Bear's bangers: another trip to the bar. "What're you having?" "The usual, thanks"

[Bear]

Palette cleanser:

Looks cold out there. Come on in.

Need to do:

But not too bad...

Rust prevention system:

[Bear]

Allllllll of the dopamine

Usual yak-shaving, but it isn't. Carefully scrubbing under the arches and into hidden corners.

The mission? While I've no money for new brake parts and stuff, I can do everything I can to make sure it's like working on a new car, in some ways.

And also do things like getting common rust spots

Because right now it's at "paint flakes off but rust hasn't got a foothold.

Which is the perfect time, with this sort of access, to brush, rust-treat, prime, paint, seal everything. Slowly, like washing a bike with a  toothbrush kind of slowly, no rushing, no need to have it moved or on the ground for a while. Let it dry, let it soak, let it set, let it seal.

Even if it does need an engine rebuild or some other major work, it will be worth every penny if I give the car no pennies, but many minutes, of care right now. If it was just fixed and used as is, two winters and it'd be on the way to being another average RX-7 project again.

[Cluffy]

Really like the look of your quick lift thing... Where's it from / rough cost? I've seen some very expensive ones from Tools for Garages... Others I've seen on eBay but never know the quality...

[Bear]

9 hours ago, Cluffy said:

Really like the look of your quick lift thing... Where's it from / rough cost? I've seen some very expensive ones from Tools for Garages... Others I've seen on eBay but never know the quality...

Lift Giant, also on eBay. LGX35 like this is the cheapest new one inc. VAT and sensible delivery at less than £2250 all in (under £2K if you can collect) - there's a no-name AliExpress dropshipper selling scissor lifts for £1699 ex-stuff in Wirral or somewhere but Lift Giant's owner is an actual workshop tool seller/designer, used to work for the people that made the Holden lift I had before! The LGX35 is also rated to 3.5t and definitely feels built like it, most are 3t and feel like you're pushing it to lift that safely.

Easy to roll around on the wheels when you need to move it (but you need the pump to fit the wheels hence the drama I had unloading - my pump had been damaged in shipping and the isolator switch was broken it turned out - just bad luck really - they offered some money back and parts to repair, or a new pump, and as I managed to suss out the issue and make it work I took the former).

They are also on eBay but if you call them they'll list one with the right delivery price for you, that way you can do things like use PayPal Pay in 3 for 0% finance* - comes on a tail lift and if you've a flat drive they'll easily wheel it into the garage.

Given the price of used ones of lower spec, plus cost of moving a 600kg lump of metal and reassurance that a new one hasn't been abused to the point it'll drop on you or break, I think this is a bargain.

And this is how safe it feels...

 

*I need to get a proper salary and stop being so broke all the time 😂

[Bear]

The Ampera hasn't failed the MOT yet but it does need some attention and parts I can't afford, so logically, spending money elsewhere is the solution. I should just give up and accept that the R170 generation SLK is the one true cheap car and all other cars are merely pretenders.

Let's face if, I've never gone wrong with a cheap SLK - and the only time I've been upset with an SLK was because I'd got the value of a swap and relative condition of the cars wrong in my head, and encountered what for many would be "an average SLK" for rust underneath as a surprise.

No surprises here - I didn't have any delusion about a £400 ballpark MOTd SLK anyway, it was literally the value of the remaining ticket and getting me out of feeling trapped by broken cars or forced into using the Audi when I want to restore it slowly and just enjoy short, unstressed drives in it sometimes.

Even so, @Andyrew took advantage of his superhuman strength and took pictures of it underneath before I collected it. It's better than I expected, and with a clean and waxoyl and some new bracing rods, probably has another five years in the body before needing anything. Maybe longer if treated like a near 30 year old classic car, rather than a £400 banger.

Suspension arms are crusty but they're consumables  And it has a recent new headlight, NEW genuine A-pillar seals in the past few years...

Even the standard fit bootlid rust is just at "teenage acne" stage rather than "necrotising fasciitis. 

Needs boot struts before I necrotise myself with a bootlid to the neck though.

How clean is that!

Almost as good as the interior... with just 90,080 miles on the clock I think - that sounds very close to the last MOT so maybe I misread it, it will be easier to read after I change some bulbs. Yeay! Just SLK things.

Only thing to do aside from the heater fan issue and the standard dissolving front wings and rear arch crud, is repaint or replace the roof panel if I want to start making the car look like a 90,000 mile Mercedes roadster instead of a sub-StreetKa banger.

In the rain it looks less like lichen - basically the lacquer has gone and the top coat has been eaten where those white spots are. I am considering having a go at sanding and rattlecan, but as it's a black one it will probably be easier to find a roof panel from a breaker - or indeed get a roof panel from a breaker and paint it then swap them.

Can't see it with the roof down, and the roof works perfectly (of course) - it doesn't even have much parcel-shelf thump or rattle.

Even the number plate screws came out easily for fitting the plate surround before I assign 666 to it.

It's been well maintained, too - the supercharger bearing is a bit grumbly, I'll change the oil, but it boosts nicely and the gearbox feels good, no weeping oil around the cam magnet, and smooth, relatively precise for an SLK steering announces the presence of recent front dampers and some sensible maintenance before seeing the invoice.

Still face a very stressful month covering the purchase, please buy some tat from the carboot ads - plus the temptation to buy stuff to start improving this (it is getting the waxoyl bomb of course) but I now feel I have a car I can trust and not be abusing if I drive it a long way - and therefore can fix the Audi radiator and worn suspension at leisure without breaking it by using it too much.

If I ever have money to buy a car yard/old warehouse, I will fill it with unloved SLKs and wait for people to realise just how damn good and lovable these cars really are. But thankyou everyone who ignores them!