Downgrading from a Rover 800

[AdeMk1]

A bit of WD40 & a 7mm or 1/4" socket will get those clamps off, then a foot of hose from a motor factors for a few quid will see it sorted in no time.
I think it's trying to tell you it doesn't like being stood!

[Microwave]

7 hours ago, AdeMk1 said:

A bit of WD40 & a 7mm or 1/4" socket will get those clamps off, then a foot of hose from a motor factors for a few quid will see it sorted in no time.
I think it's trying to tell you it doesn't like being stood!

You were right, socket saw them come right off. I honestly expected them to just round straight off. Went and got some new heater hose, got the old leaky hose off and replaced it. I think it might be a bit airlocked right now, but otherwise it's now perfectly fine. I took your other advice about it being stood too, and as such I've spent all night caning it about with some friends.

Gonna be honest though, it was running like utter shit earlier and I'm starting to believe my earlier suspicions that it's never been running quite right. I don't think it feels quite as fast as it should 100% of the time, and it's always got a very slight intermittent misfire when idling. Not sure what it might be though. I'll have to look into replacing coils/leads as my first suspect.

[The Moog]

Well done getting the hose off.

Can you run the car up to temp and let it self bleed?

[Microwave]

Yeah, think it’s sorted itself now that it’s had time to cool down all the way. I did the pipe away from home while it was still piping hot, so must’ve got some air in.

[Microwave]

Right, 800 is going this weekend or so if everything goes according to plan. I’ve swapped it for a hilarious version of an already extremely comedically crap car.

[Twin-Cam]

Love all of this. I'm gonna have to own one of these big barges one day.

[Microwave]

I have got word that the new car is on its way. I suspect I’m going to hear it before I see it.

[The Moog]

Is it an mx5 with no silencer?

[Microwave]

My bad, I forgot to update. Here, have a petrol station shot to compensate.
 

[LightBulbFun]

13 minutes ago, Microwave said:

My bad, I forgot to update. Here, have a petrol station shot to compensate.
 

found the 1 petrol station left selling premix!?

but yes more Trabant goodness!  

I look forward to hearing what the story is with this one and what your plan is for it  

[Fumbler]

21 minutes ago, Microwave said:

My bad, I forgot to update. Here, have a petrol station shot to compensate.
 

On the anniversary of reunification too. How poetic!

 

 

[Microwave]

3 minutes ago, Fumbler said:

On the anniversary of reunification too. How poetic!

Indeed, I had already noticed this happy accident 

[Bren]

Makes a citroen ax look positively swedish in a crash.

 

Well done.

 

 

[LightBulbFun]

Just now, Bren said:

Makes a citroen ax look positively swedish in a crash.

 

Funnily enough thanks to Duraplast being a bit like fibreglass in its crash absorbing abilities

it resulted in the trabant actually doing surprisingly well in crash tests!

[LightBulbFun]

amusing MOT advisory!   (wonder why its called a "SACHSENRING" trabant LOL)

[Microwave]

4 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

(wonder why its called a "SACHSENRING" trabant LOL)

I can answer that, as I have the original (post reunification) German registration paper. It’s listed exactly as that on the German paper, so they’d have just copied that. The original company is technically VEB Sachsenring.

[LightBulbFun]

2 minutes ago, Microwave said:

I can answer that, as I have the original (post reunification) German registration paper. It’s listed exactly as that on the German paper, so they’d have just copied that. The original company is technically VEB Sachsenring.

ah very interesting  

[tommytwo]

From an 800 to a Trabant sounds to me like going from the sublime to the ridiculous. Best of British luck with the Traby.

Changed the oil in my 820 last year and added a Litre of ATF. Seems to have made a big difference to the performance, less tappet noise. So I recommed you give it a try in your 800.

[Zelandeth]

Have never driven a Trabbie.  Several Moscovichs, a Gaz, two Tatras, more Ladas than you can shake a stick at and probably double digits of Skodas...but the opportunity has just never presented itself.

[Microwave]

13 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

but the opportunity has just never presented itself.

If we ever happen to be in the same area, you’re more than welcome. There’s definitely a learning curve but you get used to it. I’ve let it overrun a couple of times but only for a split second, big roundabouts are the biggest nob of a thing to go round because you’re either speeding up or slowing down.

[Bren]

1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

Funnily enough thanks to Duraplast being a bit like fibreglass in its crash absorbing abilities

it resulted in the trabant actually doing surprisingly well in crash tests!

I would'nt like to try it to be honest.

[TrabbieRonnie]

 

 

It's all relative of course, but the Trabi wasn't as bad as some much more substantial western cars due to the light weight, surprisingly stiff shell.  Particularly like the automatic 'fold-forward-out-of-the-way steering wheel!

[Matty]

Bloody hell I spent so much of my youth in these. My family on my dad's side are East German and if you had a car ( family all builders) you had once of these. Professional types were eligible for a Wartburg. Brilliant little things. My dad's eldest cousin took the family to Hungary and snuck across the border 48 hrs later the wall fell. All that risk for nowt!

[Microwave]

2 hours ago, TrabbieRonnie said:

It's all relative of course, but the Trabi wasn't as bad as some much more substantial western cars due to the light weight, surprisingly stiff shell.  Particularly like the automatic 'fold-forward-out-of-the-way steering wheel!

In the Fiestas defense, it was subject to an overlap test whereas the Trabant wasn't. Much more likely to fuck the car up. 

Nonetheless, really don't wanna crash in this thing. Been pulled out on TWICE already. How do you miss the sodding thing? 

[Zelandeth]

Nah... learning curve is when they tell you "you know what you're doing" and send you on your way in a 1929 bus without so much as a "by the way, it doesn't actually have any brakes."

Well...it does technically... they're just cable brakes...which in something weighing six tonnes don't do a damned thing.  Emergency stop from walking pace is about 200 yards.  Driving that thing was a definite exercise in forward planning.  Especially with something like 40bhp on tap (when all four cylinders decide to join the party when you've managed to get the manual mixture and timing controls right)...40mph has never felt so terrifying (which is roughly what we think she tops out at on the level given long enough).

[LightBulbFun]

23 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Nah... learning curve is when they tell you "you know what you're doing" and send you on your way in a 1929 bus without so much as a "by the way, it doesn't actually have any brakes."

 

had that with a moped in an undisclosed field, thankfully the bush was relatively soft!  

[davehedgehog31]

Tremendous. Well done sir. 

[Microwave]

So, you *may* or may not have noticed the paintjob. I've been told that, apparently, the owner before the man I got it off had it painted by a graffiti artist (or was an artist himself) and wanted to take it to the Isle of Man for the TT. This did happen, and I found a photo on Google to prove it:

As you can see, it did at one time have a painted bonnet and grille.

The goal was supposedly to have all of the riders sign the roof, and again this apparently did happen but the pen wasn't sealed or something and it ended up washing off. Bad do.

The paint looks to have been done properly. The insides of the doors are painted, there's no overspray etc. However, they must have used crap lacquer as it's starting to peel in a lot of places, and it's gone really dull. Not that I'm particularly arsed. Here's the whole thing as it sits:

A smokey old shitbox like this would gather looks as it is, but with the paintjob EVERYONE stares at it. In the least narcissistic way possible, I bloody love it. I plan to use it as my daily wherever motorway action isn't involved, and it's been going alright so far. Runs and drives more or less mint, just idles too low. Gonna try adjusting the throttle stop before anything else, but shall update as time goes on and things inevitably break.

[MorrisItalSLX]

That looks like good fun, a real hoot.

Is it running standard mechanicals or has it been upgraded?

[Microwave]

34 minutes ago, MorrisItalSLX said:

That looks like good fun, a real hoot.

Is it running standard mechanicals or has it been upgraded?

Standard I believe but it has supposedly been rebuilt in the last couple of years. Only had 95kmh out of it but felt like there was a bit more in it.