What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread

[messerschmitt owner]

had thirty mins spare this afternoon so I've booked Freddie the Fiat 126 in for its MoT next week!

 

Washed it today so it's presentable - need to do a little cleaning inside but, as normal, it starts as soon as the carb is primed and sits comfortably on tickover once she's a little warmed up.

 

I checked all the lights, as you do, and noticed the rear indicator was out. Went into the garage for a screwdriver and a bulb and by the time I found a 21W bulb the thing was winking at me!

 

I like self-fixing cars - no Fix it again tomorrow - more like Fix itself all [of] today.

 

Needs two wiper blades, and the handbrake adjusted but I think Freddie should pass again and give me another thirteen months of fun.

[mrbenn]

After a good 40 mins or so of trying to keep the Red charging clip on the dying and slightly overheating phone charger (because I broke the MG's lighter) so the phone could charge up, I managed by slip of hand to touch the other clip which sent a small amount of sparks flyibg up as we bombed on up the M5.......

 

Thats about 39.5 minutes more than I'd have managed - good show!

[fordperv]

Sods law says it'll probably stop working on the ramp

[steve_earwig]

If it does just give the lens a thump (try not to break it...)

[messerschmitt owner]

I think for five mins work, I'll still unscrew the unit and check - my garage is really good, and kind to older cars.

 

On the ramp today was a DS420 limo.

[chaseracer]

THE MERC WORKS!!!  Brand new ticket and going like the proverbial.

 

I IZ WELL CHUFFED.

 

[MarvinsMom]

the place we take out cars for their mot's has 2 guys who do the testing, a youngish guy who is the better part of 6'4" tall, who doesn't so much get in the mini, as put it on. he's great takes both his time and treats our various old cars well. for instance, when doing the exhaust test he only runs the engines up for the minimum amount of time needed.

 

the other fella i don't like him testing any of my cars, he will rev the bollocks off of them with one of those pedal stick things for an age while buggering off doing something else. he just doesn't treat the cars well. its like cos he is older, he just doesn't care?

[cobblers]

Instead of the usual piles of bus electronics to fix, a regular customer sent us in a digital dash out of a UR Quattro to repair and obviously the job landed on my desk.

They are cool as fuck:

 

It's in a right old state though. The connector is corroded and someone has made a right mess of repairing it a few times before with bits of old mains wire and whatnot.

Can't wait to get cracking with it in the morning.

[scruff]

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Hey that 605 is LT's cursed neighbour I think

[michael1703]

This made me grin and then cringe.

 

It's fucking awful

 

http://youtu.be/GK4lD3Uf8_o

[Ghosty]

BBC have suspended Clarkson...

edit: and pulled Sunday's Top Gear

[Richard]

Fracas is one of my favourite words.

[burraston2006]

Fracas is one of my favourite words.

 

Moist is one of mine!

[GrumpyCat]

This made me grin and then cringe.

 

It's fucking awful

 

http://youtu.be/GK4lD3Uf8_o

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Asimo]

Cam cover off to replace weeping gasket on my 9 year old Transit @ 53,000 miles.

Looks like new in there to me!

 

 

Time was when you would have seen nothing but black scale and sludge in an engine that old.

Modern oil and manufacturing technology (and lead free petrol) is pretty damn good in many respects.

[outlaw118]

^^^ That cat makes me giggle like a twat. ^^^

 

=^..^=

[Louise2cv]

We got bored waiting for dad to order some new glasses so we nipped off to the bus stops in town. Right at the end of the road past all the designated stops was a bus parked up and it's driver was leaning on it having a fag break.Huw couldn't be talked out of going for a closer look and I had to explain we were bus-curious.

 

The driver stubbed out his ciggy and said "well you better get on then"

 

 

In the words of my son:

 

"YIPEE!"

 

A simple gesture made his and my day. Same thing for all the bus drivers and passengers who waved at Huw.

[320touring]

Next hing you know he'll have a 1980s Paul calf Hairdo and some old volvos...

[Mr_Bo11ox]

[TimothyClaypole]

I'm currently digging a big hole in the back garden and sieving all the soil/sand/bonfire remains so I can class it as Top Quality Soil and give it away on Freecycle -  as I'm buggered if I'm paying £110 for a skip(s) for them to sell it on for £40 a ton.

 

Someone's taken two bags full of rubbish/stones today while I was at work that I was bagging up to flytip...   

 

Doh!

[Craig the Princess]

John Inverdale's rose tinted glasses

[skattrd]

I'm currently digging a big hole in the back garden and sieving all the soil/sand/bonfire remains so I can class it as Top Quality Soil and give it away on Freecycle -  as I'm buggered if I'm paying £110 for a skip(s) for them to sell it on for £40 a ton.

 

Someone's taken two bags full of rubbish/stones today while I was at work that I was bagging up to flytip...   

 

Doh!

 

Where are you? as I need a shit load of top soil for the back yard.

[cobblers]

Instead of the usual piles of bus electronics to fix, a regular customer sent us in a digital dash out of a UR Quattro to repair and obviously the job landed on my desk.

They are cool as fuck:

 

It's in a right old state though. The connector is corroded and someone has made a right mess of repairing it a few times before with bits of old mains wire and whatnot.

Can't wait to get cracking with it in the morning.

 

Well I got cracking

But after spending 2 hours replacing loads of capacitors on the main PCB as well as the connector and sorting out a load of bodges (just so I could comfortably turn it on without expecting sparks and fire) I powered it up and:

Revcounter LCD totally dead, Some segments dead on fuel/Temp LCD.

The culprit was scratches on the gold deposited tracks on the glass:

 

There were a couple of breaks visible under a magnifying glass, so I thought I would get it under the DINOSCOPE and see if I could bridge them with a bit of conductive paint on a needle (it works on LCDs because they are very high impedance, so an extra 200 ohms doesn't bother them.

 

I tried, I really did. For ages. Sadly, it's fucked. What look like minor scratches  are really complete breaks in the tracks, as well as the obvious massive breaks in the tracks you can see.

 

It would probably be doable with a steady hand (the tracks are 0.3mm wide) but whatever held the gold onto the glass to start with doesn't hold it on there anymore, so even the slightest touch just wipes it off completely.

[chaseracer]

Took the 300E to Shrewsbury today.  First long trip for nearly a year.

 

Wafty.

 

[DeeJay]

Cobblers, fuse wire and Blu-Tack.

Sorted.

[TimothyClaypole]

Where are you? as I need a shit load of top soil for the back yard.

 

Rotherham Junction 1 of the M18 sort of.

 

I've done maybe 2 1/2 tons and it's just a hole in the rest still to do.

[Lord Sterling]

Took the 300E to Shrewsbury today.  First long trip for nearly a year.

 

Wafty.

 

Brilliant! Hopefully this will mean that our Mercs can have a MERC FACE OFF at the next meet?

[chaseracer]

YOUR ON M8

 

[fordperv]

My council tax bill has come and it's lower than last year, also my insurance renewal has come and that's lower as well