The new news 24 thread

[anonymous user]

Off on another collection tomorrow, a mere 5 hour round trip this time and I'll be coming back in the same car so it's not very exciting.  A nice Wales-based Autoshiter has been holding some shiny new wheels and tyres for the Prelude and I cannot find a cost effective way to get them home so an early start tomorrow should see them in my garage by lunch time.

 

Once they're on it, time for the tracking to be done and a good thorough clean and then it's going up for sale.

and he's been and gone, good to meet you Phil and thanks again for the beers, that's lunch sorted.

[The Moog]

So before shipping focus off to garage to get it fixed I thought I would apply the full force of my mechanical skills plus a bit of googling.

 

It seems the float can get stuck on these tanks.

 

Removed covers and checked the gas level

 

Right up to the top. Tried rocking the car to see that would free it off but didn't work.

 

So then tapped round the doughnut with a rubber mallet

 

Result! We are back motoring on gas

[beko1987]

Nice! Another tool to keep in the boot

[ruffgeezer]

I'm home alone today with my two girlies, it's bleddy cold here but they are pestering me to come out to the garage and start work on the tool box I bought them recently, well maybe then girls, just let me have a nice hot cuppa first!

[AlabamaShrimp]

Well there's been no snow here yet but I've been moaning on about getting a car for winter taking my Fiesta off the road. It drives really well in snow but seeing as it's near mint underneath I'd like to keep it that way as I don't think it had much rust protection.

 

Got a new job that's only 10 mile away but it's mostly motorway and it's killing the engine.

 

So I've been looking about for something proper cheap, I don't car about condition but didn't want to be doing tons of welding.

 

But I've got an abandoned Suzuki Swift on the drive. Floors rotten on both sides. Ones been nearly finished but then I sulked and gave up.

 

I've pulled my finger out and got stuff ordered, will be back on with it next week hopefully save it and me from the scrap

[Pillock]

Is that a factory gas conversion? Looks a bit more pro than a few LEDs and a Maplin rocker switch

[Cavcraft]

Sunny but cold here, once I can be arsed getting motivated I'm off for some old school mountain bike use.

 

Anyhow...you know on those space saver spare wheels they tell you not to go over 50mph? Well, I had 3x185/65/14s on the 306, and the n/s/r was a 175/70/13, as the other 14" tyre was flat. Hadn't noticed too much of a problem round the back lanes etc, but I went to collect a bike the other week in it, and as I came off an exit of the M56 giving it some welly, the car felt like it was trying to 'lift a leg' and I think only good luck mixed with not braking got me through it.

I hadn't realised how long/sweeping the bend was, nor my speed entering it (especially considering odd tyre/wheel sizes) and also there was traffic gathering round the corner.  Defo my fault for being over ambitious, but I'm pretty sure that had all the wheel/tyre sizes matched, I wouldn't have experienced that.

 

It (306) is also being a nightmare to start when cold, the glow plugs must be bollocksed as repeated turning on/off makes no real difference. The other one did the same so we replaced them and it didn't cost much, plus my missus questioned why I spent 6 or 7 minutes trying to start an old car when I have a new one next to it. Still haven't raided the spares one for the indicator stalk and a headlight bulb I need, nor have I got round to painting the headlights yellow. Berlingo is up next for an MOT, no idea what it'll want but it's a bloody useful old thing so (hopefully) worth doing. Just been to clean/polish the FIAT prior to possible advert on eBay, it's come up a treat.

[pompei]

Which flavour Prelude, phil_lihp?

[Tamworthbay]

I swapped over the top hose on the 318 today, wtf, a ten minute job that actually took ten minutes. Something will go wrong.

[The Moog]

Is that a factory gas conversion? Looks a bit more pro than a few LEDs and a Maplin rocker switch

Yes factory fit. All done by Tickfords originally.

 

Odd system in that it uses a pump to inject Lpg rather than the normal vaporiser.

 

Positives is that it doesn't need any warming up, bit more efficent. Downsides are that the pump can go wrong which is £££ and noone else took up the idea so parts are few and far between.

 

Don't notice any real difference in power.

[Bren]

Far too cold to be arsing around with cars so I have elected to revisit my childhood -

 

 

I have an unmade one in the loft - this had been started ( so long ago the glue had turned yellow) so I bought it to finish.

 

Only fair as it has 1977 on the box.

[doobietoo]

Garage now empty of stuff and container half full, 1100 tyres reaired and checked for rolling action by pushing it forward. All ready for the changeover. even invested in a compressor to make rubbing down and spraying easier... Be nice to see Rex in the garage... really looking forward to getting started...

[Stanky]

It was very cold (for a southern nancy like me) here today, but the sun shineth for the first time in weeks so I decided the Saab was due a clean. I was feeling flush so took myself to the 99p shop and got a litre of car shampoo and some 'Astonish' wheel cleaner for the expected price.

 

The car shampoo was really good actually - I cleaned the whole thing including door shuts and whatnot as well as hoovering out the interior, topped up the screenwash with Aldi's finest blue stuff and added a little bit of de-ionised water to the expansion tank as it had crept down about 2cm in the last 6 months.

 

The shampoo was 'car pride' brand which didn't fill me with confidence but is actually both miles cheaper and miles better looking than the Tesco 'wash and wax' stuff I've been using for the last 12 months. The wheel cleaner was shit and did absolutely nothing, so I ended up using warm water and a cut up bit of old towel which was far more effective. Mercifully the wheels are a simple design and easy to get a bit of rag into.

 

The car is now lovely and clean inside and out, and I got a lovely vitamin D hit. I didn't even really feel the cold too much as I was moving around a lot and that kept me warm.

 

I seldom have either the time or inclination to give my cars a really good clean inside and out, but I'm really pleased how well its turned out and its nice to get some winter sun and lots of fresh air too.

[Vin]

I was up at 6 this morning to go and get the tailgate and bumper to fix the Marea rear end. My mate is breaking a written off 5 pot JTD weekend, same as mine. He wants it for the leather interior for his 2 litre weekend. All his Mareas are petrol so he convinced me to take the engine and box too before it's weighed in. So I borrowed an engine crane and went fully tooled up with my trailer down to Huntingdon today. Got there for 9AM. Stripped the tailgate and bumper fairly quickly, then set too about the engine. By about 2PM we had it loose, but we couldn't get the car high enough to get it all out. It's a big ol' lump in a small space. So we gave up. For now.

 

I came away with the panels I need, radiators, pipework, everything we pulled out the engine bay, the manifold and turbocharger. I am probably going to go back between Xmas and New Year and strip the top. Injectors, fuel rail and the cylinder head probably. Alternator and starter and the like. Doing that will probably also make it easier to drop out the front of the car. We shall see.

 

Being mostly used to dealing with OHV 903cc units and 1 litre Fire engines, a big old 2.4, 5 pot diesel engine is a completely different kettle of fish... :-)

[phil_lihp]

and he's been and gone, good to meet you Phil and thanks again for the beers, that's lunch sorted.

 

Likewise, a pleasure to meet you and the dogs, you've certainly got your hands full there!  Always good to meet another shiter too.

 

The journey home was just as windy, the Severn bridge was downright alarming and the M5 ground to a halt for 20 minutes just past Sedgemoor for no apparent reason so that was a pain, still got back in time though.  Another few hundred miles on the increasingly grubby and scruffy 220 without any fuss although I really do need to sort the back tyres ASAP to avoid any further exciting oversteer adventures on wet roundabouts.  That'll be the first pay day purchase.

[phil_lihp]

Which flavour Prelude, phil_lihp?

 

Mk4 on a J plate, there's some photos on here somewhere.  My cousin has first refusal but if he changes his mind I'll offer it up here before going public,

[Bren]

Garage now empty of stuff and container half full, 1100 tyres reaired and checked for rolling action by pushing it forward. All ready for the changeover. even invested in a compressor to make rubbing down and spraying easier... Be nice to see Rex in the garage... really looking forward to getting started...

What compressor did you buy?

[andy18s]

Garage now empty of stuff and container half full, 1100 tyres reaired and checked for rolling action by pushing it forward. All ready for the changeover. even invested in a compressor to make rubbing down and spraying easier... Be nice to see Rex in the garage... really looking forward to getting started...

That's a shitload of tyres............

 

Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk

[doobietoo]

This one....

 

http://www.screwfix.com/p/stanley-8216035scr011-24ltr-compressor-with-5-piece-accessory-kit-240v/48089

 

 

Had good reviews and small enough to move easily. Its noisy but that doesn't bother me and it will push 6cfm so will run bigger air tools although not for long... Used it to pump up the 1100s tyres from flat and it is pretty quick. I will report back when I have had my impact wrench on it if you like....

[spike60]

I bought a derelict Panzerwagen,  Merc 300SE 1989 flavour, a few weeks ago and today it passed that major hurdle, its first MOT since 2008. It was a near squeak though as ran perfectly before and after, but like a pile of shit during the test. 7 year old petrol? Be getting filters, a clean out, plugs and oil in the morning.

When I bought it it needed an exhaust repair with centre box supplied and a general refreshing. That was the idea. Needless to say, the exhaust supplied was neither the right one for the car or the bit that was knackered.

It also rewarded me by snapping a front spring while left on axle stands, -how does that work? Fine for 26 years, take the weight off its feet and TWANG! Ungrateful bastard. Changing S class front springs focusses the mind, I feel ready for a job defusing mines now. 6kg of spring steel compressed to 1/2 its length is good for the grey hairs...

Current pluses are new battery and alternator, front discs and pads, tidy but not show shell. smooth and quiet as you'd expect,everthing except the heater works.

Less good are prop joint wanked, pissing water in passenger side, still smells of pig farm. On balance it'll do.

It needs a load of TLC, gearbox oil changes etc but I'll plod away as the funds allow.

Have some pics.

 

 

 

 

Despite being only 26 years old it feels old school, car phone attachment, 12 shot CD stacker, headlight wipers, doors that sound engineered and is remarkable for what it doesn't have, - air con, air bags, leather, alloy wheels are just some of the luxuries this car doesn't have. A poverty spec S class.

 

 

 

Broken front spring still compressed, new one sat waiting with long 19mm spanner.

[DeeJay]

The trims look good on it.

[dome]

Changing S class front springs focusses the mind, I feel ready for a job defusing mines now. 6kg of spring steel compressed to 1/2 its length is good for the grey hairs...

 

 

I have done one on a w124. Note I said one. Scary as fuck, and the other spring was sold wih the car.

[doug]

I went to change the bottom ball joints on the Lotto W124 last week. Gave up pretty quickly and put it into a garage instead. When I went to pick it up the mechanic asked how I planned to do it. When i told him he said "you would have feckin killed yersel son, dont try that again." Lesson learned.

[stripped fred]

Spent half a day stripping and adjusting the rear brakes on my 406 as the handbrake is rubbish and it's due an MOT in the next few weeks. The result, it's no better! It was bloody cold too. Tomorrow I will endeavour to waste more valuable time trying to fix the non-working horn. Not really a grump just an admission that I am not the best at maintenance but at least I'm giving it a go. If I ever win the lottery I would buy a fully equipped workshop, a selection of excellent tools and i'd employ a mechanic to show me how to fix things more easily. Scrabbling around on the drive certainly makes it more difficult.

[captain_70s]

Visited the parents today, dropped of a birthday present for Dad.

 

Got to talking about the cars, they still want me to weigh in the 1850HL. Something to do with removing stress and excess costs from my life or some such nonsense... From my cold, dead hands, sunshine...

[HMC]

Essexman JR no2 has just come into the world. This time the midwife arrived in time so I just just the cord rather than deliver the little one!

[spike60]

I have done one on a w124. Note I said one. Scary as fuck, and the other spring was sold wih the car.

I coughed up for a 2nd hand, used once, Bergen internal spring compressor which is still holding the broken one in the bottom pics. I used it on the other side as well when I changed the bottom ball joint boot. Worth every penny and it should sell again. I wouldn't attempt a Merc spring with hook type compressors, I'm not that stupid brave.

I like the wheel trims although a couple are kerbed, the Cambodian snow tyres less so.

[fordperv]

Congratulations the Essexman family

[Bren]

Essexman JR no2 has just come into the world. This time the midwife arrived in time so I just just the cord rather than deliver the little one!

Congratulations! Stock up on kip now.

[Mr Lobster]

Congratulations Family Of Essexmen!