Kiwi Kar Konundrums - Parky2 adventures so far

[hairnet]

14 hours ago, loserone said:

PHIT

 

I think you'll find it's not lavender though, it's

in nz its FUT @STUNO

[Parky]

Yeah well, it’s got the rimz, but I got the trimz...

 

 

Turd polishing.  Phase one Supacheap Auto wheeltrims obtained and fitted.  Phase two satin black will follow next week when back from a weekend away.

Junior had his first lesson with me in it tonight.  So much easier here than in Essex!  We have made it all the way up to 4th, a couple of tough changes and a stall or two but for a first effort it was solid. Plan is to get him capable of driving a car smoothly then hand him over to an instructor to engineer out my bad habits and get him up to passing standard before returning to school.

[STUNO]

Approval given ! Who needs fancy wheels when Supercheap have plastic circles.

[Parky]

Yeah it’s fun.  As stuff is expensive here i enjoy bargain hunting.  Not having Europe on the doorstep does limit options though but am enjoying it nonetheless.  

Remembered yesterday it hasn’t had a Cambelt for a while.  There is a Gates label under the bonnet so it has probably had one at some point but the lady I bought it from had owned it six years and confirmed she hadn’t had one done.  I am probably ok on mileage but definitely not on age so that’s on the list.  Might have a crack at that myself once my tools arrive from the uk.

But of course there are two types - 107 teeth or 109 teeth.  I think I have the former.  They are around £30 on auto doc and 90 bucks here for a standard Gates Timing belt kit so not much in it with postage

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Particularly enjoying the wind deflectors there.  Smashing.  Terrible colour.  14/10.

[dollywobbler]

Lovely colour! 

[Parky]

Got home from Wanaka and Queenstown and the Mitzi was waiting.  It’s definitely lavender.  But gave Junior another go over the fields.  He’s not bad at all, asking all the right questions such as “whose stupid idea was a manual box?”  Ultimately when we go electric the manual will be defunct anyway but if he can pass in the hard one, he can drive whatever he wants after.

I also yanked the handbrake up mid turn for his first 180.  Just shows you can take the boy out of Romford......

Anyway, back to Supacheap tomorrow for sundries and maybe new speakers.  See previous Romford comment

[Parky]

Noticed a bit of oil around the rocker cover and a crusty looking distributor cap.  Jesus they are expensive here so definitely ordering through Autodoc.  Suction cups are cheap though so may do some shite paintless dent removal tomorrow.  This’ll be good!
 

 

[Parky]

I know you lot are freezing and facing severe tiers so try to ignore the weather in the background.

More turd polishing has commenced with the purchase of primer and satin black.  I figured the wind deflectors looked shit - tortoishell isn’t a great look on anything other than sunglasses and cats so off they came....

Wipers looked shit too.  Off they came.  And the faded satin black bit on the door needed attention.  So....

Hanging like pirates in the sun

 

And these things.  Primer was fine, the gloss misbehaved and spattered loads so have had to do these a couple of times.  Not perfect, but it’s not tortoishell anymore.  

In the middle of all this Immigration NZ called to tell me my visa has been declined and the only way I can stay is if I can find an employer willing to sponsor me.  Having fretted about that for a couple of hours, most of which was spent on hold to Immigrations contact centre the guy called me back to say he had made a mistake and it’s all ok.  I believe the correct three letter acronym is FFS.

[Parky]

More...

Headlights looked shite so I got some Turtle Wax headlight restorer from Supacheap.  It was on special so why not.  This crazy concoction seems to work - see right versus left.  Happy with that.  
 

 

While the bonnet was up I noticed how the stiff bonnet release might be related to the dry mechanism - come on NZ, get lubed up - so I broke out my next Supacheap purchase.  Some grease...

I mean what the actual?  It’s minced up Smurfs.  It’s like some sort of Australian version of Soylent Green.  Whacked it all over the bonnet mechanism anyway where it proceeded to make absolutely no difference.  Hey ho.

Lets have a look about.  Hamfistery abounds.  Who breaks a bloody screenwash bottle?
 

Quite a powerhouse though.  I believe as many as 65 of the Kings horses reside within.  The oil around the distributor cap is coming from the rocker gasket.  The cap, rotor, and gasket are about £15 from Autodoc versus over $135 at Repco so an international parcel will be in the offing.  

Final wash up and give up as it’s too hot this afternoon.  Sunstroke was kicking in and I was hallucinating, like a sort of Mirage.  I could see a purple car that I had willingly bought with my own money.  Definitely going mad with the heat, I would never do anything like that

Oh....bollocks

[somewhatfoolish]

On 12/10/2020 at 8:27 PM, Parky said:

Yeah it’s fun.  As stuff is expensive here i enjoy bargain hunting.  Not having Europe on the doorstep does limit options though but am enjoying it nonetheless.  

Remembered yesterday it hasn’t had a Cambelt for a while.  There is a Gates label under the bonnet so it has probably had one at some point but the lady I bought it from had owned it six years and confirmed she hadn’t had one done.  I am probably ok on mileage but definitely not on age so that’s on the list.  Might have a crack at that myself once my tools arrive from the uk.

But of course there are two types - 107 teeth or 109 teeth.  I think I have the former.  They are around £30 on auto doc and 90 bucks here for a standard Gates Timing belt kit so not much in it with postage

Order both and return the unused one? Squirty oil will be better for the bonnet release than blue lard.

[Parky]

52 minutes ago, somewhatfoolish said:

Order both and return the unused one? Squirty oil will be better for the bonnet release than blue lard.

That’s the sensible thing to do.  I do wonder if it should have 109 but someone has forced on a 107 tooth belt in the past, I wouldn’t be surprised with an old car.  So many variants and possible options but discovered the water pump is independent of the Cambelt so that means I won’t necessarily have to do the pump at the same time.  There are two rocker baskets listed, different part numbers but look the same.  Maybe it’s thickness or material?  Might have to buy both again

And squirty oil is a sensible call.  I don’t have any but could trickle some engine oil over the mechanism and let that work its magic.

[dollywobbler]

Looking good. Good of immigration to ensure your digestive system is functioning correctly...

I'd get some hard wax on those headlamp lenses or NZ sun will have those cataracts back by the end of the week I suspect.

[Parky]

Yes agreed, it’s vicious.  And we live in a dusty area so driving at speed is like shotblasting the lenses.

Today I am going to get the door trims off, see about removing the wing mirrors prior to making them black rather than purple/lavender/violet.  I will also lube the electric window mechanism and locks as I expect they haven’t seen any oil or grease since leaving the factory in 1998.  It could also be a good time to try and push out the dent in the passenger door a bit.  What I need is my hub puller and a block of wood, I reckon with those I could Jerry rig something to force it out gradually.  Otherwise hot water, suction cups and hammers will be employed.

Digestive system is holding up.  Eating less shite if you disregard the many bags of green onion chips that find their way down my gullet!  

[Parky]

Well it’s been another busy day of “improvements”

Firstly the hub puller and wood block idea in conjunction with boiling water and suction cups was a total failure.   No matter, I will come up with something else another time.  But things did take place.  I removed the door trims and this happened

Shortly after the use of sandpaper, primer, and black spray paint we had this, black mirrors for the poverty spec look.  There can only be a handful of people in this world who would downgrade their cars and I bet they are all on here.  It looks awful close up but I think I will leave it to harden for a bit and see if some compound helps.  Or I might just sand it and add another topcoat to see if that works better.  The car looks much better at 20 yards though In my humble opinion....

I did find a brilliant previous bodge though.  The stereo was a bit pathetic and I suspected the front speakers might be struggling with the Sony Eardrum Xplod system that had been installed.  But when I removed the doortrim I discovered this!

 

Yes it appears somebody upgraded the system before by removing the 5.25 inch door speakers and replacing them with three inch speakers that seem to be from your Mums JVC radio cassette player she had in the kitchen.  In 1985.   I love the home made adapter plate though.  It’s actually nicely done!  Shame the 2w capacity of the speakers lets the side down.  Needless to say I am on the lookout for cheap 5.25 inch speakers now.

Cleaned the engine bay a little and lubed up a few more bits which were as dry as a bone.  The leaky rocker cover seems to be an accumulation of old split oil and dirt over many years so may not need a gasket after all.  I’ll keep an eye on it.  Overall I could make this little thing look pretty presentable.

Other news - our rental is ready to move into and my residence visa has been granted so I am semi kiwi now.  It means I can live and work here and in two years can get permanent residence.  It isn’t citizenship but it’s just a bit better.  Citizenship and Black passports can follow later.

[hairnet]

14 hours ago, Parky said:

 

 so I am semi kiwi now.

 

snortle

@Jon do you dream of shonk like thus?

*dreams

nice one bro on the visa said yes

 

 

[Parky]

Another day, another $20 win on TradeMe sees me taking possession of two nos Panasonic 6 inch speakers for the back of the car for added POWAH when listening to The Rock FM.  Despite fitting the fronts I had adjust the settings for the stereo but had no idea what any songs were.  Luckily Immigrant Song came on so I had a known sample to set the bass and treble to.  Much better.  That was followed by Parklife bizarrely.

Today saw attempt two with the hub puller and the door dent.  Needless to say I won’t be advertising myself as a paintless dent removal guy any time soon.  Best summarised as what was concave shalt become convex.  Hammers, filler, and a poorly matched aerosol seems to be the next option.

Met lots of new extended family members yesterday, all of whom knew the English guy had a  lilac car so they all knew me because of it.  I definitely need to paint it white or red.  Best option seems to be tractor enamel here but that only comes in tractor colours because rural......Case New Holland red might work?  This one isn’t that colour but it’s a red Mirage and I think it works nicely.  Ford blue could be good?  Or white?

[GrumpiusMaximus]

I think you keep the lilac but put a fluorescent green 'New Holland' sticker at a jaunty angle down the side.

[Parky]

Get a shopping list on the front wing - Hovis, Ovaltine, Lidl and Special Brew.....

[hairnet]

4 hours ago, Parky said:

Get a shopping list on the front wing - Hovis, Ovaltine, Lidl and Special Brew.....

l and p

whittakers

hangi

kiwi wine

hokey pokey

[Parky]

Ha, yeah much more like it!  Or maybe 

The Warehouse

Smiths City

Pak N Save

Hellers Meats

I couldn’t do Motorsport with Whittaker’s as a sponsor.  I’d gain 10 stone and refuse to race because I was half way through an Almond Slab....

Next improvement plan is underway.  A piece of 900mm by 1800mm thick MDF has been purchased with a view to making a new boot floor.  The existing one is thin 3 ply glued to the back of the worlds thinnest carpet and years of abuse and damp are seeing it fall apart,  plan is to make a template up, cut it to shape, and glue on something more luxurious (probably some offcut MIL has in the shed, or I might see if a remnant place has something in black).  Should be straightforward enough if I can get a jigsaw off someone for half an hour.  I might even design in a hatch so access to the spare wheel well can be achieved by lifting up a panel rather than the whole carpet.  Little string and hook to hold it up.  Receptacle for jack and wheelbrace, shotgun, etc.

Also needs new wiper blades badly.  Mrs P’s car needs new ones too and even with postage it’s cheaper to get them from the UK so will order those later.  Bosch Aerotwins for hers, any old cheap stuff for mine.

[PhilA]

I had a metallic purple marker pen that color when I was younger, the kind that you'd press the nib in and it would then promptly leak everywhere.

Carry on

[Parky]

You still got it?  Might be handy for touching up scratches.

[PhilA]

46 minutes ago, Parky said:

You still got it?  Might be handy for touching up scratches.

I don't think so.

I was younger about 35 years ago...

[hairnet]

about

 

[Parky]

Bosch Aerotwins all round for a Suzuki Swift, and Lucas aero whatnots for a Mitsubishi Colt sees the fleet equipped with new wiper blades for £42.  That’s a lot cheaper than domestic even factoring in the postage.  Sure it will take a fortnight to get here but that’s ok

In other news I made a new boot floor but it wouldn’t fit as I failed to allow for the fact the apertures involved are not large.  However a frustrated attack with a small saw removed enough material to go in.  That said it was tight so I really need to shave a few mil off it before thinking about glueing carpet or Lino to it.  There are pics but I have consumed a frightening amount of Gin for a teetoller (NYE started with domestic which continues!) so it may have to wait until tomorrow.   In the meantime if anyone fancies a fight, I am very open to pugilism.  You fucking want some?

[Parky]

Nowt to report on the Mitsi but yesterday saw the “Wings and Wheels” festival in Oxford up the road from my house.  I didn’t even realise there was an airfield there.  Anyway, some sights for your delectation.....

The Austin was my favourite.  Made the same day I was born!

[Parky]

More loveliness,  yes, more Austin I’m afraid,  in the same family from new, three generations learned to drive in it,  the owner (Glenn) was sound as, drives it weekly.  All he did was t-cut it before the show.  Magnificent!

The white Cortina was minty mint and won car of the show.  For me the Austin, the Alpine or the Yellow Nissan were the true winners of this.  Although the blue Torana.....and the Fairmonts.....oh, and the Zephyr in Autoshite colours......

Lots or yank stuff, it was like living in @eddyramrodfantasies!

[Parky]

[Pieman]

23 minutes ago, Parky said:

 

 

What are those, other than pure sex on wheels?