Dollywobbler's Consolidated Tat Thread

[dollywobbler]

Interior pics. It's a proper mish-mash inside, with a brown dashboard, upgraded with rev counter and digital clock, and beige door cards that were originally blue.

The speedo is amazing. If broken.

Revived four out of the six cars in storage today. CityRover and 2CV the only ones to start on their own. 2CV then helped Invacar and Tercel. Sadly, I can't publish pics without giving away where my unit is. 

2CV and CityRover booked in for MOTs on Wed and Fri respectively. Now need to find the logbooks so I can tax them...

I did have a slightly naughty drive in the Invacar.

I reckon I'm over 300 miles in the GSA now. There's a whistle from the clutch with pedal up, so may have a go at adjusting it tomorrow. I suspect there isn't enough free play and the thrust bearing is being leant on. Otherwise, loving it.

 

[Heidel_Kakao]

10 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

I did have a slightly naughty drive in the Invacar.

Wouldn't MOT exemption mean zero naughtiness took place?

[LightBulbFun]

10 minutes ago, Heidel_Kakao said:

Wouldn't MOT exemption mean zero naughtiness took place?

indeed I was thinking that, but even then TWC is one of the few on the fleet with a valid MOT still  

she is even still insured! so I think DW was referring to how she is SORN still

[Retr0naut]

Welcome back. Great choice with the new motor, you need to update your signature to include!

[Heidel_Kakao]

6 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

indeed I was thinking that, but even then TWC is one of the few on the fleet with a valid MOT still  

she is even still insured! but I think DW was referring to how she is SORN still

Ah good point, shows how well I read the first post in the thread, but why would it be on SORN if it's still insured as being tax exempt as well means that it's not required? Anyway I am at the risk of derailing DW's thread, sorry about that.

[chaseracer]

5 hours ago, Stinkwheel said:

You mean this one....

 

I do... ?

?

[Stinkwheel]

Looks better in your pics Dave


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[Steve79]

On 3/15/2020 at 6:34 PM, dollywobbler said:

I think, rather than try digging up my various threads, it might make sense to start a new one.

I'm back from Antipodean travels, though yet to wake up the fleet from its slumbers.

That's the (clockwise from far left) Daewoo Matiz (out of shot), Reliant Fox, Invacar, Toyota Tercel (acquired two days before departure and quite rotten), 2CV and CityRover.

While I was away, the MOTs lapsed on the Matiz, CityRover and 2CV. The Fox isn't entirely suitable for driving, the Tercel even less so and the Invacar has ended up full of magazines. So, resurrecting any of them was a bit of faff. There was only one solution. Buy a new car!

The GSA was the result. I bought it when I was still on the other side of the world. It met up with a friend's BX this morning in Aberystwyth. It's a 1986 Special, so very late. It would have been beige when new, but was restored last year, changing colour along the way. I suspect the restoration cost a LOT more than the £3500 I paid for the car. That's a lot for me, but it really is a clean example and it is anniversary year for the G range. It drives well, being 1299cc with the five-speed gearbox. The interior lets it down a bit, being a mish-mash of stuff nabbed from a Pallas, including the brown seats and speedo binnacle (which means a digital clock and rev counter). I plan to tidy that up a bit and hopefully not lose any money. There's a GS Anniversary event in Paris in May, virus-permitting, that I plan to attend.

I guess driving Stuart's BX around New Zealand left me needing some more hydropneumatic action, but I've never really got over missing out on 320Touring's beige beastie when that came up for grabs for far, far less than this one. Having been restored, I'm hopeful this one will be fairly Wales-proof, though as I have covered storage, I can at least hide it away to dry out from time to time.

Next week, I plan to start waking the fleet. Priorities are the CityRover and 2CV. The others all need work. Fox is meant to be at the NEC at the end of the month, but I guess that show's future is rather in doubt at the moment.

To Do List:

CityRover

MOT. I think it's pretty much ready to go, though the brakes are a little seized. Hopefully they'll free once I actually start it up. Could do with a service.

2CV

MOT, grease, get it booked in with a friend to check the carburettor jetting. I suspect it's not ideal.

Matiz

I reckon it's down on compression on one cylinder, so investigations needed. Also has an entirely dead battery. It killed a brand new one, so that needs investigating.

Fox

Blowing exhaust manifold joint, suspension needs a refresh, interior needs a serious overhaul, fuel tank leaks when more than quarter full. I'm not sure exactly how full as the gauge isn't working, so that's another one.

Invacar

Would like to do a compression check, need to see why it keeps losing brake fluid, I think both doors are starting to suffer structural issues.

Toyota Tercel

I need to assess whether restoration is realistic. A friend in Aus has salvaged a pair of rear quarters, so if restoration seems feasible, I need to find a way to ship those over.

At least Coronavirus leaves me with plenty of time to hide out in Wales and crack on with this lot...

Always loved the GSA as they seemed like a decently put together package. Just about enough "bonkersness" without resorting to CX levels of "AAAAAAARGH"

Remember you rocking up to mine as a passenger in a GS when you bought my old 1985 Nissan Bluebird. Did that belong to someone on here?

[Zelandeth]

I reckon (having admittedly only driven one on a few occasions) that the GSA has the best example of an utterly bonkers but actually user friendly set of controls.  Incredibly comfy thing to waft around in as well as I remember.

I do remember an epic level of "WTF?!?" When I turned the ignition on in the back of a dark garage and that lot lit up in front of me though.

If you don't get this in the dash at night thread sharpish though I'm sure many of us will be extremely disappointed!

GSA is one of the cars right at the top of my "cars I must own one day" and was in fact on my list of things I was maybe expecting to maybe swap/Px the Lada for when the Jag unexpectedly materialised.

If you're ever over this way please let me take a look at it!

[Noel Tidybeard]

there is a battery from a 2011 hunda jizz in my garage that seems to hold a charge if its any use for the tizzy (same size tiddly little battery)

[Floatylight]

You mean this one....
 

That's the one! my signature is somewhere near the passenger wing on the bonnet...

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[dollywobbler]

13 hours ago, Steve79 said:

Always loved the GSA as they seemed like a decently put together package. Just about enough "bonkersness" without resorting to CX levels of "AAAAAAARGH"

Remember you rocking up to mine as a passenger in a GS when you bought my old 1985 Nissan Bluebird. Did that belong to someone on here?

Gosh, that was a long time ago! Not an Autoshiter, though he more than qualifies. Still owns my Mk1 BX estate. It still looks shambolic.

[dollywobbler]

6 hours ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

there is a battery from a 2011 hunda jizz in my garage that seems to hold a charge if its any use for the tizzy (same size tiddly little battery)

Thanks. Could well be. I think the Matiz is actively killing batteries, as I fitted a brand new one in 2018. So I'd get to the bottom of that before fitting it.

[Spurious]

Just seen the new video there. TWC does sound well! 

[LightBulbFun]

2 hours ago, Spurious said:

Just seen the new video there. TWC does sound well! 

Ditto watched the video just before my driving lesson

(was going to save it for after, but when you put "includes 60Mph in an Invacar" no way im not going to watch that right away LOL)

and yeah TWC is sounding much healthier, actually sounds like a CVT doing CVT things  I very much look forward to when you get the pulley distance set properly to 10.25 inches and get the engine up to health, she should really fly then!  

 

on the window issue, glad its "only" the window glass falling out, I had feared that when you said the doors where suffering from structural issues that the fibreglass door itself was splitting apart or such! (like on TPAs original doors)

indeed the window frames can be a bit of a weak spot on the Model 70, I think @Zelandeth had to deal with a similar issue on TPA when he was fixing up the doors, so might be worth going back in his thread and seeing what he did there  

(but if you can I would also look to rust proofing the window frames themselves as they can rust out)

[dollywobbler]

Cheers.

Had a look at the clutch cable on the GSA. Awful access but I was able to move the adjuster nuts slightly. Not enough. A battle for another day.

Also sliced my arm to ribbons checking the Speedo cable was actually attached to the Speedo. It was but again, a horrible job where you stick your arm through a speaker hole for not enough access. Easier on LHD, naturally...

 

[Shite Ron]

Fantastic dashboard, I love how mad Citroen’s from this era are.

[Spurious]

@dollywobbler you need a photo of this in the night dashboard thread.

[dollywobbler]

The CityRover failed the MOT on sill rot and three rotten top mounts - spring perches rather than actual bodywork thankfully. I reckon I'll be looking at £400-500 to sort it. Thing is, I actually quite enjoyed driving it, so maybe it's worth it. I could and probably should do the work myself, but it was tested about 25 miles from my unit, which is still 40 mins from where I am now. Not practical to DIY. 

The 2CV is in for MOT tomorrow and will hopefully do better.

The GSA is going well. Over 400 miles probably, hard to say as the odometer is broken. Not bad for the first week.

[hairnet]

spend the fixing money on the prime shite you have that deserves it

gsa is fugging ace and looks worth the coin (apart from the picasso on the doorcards) have it restored then do that WTF?

[hairnet]

2 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

 

The GSA is going well. Over 400 kms hard to say as the odometer is broken.

rofl that the speedo surrendered

[Cooper1]

I'd throw the 500 sheets on the BSA  

[overrun]

 

Do you personally know Jonny Smith? If you are unaware, he and his pals pulled this one out of bushes in a Somerset farm, and it's for spares. It being really early and yours been really late, I dunno if it will be of any use?
I can't imagine there being  many of these around, though.

[dollywobbler]

I know Jonny and Chris. That was quite the find - thought to be the earliest GS in right-hand drive form. Sadly, it's utterly FUBARed, and there's not much carry-over to the GSA. 

I can't quite decide what to do with the CityRover. It's a stupid amount to spend on a worthless car, but that sort of thing is my USP. As it is, everything is on hold at the moment while we work out what's going on with rather larger issues. I postponed the 2CV today, so the GSA is remaining my sole daily runner for now. What could possibly go wrong?

[Zelandeth]

34 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

... the GSA is remaining my sole daily runner for now. What could possibly go wrong?

I know that feeling!

[Timewaster]

My only GSA experience was about 1989 before I passed my test. 

A mate has borrowed his uncles white GSA and we piled in to Barry around the place as we were want to do of an evening. 

We made it about half a mile when a bit too fast around a right hand bend, with a comedy lean angle - just at the apex there was a loud clunk and the drivers door window dropped down into the door. 

Winding the handle just produced a clickety clack noise. 

My mate did the decent thing, took the car back to his uncles house, parked it tight up against a hedge and put the keys through the letter box! 

The rest of the evening spent looking out for / attempting to impress non existant girls in the town was done on foot. 

[ETCHY]

15 hours ago, overrun said:

 

Do you personally know Jonny Smith? If you are unaware, he and his pals pulled this one out of bushes in a Somerset farm, and it's for spares. It being really early and yours been really late, I dunno if it will be of any use?
I can't imagine there being  many of these around, though.

The wooden box he found in the boot is probably holding an old footpump. I'd take a look if I were him as some of those are very nice.

[Remspoor]

Not my money to spend. I can see your dilemma about the Rover. However, it is not an endangered spices, according to how many left.

 

[mrbenn]

My 2p worth, if you're on the fence then I'd get it fixed. I'm sure the garage will appreciate the business at this difficult time.

[Zelandeth]

57 minutes ago, mrbenn said:

My 2p worth, if you're on the fence then I'd get it fixed. I'm sure the garage will appreciate the business at this difficult time.

This.

Plus you only live once, seem to quite enjoy the thing, and would feel guilty scrapping it.  Whereas securing it's future for a few years is likely to make you happier.