The new news 24 thread

[fordperv]

One for cavcraft

 

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/179238/1999-corsa-bracknell-mot-200

[dollywobbler]

Another 200-mile jaunt in the XM tomorrow. Off to Yorkshire for the 2CVGB National. S'pose I'd better check the fluid levels.

[Six-cylinder]

Another 200-mile jaunt in the XM tomorrow. Off to Yorkshire for the 2CVGB National. S'pose I'd better check the fluid levels.

 

Your taking the wrong car!

 

I get my 2CV back tomorrow, welded, greased and serviced!

[dollywobbler]

Well obviously I'm taking the wrong car. I can't very well take the 2CV can I?

[anonymous user]

One for cavcraft

 

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/179238/1999-corsa-bracknell-mot-200

I note the reason for sale as number 666 on the, I'm not really a car dealer, list. Over the years there are all these women who can't get on with cars that their husbands have foolishly just bought them, ranging (probably) from a Ferrari Enzo to a Hardly-Likely two-stroke microcar

[Six-cylinder]

Well obviously I'm taking the wrong car. I can't very well take the 2CV can I?

 

Just strap it on top of the trailer tent!

[coalnotdole]

Fleet news.

 

I've got a bit of time off work and have been trying to take stock of my cars / projects and other commitments. By my own admission there are now too many projects and not enough money and time for them all something needs to shift. I'm not at all keen to start down the road of selling unfinished projects as I hate the idea of giving up. I have instead resolved not to take on anything new until I have cut the number of other ongoing projects.

 

My current car lineup looks like this:

 

1972 Red Scimitar GTE - Daily all purpose use, most of my distance driving used almost every day.

1965 Straight 6 Scimitar Coupe, - MOT'd, legal but not used often as it has no interior, carpets, leaks chronically and is finished in grey primer as I cant commit to having it sprayed until I'm on top of the mechanical work which has improved alot since I bought it at the end of last year but needs further work before I'm really happy with it.

1973 Reliant Rebel Van - Currently mostly being used to move stuff between garages and other local trips.

1973 Crossflow Rebel - nominally on the road until recently (its sorn from the start of next month) in reality it had only been used locally and even then only while attempting to improve it. Its got a lot of potential but its currently in the que waiting for the time and money it really needs.

 

I've also got these:

 

1967 Scimitar Coupe V6 - Currently in my home garage and main workshop, progress on it stalled last summer when I got involved in the spares boat project, essential maintenance on the GTE over winter meant its not had much done to it until recently. It's probably a couple weeks worth of work away from an MOT after which it will need paint, brightwork, and interior work, as soon as its presentable & reliable I'd like to use it to replace my GTE when it goes in for a much needed respray.

 

1974 Rebel van - This was won on ebay for an unbelievable £20. It had a rusted chassis, no suspension or axle with it. Anyone sane would have broken it for spares, the super clean bodywork and its rarity have kept me from doing so so far however I've paid to store it for nearly a year now and while it has progressed its been slow going, It has no longterm place with me I'm simply ensuring that it gets saved and will gladly pass it on to a new home when the time comes.

 

There are also several spares cars which don't feature greatly in the equation.

 

So I'm left with the conundrum should I sell something to free up some much needed cash to fund improvements / progress to the remaining projects. Both Coupe's owe me more than they can be realistically be expected to sell for in their present state, though there is a good chance I'll get the majority of any money put into them back once they are tidy and presentable,

 

The GTE can hardly be sold as its the best most versatile car I own, its probably also the one I'm most attached to.

 

I considered selling the crossflow rebel at the end of last year, It probably owes me more or less what it would sell for, but Its a car that I know I'd regret selling until I'd had it on the road long enough to get my fun out of it.

 

I think I'm going to sell GKT (the blue Rebel van thats starred in a couple of AS calendars) Its a great little van but I find myself a bit over Rebel-ed at the moment and of all of the cars I've got its the one I'm most happy with its progress I feel i've more or less taken it as far as I can and it would benefit from someone elses fresh enthusiasm. While I have had a lot of fun with it but am not sure where to go with it from here... There are other considerations too such as its recently started to seem too small for the loads I need it to take and I'm concerned that continually overloading it will eventually take its toll on its condition.

 

I'll be looking for a reasonable price for it, but it will still be a fraction of a cost of most classic vans....!

 

[hairnet]

Well obviously I'm taking the wrong car. I can't very well take the 2CV can I?

put the plate off the xm on the 2cv only pedant copper would notice  and itll say white citroen on the pnc

[Jerzy Woking]

I note the reason for sale as number 666 on the, I'm not really a car dealer, list. Over the years there are all these women who can't get on with cars that their husbands have foolishly just bought them, ranging (probably) from a Ferrari Enzo to a Hardly-Likely two-stroke microcar

 

Whilst my (ex) wife was on holiday, I bought for her, a really nice, solid, early MX-5. I put a new hood on it and fitted a better stereo, spent hours renovating the leather interior, tidying up a few areas of paintwork before polishing and waxing it. It looked and drove absolutely spot on.

 

She came home, took one look at it and said "I don't like that" and walked off. She never even sat in it. How ungrateful. I did sell it for roughly what I paid and spent out on it, but the buyer seemed a bit suspicious of my reasons for selling it. The next car I bought her was a diesel Renault Clio that I paid £170 for, which she absolutely loved from the second she laid her eyes on it.

 

Women!

[The Moog]

Investigated the exhaust blow on 95.

 

Removed the brace and found this.

 

It looks like it needs a gasket or something to stop the blowing.

[Six-cylinder]

Bad news day - I went to collect my 2CV today and take the Mercedes 200TE in for service, MOT and to get it's cutting out sorted out but the Mercedes would not start so is now stuck were it is. Not sure how I am going to solve this one!

[panhard65]

Whilst my (ex) wife was on holiday, I bought for her, a really nice, solid, early MX-5. I put a new hood on it and fitted a better stereo, spent hours renovating the leather interior, tidying up a few areas of paintwork before polishing and waxing it. It looked and drove absolutely spot on.

 

She came home, took one look at it and said "I don't like that" and walked off. She never even sat in it. How ungrateful. I did sell it for roughly what I paid and spent out on it, but the buyer seemed a bit suspicious of my reasons for selling it. The next car I bought her was a diesel Renault Clio that I paid £170 for, which she absolutely loved from the second she laid her eyes on it.

 

Women!

One of my old customers bought his mrs an E type Jag in the late 90's. He thought it was a good idea but she didn't. She promptly told him she didn't want the car but would have the value in cash and a divorce. He never had much luck with the car as trying to impress another woman he managed to stick it through a hedge almost writing it off. The insurance took 2 years to repair it. That car cost him a fortune over about 5 years and I think I drove it more than he ever did. He sold it just before E type prices went back through the roof.

[Shep Shepherd]

Did something really stupid with The Saab today.

I noticed that a plastic core plug thing on the gearbox end of the car's cylinder head was leaking oil and had been for some time, so I decided to try and fix it. The upshot is that I managed to push it inside the head while trying to re-seat it using the 'big socket' method, meaning that I had to take off the cam cover to rescue it, which I didn't want to do, but had no choice if I wanted to keep the car mobile.

 

It was actually quite easy to get the cover off, which revealed no sludging or oil starvation issues:

 

 

The grey flake next to the rear camshaft was a piece of loose paint from the cam cover, which I removed as soon as I spotted it.

 

Anyway, once I rescued the core plug thing from the top of the head, I refitted it with a bit of Loctite instant gasket, so the job's a good 'un. The cam cover's rubber seals seemed to be in good condition, so for better or worse, I reused them. I have a replacement set on the way from Parts For Saabs which I'll fit I next week - I'll be removing the cam cover to repaint it at some point, as it's looking rather shabby. Let's hope that things stay leak-free for the weekend!

[barrett]

Spoke to the guys when have been working on the 404 today. After a load of mithering various missing bits have been sourced and fitted and it will hopefully be fired up tomorrow. Depending on the condition of the warm-up unit (basically a stupid complex choke system operated from the heater) I might be able to go and get it in a couple of weeks! Gonna entrust my local Citroen/Peugeot man to do the last couple of bits for the MoT, plus a big service, and then I might be able to drive the thing without it breaking!

 

Will probably be living off beans for the foreseeable, but hopefully it'll be worth it.

 

Oh, and I found an Ami 6 I can actually afford too. Fingers crossed for an agreeable French vendor.

[stuboy]

got bored so decided to recycle my old centre section and make a straight through 

[Ghosty]

Missing bits on a 404? I think you mean 'not found'.

 

Old Man's Civic is developing some disconcerting camber on the rear right wheel.

It's happened before on a different Civic, but to a greater extent:

 

 

[UltraWomble]

 

I'll be looking for a reasonable price for it, but it will still be a fraction of a cost of most classic vans....!

No matter what you flog I bet you regret doing so.

[stripped fred]

Step son's w plate corsa got broken into last night parked on a side street nearby. No damage breaking in but I suppose a 2000 Vauxhall isn't that hard to get into. They've smashed the ignition barrel and ignition switch. My local garage said it would be a few hundred quid to fix including collection and I don't have the time to sort it myself so looks like it's off to the scrapper. It only cost him £360 a year ago. Not worth trying to claim on the insurance as he has only been driving a year and has already had his premium bumped up to £340 a month following an SP30 for doing 34mph. He's probably got a big excess anyway.

[trigger]

£340 a month! Fuck me!

[fordperv]

I'm sure you could get a barrel etc for cheap money and fix it yourself

[Alan_Green]

£340 per month!!! £4k a year. Why not get a classic car on a classic policy and have him as a named driver until he is a bit older? Old beetle or something?

[flat4alfa]

Shock horror my ugly mug on page 85 of Classic Car Weekly in all good newsagents now

[Lord Sterling]

Got a proper Mercedes wallet + leaflets to compliment my W124. It didn't originally come with the correct handbook but I managed to buy one for £very cheap off eBay, then I spotted this wallet and whatever came with it for also £very cheap. Sorted out what I need/what woukd have come with car to make one good wallet with correct handbooks. Well f-ing chuffed.

 

Helping a mate sort out his Toyota Yaris. He the opposite of me, doesn't look after his car. He is currently like I was a few months ago, in and out of work. I helped him clean and service his car, now I'm currently awaiting a new Toyota key as his is just covered with reams of sellotape. Got to find some different Toyota wheel trims as he took the scratched up originals off which I have taken possession of.

 

Ma has decided she cannot afford the other Micra which is a real shame, this is due to her new work messing her about with pay. I honestly can't afford it either. That said, it'll give her a chance to save for a better, newer car.

[JohnK]

Saw this today ...

 

 

They have never been of interest to me before and have always been below the radar. Until today. I want an XM.

[fred]

They are something special those XM's

[Ghosty]

After a few business trips, the cheap Mohawk tyres on the back of Old Man's Civic are shot.

He's decided to solve this with the spare Bini wheels we have lying around for now, they fit, but are an inch larger, with narrower, higher profile tyres.

He's planning to use one of those 'your speed' things at the side of the road (the ones that tell you your speed in red/green to say if you're speeding, not a camera) to work out how far out it puts the speedo.

 

Full report on how this goes tomorrow.

[Lord Sterling]

Coming out of a carpark today I suddenly heard a creaking noise from the left-hand front wheel. So I drove straight to my tame mechanic. One of the other mechankcs took my car out with me as passenger and as is often the case with old shite, it didn't make a single wrong noise.

 

The bushings got lubed, so far so good. The Merc is going to need some fettling over the next few months.

[Ghosty]

I've advised Old Man of this, it goes in and right out again.

He's used them to see how fast his train's been going before...

[the judge]

Got a proper Mercedes wallet + leaflets to compliment my W124. It didn't originally come with the correct handbook but I managed to buy one for £very cheap off eBay, then I spotted this wallet and whatever came with it for also £very cheap. Sorted out what I need/what woukd have come with car to make one good wallet with correct handbooks. Well f-ing chuffed.

 

Helping a mate sort out his Toyota Yaris. He the opposite of me, doesn't look after his car. He is currently like I was a few months ago, in and out of work.

So you got a decent working gig now Mo? If so,chuffed to bits for you. Hope future Mrs Sterling is with you asap. You need a good break dude,cos that Merc has tested your patience!!! Big thumbs up though bud,can tell you are a good un

[Lord Sterling]

So you got a decent working gig now Mo? If so,chuffed to bits for you. Hope future Mrs Sterling is with you asap. You need a good break dude,cos that Merc has tested your patience!!! Big thumbs up though bud,can tell you are a good un

Thanks chap! Absolutely made may day reading that! Yep, all good now, proper paid job with contract and monthly pay, also means I can finally up sticks from Jeremy Kyle Street, to a nice area Mrs Sterling will be here soon but I've a few things to sort before she steps onto these shores.

 

Merc is good, roaring fan happily roaring away still but this'll be changed next week. Merc makes me smile alot though. It still needs fettling but this will come with time and patience.

 

Judge - Thanks again, you made my day!