Soundwave's selection of scabby stuffs - solo Southern SEAT sojourn

[grogee]

I papped that scimitar at our show... I'll have to stalk him introduce myself next time. 

Brown go-faster stripe. 

[Soundwave]

You should tell him that Princess Anne had one, I expect he's never* been informed of that before.

[Soundwave]

Today, I had another package land on the doormat. As you can see, it contained important things:



The package was from @filthyjohn, one of the Saab's previous owners. I'd tracked down the car's history file to him, and asked if he could send it, and he very generously obliged, so thank you!

And here it is, the Saab's history pack... I love stuff like this, even if it doesn't actually make any physical difference to the car itself!



Manuals, service records, old MOTs and V5s, receipts going back decades, it's all here!

I've added in some of the more recent receipts received from @grogee when I bought the car, to make a pretty comprehensive history.

There's also an address book and a map of some dealers which don't exist any more:

And here's an interesting little nugget... way back in '89, someone part ex'd a Montego for a brand new Saab. Must have been like stepping into an entirely different world....

 

It's weird, none of this changes the work that lies ahead on the car, but I feel like finding the car's history pack makes it feel more complete somehow.

[Soundwave]

I'm supposed to be working, but I can't help but delve into little bits of this history for a bit of a nose. Apparently, it was a company director's car when it was bought new! How the mighty have fallen... from being a company director's personal transport to being passed around a beige internet forum for relative pennies.  It was first registered using the company's address, so I'm guessing Mr Director probably used company funds to buy it. Makes you wonder why he went for the base model if he was using someone else's money...

"Delivered on 05/06/1989 to a Mr Ian Gilmour, production director at Glencast Ltd, a foundry and steelworks based in Leven. The company would later go on to be known as ABC-Naco Europe Ltd from 1999 onwards, before its dissolution in 2011."

If I ever decide to sell it and go full White Background Wanker™, that's going to be my opening advert line.  

[Soundwave]

With the Saab currently "resting" while I gather parts, the MX5 about to enter winter hibernation, and the Beetle still being out of sight and out of mind, I turned my attention to the Rover. Despite all its problems and my decision to scrap it when the MOT is up... I've actually decided to see if I can squeeze one more winter out of it. So that means it'll need an MOT come the 20th, and that in turn means I'll have to sort the advisory from last year - the NS trailing arm bush.

Mention the words "trailing arm bush" to most 90s Rover or Honda owners and they'll break out in a cold sweat - it's one of those jobs that's either a piece of piss, or hell on earth. Most of the time it's the latter, and that was the case here...

Didn't take any "before" pics, but basically I got the suspension partly dismantled, being careful not to touch the adjuster on the compensator arm. That in itself was a mission - the bolt that attaches the trailing arm to the compensator arm was seized beyond even my impact gun's capabilities. Ended up turning it a fraction at a time with a ratchet and a scaffold bar. Managed to get the trailing arm down far enough to access the bushing, and spent a ridiculous amount of time beating the absolute shit out of it with a hammer. Tried it both from the inside and the outside... bugger all. Wasn't moving. I really needed to get the hammer on it vertically, where I could hit it harder - which would mean removing the arm entirely. I really didn't want to go through the hassle of taking the hub off, disconnecting the brake lines etc, so I managed to get the arm loose and then position it on its side, with a block of wood supporting it to avoid stress on the brake lines. More walloping with a lump hammer later... success.

Old and new side by side... definitely seen better days!

Then using slightly gentler hammer taps, got the new bushing into the arm, being careful to make sure it was the right way round and vaguely at the same angle as the old one...



Reinstalled the trailing arm, which actually turned out to be nearly as much of a fucking arseache as getting it off in the first place. Everything is under tension and wants to separate, and trying to hold everything in position while I bolted it all back together was a nightmare. But... eventually it was in place and back together.



Took it for a test drive, no suspension noises or suspect handling, so I'm reasonably confident the transplant was a success. Feeling quite pleased with myself, I genuinely think that one little bushing was more sodding hassle than the Saab's exhaust replacement.

Just hope the MOT man doesn't give me an advisory on the other side this time...

[grogee]

Excellent work Mr Wave. I'm not sure my ocd could cope with non matching trailing arm bushes but then again, it isn't an easy job and also I guess we are maybe approaching EOL for the Rover. One of my outstanding jobs for the Maestro is to remove the rear beam, de-rust and paint but it's a big job and I don't want to do it while I have car enjoyment time (while it's taxed and stuff). 

While I have the beam off I would take the opportunity to throw in new bushes but a) a lot easier with it off the car and b) they are the cotton-reel style ones that are easier to get onto. 

[Soundwave]

30 minutes ago, grogee said:

Excellent work Mr Wave. I'm not sure my ocd could cope with non matching trailing arm bushes but then again, it isn't an easy job and also I guess we are maybe approaching EOL for the Rover. One of my outstanding jobs for the Maestro is to remove the rear beam, de-rust and paint but it's a big job and I don't want to do it while I have car enjoyment time (while it's taxed and stuff). 

While I have the beam off I would take the opportunity to throw in new bushes but a) a lot easier with it off the car and b) they are the cotton-reel style ones that are easier to get onto. 

I did consider doing the bushes as a pair, as the parts aren't expensive... but for the moment I'm glad I didn't! I'll probably take a look at it when the trauma from this one has worn off a bit. It was one of those jobs where everything that could seize did, and despite the HBOL's assertions, refitting was not necessarily the reversal of removal.

[Soundwave]

This morning, the Rover did this:



I'll be honest, I'd had every intention of scrapping it this year, due to all its issues. Couldn't bring myself to do it just yet, decided to punt it through a test anyway and it goes and gets a clean pass. Not even any advisories. What does it take to kill this thing?!


 

The one thing my MOT bloke did say is that the emissions were near the boundary. I'm guessing it's the oil combustion from its failing HG that's causing this. He also said it's structurally far more solid than it has any right to be!

[Soundwave]

So, it's been a while since I updated this thread. Thought I should probably give a quick overview of developments over the last 6 or so months...

Saab - still resting, I've decided to go with the "gather all the parts and do everything at once" approach rather than the "do the bare minimum to get it back on the road and do it piecemeal" one. It's a good strategy, except certain parts are proving to be a fucker to find. Most notably, replacement doors, which seem to be specific to pre-91 cars and essentially don't exist. Might have to consult some metalworking friends about repairing the existing ones...

Beetle - another non-mover, but plans are afoot to get it moved to somewhere with power so I can finally commence some kind of work on it.

Skoda - in a move that violates the most basic tenets of AS, I've moved the Skudder on despite there being nothing wrong with it, because I fancied a change. Weighed up going EV for a bit, before deciding the technology wasn't quite there yet and going for pez again. Took delivery of this Seat Arona FR 1.0 manual in early February. Same basic mechanical package as the Skud, but more toys, more space, and strangely enough, more enjoyable to drive. It's got a certain fizz and brio that you wouldn't expect from a small crossover.

The Seat's arrival was... a mixed bag. Though I liked how it drove, and even how it looked (I have nothing against small SUV/crossover things. Sue me!), it had an obnoxious rattle inside the driver's door that only became apparent after it arrived. I can forgive rattles on older cars, but on moderns they driver me absolutely nuts. However, stripping down the door was actually a lot easier than I envisaged, and the rogue piece of trim was soon dealt with:

After that debacle, I felt encouraged that despite its modernity, this is a car I could still work on at home. So with that in mind, I decided to upgrade it with a factory option armrest... the forum seems to want to show this pic in Australia-O-Vision for some reason, but you can see the armrest in the middle there.




I also decided to give it a non-factory twist, installing a rear USB pod from a Polo R-Line... the Polo has a similar armrest, and the pod is a direct fit. This was never offered as a factory option for the Arona, which is baffling as it goes so well:





Observe well, for as much as I like the Arona, that's probably the last you're going to see of it on here. This is AS, after all. So let's move onto....

Rover - despite clinging on by the atoms on the tips of its fingernails, the plucky R8 refuses to give up. It's established itself as the workhorse of the fleet, being used to help my friends with their new house project. Turns out an R8 can carry an entire greenhouse in kit form...

... or 90% of a conservatory, with some of the larger bits cut up...

... or even two rooms' worth of extremely heavy wood flooring.

Mercifully these tip runs were short journeys done when the roads were quiet, visibility out the back was very poor! Also I got to endure several "hilarious" quips from tip workers regarding which skip the Rover should go into.  In light of its had work, I decided to give the seats a deep clean and took it to Rustival, where it was surprisingly well received:

Though it still runs fine, I know the engine isn't well. There's oil in places there shouldn't be oil and it's starting to consume coolant. Some of this was down to a leaky expansion cap, I ordered a replacement which looks nothing like the one that came off - I think this one is actually meant for a Freelander. Fits perfectly and works like a charm though!

The Rover has been SORNed as of a few days ago, to make way for...

Mazda - Just been treated to a new set of wipers and Kumho Ecsta rubber to replace the perishing Chinesium no-names it came with. I've only left them on this long because they had loads of tread and I didn't want to waste them, but as they're starting to perish it seemed like an opportunity to get rid. Already feels very different on the (A-rated for grip) Kumhos. After a good servicing and prepping session last week, passed its MOT with a clean sheet on Saturday. I even got the handbrake to work this time around!

 

So there we go, a thrilling* update to get everything back up to speed. See you in another 6 months.

[JMotor]

1+ for the Arona being a good car.

Parents bought one last year and it's decent thing. The 1.0 pez goes well.

Good to see a progress report on the other cars too.

 

[grogee]

16 hours ago, Soundwave said:

Most notably, replacement doors, which seem to be specific to pre-91 cars and essentially don't exist.

I think I looked into this and Mk2 doors will fit but the door card fitting mounts are in a different place, so you need to be creative about how to hold it all together. 

Have you spotted the bonkers 'door ventilation fans' yet? Yes they are a thing apparently. 

[Soundwave]

Having said the Arona wouldn't be featuring on this thread again, I've just been on a little roadtrip with it and thought I'd do a little write-up here of what I did and saw.

To set the scene... life's been getting on top of me as of late, so I decided to go for a solo weekend of camping to get away from things for a bit. Having fond memories of the childhood holidays I had in the New Forest, I decided I'd go back to the campsite where we used to stay, Hollands Wood in Brockenhurst. Haven't set foot here for 25+ years so I thought it'd be interesting to see what's changed and what hasn't. Booked a couple of days off work, kept a nervous eye on the weather forecast and set off at sparrow's fart on Saturday.

I did consider taking one of my old shite cars to really add to the 80s/90s nostalgia theme, but... I didn't trust the Rover with its current issues on a 300 mile round trip, the Saab and Beetle are off the road and my camping gear won't physically fit into the MX-5. So, the modern SEAT would have to suffice.

Saturday
Up bright and early at 5am, got my crap thrown in the car ready for a 6am start. Honestly couldn't have asked for better conditions - clear skies, dry roads and not too much traffic. A blat down the M40 and a longer blat down the A34, with a bit of tarting about on minor A-roads at either end, and I arrived at Brockenhurst. First thing that's changed is that the campsite check-in doesn't open until 1pm, used to be 8am back in the day. Woops. So I decided to do what I'd planned for the afternoon first, then go back to the site after lunch.

Parked up at Brockenhurst station and hopped aboard a packed* train:

... to the esturary town of Lymington, where we always used to come on Saturday market days. Lovely little place, market seems smaller than I remember and some of the shops are different, but charming nonetheless. Had a mooch about, visited the old sweet shop I used to go in as a child (still smells the same in there!), then grabbed a Tesco meal deal and ate it by the quayside. It had clouded over a bit by now, but I didn't care, I was having a nostalgia-gasm.

Also did a bit of tat-spotting while I was there....

Headed back into Brockenhurst, still had a bit of time to kill before heading back to the site so I went and reacquainted myself with the old place. All the familiar sights were still there, although many of the shops are different now. Especially gutted the old newsagents is a Co-Op Local now, but it's been a quarter of a century - can't expect everything to stay the same. The ford at the end of the high street is still there:

Met some of the locals - for those not familiar with the New Forest, livestock is literally allowed to roam anywhere. Ponies, cattle, donkeys can be found in the woods, the fields and even the streets!

A bit more tat-spotting never goes amiss:









Especially noteworthy is the Dutch registered mk1 Forester... the place seems very popular with the Dutch for some reason, quite a few NL vehicles seen around and about!

Then it was finally time to head to the site and get set up. Honestly, when I'd finished putting my tent up I was hit with a sudden wave of happiness and well-being, the campsite itself has barely changed since the 90s and those lingering feelings of warmth, contentment and joy just came flooding back for a moment or two. OK. so it's not the Mk2 Granada with NR Nimrod trailer tent that the parents used to bring us down here in, but that didn't matter. Found myself a nice, relatively antisocial little pitch within walking distance of the toilet blocks. Trees to one side, a slightly boggy bit to the other meant nobody would be camping next to me. Perfect!

Had the first of many strolls around the site, although it's not as busy as it is during the summer holidays there were still quite a few about. Mostly van-life retirees and the inexplicably numerous Dutch. Some of the campers were quite chod-worthy:

I must admit having been in the VW scene for a while, I'd developed a bit of an antipathy towards T2s, seeing them as expensive fashion accessories. But seeing a few of them just being used as campers - no scenesters, no BS - made me smile.

Spent the rest of the day at the site, just taking it all in and enjoying the now-much-improved weather. Had quite a patchy night's sleep - seems I'm not as accustomed to sleeping on camp beds as I used to be - which meant I was up early enough to see the sunrise.

Sunday

Very early start, here's the aforementioned sunrise with etherial-looking rolling mists. This is definitely something I'd never witnessed during the childhood holidays, and I'm glad I got to see it this time. Dead quiet, very few other people around, absolutely magical.



Also this Shetland pony was up early for some reason too. Must admit I'd never seen Shetlands around here before, I only ever remember New Forest ponies.

A few hours later, after a shower and some breakfast, decided to head off to Beaulieu to check out the Spring Autojumble. Seemed rude not to when it was so close by. I vaguely remembered visiting Beaulieu a child, although I must admit the museum itself was smaller than I remember! Still had a wander around and took a few snaps though.

Then onto the Autojumble itself. The size of it was something I was completely unprepared for - unlike the museum it was far, far larger than I was expecting. And apparently the National Autojumble that takes place later in the year is even bigger! I didn't buy much, but had a good ferret about nonetheless. I did see @dollywobbler wandering about, briefly considered saying hello and then remembered I don't have anything interesting to say - this post being proof.

I left early afternoon, and by now the weather was glorious again:

Another thing I never appreciated as a kid; how lovely some of the roads around Brockenhurst are. Almost made me wish I'd found a way to bring the MX5 with me... until I considered they're mostly 30mph zones. And with good reason - the ponies graze by the roadside and do wander into it quite frequently. Given than the MX5 requires ragging to get the best out of it, this perhaps wasn't the best place for it after all. That being said, the Arona surprised me - it actually managed to be a decent little steer, even at lower speeds. Guessing the slightly-too-hard FR spec suspension helps with that.

After an afternoon of bimbling about, grabbed some chips from the Rainbow Fish Bar in Brockenhurst where - yes, you guessed it, we always got our chippy dinners from when I was a kid, there's definitely a nostalgia-heavy theme here. Went off to one of the many car parks in the surrounding moors to eat it.

A few seconds after I took this picture, a convoy of around 20 Bond Bugs went pootling past! Never seen anything like it, sadly no pictures as my hands were already occupied with shovelling chips into my face. Was definitely a sight to behold!

Back to the site, bit of a lazy evening before settling down for my second and final night of the trip.

Monday
I'd always seen Brockenhurst as a magical place where school and work didn't exist - mainly because I'd last been here as a child, and children are stupid, and also because we'd only ever been here during  summer holiday season. This being the off-season, I actually had to contend with school-run traffic, which made total sense yet also seemed alien to me. Weird how childhood experiences still influence your thinking, even in the face of cold, hard adult logic. Anyway, grabbed a few supplies for the trip home, then got back to the site and packed my shite away:

Checked out of the site, and began on my way. But before I headed back to the Midlands, and real life, I decided to go on a detour to the coast. I'd be foolish to come all this way and not check out the beach at least once, right? So, I took a meander over to Highcliffe, about 12 miles from Brockenhurst. Nice little seaside town, not gaudy like a lot of them are. In fact it's a relatively normal looking place that just happens to be by the sea. Does seem to have a LOT of retirement flats though, which contrasts with the street of seven-figure millionares' homes that lines the seafront itself.

In the words of Clarkson.... "Oh dear, I appear to have run out of country.":



The beach looked lovely, almost tropical from the clifftop!

Also had a quick bimble over to Highcliffe Castle. Honestly, doesn't look like a castle to me, looks like a reet fancy house. Mind you, I guess "Highcliffe Reet Fancy House" probably doesn't have the same ring to it.

With that done, my car park ticket was close to running out so it was reluctantly time to start the journey home. And honestly, despite it being a weekday afternoon it was absolutely fine, pretty much cruised most of the way in perfect weather with very few traffic hold-ups. Got back to Nuneaton mid afternoon, where all my problems were still patiently waiting for me. But for those couple of days I was free, and it was amazing. It was weird, despite less sleep than usual I didn't feel tired during my break. At all. I literally haven't not felt tired for a decade, absolutely incredible stuff. Within 2 days of being back at work I'm knackered again.  

Speaking of incredible things... this trip has given me a new perspective on the Arona. It's not a perfect car by any means, but for a budget-built, eco-minded, modern small crossover I found it remarkably capable in all departments. Small enough to negotiate the tight Brockenhurst lanes, yet large enough to easily swallow my camping gear. Powerful** enough to keep up with things yet does 50mpg if you're careful. A decent (if slightly noisy) cruiser on the journeys there and back, yet also quite enjoyable on the B-roads. Don't get me wrong, it's no hot hatch, but it seems to be competent for pretty much any task I give it.
** unless you put it in 'Eco' mode, which saps the power to a point where you use more fuel than you save trying to get it to go up a hill. Sport mode or GTFO.

I've never had this with a modern before, but I think I might actually be forming a bond with it! I mostly regard my moderns as tools to do the commute with and nothing more, but this one seems to be taking on a life of its own.

 

Anyway, that was that. If you've made it this far, thanks for reading.

[High Jetter]

Lovely area, on our list to re-visit. Thanks for sharing