The new news 24 thread

[alf892]

Massive uphill struggle trying to get the washers to work on the Herald. Have replaced the bottle and am trying a new pump, but I can't seem to get enough pressure to get water to actually pass through the tubes with any consistency. There are a load of air bubbles in there, is that what's causing the problem? And if so, how do you bleed a ruddy washer system?

Go lektrik...........wire a nice short circuit to push button switch.

 

Old cars should have added giffer switches with no marked function. Or wires

 

Don't make the circuit too short though as you will lose all the loom smoke

[barrett]

I don't do electrics. Anyway, a Triumph Herald shouldn't have an electric washer pump... It's bad enough somebody has fitted a bloody alternator to the thing

[DVee8]

I took the FiL to the local Seat dealer yesterday for a oil and filter change on the DSG gearbox in his Tolado.

Now he is 6'6" and around 23 clem. watching him fold into my astra sporthatch,i could really feel the extra weight in the car,

Heading home he says these seats are not very comfy not wide enough,i am 5'11" and 12 stone i fit.

He still wanted a lift back to collect the car.

[dollywobbler]

XM has had the tracking done. Bit miffed as the steering wheel is off-centre, but at least I won't be scrubbing the tyres this weekend. I'll try to get it sorted next week.

 

It is now connected up to the trailer tent as I'm spending the weekend at La Vie en Bleu. Working as well as enjoying the usual hillclimb action and Can Can dancers. Wonderful event. Not cheap, but I'd say great value. I'm especially looking forward to seeing BMW-powered 2CVs going up the hill on Sunday.

[trigger]

I'm not sure is wrong with me but i don't feel like i've gelled with this Mk1 Cortina, I've always wanted one, right back to a young teenager but now i own one i feel a bit underwhelmed by it.

 

Don't get me wrong, it drives nicely and it's very pretty but I get more enjoyment driving my Mk3, I don't know if it's because I've had a few teething problems with the Mk1's engine or if it's because it's already a nice car and there's little i need to do with it but I'm now stuck with 2 classic cars that are in lovely condition that i worry about using incase they get damaged or whatever.

 

I wish i saved my money and bought myself a sub £2000 car which needed a little bit of tarting up to make it my own but wasn't too nice so that i could use it for work and in the wet.

 

I think i also enjoy driving more modern stuff that you can properly drive, the Mk1 is a bit sedate compared to the Mk3. I'll give it a few months and see how it goes, It's still breathing oil out of the filler cap at the moment so i can't sell it like that anyway.

[dollywobbler]

I do that all the time Trig. Land Rover V8 was perhaps the biggest disappointment. Reliant Scimitar left me a bit cold, because I didn't gel with it. 

 

Owning really nice cars is a pain in the arse. It was horrendous when I had my 2CV restored. I was scared to take it anywhere. Fortunately, I got over it and liked it more and more as scratches and rust blemishes arrived to stop it being perfect.

 

Not really sure what the answer is in your case. Drop an Essex into it perhaps?

[trigger]

I suspect in an ideal world a Zetec lump and 5 speed box would make it the car that I'd love but I couldn't to that to it besides it all costs money which i haven't got.

 

Don't get me wrong, the car has some small scabs on the bottom of a couple of doors so it's not mint but it's too nice to use everyday, even now it's outside under a car cover and i'm worrying about it getting rusty! With the cheaper stuff i never cared as much.

[skattrd]

I know what you mean Trig, I had the same last year with the HPE VX, and now with the Delta, but really enjoy the scruffy Spyder. I think my thing is I like cars to be serviceable and not too shiny.

[320touring]

Cvnting carparts4less..

ordered parts at 10am yesterday, paid for next wprking day delivery.

 

Are they here? Are they fuck.

[captain_70s]

Took the Doloshite 1300 to the exhaust fitters to have a new downpipe fitted.

 

There were the usual seized nuts and pipes which my tame exhaust fitter soon dealt with but then the larger problem occurred. The new downpipe didn't fit, at all, it was INCHES out. Not only is the flange (ooh-err) welded on to the pipe wonky but the first bend in the pipe itself is about 20 degrees out. Oh, the hanging point is also welded onto the pipe (badly) about 2 inches too far back as well.

 

So now the back half of the exhaust is entirely disconnected from the downpipe and held up with cable ties and the old downpipe is now halved in length because we just snapped off the bit after the huge hole to make it easier to remove. The fucking thing is now WORSE than before...

[Bren]

Focus collected today.Thread to follow.

[HillmanImp]

Focus collected today.Thread to follow.

 

Unless you are driving the prog rock band to various places of interest, don't bother. 

[Anglevan]

I suspect in an ideal world a Zetec lump and 5 speed box would make it the car that I'd love but I couldn't to that to it besides it all costs money which i haven't got.

 

Don't get me wrong, the car has some small scabs on the bottom of a couple of doors so it's not mint but it's too nice to use everyday, even now it's outside under a car cover and i'm worrying about it getting rusty! With the cheaper stuff i never cared as much.

 

HI Trigger - as the owner of many Anglias including modified with a 1500gt I can understand your frustration especially with the heavy breathing which is more than likely the rings (mine did the same) Great engine when running spot on. My current Anglia (an estate / vanconversion hence my user name) Is my 12th now and owned them since I was 17 - a few years back now) I was planning all sorts of engine conversions for my current Anglia inc 1600 crossflow (purchased then found the block was cracked behind the manifold) Then looked at Toyota MR2 engine 4AGE (see 105speed for details) But the cost and trying to find a decent engine put me off. Zetec was out of the question as while you can find the engine easy enough the sump you need is getting impossible to find and the aftermarket stuff was not great (maybe better now) But the cost including all the bits needed was a fortune. I ended opting for something unusual from a jap car with a turbo !!

 

I understand what you are saying regards the tina as i've been there many times so good luck with what ever you decide..

[trigger]

The petrol/oil mix has cleaned all the carbon of the bores, I've fixed the needle valve and changed the oil and been hoping that it will reseal itself after a few hundred miles but it's still blowing out of the oil cap, the breather and dip stick are dry though. I can't sell it anyway whilst it leaks all, if it doesn't stop soon I'll have to get someone to rehome the bores for me.

[cort16]

I doubt you'll lose out on that cortina trigger it's a lovely car . Cars are difficult as mostly they are either not as good as you remember or don't live up to expectations . As much as it's not autoshite I recon you hit the nail on the head with the zetec comment . I recon an old car with modern running gear is the ideal mix of performance but still in a retro body .

[320touring]

I doubt you'll lose out on that cortina trigger it's a lovely car . Cars are difficult as mostly they are either not as good as you remember or don't live up to expectations . As much as it's not autoshite I recon you hit the nail on the head with the zetec comment . I recon an old car with modern running gear is the ideal mix of performance but still in a retro body .

Xud mgb ftw

[trigger]

Impress the ladies with a diesel Sherpa coupe! The car is such a genuine old thing I don't think I could rip the engine out a fit a zetec although it's massively appealing.

 

 

[captain_70s]

Can you get it down to Turriff Tyres and get them to make something up?

I was down at King Edwards. Fella' reckons you could get the pipe to be the right shape with enough heating as everything aft of the first bend looks about right, but that still leaves the wonky flange to contend with.

 

It's just a bit of a pisser, £60 spent and when offered up to the manifold there is nearly an inch gap and the arse end of the pipe fouls the subframe, the lower hole barely even catches the stud! I could send it back to the supplier (rhymes with Bimmer Ros, I should have bloody known...) but then I'll need a whole new pipe fabricated, at this rate I should have just taken out a bigger overdraft and bought the £300 stainless one from the Dolly club...

[The Moog]

Had the same with my 900 Carlsson. Lusted after one for ages, saved up and got a good deal. Two days later someone reversed into it in a car park.

 

Took  forever to get fixed due to NLA parts specific to that model. After that I became scared to drive it so ended up flogging it (luckily for a profit). Still miss my previous 900 as caned that didn't care too much about scratches etc. 

[JohnK]

Just off on holiday and my mate is staying at mine to keep an eye on things. Part of the deal was he could try out a few cars (I trust him so it's fine).

 

On my way to hand the car keys over ...

 

 

If a single car has moved when I get back I will be impressed!

[cort16]

I'm not suggesting you wreck an original car but if the engine popped then it's an option. I'm surprised more folk don't put mx-5 motors in old fords as they're so cheap. You can get a chewey scrap mx-5 for 300 any day of the week.

 

The mx-5 engine also looks a bit more like a lotus one rather than a plazzy topped zetec lump.

 

 

 

 

[Six-cylinder]

Just off on holiday and my mate is staying at mine to keep an eye on things. Part of the deal was he could try out a few cars (I trust him so it's fine).

 

On my way to hand the car keys over ...

 

 

If a single car has moved when I get back I will be impressed!

 

So what have we got, do I spot a Volvo key?

[JohnK]

Volvo, 2 x E23's, an E38, 2 x 190's, 2 x Omegas, Sierra and a Rover.

- access to everything bar the E60. Which is coming with us!

[Six-cylinder]

Volvo, 2 x E23's, an E38, 2 x 190's, 2 x Omegas, Sierra and a Rover.

- access to everything bar the E60. Which is coming with us!

 

Nice selection, I have a good friend who lets me drive his cars and I really appreciate that, trouble was after I had his MX5 for a week I did not want to give it back and in the end bought my own!

[derskine]

The petrol/oil mix has cleaned all the carbon of the bores, I've fixed the needle valve and changed the oil and been hoping that it will reseal itself after a few hundred miles but it's still blowing out of the oil cap, the breather and dip stick are dry though. I can't sell it anyway whilst it leaks all, if it doesn't stop soon I'll have to get someone to rehome the bores for me.

 

They all breathe like that as has been said so it's not an issue, most you buy will have this problem.

The 1500 is a bit lethargic but I think with the GT bits it'll be a lot more fun.

[fordperv]

I'm not suggesting you wreck an original car but if the engine popped then it's an option. I'm surprised more folk don't put mx-5 motors in old fords as they're so cheap. You can get a chewey scrap mx-5 for 300 any day of the week.

 

The mx-5 engine also looks a bit more like a lotus one rather than a plazzy topped zetec lump.

 

 

 

 

I also was thinking the same thing, it would be easy to fit and get working, if you get a later 1.8 with a 6 speed box that would make for a lovely mix between old and more modern performance and reliability

[320touring]

Re engine transplants-there is not a single car that cannot be enhanced by fitting an m30:)

Brwaaaaaaaaaap

[cort16]

he mx-5 thing makes sense as all the gearbox and stuff is already points in the right direction. They also make sensible power, I recon 130 bhp in my Cortina would be plenty. All these 400bhp YB powered mk2 scrotes must be terrifying to drive.

[Honey Badger]

Could you shoehorn an AJ6 into a mk 1 cortina, low end grunt would suit it a lot better than a revvy 1.8.

 

Your probably better off selling as is and getting something you like and can work on with no worries.

[trigger]

I like the idea of a MX5 powered Cortina although the purists would hate it! Seth has that set up in his Herald IIRC.

 

In other news today I had the mot on my wife's Starlet.

 

 

Annoyingly the lad who normally does my test has left and has been replaced by a bit of a jobs worth, I sat there watching him bashing away on my clearly solid sills with his toffee hammer before failing the car on a chip on the windscreen, he seems to think it's in the fail area although he never measured it or anything. What you think? It passed with it last year.

 

 

He was adamant that I made sure that it was fixed within 10 days or that he would charge me to retest the car again. After 5 years I won't be using them again.