The grumpy thread

[SiC]

I think those Union flag rear lights on some Minis are pretty snazzy. Made me smile when I first saw them. No idea why they would upset anyone.

I have passed the thought of painting my 1100 white and having a vinyl Union Jack on the roof. Wife is a bit meh about it and I'm not sure if it'll look a bit BNP-ish.

 

Could work or could look awful. Probably just have everyone say "That's a cool Mini, mister".

[cobblers]

I agree with your wife.

[chaseracer]

Are these unreasonable things to ask for? 

 

No.

[SiC]

I agree with your wife.

She's taken charge of painting it, so it'll probably be her final decision.

 

Our current thoughts are to get out the foam rollers and paint tins. Her attitude is that painting a metal radiator with more complex curves comes out half decent, so why not a car? I tend to agree.

 

Interwebs say that rustoleum does a half decent job, but marine paint is much better to work with and go on. Going for lighter colours help show less imperfections in the paint too apparently. Also fits the 1970s restoration vibe too.

 

Given the state of the paint on it, anything is better than what it is now. Even a can of Dulux dribbled over it - which is where my painting skills max out as. Luckily she has far more painting skills and if she thinks she can do a good job then it's all hers. Plus anything getting her involved in its restoration is good and more likely to accept it into the family!

[chaseracer]

Our current thoughts are to get out the foam rollers and paint tins. Her attitude is that painting a metal radiator with more complex curves comes out half decent, so why not a car? I tend to agree.

 

I've been thinking about repainting the 205 in this way...

[Lankytim]

Isn’t the Mini built in Oxford? It’s a clever bit of marketing, that’s all.

[dollywobbler]

Isn’t the Mini built in Oxford? It’s a clever bit of marketing, that’s all.

 

Yes, but it somehow looks like a bloated German toad. A Nissan QashQai is more British.

[SiC]

I've been thinking about repainting the 205 in this way...

Best tricks for good finish seems to be reducing bubbles and thinning the paint to improve flow. Reducing the bubbles can be done by folding the paint over rather than shaking the can. Same when mixing in thinner - folding over rather than stirring. I've also seen someone using a hairdryer in one hand when rolling with the other, which apparently works well.

 

Quite a lot of info around if you Google "$50 dollar Rustoleum paintjob". Especially in regards painting old school busses, RV and the like.

[New POD]

Isn’t the Mini built in Oxford? It’s a clever bit of marketing, that’s all.

Some minis are assembled in Oxford. Some other parts are assembled in Hams hall and Swindon (the bmw production triangle).

Lots of other bits come from across the. globe and some Binis are assembled outside of the UK.

[Timewaster]

Imagine the outcry if Reliant had bought the Trabant factory, did a re-design tripling size and incorporating 'snazzy' tail lamp assemblies in the shape of a rotating Swastika.

Not quite the same thing. I don't think Germany is full of tourist souvenir stands selling swastika umbrellas and tee shirts in quite the way we use the union Jack.

[DodgeRover]

Yesterday I found that internet and phone are down at work. You are supposed to use an app to diagnose the fault yourself these days but without internet how do you download the app if you are in the middle of nowhere with a gash mobile signal?, so those of you who know my fondness* for technology can already imagine my temper at this point.

After humpfing up to the top of the tower and waving the phone in the air I finally got the app, and trudged back down to where the modem is where after 5 minutes of "tests in progress, please wait" it said it didnt know what the fuck the problem was.

Brilliant.

I found a phone number which led to a menu system but rather than the usual "press one for sales, press two to speak to the canteen dinner ladies, press three for billing...." you have to talk to the robot woman who uses voice recognition to completely ignore what you want and connect you to some department that will be no use. So after going through various combinations of "technical problem", "faulty line", "internet doesnt work" and so on, and getting replies like "we will connect you to online banking" and "you want to change your offer? we will connect you to sales..." it turns out that screaming "fucking cunt" at your telephone loud enough to hurt your own throat seems to transfer you to a person.

A few minutes later and the diagnosis is apparently a line fault somewhere in the area and it will be fixed sometime in the next three weeks. U FUKKIN WOT M8? Three weeks? They said as a goodwill gesture they would loan an "airbox" to access internet via 3g/4g, which is fuck-all use when the signal doesnt really work indoors, but whatever, maybe I can wedge it on a windowsill or something. Unfortunately this has to be collected from the nearest Orange shop which is a 40 minute drive away, so I braved the boiling heat and Saturday afternoon crowds to go into town.

You know those old-timey paintings of purgatory and the seven circles of hell and stuff like that full of people being ass-fucked by goat-headed demons and children being decapitated and folk disemboweling themselves? they are pretty much a realtime snapshot of the shopping centre on a Saturday afternoon on the first day of the summer holidays. I fought my way through the melee, into the Orange shop, waited fucking ages to get served, had the box thrust at me by the sour-faced slagbucket and fought my way back to the car, which had been keyed. Again.

This morning I fired up this magic box and connected to it, where it asked for the security key...ok, whats the key? I scoured the box, the booklet, every bit of paper there is, the bottom of the thing itself...tried every combination of numbers I could find all to no avail.

Luckily its Sunday and the shop will be closed as I would right now be standing in the Orange shop again making a scene, because I have just seen that the key is printed on the inside of the things battery cover. That would have been embarrassing.

 

Anyway, it doesnt work worth a fuck unless you hang out the kitchen window with it, so all for nowt.

How about wrapping it in a bin bag and taping it to a pole to secure it in the one location where it can get a signal?

[DodgeRover]

I have passed the thought of painting my 1100 white and having a vinyl Union Jack on the roof. Wife is a bit meh about it and I'm not sure if it'll look a bit BNP-ish.

 

Could work or could look awful. Probably just have everyone say "That's a cool Mini, mister".

Old English white and a black or racing green roof would suit it in my minds eye.

 

Union Jack is trying to hard to be something it's not - a mini.

Confuse folk by using a NZ or Australian flag, it's got the Union Jack as a part of it.

 

Coach enamel is the right paint for brushing or rollering, tractor paint - tractol is also good and can be mixed in RAL numbers for a specific shade.

[SiC]

Perhaps an EU flag would be appropriate? I'd probably have difficulty driving it to certain parts of the country mind. Would be great for raising eyebrows at shows though.

 

I am really going towards White. The ones I've seen look really good in it. Alternatively it's likely to be blue or red. More towards the blue side though. White roof, red body (strawberries and cream) I think might be quite good too.

[DodgeRover]

Perhaps an EU flag would be appropriate? I'd probably have difficulty driving it to certain parts of the country mind. Would be great for raising eyebrows at shows though.

 

I am really going towards White. The ones I've seen look really good in it. Alternatively it's likely to be blue or red. More towards the blue side though. White roof, red body (strawberries and cream) I think might be quite good too.

I would base the EU flag idea on where you live and the ease of availability of replacement windows....

 

Red with a gold roof and wheels would look nice.

[SiC]

In Bristol I'd get knickers, bras and flowers thrown at me. Down the road in North East Somerset (Jacob Rees-Mog constituency), the locals will be out with their pitchforks.

[chaseracer]

Old English white... racing green roof...

 

[stonedagain]

Painted an outside window frame this morning. Just been out to check it's drying ok. 14 million little black flies stuck all over it!

[Guest Hooli]

I've been working on-call since 11am & still awaiting an ETA on a new switch to get the last ward up & running. Bloody powercuts blowing things up in places we've not replaced the UPS yet

 

The money will be nice but I had a day of maintenance on my pushbike ready for next weekend planned. I got as far as buying the new inner tubes before my phone rung.

[Timewaster]

Facebook is full of pictures of "football fan" twats smashing things and stood on vehicles and generally giving the country a bad name, now I read of a lad with special needs and pretty defenceless getting beaten up in a nearby town.

 

I dispise people sometimes.

[Guest Hooli]

I've been working on-call since 11am & still awaiting an ETA on a new switch to get the last ward up & running. Bloody powercuts blowing things up in places we've not replaced the UPS yet

 

The money will be nice but I had a day of maintenance on my pushbike ready for next weekend planned. I got as far as buying the new inner tubes before my phone rung.

 

Just got an ETA on the parts, 2-3am & somehow it's the only switch in the building without 24/7 engineer support and they can't supply the right switch so looks like I'll trying to rewrite a config between yawns later....

[BorniteIdentity]

Yes, but it somehow looks like a bloated German toad. A Nissan QashQai is more British.

A QQ is about as English as mainstream cars get nowadays. Designed in London, R&D at Cranfield nr MK, Built in Sunlan.

 

It is truly one of the best success stories of the UK Car industry IMHO.

[vulgalour]

Roundabout Whinge #576

 

I've had 2 near misses on roundabouts this week.  First was while I was on the roundabout and someone came whizzing off the dual carriageway and just JOINED, without looking, then had to stop because oh look I'M THERE.  Second was today when someone decided that you use the right lane for going straight on and because I was in the left lane, that must mean I magically disappear when they want to exit so they just sort of cut across in front of me at the very last minute.

 

Worst of all, they weren't even the usual wankermobiles.  One was some wet tarmac coloured Vauxhall repmobile and the other a bright red giffer trolley of some sort.  Must have had the cloak deployed by accident, apparently I keep doing that.

[richardmorris]

Roundabout Whinge #576

 

I've had 2 near misses on roundabouts this week.  First was while I was on the roundabout and someone came whizzing off the dual carriageway and just JOINED, without looking, then had to stop because oh look I'M THERE.  Second was today when someone decided that you use the right lane for going straight on and because I was in the left lane, that must mean I magically disappear when they want to exit so they just sort of cut across in front of me at the very last minute.

 

Worst of all, they weren't even the usual wankermobiles.  One was some wet tarmac coloured Vauxhall repmobile and the other a bright red giffer trolley of some sort.  Must have had the cloak deployed by accident, apparently I keep doing that.

 

I seem to have the Klingon cloaking device on most of the time. Car or bicycle- it’s being in a lesser vehicle in these morons eyes that means you don’t exist.

[Timewaster]

A QQ is about as English as mainstream cars get nowadays. Designed in London, R&D at Cranfield nr MK, Built in Sunlan.

It is truly one of the best success stories of the UK Car industry IMHO.

Say what?

 

https://icdn-5.motor1.com/images/mgl/MbOl8/s3/chery-oferece-tiggo-automatico-por-r-599-mil-e-qq-por-299-mil-em-promocao.jpg

[Cavcraft]

Clearly it's the heat (not the amount of lager and vodka sunk yesterday) but f*ck me I'm struggling today. As regards those absolute dickheads jumping on ambulances and cars etc, please remember these twats are firmly in the tiny minority, fwiw I hope the get hammered in court and the morons on the ambulance should be refused medical care of any type until they've paid for the damage and a bit on top.

[Parky]

The various social media sources are currently sending the Police various names and address of the folk involved.

 

Apparently in one place, fans were harassing a police dog for being German! Branches of Ikea were used as adult soft play areas and obviously the ambulance incident happened too.

 

High jinks? No way, that’s criminal damage. Imagine what it will be like if we get knocked out by Croatia? Owing to the lack of obviously Croatian targets I can see anything or anyone remotely Eastern European being blamed sadly.

 

I remember Ian Hislop got his BMW smashed up after the 1990 semis owing to it “being German”. As always it’s the idiots ruining it for everyone. If only they had tried it over in Russia.....

[DodgeRover]

I imagine anybody harassing a trained police/ protection GSD would swiftly regret their actions, unfortunately the chances of them being removed from the gene pool are slim

[alcyonecorporation]

Time to get ruthless.

I'm sick of knackered old sheds kicking me in the wallet, and certain people not meeting their end of the bargain causing me to let others down. 

I hope no-one wants a Daihatsu Applause, because it's going in the frag if no-one wants it. 

[fordperv]

What the actual fuck harassing a dog for being German, I would love to see them be a guinea pig to show the dogs training I bet they would pee their little pants in fear with a beautiful GSD doing its job

[alcyonecorporation]

I'm going to channel my signature. Only way to crack on.