Ask a Shiter

[Junkman]

Where those old Lexii J-tin waftbarges available at all without dead animals inside?

[Bucketeer]

GS300's were available without leather as below. I believe the LS400's could only be had with cold, frictionless, uncomfortable, unpleasant leatheryness.

 

 

Surely it would be possible to swap the leather chairs in an LS for some Fiat Panda deckchairs or something equally luxurious and cossetting.

[Junkman]

Hmmm...

 

[Bucketeer]

^^^ Attached straight over the leather using Gloy/Prittstick/staples naturally.

[Junkman]

The main issue I see is that hardly anything can get any purchase on leather.

Not that it matters much in a car at my age, but it's also one of the most unpleasant materials to have a shag on, apart from polyester bedsheets maybe.

However gout and rheumatism could be an issue in the immediate future.

[phil_lihp]

I passed my car test in 2001.  Can I drive a 16 seater minibus for my local running club?  I was sure you had to take a test for this but the DVLA website seems to say that this is only necessary if it's a company-owned bus, social use such as I intend is OK on a normal car licence but that just doesn't seem right.  

 

The DVLA sez...

 

You can drive a minibus within the UK as long as the following conditions apply:

 

you’re 21 or older

the minibus is used for social purposes by a non-commercial body

you’ve had your driving licence for at least 2 years

you meet the ‘Group 2’ medical standards if you’re over 70 - check with your GP if you’re not sure you meet the standards

you’re driving on a voluntary basis and the minibus is used for social purposes by a non-commercial body

the maximum weight of the minibus is not more than 3.5 tonnes (or 4.25 tonnes including specialist equipment for disabled passengers, eg a wheelchair ramp)

you’re not towing a trailer

 

Am I missing something?  Not sure of the weight, it's a 2010 Transit 16 seater but I wouldn't have thought it's more than 3.5 tonnes unladen.

[Richard]

A 16 seat minibus is class D1 on your licence. If you have that you can drive one, but not for hire or reward. 3500kg is the maximum gross weight, the Transit will be under that.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Where those old Lexii J-tin waftbarges available at all without dead animals inside?

What you want is an import Toyota Celsior from before they used the Lexus brand in Japan. Most seem to have cloth.

[catsinthewelder]

I've heard that post 97 license holders can drive minibus's without a D1,  so long as you're not being paid to do it.  I do get paid so I had to take the tests.

[phil_lihp]

This helps a lot, thanks guys. I don't have D1 so next stop will be to find out what I need to get it.

[phil_lihp]

Yes the towing laws are mad, I concluded after much research that the correct answer to the question of "can I tow this?" is "no one really knows".

[Richard]

It appears that I was wrong, it makes me wonder what the point of having licence categories is.

 

https://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@motor/documents/digitalasset/dg_4011275.pdf

 

I once complained to the "Crystal Mark" people about the DVLA website having one, and they don't have it now.

[phil_lihp]

Ok, just rang the DVLA and burrowed through 454 menu options to speak to someone in the know. It turns out that as long as it's not paid work and not for a commercial body you do not need D1. Why could they not have written that on their website!

[Richard]

 Why could they not have written that on their website!

 

Or even on your driving licence! It seems mad that they have dozens of categories, sub-categories and special conditions but what must be quite a common scenario has to go through "on the nod".

[HillmanImp]

The Visa failed on it headlight aim as I think the lights were put in the wrong way round after its bash. However which way do I put it back? Am I deflecting the light to the o/s (i.e. rotating it 90 degrees away from me in this photo) or what? Anyone have any ideas?

 

[Junkman]

What you want is an import Toyota Celsior from before they used the Lexus brand in Japan. Most seem to have cloth.image.jpg

 

You know me better than my mother!

This is exactly the velourtasticness I so cherish in waftbarges.

As an added bonus, I can answer the terminally daft insurance question "is it an import?" with "yer better believe it, luv".

[Richard]

The Visa failed on it headlight aim as I think the lights were put in the wrong way round after its bash. However which way do I put it back? Am I deflecting the light to the o/s (i.e. rotating it 90 degrees away from me in this photo) or what? Anyone have any ideas?

 

Isn't it keyed?

[skattrd]

Bulb - I've no idea, trial and error, you've got a 50/50 chance ... it might be better to try this when it's a bit darker.

[spike60]

The Visa failed on it headlight aim as I think the lights were put in the wrong way round after its bash. However which way do I put it back? Am I deflecting the light to the o/s (i.e. rotating it 90 degrees away from me in this photo) or what? Anyone have any ideas?

 

Look at the other one?

[M'coli]

The front filament is for the dip beam and should point upwards, so that it reflects off the top of the headlight and shines down onto the road.  Take a look at the orientation of an H4 bulb to get it correct.

[Sudsprint]

Sorry if this has been asked a thousand times before but am I dreaming it or was there some version of a Mazda 323 sold as cheap as chips in the uk about 20 yrs ago by another company?

[Ratdat]

Sorry if this has been asked a thousand times before but am I dreaming it or was there some version of a Mazda 323 sold as cheap as chips in the uk about 20 yrs ago by another company?

 

That'll be the Sao Penza.

[saucedoctor]

There was a brief flurry of them round here as minicabs, back in the day. To put the time period into place, the cab of choice was a mingebag spec Bluebird diesel, in white, and JDM diesel automatic Camrys. A mate had a Camry, and the back windscreen got broken by a drunk bloke falling against it. Many hundreds of pounds, and he was very lucky to get one at all.

[phil_lihp]

African company I think, pretty sure they've gone the way of the Lonsdale now.

[inconsistant]

I think they were owned by Mazda. Were there still Japanese import restrictions in the early 90s? Maybe it was a way to get around those?

[Spiny Norman]

I drove a Sao Penza as a hire car in Cyprus many years ago. I crashed it several times, went off road in it and ragged it as one does with a hire car, returning it to the hire shop surely only moments before it imploded..

[inconsistant]

howfewleft.com says that there are as many as 2 Sao Penzas left. 

[Pillock]

Wikipedia, where everything is always correct all of the time, suggests they sold around 1000 of them and the parent company Automotive Holdings were a subsidiary of Mazda - so probably to get around import restrictions yes. Or to get rid of old panels and parts without tarnishing the newer Mazda image. 

[Spiny Norman]

Would I be right in thinking that one old fashioned 12v ignition coil is much the same as another?

I discovered a brand new Valeo coil I'd bought but never fitted, either to the Royale or the Amazon, and as far as I can see it looks exactly the same as what's on the Volvo 240.

 

Should it work OK on the 240 or might I fritz the leccy ignition system? Are there different types of coil?

[tooSavvy]

Ballast type [fraud] H. Are 9v. Low volts on cranking @12v - cut back to 9v when running

 

TS