16th Sept - BX Rescue Mission! - ATTN: All Greater London/Croydon/Kent/Orpington shiters - help needed!

[dozeydustman]

A great time today spent with fellow rammel botherers. I’m now home and about to install myself in a relaxing bath.

Nice to put a few faces to names. Surprised that the front bumper didn’t come off with my svelte self and matching size 16s in the triple Woollard!

Only other pics I took are below!

 

[dozeydustman]

I’m also waiting for the hilarious video of me climbing over the back seats to get in the boot....

[beko1987]

So the owner let you strip it for good parts before sweeping the remains into a bucket? That's jolly decent of them, I thought you were having to get the whole thing gone then decide. 

Or have I missed something? Was concentrating more on the pictures tbh... 

[outlaw118]

Back home, showered and shat. TMI? WOTEVS.

TEAM FAT AND BLIND report:

Unfortunately we got there too late for the Blind half of Team F&B to display his prowess with a machete, but instead we cracked into the task of getting into the car. After a while it was decided that we are shit at being theives and decided to remove the rear quarterlight which after some prodding enabled a blind bloke to gain access through the window. Doors were eventually persuaded to open, whereupon @dozeydustman performed some hot acrobatic moves into the boot.

We were hopeful of some engine turning action, but this wasn't to be, so it was decided to relieve the BX of anything useful, before the owners arrived and let us into the house. 

Wow.

It was amazing to me, and all assembled that the house was still being lived in only 2 years ago. Photos below, bit shit but does include a Woollard and @Parky playing with a paddy's bike. Much fun, would do again etc.

 

[Mr Pastry]

If you haven't already done so can I suggest getting the owners a few bottles of wine?  Tact and diplomacy, good Karma, etc.

 

 

[Parky]

I so need a cordless angle grinder in my life.  I was removing steel around a recalcitrant wiper motor to aid removal in that pic, and it struck me of the hours wasted with hammers and hacksaws that could have been saved with a piece of kit like that

[dozeydustman]

3 minutes ago, Parky said:

I so need a cordless angle grinder in my life.  I was removing steel around a recalcitrant wiper motor to aid removal in that pic, and it struck me of the hours wasted with hammers and hacksaws that could have been saved with a piece of kit like that

It’s good to pop your cherry

[SmokinWaffle]

1 hour ago, Mr Pastry said:

If you haven't already done so can I suggest getting the owners a few bottles of wine?  Tact and diplomacy, good Karma, etc.

Already asked, Baileys is on my shopping list!

Big thanks for all that came today - @outlaw118 @Parky @dozeydustman @CaptainBoom - hope I didn't miss anyone. Couldn't have done it without you.

Very good day and got a hell of a lot of useful spares for myself and others. Sadly dropped one of the headlights (butterfingers!) and smashed the glass in my garden - but the rest survived

The house was indeed a very sad state. Mental health is no joke - hoarding can be very destructive and I hope the chap who lived there at least enjoyed his time there. and had a good life.

Heroes the lot of you. Great first autoshite outing too! Shame we couldn't get it started but it was way too far gone - but the parts will go on to help many others survive.

 

 

And some sad comparison:

 

I leave you all with a very fitting question...

 

[Mr Pastry]

3 minutes ago, SmokinWaffle said:

The house was indeed a very sad state.

Oh.  I thought maybe that's how all BX owners lived........

[vulgalour]

That looks like an impressive haul of stuff from the old hulk.  I see you're back on the white bonnet, is that fitting properly now?

[dozeydustman]

14 minutes ago, SmokinWaffle said:

 

 

 

I propose this as a calendar pic

[SmokinWaffle]

14 minutes ago, Mr Pastry said:

Oh.  I thought maybe that's how all BX owners lived........

Nearly, but not quite! 

6 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

That looks like an impressive haul of stuff from the old hulk.  I see you're back on the white bonnet, is that fitting properly now?

It is. Well, enough to not bother me! 

2 minutes ago, dozeydustman said:

I propose this as a calendar pic

Yes! 

Currently eating a well deserved pizza. Great day. 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

26 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

That looks like an impressive haul of stuff from the old hulk.  I see you're back on the white bonnet, is that fitting properly now?

Ah, so the E plate BX is your old one! Thought I recognised the car, but hadn't put two and two together. 

[richardmorris]

2 hours ago, outlaw118 said:

Back home, showered and shat. TMI? WOTEVS.

TEAM FAT AND BLIND report:

Unfortunately we got there too late for the Blind half of Team F&B to display his prowess with a machete, but instead we cracked into the task of getting into the car. After a while it was decided that we are shit at being theives and decided to remove the rear quarterlight which after some prodding enabled a blind bloke to gain access through the window. Doors were eventually persuaded to open, whereupon @dozeydustman performed some hot acrobatic moves into the boot.

We were hopeful of some engine turning action, but this wasn't to be, so it was decided to relieve the BX of anything useful, before the owners arrived and let us into the house. 

Wow.

It was amazing to me, and all assembled that the house was still being lived in only 2 years ago. Photos below, bit shit but does include a Woollard and @Parky playing with a paddy's bike. Much fun, would do again etc.

 

Which member of ZZTop is a fan of BXs?

[vulgalour]

37 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Ah, so the E plate BX is your old one! Thought I recognised the car, but hadn't put two and two together. 

Yup, and it likes Smokin much more than me.  Clearly, it was after a younger model to spend its time with.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

13 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

Yup, and it likes Smokin much more than me.  Clearly, it was after a younger model to spend its time with.

Slag. 

[inconsistant]

I'm impressed that out of all of you it was Blind Trev who managed to get into the car. 

[outlaw118]

7 minutes ago, inconsistant said:

I'm impressed that out of all of you it was Blind Trev who managed to get into the car.

He wouldn't be beaten.....and to be fair he couldn't see how grim it was inside as he elegantly fed himself through the NSR window.

49 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Which member of ZZTop is a fan of BXs?

That'd be Blind Trev, my wingman, and half of TEAM FAT AND BLIND.  I'm the fat one leaning on the car in the cassette photo. They're not particularly clever nicknames.....

[CaptainBoom]

An enjoyable day, met some fellow shiters and got a chance to tickle a BX, which was much better than going off to work.  It's a shame that we couldn't get the sod to start, but the engine felt very seized.  It didn't lay down it's life in vain though, plenty more BX's will live longer from the spares stash that was gleaned.  The car was surprisingly good in places, the sills were solid despite it having sat with them on the soil for years.  Even one of the (bald) tyres held air.  The A Pillars were rotten, which led to the front doors drooping (and explains the irrigation for the ferns).  The boot floor was just a row of cracks around the edges, so Vulgalour's suspicion that the boot floor was wrecked was spot on. 

I can't even describe the colour of the water that was in my shower after I washed when I got home, images of that house will inhabit my nightmares for many moons to come.  I have pictures of the car, but they are all the same as the ones posted, here are some bonus pics of the back garden. 

Yes, that is the house roof with trees leaning on it.  It'll be a nice home for someone once it is cleared and (plenty of) work done to make it weathertight.  I spoke with the son of the new owner as I was clearing up, their plan is to renovate it. 

The remains of the BX go tomorrow, and I'll take a quick picture next time I pass by to see what it looks like without a knackered car in the garden.

All in all a great day 14.2/10, would do again etc, etc.  Great to spend time with like-minded folk, I can't remember the last time I went out and met different people to my immediate family and (few) work colleagues.

[Noel Tidybeard]

4 hours ago, richardmorris said:

Which member of ZZTop is a fan of BXs?

Aaron Kaufman!

[dozeydustman]

1 hour ago, CaptainBoom said:

It'll be a nice home for someone once it is cleared and (plenty of) work done to make it weathertight.

Indeed; there are some charming original features in that building, such as the upstairs fireplaces, which when unearthed cleaned up and recommissioned would be lovely period pieces.

[sloth]

no other rammel hiding in the undergrowth? 

[CaptainBoom]

32 minutes ago, sloth said:

no other rammel hiding in the undergrowth? 

Alas no, garden was mostly empty, other than Day of the Triffids-style plants, a commode, a rotten shed and a wheel barrow.

[sloth]

32 minutes ago, CaptainBoom said:

Alas no, garden was mostly empty, other than Day of the Triffids-style plants, a commode, a rotten shed and a wheel barrow.

thats a naughty way of describing an invacar.... 

[Rod/b]

You did check to see if this had anything in it right? 

[SmokinWaffle]

4 hours ago, Rod/b said:

You did check to see if this had anything in it right? 

Yep - was empty (and is now in the back of my car as we used it to put parts in!)

[dozeydustman]

12 hours ago, CaptainBoom said:

The remains of the BX go tomorrow, and I'll take a quick picture next time I pass by to see what it looks like without a knackered car in the garden.

It’s a shame I have nowhere to store bits as there was a few more salvageable parts on the car (4 good doors & tailgate, load area trim panels) which I would happily have chopped off and put by for someone with @Parky’s new favourite toy (other More appropriate tools were available)

[SmokinWaffle]

3 hours ago, dozeydustman said:

It’s a shame I have nowhere to store bits as there was a few more salvageable parts on the car (4 good doors & tailgate, load area trim panels) which I would happily have chopped off and put by for someone with @Parky’s new favourite toy (other More appropriate tools were available)

Very. Even more typical that someone just messaged me today asking for a passenger door!
 

I've text the contact to see if it's gone yet - I assume it has. 

Edit: Yep, went at 9AM this morning. They did find a socket though - gonna get a pic, @CaptainBoom you may be in luck as yours fell into the engine bay and didn't return!

[dozeydustman]

it sounds like the sort of car that ZB in Swanley would have taken A few years back - it was owned by Jim Grier, my mechanic granddad’s old RAF buddy (until his death), and they took anything and everything off a car that was salvageable and shelved them. No idea if they still do that sort of thing or just frag it.

[SmokinWaffle]

Just got confirmation it went straight through the crusher. Shame. RIP - at least we got some good spares off of it.