What makes you grin? Antidote to grumpy thread

[beko1987]

City Planner plays SimCity2000;

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUQaCoxybW8

 

 

Funny when he was musing on city zones when his nuclear power station went into meltdown lol

 

I watched half of this last night, was quite interesting, but then I fell asleep!

[captain_70s]

On the plus side, look how tidy its bottom looks!  For a car of that age, let alone a Japanese one, it looks pretty good under there.

 

 Looks better than my Acclaim, the rear valance actually exists...

 

Been offered a garage by the council for £18 a week. Need to do some finances later and see if I can make it work...

 

That's more than I'd be willing to pay for a normal lock-up style affair. I paid that much for one privately previously and all it did was keep the car damp...

[AMC Rebel]

AMC is finally back operational!

 

New (old) fuel tank, associated pipework, electric fuel pump purchased from a source recommended on here (sorry forget whom).

 

Car now running great again - much smoother, ticks over without complaint, accelerates cleanly and will even start from hot.

 

Very very happy man.

 

 

 

[Frogchod]

Went to help a mate out this week, and he's dragged this lot out of storage and into his new garage.

There's more

He's also got a Visa convertible, C15 pickup, BX, Twingo ,Saxo and other chod.

He really must get on here.

 

I've now got an itch for a mobylette.

[fordperv]

Spent the day cleaning and polishing the saph with not a care in the world

 

[Kiltox]

Mentioned on here a couple of times that I’m starting a new venture with my other half, renovating/upcycling old furniture.

 

First piece is complete - an old stool someone had tried to recover with an old curtain in the past by the look of things:

 

 

Now looks like this:

 

 

(And is available for sale /shameless plug)

 

[Tamworthbay]

Had a dose of food poisoning, feeling better today. Nothing like the feeling of being able to let rip a good fart without fear..........

[dozeydustman]

Had a dose of food poisoning, feeling better today. Nothing like the feeling of being able to let rip a good fart without fear..........

 

 

Any visitors are welcome to fart as loudly as they wish at dustman towers because we laugh at such antics. Because puerile. We blame it on the cat if it smells. As they say, better out than in.

[angle]

I took baby angle for a walk in Leigh Woods today - pulled off the main road behind an Aygo, which slowed down to a crawl. Fair enough I guess, its half a mile or so down to the car park and it's always busy with mountain bikers.

 

What I maybe wasn't expecting was for a large scarlet macaw to be bundled out of the window. He flew down the road, keeping a perfect distance behind the Aygo, then got tired and sat on the roof. Over several speedbumps. The older gentleman driving pulled up next to the coffee van, put a bowl of seeds on the roof for him and got his thermos and the paper out.

[Spottedlaurel]

Pleasant hour or two spent in the company of greengartside this afternoon, who came to see how the 929 was getting on its temporary home.

 

 

He had a go at making it a little more presentable.

 

 

It is rather visible from our front room.....

 

 

With friends.

[phil_lihp]

That 929 is brilliant, I don't think I've ever seen one before.  More pictures and details, please!

[greengartside]

Cheers, SL - nice to meet you finally!

 

As mentioned, I elected to give the old Mazzer a bath - probably for the first time since 1985.

 

 

Shiny! Sadly it dried off into a dull finish, but I think a session with a machine polisher would bring it up well. Some surface scabs are present but to be fair it has spent the best part of 30+years untouched in a garage. There is evidence of previous repairs and overspray, the old boy who owned it was rather nifty with a rattle can.

 

I found some interesting artefacts inside, a 1960’s AA road atlas, a 1988 tax disc which was for an A-plate Talbot and a couple of scrunched up United biscuit wrappers which expired at the end of March 1986. My Sherlock hat came on and I deducted that the mileage, the biscuit wrappers and the fact the heaters were set on the ‘Hot’ setting meant it was last used in the autumn of 1985.

 

 

A shame about the windscreen. There is slight damage to the top of the A pillars where the chain was attached but we think it can be pulled out quite easily, the gutter trims being the casualties here.

 

All in all, it’s amazingly complete apart from a key.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Damn thats such a shame about the windscreen. Pilkingtons don't list it, and I have been searching about including an interesting Aussie shop with lots of glass for old mazdas and they dont list it either. Still I neednt worry about it just now I guess.

 

Otherwise it looks amazing!!!! I can't believe the moons have aligned to drop this thing in my lap. For the key, I shall just get the steering lock off and whiz it up to the locksmiths in Wisbech, they sorted out a key for my green 929 no problems.

[danthecapriman]

I absolutely love that Mazda! Great looking car and it’s got a nice story with it now too.

It’s a shame it’s been lifted and had damage done, and the COD is a bit of a pisser but even so. I really hope it can be returned to the road again.

[Skizzer]

Damn thats such a shame about the windscreen. Pilkingtons don't list it, and I have been searching about including an interesting Aussie shop with lots of glass for old mazdas and they dont list it either. Still I neednt worry about it just now I guess.

Pilkingtons will still make one up bespoke for you if the worst comes to the worst, they do like a challenge. Not cheap, mind, but I dare say a bit of crowdfunding could be an option...once you’ve worked out the COD issue, at least.

 

It’s a fabulous thing, lovely early 70s Japanese styling from when they weren’t afraid to make cars that looked Japanese. Brilliant and brave job by all concerned to save it.

[vulgalour]

Damn thats such a shame about the windscreen. Pilkingtons don't list it... my green 929.... no problems.

 

Does your green 929 really NEED a windscreen right now?

[Hertz]

Managed to find some shite old Euro Trash 90's tune I used to listen to in my mum's Renault 11 at full blast. Brilliant.

 

[Spottedlaurel]

We think it probably had something else stacked on it after he picked it up - looks like a couple of chassis rails did the damage to the front of the roof and there's a dent in the bonnet (as well as an oily stain).

 

Amazingly the delicate trim along the bonnet edge has survived, the lights are all intact and the very sculptural bumpers front and rear are straight if a bit pitted.

 

It will certainly need plenty of welding, there are some holes where I don't believe Mazda intended them to be, but I don't think it needs new panels just some really good fabrication. Rear arches could be a bit of a challenge?

 

The interior has survived pretty well, and I think that's what would be most difficult to replace. No sagging headlining or cracked dash top (not that I can recall seeing that sort of thing on an OJC), I think it just needs a damn good airing and clean-up. Passenger seat headrest is missing, but maybe it's in the boot?

[Hertz]

I'm sure I watched a wheeler dealer episode where they got a company to make a windscreen for a rare car from another make and model's screen. They just got the form right then used the old screen as a template to cut a new one. Might be an option...

[Parky]

I cannot for the life of me remember which episode it was but a Wheeler Dealers episode faced this very challenge with a windscreen. It might have been a Saab 96, memory slightly hazy.

 

Anyway, upshot of it was that the profile was very close to a Chevy Impala (I think) although the impala glass was much, much bigger. With careful cutting the centre section of the bigger screen was basically a perfect fit for the Saab. Potentially there is something out there with a similar profile which is more readily available, and someone like Pilkingtons could trim to fit.

 

Maybe, just maybe if everyone crosses their fingers and toes at the same time this piece of luck could be repeated and is likely to be a bit cheaper than making a new screen from scratch.

 

Either way there will be a solution. Is there a classic Mazda owners club? Might find some old boy has a brand new screen sitting in his loft that he has been trying to get shot of since 1978...

 

EDIT - Hertz beat me by a minute!

[Hertz]

Great minds /\ /\

 

Probably no where near but I have an Audi 100 C3 screen I got from Hillman Imp which may or may not help you can have.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I wonder how they establish what windscreen has a similar curvature? Maybe it could be laser-scanned or whatever. I wonder if the 2-dr coupe and the 4-dr saloon have the same screen? There are a couple of coupes knocking about I think (excluding my own). Maybe one of those could be scanned.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Hey now that looks flippin handy, cheers tayne!!

[Amishtat]

I know I'm not the only one thinking this but I just want to say how pleased I am that this didn't end up on the oval. Good work everyone!

[chodweaver]

I really hope they're able to keep that business going. The screen on my XM has cataracts from water ingress and a regular occurrence on the XM forum is someone posting how they've just snaffled up the last NOS screen to be had anywhere in (select your choice of country) so I'm reckoning by the time I've 1: run out of more pressing things to do and 2: amassed the money I need to spend on my XM getting it roadworthy again, there'll be no screens left anywhere. Plus, I'd like a heated one.

[paulplom]

Been offered a garage by the council for £18 a week. Need to do some finances later and see if I can make it work...

Quite expensive. I pay £90 a quarter in Northumberland.

[Bucketeer]

Quite expensive. I pay £90 a quarter in Northumberland.

Unfortunately, for us Southern dwellers it's not particularly expensive. Mine was one of the cheapest I could find within 25 miles at £80 p/m.

[Guest Hooli]

Not a bad view from the hotel last night. Dunno if it comes out on a phone pic but Salzburg is in the distance. Damn good steak washed down with a few beers ended the day well.

[Spottedlaurel]

There's a company in Bolton who'll make you a new lexan screen (Mot and wiper friendly, heated if desired), no moulding or tooling fees so they can build a glass library.

 

Of course the 929 is now MoT-exempt. Not that I'm suggesting it's used as it currently is, but it does give a bit of flexibility on what's done with it.

 

The idea of a heated 'screen in an older car is pretty good - in my experience demisting on cars up the mid '80s leaves something to be desired.

[DSdriver]

... in my experience demisting on cars up the mid '80s leaves something to be desired.

Usually because of the water in the footwells