and said it was mine if I promised to fit it there and then, but refused to show me what it was until i'd agreed to it. 

[chaseracer]

Anyone got a waterpump for a Mercedes E280? Mahmoud has hit a dead end, all the parts suppliers are supplying him with the wrong one. Mercedes want something like £170 + VAT.

 

Tried the bloke in Stoke?  I'm up that way tomorrow afternoon if you'd like me to call in.

[HillmanImp]

Are you using threaded rod for spring mounts ? Most thread rod is only 4.8 low tensile so I would be a bit wary of using it tbh .

Feck.

[Coprolalia]

Further to all the posts about scrappage scheme classics.

https://www.change.org/p/david-cameron-mp-car-scrappage-scheme-allow-the-classic-cars-still-being-stored-to-be-sold-off-to-young-drivers

[DS20]

^ Signed.  

[Lord Sterling]

Have you tried rob Parker?

Threepointedparts.co.uk

Not tried but will, cheers!

 

Tried the bloke in Stoke? I'm up that way tomorrow afternoon if you'd like me to call in.

If you could that would be great, I'll get his number and text it to Mahmoud.

[DS20]

Omnomnomnom all the furniture  

 

I've been at the Newark antiques fair today, and have bought something enormous - but it STILL goes into a Volvobrick  The dealers who didn't have a van had a Volvo, and 740s / 940s were as numerous as V70s.  I'm surprised the SVM didn't mount a south-of-the-border raid  

 

 

 

 

[Craig the Princess]

Looks like the Australians did however.

[DS20]

Aargh!  Why this happen?  Picture is right way up on the computer.  Any advice as to fixing this?  

[Craig the Princess]

No idea, sorry. How are you uploading them? Never had a problem uploading with tinypic.com

[beko1987]

Feck.

At least when you replace them with stronger stuff you can take one rod out at a time and fit the new bit, saving having the whole thing off to put back on!

[coalnotdole]

Spent another day working on the rebel van interior and this time I've got a few photos,

 

I started off by touching up the remaining bits that needed a second coat of speckled paint, overspray areas get hidden behind either the headlining, side pannels or rubber matting to go on boot floor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anti vibration pads,

 

 

I then started to cut and fit the insulation,

 

 

 

I then moved onto the carpet, This is a really time consuming job as each piece has to be cut to suit before gluing in. The bulkhead section has all been glued in, the gearbox tunnel is only dry fitted as it needs some edge trim sewing on before it can be stuck down. All the pedals had to be removed the old air vent covers drilled off etc. Sorry about the state of these pics the light was fading as I took them.

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately I've now run out of tufted carpet.... I've got some more but its a different style much shorter and less traditional. I still need to do two more big panels in the footwells and a small section around the doors, as well as leave enough to create to overcarpets. I'm in two minds as to wether to order some more matching carpet or just say sot it an fit the stuff I've got....

 

Heres a comparison photo:

 

 

Tomorrow I'm expecting the rubber matting for the boot to arrive and I might try to get the headlining fitted!

 

 

 

[HillmanImp]

At least when you replace them with stronger stuff you can take one rod out at a time and fit the new bit, saving having the whole thing off to put back on!

I was thinking that. Shant take long. Will get some more.

[STUNO]

There you are, it was ok at this end of the world.

 

[DS20]

But..but how did you do that?

 

I'd uploaded it directly from the computer using the 'select file' and 'attach file' options on the full reply page. Aargh.

[castros_bro]

But..but how did you do that?

 

I'd uploaded it directly from the computer using the 'select file' and 'attach file' options on the full reply page. Aargh.

 

Shirley t'is obvious, you were in Newark which is an anagram of wanker

[Honey Badger]

Daughters Civic failed the MOT on airbag...what she didn't tell me was that the bloody thing failed last year and after waggling a few wires which extinguished the light,it passed, but came back on the next day...364 days ago that is...and she just ignored it...bloody females i'm surrounded by the sods and they're all bloody bonkers and sending me the same way.

Also the bloody MOT had run out three weeks ago....where's the double facepalm smiley.

 

How i've still got hair i have no bloody idea.

 

Anyway, i don't go anywhere near airbags cos i value me empty head, so she took it to the Honda dealer for diagnosis...are you sitting comfortably...needs new NS airbag madam, that'll be £1200 please...fuck off.

 

So, i'm at work and my scatty but brilliant mrs has a chat with the little auto electrical place round the corner that i never knew existed (be using him again)...he's cleaned up the contacts and reconnected and it's working OK, well for the time being, the bill was £36, that's more like it, and what passes for my brains arn't splattered up the rear hatch so that's even better.

 

MOT passed today, and the car being on our drive i was able to give the poor thrashed bloody Honda a quick service.

 

To be fair, these up to 05 plate Honda S types (slighty derated type R but with springs and proper tyres) are damn good cars, this is her second, she thrashes the thing mercilessly and her mileage is huge, but the engines and boxes are virtually unbreakable, Christ knows where i'm gunna find another bugger when she wrecks this one, a modern piece of crap would last about a month in her hands..

Couldnt agree more about the Civic Type S they are cracking little cars, still quite a few about but good ones really hold their value as I've spent tonight looking at them to replace my Accord. The next gen Civic Type S just felt cheap and badly screwed together in comparison, plus it was a gutless 1.8 instead of the perky 2.0.

 

Any chance of the name and number of the auto spark, I always used to use Burwell and Ward down by the old tip but they have both retired now and it's run by someone else.