That extra shite touch...

[Guest]

Depending on how far you take it, there is the retrofitting of panels onto something that wasnt quite designed for it. Early Citroen AX rear bumpers onto the facelift version leaving gaps at the tailgate bottom, mk5 Escort front bumpers onto the rounder mk6 '95-on version, and there used to be a 2-door B11 Sunny with an entire Stanza front end cobbled on running about in Jersey.Another hallmark of a proper shitter is the repair of a kracked light cluster using a section cut out from another car, and supaglued into place - seen, seemingly, equally often on mainstream stuff with plenty replacements available in the breakers' as on more obscure tat like Daihatsu Applauses, to pick an example entirely at random.

[Volksy]

I used to remember loads of Mk3 Escorts with Mk4 front bumpers on, and Rover 200 & 800's with a grill screwed to the front edge of the bonnet to make them look like a newer model.

[mattblack]

I used to remember loads of Mk3 Escorts with Mk4 front bumpers on, and Rover 200 & 800's with a grill screwed to the front edge of the bonnet to make them look like a newer model.

This has just reminded of a Mk3 Escort I used to see years ago when the 'smiley' grille Fords had just come out. This genius had had his own... out of wood. Re: the Rovers with chrome grilles, you could buy a kit to do it, IIRC... used to be advertised in the 'Autotrader', alongside mobile phones the size of housebricks...Another shite touch is the 'Make £XXX a week in your spare time' flyer, usualy stuck in the window of the shonkiest sub £500 banger in the car park...

[pompei]

Shite vans with the rear windows rivoted over and a hasp and staple securing the rear doors. Or that stick on reflective window film full of creases and bubbles and the rear doors secured with coloured twine. A good look for rusty double wheeled Transits especially when the rear door swings open on a roundabout.

[FredTransit]

Ah the old back door handle drop disease! How about this one (cars and vans)? A lump of cut off tow rope hanging from the spring/towing eye?

[AnthonyG]

Colour coded bumpers replaced with unpainted ones (this is almost totally specific to Mk2 Mondeos, although I have seen it on other vehicles). Extra points for damage/cracks in the 'replacement' item, which are usually cheap pattern ones bought on Ebay.

 

A slighty crumpled bonnet edge or wing corner next to an obviously secondhand headlight or bumper is also a good bonus shite point.

 

A mate made his wife drive around in a H reg Corolla without a grille, after she pranged it and investigation revealed the only source of replacement was a Toyota genuine part at £80. As he said, a bit pointless given the car cost £250, and 'the grille didn't really do anything important'!

[AnthonyG]

Another shite touch is the 'Make £XXX a week in your spare time' flyer, usualy stuck in the window of the shonkiest sub £500 banger in the car park...

I always wondered why cars with 'Free Enterprise Works' stickers in the '90s were old shit heaps. If it works so well, why not buy a nicer car with the proceeds? (The stickers looked fairly new, so it wasn't as if they had been on the car for 13 years)DAS legal insurance scheme roundels though, I could understand.

[Guest]

cars with 'Free Enterprise Works' stickers in the '90s were old shit heaps. If it works so well, why not buy a nicer car with the proceeds?

Because they were diehard shite enthusiasts? I could be tooling around in something reasonably decent if I wished, and instead my ride's a £500 XR2.Having said that, I also opted for the relative safety of the civil service rather than the entrepreneurial risks of free enterprise...

[Negative Creep]

Lights, mirrors etc with the scrap yard white pen price still on them

[Cavcraft]

'Part worn' written on the tyres of cars less than three years old.Remains of auction stickers still in/on the window.Painted drum brakes.The word 'modified' in an eBay listing.

[scruff]

Been thinking about the things that lift a car out of the realms of ordinary shite and add that little something...extra.1. Underseal 'tidemark' 1/3 of the way up the doors (not seen much now, more's the pity)2. Secondhand panels in a different colour (again, not so much now, but I did see a Fiat Bravo/Brava tonight in metallic blue with a bright red wing)3. New replacement wing that's been on so long unpainted it's gone rusty.4. S/H mirror/bumper/light unit ect. with the make and model still written on in breaker's yard yellow paint marker.5. Plastic sheet gaffer taped over broken side window, OR the marks left on the paint by said gaffer tape after the window has been replaced.Anyone got any more?

My dad had a Mazda 626 which ticked all those boxes...!!

[Guest]

A piece of plywood or Perspex substituting for a window is always a good one, as is a dent thats been crudely knocked out but not filled or sprayed, with surface rust on the high spots where the paint flaked off.Cracked numberplate, delaminating windscreen, missing headlamp glass, AWOL trim strips, broken/missing mirror and England stickers

[trigger]

Just found this picture on Flickr, although Mr Hirst has already beaten me at finding it looking at the comment on the page.

 

Boot held down by Bungee rope FTW!

 

[woolleyiain]

My first car was a Yugo 45. the return spring on the accelerator broke, resulting in a hilarious car / bush interface. My G/F at the time fixed it with a couple of stretchy hair ties and gaffa. We ran it for six months like that until the MOT bloke condemned it...

[woolleyiain]

Welded on box section roof rails are always a stylish accessory too, I've found...

[Father Ted]

Big fook off whip CB aerial on anythig other than a 4x4

[mattblack]

Just found this picture on Flickr, although Mr Hirst has already beaten me at finding it looking at the comment on the page.

 

Boot held down by Bungee rope FTW!

 

I'll see your bungee'd boot lid, and raise you...

 

 

Tie-down strap window mechanism...!

[STUNO]

I think this belongs on here. You can see the owner has gone to the trouble of riveting the "patch" to the inside of the window surround instead of fixing the window. The car was a Ford Falcon from mid 90's so an easy fix. Or even a cheap replacement door!

[Volksy]

I ended up screwing part of a filing cabinet on the inside of the rear 1/4 window of my Volvo 850 when someone broke into it in France. They did nick the oddest stuff from the car, left passports/money etc. & stole one empty backpack, a couple of fleeces, all the girls underwear (clean and dirty) and her makeup.. We recon it was a desparate trannie...

[andrew e]

Have we had silver overspray on tyres yet? Also Broken Mondeo bumpers, not just unpainted ones...