RichardKs wanderings: There's a Serk, live! In its sink lair - see, five!

[Popsicle]

What an eventful bloody night. Of bugger all use to you now, but I'm only 20 minutes away from the Maccys you waited at, I'd have gladly popped over with a pump and some refreshments if I'd have known. Hope you got home safely and in one piece in the end.

[RichardK]

Definitely a keeper. It's got £360 worth of new Continentals on. Big improvement! It's also getting more polish, waxoiling and  er... I've been cleaning the little gaps and forgotten corners with a brush. It's weeping waxoil out of the bonnet all the time,  so I think I got the seams done okay.

[RichardK]

Too much of this week has been spent sitting in Lilith in pissing rain, frankly!

Because someone's off on travels...

Cleans up nice though...

[RichardK]

A familiar sight in the storm:

[RichardK]

Preparing for a weekend at home mostly:

That's how much I like my PT Cruiser.

Also more grandma house clearance things - this might amuse people:

That car was only five, six years old. Look at the paint and rear arch... it was gone by 1985, 9 years.

[gadgetgricey]

Sorry for slight thread hijack. Planning on taking Boris off road end of the month to get few things sorted over Winter, so thought would put him in for MOT to see if anything else needed doing.

He's only gone and passed. Few advisories I was already aware of, so well chuffed.

Thanks again @RichardK

[RichardK]

10 hours ago, gadgetgricey said:

Sorry for slight thread hijack. Planning on taking Boris off road end of the month to get few things sorted over Winter, so thought would put him in for MOT to see if anything else needed doing.

He's only gone and passed. Few advisories I was already aware of, so well chuffed.

Thanks again @RichardK

This makes me very happy - I didn't think Boris was a bad one, I just felt that for me it was economically (and mentally economically) a better deal to buy the low mileage one I was offered rather than spending on the black one. Given the difference new tyres made to Lilith, I suspect Boris would be transformed with some and an alignment.

Not entirely sure I made the right choice, but it'll be better if the plate roffle happens...

(Which I have dropped to a tenner a go now).

[RichardK]

Landlord stress, post-surgery focus and a bit of depression fading away, plus a useful offer of inheritance in advance, means seeing a different path ahead.

So to have these mysterious "savings" suddenly provides a bigger picture and the cars get a reshuffle.

Two Mazdas gone. Now I have one car! And it's a PT Cruiser...

[RichardK]

I can stop anytime. I'm in control. I just enjoy a bit of WD40 and mild peril now and again. I'm not an addict.

Am I?

Pre-collection fred.

So Grandma is ill. She's lived in the same place since 1952 and you may remember my offering her stove after house clearance, her sister lives next to her old house and had a car on the drive.

It turns out the car was not wanted on her drive.

So while visiting Grandma in hospital, I stopped at Morrissons to get sweets she likes and scour the Hot Wheels, but I came back with five cars, not four.

One of them is 1:1 scale - and hasn't moved for six months or so, has a flat battery, so before arranging transport I'm taking advantage of a dry, bright day to get it prepped and checked.

Load up the ST.

Vital fluids:

Upside-down vital fluids (for organic being).

Halfords for a battery - an 063. Before you get excited that this is a clue, it's for the Spitfire "in the future" but it'll do to wake this one up...

[gadgetgricey]

If I'm right. Saloon or Estate. Hopefully a diesel Auto.
Watches thread with interest.

Spoiler

With that key Rover 75??

 

[RichardK]

Well, it seems promising, though I can taste coolant in the air...

[RichardK]

Hmmmmm

 

[RichardK]

I think coolant pressure cap - notorious failure on these IIRC.

 

[Fat_Pirate]

MG ZT?  Silver bit above the new-fangled wireless was a clue.

[RichardK]

But that aside I think it's all systems go.

[High Jetter]

Oof, that looks nice!

[RichardK]

Well, it's mine now - will I regret my choices? Probably not given the stainless steel fat exhaust on it...

[hairnet]

kettle tastic

that st tho wtf

 

[eddyramrod]

Wait a minute, that was Grandma's?  Who is your Grandma?  Pat Moss-Carlsson???  Good save anyway

[timolloyd]

45 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

Wait a minute, that was Grandma's?  Who is your Grandma?  Pat Moss-Carlsson???  Good save anyway

 

[RichardK]

2 hours ago, eddyramrod said:

Wait a minute, that was Grandma's?  Who is your Grandma?  Pat Moss-Carlsson???  Good save anyway

It's a long story, but no, my grandma's sister doesn't drive, her son's responsible for it being at her house, but he didn't want it there either...

Anyway, since it started I insured it.  eSure being weird and oddly expensive so it's with Moja. Which is Axa. No idea if it's good, it was cheap!

Test drive:

Pondered for a while and decided to take it home and go back for the Ford rather than driving an unknown turbocharged kettle in Monday traffic...

Seemed fine, glitches so far: I had a full set of headlights but OSF dipped failed. Hence the foglights. I may have a brake pad warning or brake fluid light. Mirrors wouldn't adjust but lots of poking the switch on the A1 work them up (power fold works). Drivers door needs key to unlock. Sun blind is stuck up. Hesitation/fuel starvation when foot down but it's improving, maybe a duff boost regulator or something but also it has a gold coloured electronic box cable tied to the fan, and a weird three pipe metal junction with a wire on not commected to owt - with a more production-ey version of the same in the same area.  Maybe a boost mod or something. Cupholders are shit.

Can't set the clock because non-original radio, but the steering wheel controls work (as does the radio's CarPlay).

Boot full of new suspension bush and service parts (no coolant cap, boo) and also water. Soggy parts. Soggy fibreboard. Soggy boot trim. Poor car.

Sad bit. I will Kurust for now.

Also "yeah more cars?" - be careful what you wish for.

Lilith is already cursed. But this. This was STAMPED with the number of the beast.

So I had nicknamed it the Black Beast of Costcutter, but I can't do that to a black clad Brummie.

It's called Ozzy.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

That's an attractive old lass. I like the way the blue just shows through the front wheel spokes- a subtle reminder that the ZT was a right goer. The car equivalent of showing a bit of cleavage 😅

[RichardK]

Just now, Dick Longbridge said:

That's an attractive old lass. I like the way the blue just shows through the front wheel spokes- a subtle reminder that the ZT was a right goer. The car equivalent of showing a bit of cleavage 😅

Given it's below the waist line at this age that's more likely a varicose vein. Or a support stocking...

It looks like a car that's lived outdoors for six months over winter. But the brakes didn't bind, the engine didn't overheat, the clutch didn't stick (it did squeak). I wonder if the towbar is any use...

To be fair while a bit underpowered and pedestrian next to the ST, it's quite capable of pulling itself down a bendy Fens corrugated road very well and that's on knackered suspension and shit tyres at a "I'll stick 30psi in" level of fucks given, I'm quite impressed.

[RichardK]

Empty the boot -  some spares in it. Silicone hose set would look nice installed. Dry it out is job 1. New tail light seals needed? Need to do some googling.

The boot floor fibreboard is wrecked 😕

Needs the headlights polishing, but I've done that before.

[RichardK]

Also I'm looking very askance at that colour inside the boot and rear seat floor compared to the black exterior. Is that just "because MGR" or does this car have STORIES?

[RichardK]

This is a MAC boost controller.

I have a suspicion this car may have maps other than the navigation.

[RichardK]

Spoke to previous owner.

Yes. This is going to be a lot of fun when I've got a new coolant cap on and checked that wiring to the boost controller...

How do you deal with scratched side windows? Thick waxes help or just replace the lot?

[gadgetgricey]

22 hours ago, RichardK said:

But also it has a gold coloured electronic box cable tied to the fan, 

More than likely one of these.

https://www.dmgrs.co.uk/products/rover-75-mg-zt-gold-resistor-2-speed-fan-upgrade-repairs-pgj000110

Common fix for them. Now you just need the handbrake compensator and you are all sorted

Car looks great by the way.

[RichardK]

Here it was in 2018 - my, how car prices have changed! I'm not going to sell it, I would contemplate swapping for a RWD Volvo estate, but I can't imagine anyone would want to do that.

It is growing on me when i look at it and consider which little fixes I will make

https://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=288664

[RichardK]

Testing: water in boot after jet wash? None. Roof grommets replaced. New coolant cap. Hoof it for traditional dinner. Revs well. Pulls well. Full tank of super and check for piddling...

Clutch feels like it needs a fluid change, tyres need pressure sorting, but you can feel the fundamental rightness of how it must have driven new.