NEW SHITE!!!!

[dollywobbler]

2CV is getting plenty of use from me even though the heater is pathetic. Bond has been used recently, but I've been trying to keep it out of the salt. And now it won't go. BX has had a wash today as driving to Birmingham and back in it turned it into a black car with green stripes...There is a huge satisfaction in driving old stuff in the winter, but sometimes it's a real pain in the arse - witness the 'super steam up' conditions we've had in the east lately. I got home after a 25 mile journey and the BX's rear screen was still completely fogged up. And yes, the HRW was on.

[scruff]

There is a huge satisfaction in driving old stuff in the winter, but sometimes it's a real pain in the arse - witness the 'super steam up' conditions we've had in the east lately. I got home after a 25 mile journey and the BX's rear screen was still completely fogged up. And yes, the HRW was on.

HRW!!! I haven't even got a heater, I rely on the thermo-passage qualities of my 62bhp dizzler working it's little heart out. Mr Bo11ox. Well done to you, that's a great car and properly sorted now. Hope to see it around the bustling metropolis that is Peterborough

[Guest]

Hirst you were missed, I needed to smell Hai Karate to make it REALLY like Christmas.

Cheeky sod, it's Brut.

[Mr Lobster]

RESTECPAwesome, you must be well chuffed with that. Very impressed

[michiel]

Good work MrB. This pumping business, how often does one need to do that on old Austins? I love the styling and image (yes, really) but the hydraulics scare me...I managed a ten minute drive in the Florian today, it was cold but she started well after jamming the choke open with a small twig...

[Split_Pin]

Thats looking proper nice Mr_Bol, well done for sticking at it. This was definitely one of my 'most appreciated' cars when I was very young in the early 80's, after my dad gave me his old Dinky model of a series one version. Still have it too Its always good to know that you still get satisfaction from completing a re-commissioning and that the old car bug hasnt left you yet. Same thing happened to me today albeit on a much less grand scale.

[M'coli]

That's great to see. I'd hoped we'd get an update at some point. It looks really good, and I'm impressed with the 30+MPG!!!

[STUNO]

Top Work Boll. It's not too good to use. You will get to appreciate why I loved mine, regular London/Liverpool day trips were a pleasure

[barrett]

Do they really still sell Hai Karate? I have no idea what it smells like but i would love some..... (top tip Hirst, Brut now do deoderant! GR8 $ not having the 'lynx effect')apologies for massive o/t

[nigel bickle]

Excellent. There's another career out there for you Testes, if needed.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Got up at 4.30 am this morning and razzed the crab back to Peterborough. I lam loving it. Who needs an A4 TDi?

[Ratdat]

Got up at 4.30 am this morning and razzed the crab back to Peterborough. I lam loving it. Who needs an A4 TDi?

Superb

[garethj]

Good work Mr_B!What's it like to drive? I always thought that 70s BL stuff had heavy slow steering and was undergeared for motorway stuff. Having said that, even the dynamically challenged old snotters can be pleasant when you drive within their own style.

[Mash]

Good work Mr_B!What's it like to drive? I always thought that 70s BL stuff had heavy slow steering and was undergeared for motorway stuff. Having said that, even the dynamically challenged old snotters can be pleasant when you drive within their own style.

Not sure what a Crab is like but I was very impressed with the Maxi (gearbox aside of course ).Slightly bouncy ride but a good mile eater and excellent handling I thought.

[Lankytim]

The Allegro is great for motorway work. Dont forget they did have motorways in the old days too!

[garethj]

The Allegro is great for motorway work. Dont forget they did have motorways in the old days too!

I know that, but when I was 18 a mate had an Allegro and it seemed to be beating itself to pieces at anything more than 55mph. Another mate had a Marina (I obviously surrounded myself with tasteless friends ) and that was fine at 30mph in 4th but really harsh at 60+I must have got the impression that BL stuff was happy pottering around town but no good on the motorway. Old Vauxhalls seemed much better, right up until they introduced 16V engines they were nice and high geared so you could actually hear that Haircut 100 tape 8)But my judgement as a teenager may not have been great. See Joanne C and Haircut 100 for details

[Mr_Bo11ox]

The Crab is pretty good to drive I must say. Its not face-warpingly fast, I wouldnt fancy going much above 75 or so in it, but it sits very well at 65, which is about as fast as I normally go anyway (force of habit after 15 years of driving solid shite motors). I dont know what the gearing is but I think it must be a bit lower-geared than the wedge shape, which always amazed me how relaxed it was despite only having 4 speeds. It runs well and has power steering so is quite easy to manoeuvre in Morrisons car park. The gearchange is a little more obstructive than i remember them to be - I think it needs the remote thing dismantled and greased, though i tipped a bit of gear oil in it to free it up a bit which helped. Also the brakes need a much heftier shove than a modern motor, but they work well enough and pull it up square so you just have to get used to that. The best things about it are 1) the visibility is amazing, you sit quite upright and the thin pillars mean you have practically no blind spots, 2) the ride quality is marvellous, 'float-on-fluid' is right, even after 37 years! 3) The heater is very good and 4) you just have the feel of operating a machine - you have to help the gearchange a little, you can feel the clutch biting point, the brakes need a shove, the engine is quite vocal if you are not sympathetic with it - you have to bear all this stuff in mind, but if you do you can make pretty swift progress and its most rewarding. Its not a hard car to drive at all, you just have to work with it a bit more than you do with more modern stuff.I think the combination of greasy new WanKing Skidmaster 4's on the front and 20-yr old Michelin X's on the back is not the optimum combo for getting the best from the crab chassis, I know these are superb handlers from previous experience and this one doesnt seem as good as my rose-tinted history gegs suggest, I am gonna blame that on the tyres for the moment. Saying that I havent driven it on a dry road yet so maybe I oughta SHUDDUP till I can give it a proper test.

[Guest]

Got up at 4.30 am this morning and razzed the crab back to Peterborough. I lam loving it. Who needs an A4 TDi?

I love driving old cars over a long distance, especially when it's dark and quiet! I bet that was a lovely journey. Does it have a working radio though? Long car journeys aren't the same without strange local radio stations you can't usually get, with various Alan Partridge types doing the graveyard shift. Having said that, it probably wouldn't have taken that long for it to get light at this time of the year!In fact, that's a right idea - a week-long tour of the UK, entirely in the dark, in an old car. Pop into a Travelodge when it gets light and go to bed, then commence the next leg once the sun sets. Might do that - there'd be all these beautiful sights, you wouldn't be able to see them, but you'd have an idea that they were there. And all the plebs would be in bed so you wouldn't have to deal with them.

[michiel]

you just have the feel of operating a machine - you have to help the gearchange a little, you can feel the clutch biting point, the brakes need a shove, the engine is quite vocal if you are not sympathetic with it - you have to bear all this stuff in mind, but if you do you can make pretty swift progress and its most rewarding. Its not a hard car to drive at all, you just have to work with it a bit more than you do with more modern stuff.

That's what I love about old cars, plus you have to watch the other traffic a bit more - most people find that tiring I guess but I find it enjoyable.

 

Can I ask this again to anyone in the know?

 

This pumping business, how often does one need to do that on old Austins? I love the styling and image (yes, really) but the hydraulics scare me...

 

Merci!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Got up at 4.30 am this morning and razzed the crab back to Peterborough. I lam loving it. Who needs an A4 TDi?

I love driving old cars over a long distance, especially when it's dark and quiet! I bet that was a lovely journey. Does it have a working radio though? Long car journeys aren't the same without strange local radio stations you can't usually get, with various Alan Partridge types doing the graveyard shift. Having said that, it probably wouldn't have taken that long for it to get light at this time of the year!

No radio at all, no aerial, wires or speaker(s)! Theres a nice big oval hole in the top of the dash though for a SONY XPLOD '4 x 7 1/2' TREBLE WOOFERTRON MAX with flashing lights and free copy of Nuts magazine.The pumping carry-on should never need doing if all is well, however its probably prudent with these old BL shitters to expect it to need a top-up once a year or something. You can do that with a slightly-modified grease gun if theres no-one around you with a pump.

[Guest]

Car radio speaker 1970's BRITISH LEYLAND NEW 4.5x8.5"

 

One of these? Get it sorted man!

[michiel]

Thanks MrB!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

After praising the TDi-like reliability of the Crab, I jumped in it on Monday night, only for it to completely fail to start, and it has remained resolutely dead all week. I have fannied about with it in the works car park every night checking sparks, fuel etc, ignition set-up and last night took the carb off and took it home for a clean-up. I removed a load of crud from the bottom of the float chamber and lobbed it all back on in my lunch hour with some new home made weetabix-packet gaskets. It seems to be back in business, I will be interested to see if it is onoe of these cars that splutters to a halt every few days due to having a loat of rust and silt swilling about in the fuel tank though!

[FredTransit]

Sounds like you need a better/new fuel filter.....

[Ratdat]

After praising the TDi-like reliability of the Crab, I jumped in it on Monday night, only for it to completely fail to start, and it has remained resolutely dead all week. I have fannied about with it in the works car park every night checking sparks, fuel etc, ignition set-up and last night took the carb off and took it home for a clean-up. I removed a load of crud from the bottom of the float chamber and lobbed it all back on in my lunch hour with some new home made weetabix-packet gaskets. It seems to be back in business, I will be interested to see if it is onoe of these cars that splutters to a halt every few days due to having a loat of rust and silt swilling about in the fuel tank though!

I think I might have an old school glass bowl type fuel filter knocking about somewhere. I had a load of NOS ones. Be handy for seeing what crud comes through from the tank and of course you can take the bowl off an empty it if need be. Let me know if it'd be of any use and I'll have a rummage for one.

[vicsmith]

It`s certainly great to see this in use and I hope there is no repeat of the non-starting incident, however the Integra pic with it`s associated caption did make me wonder what position on the conveyor belt the Alpine occupies?Sorry, I know it`s a pain if someone asks about a car that`s been put to one side, but my curiosity has got the better of me this time.

[M'coli]

After praising the TDi-like reliability of the Crab, I jumped in it on Monday night, only for it to completely fail to start, and it has remained resolutely dead all week. I have fannied about with it in the works car park every night checking sparks, fuel etc, ignition set-up and last night took the carb off and took it home for a clean-up. I removed a load of crud from the bottom of the float chamber and lobbed it all back on in my lunch hour with some new home made weetabix-packet gaskets. It seems to be back in business, I will be interested to see if it is onoe of these cars that splutters to a halt every few days due to having a loat of rust and silt swilling about in the fuel tank though!

I think I might have an old school glass bowl type fuel filter knocking about somewhere. I had a load of NOS ones. Be handy for seeing what crud comes through from the tank and of course you can take the bowl off an empty it if need be. Let me know if it'd be of any use and I'll have a rummage for one.

Have a pair in-line, the first catches most of the stuff and the second catches the rest. I had this happen the first time I the Avenger out in '04, I was sat cleaning the carb at the side of the A1 at the Little Thief just before the A47 junction at Peterborough.

[Richard]

I got quite good at cleaning out the Avenger's carb. If you revved it too hard for too long it would pick up what looked like paint from the bottom of the tank.

[seth]

Sorry to hear of issues. Is it just a single SU or something else?

[nigel bickle]

I'd say thats fairly common on a rebuild like this.Lots of disposable filters- or Ratdats glass one should see you through.2-3 tankfuls should see it sorted