The new news 24 thread

[catsinthewelder]

Bumhats, I'm at work tomorrow. Today I'm going to be on Clee Hill I would have made tea and everything.

 

The landlord of that pub shares an office with me when he is doing his other job.

[dollywobbler]

Well, as my XM currently looks like this, I may have been a bit ambitious about tomorrow.

 

Had to stop work because it's BLOODY RAINING again. It was meant to be dry today but clearly, a few hours of not-rain is too much to bloody hope for. I know this seems rather pathetic given the flooding that has hit part of the country, but I just want to get this sodding job finished!

[DeeJay]

Have you lost your hat? 

[DeeJay]

(Keeps the rain off)

[320touring]

*plays the last post*

 

saw £84 for it. fuckin A!

[beko1987]

Did you strip much off it ready for the next one?

 

That is a sad picture though

[320touring]

Did you strip much off it ready for the next one?

 

That is a sad picture though

It has been raining since September so ahv done fookall..

[MarvinsMom]

Well, as my XM currently looks like this, I may have been a bit ambitious about tomorrow.

 

Had to stop work because it's BLOODY RAINING again. It was meant to be dry today but clearly, a few hours of not-rain is too much to bloody hope for. I know this seems rather pathetic given the flooding that has hit part of the country, but I just want to get this sodding job finished!

 

 

bloody woose...

 

it is only a drop of rain. how wet can you actually get?

[Inspector Morose]

Wales. Very.

[MarvinsMom]

it is only possible to get wet to the skin though?

[dollywobbler]

Well, as my XM currently looks like this, I may have been a bit ambitious about tomorrow.

 

Had to stop work because it's BLOODY RAINING again. It was meant to be dry today but clearly, a few hours of not-rain is too much to bloody hope for. I know this seems rather pathetic given the flooding that has hit part of the country, but I just want to get this sodding job finished!

 

Carried on. Absolute fucker of a job. Today has involved a lot of swearing. I absolutely HATE modern single-pot calipers. Unnecessarily shit. The very pattern of the 20th century, where we invented some fantastic things in the middle of the century, then spend the next few decades going backwards and ballsing everything up. 

 

Winding the pistons in was an utter ballache too, made easier when I discovered that a slightly split 3/4" socket can be forced onto the middle of the piston. You can then turn AND apply weight at the same time. Despite this, neither sodding caliper wanted to go back far enough to allow a sensible fit on the pads. Now at the stage where the nearside brake is just jammed on but I was running out of light by this point. So, car still sitting on stands and I'll have to do that job tomorrow. Oh, and the XM put its nearside front window down for absolutely no reason too. 

 

And it kept raining. Hat applied, but still got soaked.

[andrew e]

Not raining here, AND I spied a tastefully* decorated Puma WITH rear arches earlier:

 

[dave21478]

Carried on. Absolute fucker of a job. Today has involved a lot of swearing. I absolutely HATE modern single-pot calipers. Unnecessarily shit. The very pattern of the 20th century, where we invented some fantastic things in the middle of the century, then spend the next few decades going backwards and ballsing everything up. 

 

Winding the pistons in was an utter ballache too, made easier when I discovered that a slightly split 3/4" socket can be forced onto the middle of the piston. You can then turn AND apply weight at the same time. Despite this, neither sodding caliper wanted to go back far enough to allow a sensible fit on the pads. Now at the stage where the nearside brake is just jammed on but I was running out of light by this point. So, car still sitting on stands and I'll have to do that job tomorrow. Oh, and the XM put its nearside front window down for absolutely no reason too. 

 

And it kept raining. Hat applied, but still got soaked.

 

If you dont have a wind-back tool (a good investment), bolt up the disc and caliper but with no pads in it, then use a big screwdriver or small crowbar to lever the piston back. Gently does it, but it will shift. Also, open the bleed nipple and let the fluid out as the piston moves back = less resistance in the hydraulic circuit and no danger of flipping master cylinder seals round.

 

Alternatively, use a G-clamp to press the piston back.

 

 

EDIT - this assumes the pistons go straight back and dont need screwed round at the same time? I dont know if the XM is like that.

[DVee8]

One of the lads i work with is selling a 04 plate mondeo for £250.

That is a new car it is a little battered,dang to the front wing.

Not so long ago this was  someone's £250 a month over 4 years pride.Now it is bridge,oval or autoshite fodder,used cars worth so little.

 

[Richard]

 

 

EDIT - this assumes the pistons go straight back and dont need screwed round at the same time? I dont know if the XM is like that.

 

Front handbrake on the XM, it has to be wound back.

 

I sometimes rub new pads down on a paving slab or similar if the piston won't go back far enough.

[dollywobbler]

Yup. Has to be wound back. I will try cracking off the bleed nipples tomorrow. No master cylinder to bugger up, but there must be some equivalent.

[hairnet]

400 miles today meeting an utter visa ledge

 

and bristol to drop off a recovery beacon

 

what do i do for a living??

 

1200 miles a week

[dollywobbler]

A fresh burst of enthusiasm and sunlight and the XM is back together again. Only the parking brake is still utterly shit on one side. Yes, the side I was battling with to replace the slider. Looks like there's a fault with the parking brake mechanism on that side. FFS...

[plasticvandan]

Well once again I am in the shit at Xmas! Was going to do a top end rebuild on my c90,all went well until I took the clutch h cover off to clean the oil filter mesh,and found a few mashed bits of the clutch mech.I managed to find someone with an engine who was willing to deliver,so 100 quid later I cracked it open only go find the crucial bit I need missing completely!! So now have no transport or any way of getting g to work on The 4th

[dollywobbler]

So, having given up on the parking brake for now (a replacement caliper has been sourced), I set about changing the bulb for the clock. I mean, how difficult could it be?

 

Well, it ends up looking a lot like this.

 

Sodding ridiculous! You have to remove the ENTIRE front of the dashboard to change one piddly little bulb. Not just that, you then have to pull the clock apart to reach the bulbs, at which point, various little bits fall out that you then have to spend ages hunting for. Then you realise you have no spare bulbs in stock so you're forced to jump into a Volvo (well, seeing as it's still here) and drive to Halfords, who charge you £2.49 for a bulb little bigger than a grain of rice. ARSEHOLES.

 

Then you reassemble the clock and start refitting the dashboard. Then you notice that you've ballsed it up and got the green tint strip on the wrong side of the LCD display. So you dismantle it all again, drop the little bits from inside the clock again (one went down the side of the seat), spend ages hunting for the little fuckers, then reassemble THEN finally get everything back in. Two days of solid tinkering just to change a caliper slider, discs and pads and a sodding bulb.

 

However, it wasn't yet dark, so some of the fleet got a wash.

 

At least I was able to listen to England doing pretty well in the cricket for once.

[vulgalour]

That XM, for all its French attitude towards  being maintained, is an absolute stunner when its washed.  White 90s French cars are just so right.

[Bren]

Our 13 year old focii is having its MOT tomorrow.

 

WCPGW?

[dollywobbler]

That XM, for all its French attitude towards  being maintained, is an absolute stunner when its washed.  White 90s French cars are just so right.

 

I hate white cars generally, but I must agree. It's a fine looking thing. Covered in scrapes though, which washing it only highlights. There's barely a panel on it that hasn't been bashed at some point.

[Bobthebeard]

The (expensive) replacement rear spring for the Oldsmobile has still not arrived. Canada Post has been overwhelmed by Christmas according to the website. Hmmm. Due mid January.

Anyhow, the rain has stopped today so have been out tinkering with the car. It started up easily after a few damp weeks of inactivity. Ran the engine for half an hour and drove it back and forth on the drive. The interior smelled of damp and the steering wheel cover was a touch mouldy but cleaned it off. Dried out the interior using a fan heater etc. All dry again now.

My dear old mum gave me £50 for Christmas, so have been on eBay sourcing bits of trim, badges etc that are missing or broken. Have almost a full set now, or will have when they arrive. Still not managed to get the boot open but that can wait. Managed to get 5 litres of the proper ATF for £18 and am waiting for the local friendly garage to re open after the festivities to sort out the fluid leak and re fill the transmission.

After much poking about and checking stuff, have decided that this will make a good daily car once improved/restored. Solid old thing with a good heart! Am liking it a lot. These old tech American V6 pushrod engines are great.

[catsinthewelder]

Dan,

 

I'm off up to Durham for new year on Wednesday, if any shitters in Newcastle, Leeds or Manchester have the right bit I can get it back down here in time for you to fit it at the last minute on Sunday night.

 

Here is the views that the Midlands Massive could have enjoyed yesterday.

[vulgalour]

Having a chat about odd christmas decorations and ended up photographing the Squeaky Bus that was always on my late Nan's tree.  It's probably from the 1960s like all her decorations were and it used to make a squeaky noise through the injection moulding hole, it doesn't any more.  Look how sad the child in the third window from the right looks.  That's Christmas Joy right there.  The other side of the bus has windows and whatnot but no decoration or people.

 

 

 

Fun fact, one year this particular decoration was deemed unsuitable (not by me, obvs.) for front of tree status.

[scaryoldcortina]

Dan,

 

I'm off up to Durham for new year on Wednesday, if any shitters in Newcastle, Leeds or Manchester have the right bit I can get it back down here in time for you to fit it at the last minute on Sunday night.

 

 

I'm near durham and have a large bike breakers literally on the doorstep. Let me know exactly what you need and I can probably source it tomorrow.

[plasticvandan]

Honda c90 SIX VOLT engine will be stamped c90e,clutch plunger and spring,part 30 and 31 in this pic

Its a tiny part but without it my bike is dead

[scaryoldcortina]

I'll see what I can do. Is this an old points type (pre cub) 90 you are running? I think I may have a load of random spares for one in the shed somewhere.

[Cheggers]

Had a very productive day down at the boatyard. All the rainwater leaks are now sorted and the cabin is as dry as a bone, which meant I could enjoy* a sweary morning putting all the ceiling panels back up. The afternoon was spent fitting a new bulkhead compass and generally cleaning & tinkering.