Steve79 fleet - Mileage and Mercurys

[Steve79]

Je suis arrivé

[Steve79]

Awaiting collection by milkfloat 🤣

[Steve79]

Milkfloat arrived 

 

 

[Steve79]

Mission achieved 

[Steve79]

Forty miles home achieved with very pleasing average mpg's.

Many thanks to Kiltox for collecting from train station and gifting a set of arch liners and lower arms to get this beauty back on form

[Steve79]

A solid two hours has been spent this afternoon scrubbing the outside of the Ka of many mpgs to death. The paint isn't great anyway but thought I'd give it a going over to see if I could improve it in anyway.

Halfrauds had a bogohp on autoglym so had a bit of a field day as car cleaning supplies at home were low.

Started off with two bucket wrongun followed by snowfoam and the autoglym magma which is an iron fallout formula which goes purple when it reacts with iron residue. Whole car looked like feckin Barney the purple dinosaur after about 5mins. God knows how long it had been since it was properly cleaned 

One washed off I gave it another going over with G3 cutting paste to see if I could reduced some of the lighter scratches. Couldnt find my machine polisher so had to do it by hand. Achieved about 35% success in reducing the scratches and bring out the shine.

Couldn't find the wax polish so that'll have to wait to another day

Look a lot better than it did but still aways to go yet.

I'm actually getting quite attached to it as it's a torqey little beast and goes and steers quite well. 

 

[Kiltox]

Gotta be the most cleaning it’s seen in years! Looks well. 

[Steve79]

Smoll wins are continuing with the Ka. Have put 200 miles on it soo far without any major issues aside from a temperamental ignition switch which seems to only start the car if the key is pushed VERY firmly in whilst turning.

Air-conditioning refrigerant appeared to have been empty for a very long period as was showing zero psi when halfrauds checked it the other day. The advice given from the 12year old employee checking it was that it would probably need a new compressor 🤔.

Took it to the local formula one and left it with them for an hour 

Leak check passed and chilly as feck now 👊

 

[Steve79]

Lexus got take into mechanic mate for a grinding noise upon braking about a week ago. 

N/S/R wheel was about 30 degrees hotter than all the others so needed looking at.

Diagnosis: 2x calipers partially seized at rear, brake pads knackered, discs fucked and the brake shoes for the handbrake had collapsed on both sides wiping out all the associated hardware.

Calipers couldn't be saved so new ones were fitted. Just paid the £800 invoice 😡

 

[Steve79]

Thought that the ex @Kiltox KA diesel could do with a bit more love so it was dropped off at mateys garage when I collected the lexus to have both lower arms fitted that were generously chucked in with the car purchase.

I've also managed to (hopefully) fix a rather tedious starting issue where the KA sometime will just crank and not fire. It's very random and can happen when car is cold or hot.

Usual fault seems to be the multiplug ignition switch at the end of the barrel. Ford being tossers that they are have decided that even though it easily removable, you'll have to buy a complete assembly if you need a new one for £170.

Disassembled it earlier and cleaned the contacts. It seems to have solved the issue but time will tell.

[Steve79]

So had a very interesting day today. Had a pleasant afternoon with a customer at his house chatting about his mobility issues (I sell mobility beds, chairs etc) and the subject got to cars. He's got a large property in rural Wales with lots of outbuildings full of stuff which he's now clearing out. Behold

1988 Renault 11 1.4 GTL with 65k. Needs a new wishbone on drivers side as it's bent. Roof is fucked around sunroof but otherwise pretty straight. He wants around £200 for it.

1993 Rover Maestro 2.0 D-Turbo clubman with 85k on clock. It's rough as assholes outside and doors and tailgate are rotten but underneath has been shultzed and is in good condition and interior is really nice. Is supposedly is a runner. £200 again and for an extra £50 you can have a red clubman. As a spares car which is totally fucked bodily.

1994 Pajero 2.8TD Auto with 85k miles

Looks fucked but is actually really nice and interior is mintola. Off the road since 2013 but reckon would start straight up. I'm seriously considering having this especially at the price he's given me.

Now lastly. I was just about to leave and I jokingly quipped that I reckoned he was hiding the good stuff in the workshop. Old dudes son said only car in there is a 1993 Mondeo and did I want to have a look??? Ummm fuck yeah.

Doors come up and....

28th June 1993 Mondeo 2.0 Ghia with all of the toys including electric shocks. Been on the ramp since 2018 and is having a new n/s/f strut fitted. Just needs finishing off which he'll be sorting soon. Needs a small dent repair and paint on n/s/r

I've agreed a price with the owner and it's now mine 🙂. 

Needs to be trailered away so anyone here know of anyone in west Wales (cardigan ish) who could collect and drop to Bristol? Best quote I've had soo far on shiply is £375 😭😭😭

 

 

 

 

[Schaefft]

Congrats on the Mondeo, really looks like an interesting spec. Definitely would have been my pick!

[Stinkwheel]

Well done on the mondeo, looks a beaut. Im kind of tempted by the Maestro diesel. Im also in west wales

[Steve79]

Bloke lives in Newcastle Emlyn

[Eyersey1234]

14 hours ago, Steve79 said:

So had a very interesting day today. Had a pleasant afternoon with a customer at his house chatting about his mobility issues (I sell mobility beds, chairs etc) and the subject got to cars. He's got a large property in rural Wales with lots of outbuildings full of stuff which he's now clearing out. Behold

1988 Renault 11 1.4 GTL with 65k. Needs a new wishbone on drivers side as it's bent. Roof is fucked around sunroof but otherwise pretty straight. He wants around £200 for it.

1993 Rover Maestro 2.0 D-Turbo clubman with 85k on clock. It's rough as assholes outside and doors and tailgate are rotten but underneath has been shultzed and is in good condition and interior is really nice. Is supposedly is a runner. £200 again and for an extra £50 you can have a red clubman. As a spares car which is totally fucked bodily.

1994 Pajero 2.8TD Auto with 85k miles

Looks fucked but is actually really nice and interior is mintola. Off the road since 2013 but reckon would start straight up. I'm seriously considering having this especially at the price he's given me.

Now lastly. I was just about to leave and I jokingly quipped that I reckoned he was hiding the good stuff in the workshop. Old dudes son said only car in there is a 1993 Mondeo and did I want to have a look??? Ummm fuck yeah.

Doors come up and....

28th June 1993 Mondeo 2.0 Ghia with all of the toys including electric shocks. Been on the ramp since 2018 and is having a new n/s/f strut fitted. Just needs finishing off which he'll be sorting soon. Needs a small dent repair and paint on n/s/r

I've agreed a price with the owner and it's now mine 🙂. 

Needs to be trailered away so anyone here know of anyone in west Wales (cardigan ish) who could collect and drop to Bristol? Best quote I've had soo far on shiply is £375 😭😭😭

 

 

 

 

@egg is this one on your list? Good to see another K plate Mondy join the fold

[egg]

2 minutes ago, Eyersey1234 said:

@egg is this one on your list? Good to see another K plate Mondy join the fold

yup, we're perving chatting about it over on 'my' Mondeo thread.

[Steve79]

After seeing this on faceache

i decided it was time to get the Mercury back on the road and finally address the issue of the gaping hole in the passenger wing.

MANY, MANY miles later and I'm in Manchester to pull many parts off of this

It's a '91 Grand Marquis that for some unfathomable reason had the front end unbolted, half the hood cut off and had been turned into a driving simulator

The annoying thing was that this car is basically mint and there wasn't a spec of rust on the thing. People are idiots.

Anyway, 4hrs of toil yielded this

Front passenger wing, wheel covers, window motor and loads of very hard to source (in the UK) bits of trim.

Seller was a banger racer who didn't want all of it going to waste. He's going to race what's left at Mendip raceway in August and am giving him my old knackered wing in exchange when he comes down.

I would have had loads more but annoyingly mine is an '89 MY and prefacelift so this has a different dash. Also was full beige leather whereas mine is blue velour.

 

[Steve79]

Having finally regained mojo for working on cars, the Mercury finally got some attention after not being used for a few years.

The passenger side front wing was even more rotten than I previously thought and as well as the giant hole, was very much paper thin in places.

Action was taken

Now identifies as 5% fake police car 😂

Was an absolute bastard of a job. As unlike the donor vehicle, everything was still attached. All in it took 6hrs and it's still not fully bolted up as I've got rust treatment to do and sill on passenger wide is rotton at front and end sections so will need welding.

Yes I know it's body on frame but inside sill doesn't look too clever so am going to rust treatment and cavity protect.

TBC

[Steve79]

And yes I know the tyres are flat but zero fucks are given because they are extremely dry rotted and very much due for replacement

[SiC]

Did you ever sort your Saab alarm and get it coded out?

[Schaefft]

Glad to see that some of the parts of that '91 were of good use. It's always a shame to see rare and hard to find parts go to waste, unfortunately happens in the UK all the time. It's especially tragic when it happened with mint cars just falling into the wrong hands...

[Steve79]

On 12/08/2025 at 22:41, SiC said:

Did you ever sort your Saab alarm and get it coded out?

No, not yet. I'm hopefully getting the icm2 and Bluetooth adaptor from @Dabooka out of his old 9-3 convertible so will get it done hopefully then. Will send you a PM as I'll need talking through the process as I ended up buying a Chineseium Tech2 which communicates fine with the 9-3.

[Steve79]

On 12/08/2025 at 23:44, Schaefft said:

Glad to see that some of the parts of that '91 were of good use. It's always a shame to see rare and hard to find parts go to waste, unfortunately happens in the UK all the time. It's especially tragic when it happened with mint cars just falling into the wrong hands...

Yep the 91 marquis that the bits came from would have been pretty much rot and damage free if the banger boys that are racing it hadn't decided to lift it with a chain and knacker the door tops and roof