Ben's Adventures In Tat - Further* Education Edition

[Skizzer]

26 minutes ago, MisterH said:

So, I have been thinking about my goal cars for this year

The Isuzu Piazza Turbo is still top, followed by the Vauxhall Cavalier SRi

However a new challenger has taken 3rd place (basically flights of fancy)

Does anyone know anything about the Vauxhall VX4/90 FD/FE? I love the way they look with their british muscle car vibes, yet I have heard stories, and of course they are rare, probably for a reason...

What you want is a nice 2300S, which is basically the same but with one less carb to worry about.

Like this one, which I bought from @Angrydicky a few years ago.

 

It’s the only car I’ve ever known @dollywobbler do a HubNut review of and not have a good word to say about it. But I think that’s overly harsh: it’s noisy and unsophisticated and needs an overdrive box (which you can have with a VX4/90) but it’s got lots of torque and grip, has bags of 1970s mid-Atlantic cool and is actually rather fun to drive as long as you throw it around like Bodie and Doyle are after you.

They rust but no worse than anything else from that era. There’s not much else to go wrong.

I will sell mine at some point. I have a spare overdrive gearbox for it that I’m unlikely to get around to fitting. Talk to me if interested.

[MisterH]

13 minutes ago, Skizzer said:

What you want is a nice 2300S, which is basically the same but with one less carb to worry about.

Like this one, which I bought from @Angrydicky a few years ago.

 

It’s the only car I’ve ever known @dollywobbler do a HubNut review of and not have a good word to say about it. But I think that’s overly harsh: it’s noisy and unsophisticated and needs an overdrive box (which you can have with a VX4/90) but it’s got lots of torque and grip, has bags of 1970s mid-Atlantic cool and is actually rather fun to drive as long as you throw it around like Bodie and Doyle are after you.

They rust but no worse than anything else from that era. There’s not much else to go wrong.

I will sell mine at some point. I have a spare overdrive gearbox for it that I’m unlikely to get around to fitting. Talk to me if interested.

Thanks for the advice, they do strike me as less obvious than a Granada. Yes an overdrive box would be fun to have. Thanks for the offer though I think I may pass on it, we don't have enough space and it may have to be kept outside, it is clearly too good to risk ruining

 

This here is the dream spec for me, I can't quite make up my mind if I prefer the FE over this, I am sure somewhere I saw a coupe version but that is getting speculative, was in the murky depths of the far reaches of google images, all sorts of strange things to be found there...

Also I see your collection is very well stocked, how do I add my cars to my post signature? I haven't been able to find out how to do it!

[Skizzer]

Can’t blame me for trying 😉

I certainly wouldn’t argue with your dream spec. FDs are very handsome things.

 

Re the signature, I think you may have to be on a desktop to edit it - I can’t find it on mobile. If you choose account settings from the drop down by your name at the top right on the desktop version,  ‘Signature’ is on the menu on the left of the page that comes up.

Edit: found it on mobile. Menu at top right, choose Account > Account settings. There’s an easy to miss box on that page marked ‘settings area’ — click on that and ‘signature’ is in there.

[MisterH]

10 minutes ago, Skizzer said:

Can’t blame me for trying 😉

I certainly wouldn’t argue with your dream spec. FDs are very handsome things.

 

Re the signature, I think you may have to be on a desktop to edit it - I can’t find it on mobile. If you choose account settings from the drop down by your name at the top right on the desktop version,  ‘Signature’ is on the menu on the left of the page that comes up.

Edit: found it on mobile. Menu at top right, choose Account > Account settings. There’s an easy to miss box on that page marked ‘settings area’ — click on that and ‘signature’ is in there.

Thanks got it working now, only use desktop.

Haha nothing wrong with a punt, trouble is all our work has to be carried out on the drive, so my cars must conform to a "good enough to be presentable, not too good to enjoy" margin😂

[MisterH]

Well it has been an eventful few months in the field of Tat.

The Rover is proving stubborn to move on, and it is starting to drive me up the wall, especially as it means I have missed out on some vehicles that I really wanted, such as a couple of Audi 90 quattros 

The Volvo has had a big time. It went down to the haynes museum, suffering a stroke on the way back which needed a new CEM module being fitted, but it was fixed in time for my end of school functions and an article being written in the first issue of Classic.Retro.Modern.

Next however came the big news.

after some scheming with @Skizzerwe decided to do a twin test of my 480 against his Aerodeck, and a very fun day ensued, I will let him link the video in his thread, but I can provide some stills

After that my Triumph 2500S owning friend asked if I fancied a run down to Christchurch to a classic meet, I did and so we went in a strange convoy across the new forest, eventually ending up at Sandbanks

 

Of course on the way back while trying to navigate out of Poole the O/S indicator decided to stop working, which was fun🙄

But overall a very productive few months of Tatting 

 

[Crackers]

1 hour ago, MisterH said:

Tat

^Excellent post above.

The 480 and Honda look absolutely perfect next to each other, top work. Nice one on getting into the mag too.

[Skizzer]

I haven’t been on here for a while so missed this - the article in Classic.Retro.Modern is very good indeed, as is the rest of the magazine.

Here’s the film in case anyone is interested and hasn’t seen it.

It was a great day, lovely scenery and some cracking location scouting by Ben.

I’ve always liked the looks of the 480 and was mildly concerned about the risks of meeting your heroes, but actually it’s a really likeable car and Ben’s is a particularly fine example. Huge thanks for letting me play with it.

[Crackers]

On 06/07/2021 at 17:40, MisterH said:

some vehicles that I really wanted, such as a couple of Audi 90 quattros

Don't know if it's of interest to you, but I know of someone considering selling a B2 80 Quattro 2.2, it wants a bit of tidying up and it will not be cheap because there's about 6 2.2s on the road currently and have you seen how much they sell for nowadays! 

He is strongly considering parting with it though. I can ask a few questions if you're interested? 

[MisterH]

3 hours ago, Crackers said:

Don't know if it's of interest to you, but I know of someone considering selling a B2 80 Quattro 2.2, it wants a bit of tidying up and it will not be cheap because there's about 6 2.2s on the road currently and have you seen how much they sell for nowadays! 

He is strongly considering parting with it though. I can ask a few questions if you're interested? 

I think this calls for a PM...

[rob88h]

Some lovely 480 content here, I'm really missing mine (that was always inevitable).

However, my interest in the Aerodeck has elevated more than I expected as a result of the above. Probably more FOMO than anything objective. Side by side I'd not be able to choose which to have. I'm not sure I've ever seen one for sale mind, so that's a crisis I'll probably never have to deal with!

[Stanky]

Just sat reading classic.retro.modern and got to your article, I was sitting here thinking 'ive seen that somewhere before' 

Really good article, and great pics!

[MisterH]

Bloomin' Eck, it has been a very long time since I contributed to this thread, where do I start?

Well not long after the last update, I did a shoot with @Skizzer about my erstwhile Rover 220GSi. He was trying to bite my hand off for it but in the end sense* prevailed and he decided to focus on his existing collection...

Then not long after that we took the quattro to Silverstone qualifying as guests of the MIA. It was a great day out and after meeting its designer, Frank Stephenson and hearing about how he designed the MINI I am quite happy to call the R50 generation the true successor to the Mini, he certainly took great care in achieving what his vision saw. Also offered some interesting insights into the atmosphere at Longbridge. 

However, on the way home, calamity! The quattro decided it wanted the Audi 80 GLS experience and played at being a 4 cylinder, limping home down the A34 with a car that felt like it was shaking to bits and about to catch fire was certainly interesting, but JACK FM lifted my spirits as it is always a treat to hear Paul Darrow on the airwaves, especially now the frequency on the South Coast is flooded by GHR. 

After doing leads, plugs, and now the dizzy cap, with no difference, our next port of call is the witchcraft of fuel injection systems...

Not long afterwards I had a ShiteMeet down in Amberley where I was finally able to put some faces to names, many thanks to @dozeydustmanfor organising the meet.

 I was able to make it back in time for a family friend's party. However after a good couple of hours blasting around the South Downs on some of the best roads in the South, the clutch on the Volvo decided it liked the bulkhead a bit too much, and pulled itself through the metal, quite literally just as I pulled into my drive. 

But we were able to make a brilliant fix, and in early September I displayed the Volvo at the Forgotten Favourites event at the Beaulieu Autojumble, and it garnered a bit of interest too.

However it was on this trip where the alternator went on permanent strike, which meant that I quickly had to change my plans...

This was because I was due to go to my first Festival. I know I am 18 and many people my age have long since ticked that one off, however anyone who drives a leaky Franco-Dutch wedge with a strange affection to it is not going to conform to any stereotype.

And so it was that for its swansong in my ownership, my venerable Rover 220 Twin Cam took me and 3 friends to an Festival, not the Pride of Longbridge, but the one they hold on the Isle of Wight, so technically my first overseas trip...

The car did us proud and while finding the battery isolator in the dark having walked 15 miles back to the car was fun*, my BMW-acolyte of a friend was suitably impressed with it, a real achievement given heated seats are a prerequisite for him (he has escaped the Affliction). The Music was great too.

 

With that and the Volvo fixed things seemed to settle down, but out of nowhere someone viewing Skizzer's video got in touch asking about the Rover. They duly came down and had a look. They turned out to be Citroen BX and Bus enthusiasts, who decided a Rover Hot Hatch was what they wanted. They were very happy with the condition, and so a deal was done and it was off to Gloucester for a new chapter. This closed the book on a very formative part of my motoring life, and life in general. 

With a bit of cash on tap I was galled to realise that it was not enough to bag an Audi 80 B2 or an Isuzu Piazza, as I had been hoping for. I quickly decided that a bag-o-bits Celica GT4 ST165 was a bad idea, and commited myself to the idea of a 5 cylinder Audi quattro saloon. 

Nothing much happened until we bought my mother a Nissan 370Z Nismo for her birthday (future Shite anyone?) which actually turned out to be a really nice car (from 2015? *Gasp*) 

Then, today, I made a brash decision to buy an Audi 80 Sport.

Went up to Didcot to view it, C928 LHK has long since lurked on the internet since at least 2014, and once looked like this:

And now looks like this:

In spite of having a few issues with the way it runs, and missing the hard to get side trim 🤬 it's actually alright, and will make a good base for a useable car. 

My aim is to get it looking back to how it was, and mend its issues. I am fairly sure the resprayed colour is in the wrong shade, which could be problematic, but we will see. 

I know it isn't the quattro, but it is a very useable, and very liquefiable car so unlike the Rover I don't feel tied down to it. But for now, I am itching to get it looking like it should again and get some #ColdWarVibes. I don't think any teenager has ever used that before, probably because I am unique* 

But that just about brings everything up to speed I think, a mammoth update, but I have been slacking with my Shite posts recently, the Ebay Tat thread is all consuming...

 

 

 

[Dyslexic Viking]

It's great that there's another B2 coming here. Is this originally blue? Because if it is, then it must be rare. And I have no knowledge of this model what engine does it have?

[MisterH]

56 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

It's great that there's another B2 coming here. Is this originally blue? Because if it is, then it must be rare. And I have no knowledge of this model what engine does it have?

So as far as I can make out it is Oceanic blue, a rare shade usually used on quattros I think. The top picture is its original hue which seems lighter than the current one, which might just be fade (fingers crossed)

The guy painted it himself (he is a sprayer by trade) and the quality of the job is nice enough I am just not sure it is the right shade. The hue seems closer to Amazon Blue:

 

Although now I have seen the Ocean blue quattro, I think he might have got it right. 

My (soon to be) car is an Audi 80 sport. This was basically the Audi 80 with the Golf GTi engine (going full circle) and FWD. Apparently it was the fastest of the B2 80 range, as the quattros were weighed down by the drivetrain and where heavier. They came with Ronals as standard and optionally could have side stripes. It was known as the GTE on the continent

http://i.imgur.com/lUEwd.jpg

[Dyslexic Viking]

This sounds fantastic with that color and that engine I look forward to more pictures of it. And would assume that it is really fun to drive. I think even my 1.6 with carburetor goes well for what it is so I can imagine that the GTI engine would be fantastic.

[MisterH]

6 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

This sounds fantastic with that color and that engine I look forward to more pictures of it. And would assume that it is really fun to drive. I think even my 1.6 with carburetor goes well for what it is so I can imagine that the GTI engine would be fantastic.

Thank you! I am hoping it will be ok, I am most worried about the missing rubbing strips which seem very hard to get 

[Dyslexic Viking]

A facelift B2 parts car has actually come up for sale here. But I do not have the opportunity to pick it up it annoys me as I also think it had complete rubbing strips. But the condition of them I do not know. But could you find out what these are called in German, maybe you could find someone there?

[MisterH]

1 hour ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

A facelift B2 parts car has actually come up for sale here. But I do not have the opportunity to pick it up it annoys me as I also think it had complete rubbing strips. But the condition of them I do not know. But could you find out what these are called in German, maybe you could find someone there?

Yeah and they changed for the final facelift too, so would need to be a late 84-86 car to be right. I am not entirely sure what to call them in English! 🤣

[MisterH]

 

 

Well I wasn't expecting such a prompt update, but it seems myself, the Volvo and the quattro are on the front lines of internet car culture...

Slightly nervous about my accent, but the response has been tremendous. I hope it can get young people into classics more

[Dyslexic Viking]

I saw it a few hours ago and recognize your cars right away. It was fun to watch! And you did very well I would have been terrified if I were interviewed like this.

[MisterH]

27 minutes ago, Dyslexic Viking said:

I saw it a few hours ago and recognize your cars right away. It was fun to watch! And you did very well I would have been terrified if I were interviewed like this.

I think the interviewer was a bit frightened too!

 

[MisterH]

Well today was the day, I finally brought my new acquisition home from Oxford. My father was at the wheel for most of it, but I got a chance to crack my B2 egg. It is an eccentric driving position, with pedals situated high up and to the right, but the lack of PAS wasn't as much of a problem as I imagine it is with the B3, as it is quite light still. In terms of how it is running, the engine is probably overcooling due to a duff thermostat, and this could be causing it to run lumpy too. I am also thinking of getting some fuel injector cleaner too to get those happy again. Inside it is quite dirty, and the Sunroof needs fixing, not sure why it is broken either, but will find out. It has a nasty Pioneer radio unit in there from the 2010s, which will need replacing, and I will need to redrill the hole for the aerial.  The biggest issue aside from the engine issues is the fact that it only has one sidelight functional, and the indicators are rubbish (pressing the brake stops the DSR one from working, otherwise is very faint. And of course the weather is freezing at the moment so it's difficult to work on outside (I have no garage) (can anyone recommend proper workshop gloves that keep your hands warm as well as clean?) 

Externally the paint is gorgeous, but some of the decals are missing, no big problem as they are available on the Bay, but the side trim will be a bigger issue however, as while it does look cleaner without them on, it isn't correct, so they need to be sourced. As for the white 15s, they have grown on me so will be keeping them, but one of my first jobs is getting the 14s clad in good rubber and putting those on, as they are the originals, however the 15s will be there for a sunny day. 

 

But for now, I'm just happy to have this car in my life, and I hope and I pray that it won't get nicked 🤞

 

[Snake Charmer]

I always liked those 80 Sports. What injection system does it have? The low coolant temperature may be causing a rich mixture.

[MisterH]

1 minute ago, Snake Charmer said:

I always liked those 80 Sports. What injection system does it have? The low coolant temperature may be causing a rich mixture.

I'm guessing its a K-Jet system like our quattro, the thermostat fault is probably causing it to set the mixture wrong, it happened with the Rover when we first got that

 

[MisterH]

Well we have had some interesting times with the fleet as of late. 

Firstly, the ur-quattro heirloom has gone to our mechanic friend to have a look at, as not even some Jonny Smith TV magic could get it to run sweet, so it's now a question of giving it to someone more competent than ourselves...

As for the 80 Sport, we got round to changing the thermostat and well...

The Tetanus Tonic that was being used for coolant obviously wouldn't do, and the current thermostat looked like it had been manhandled into position

So we bunged a new one in, and suddenly the car cooled properly again and for the first time in my ownership ran warmly, which was nice.

Now the next challenge is to get this gorgeous radio I got for Christmas

To talk to the mess that lurks in my centre console...

Oh, and I have no dashboard illumination which, in combination of misaligned headlights, makes driving in the dark very fun*

 

[3VOM]

28 minutes ago, MisterH said:

To talk to the mess that lurks in my centre console...

 

That's doing my head in.

Especially the yellow in the socket going to a blue wire. Unless you have an amp or electric aerial you don't need the blue in the socket. The usual part that causes problems are the red and yellow being the wrong way round in the original manufacturer's wiring.

[MisterH]

56 minutes ago, 3VOM said:

That's doing my head in.

Especially the yellow in the socket going to a blue wire. Unless you have an amp or electric aerial you don't need the blue in the socket. The usual part that causes problems are the red and yellow being the wrong way round in the original manufacturer's wiring.

Unfortunately this is a modern thing that has been stuck in about 2010 ish when the new radio unit was put in presumably, however that guide there is fantastic, most useful thing I have found as I can now see what each is meant to be, might those colours be different than the ones in the 1980s? Thank you tho  

[3VOM]

15 minutes ago, MisterH said:

 might those colours be different than the ones in the 1980s?

I honestly don't know when the standard came in. I would suspect manufacturers would would be more likely to deviate with the speaker wiring than the power connector. If you look at it, a radio without electric memory would work on two wires.

It appears the person who wired that previously only had a roll of green wire. Do you actually have front and rear speakers?

[MisterH]

9 minutes ago, 3VOM said:

I honestly don't know when the standard came in. I would suspect manufacturers would would be more likely to deviate with the speaker wiring than the power connector. If you look at it, a radio without electric memory would work on two wires.

It appears the person who wired that previously only had a roll of green wire. Do you actually have front and rear speakers?

I seem to, I know the rears are upgraded ones and the OEM fronts work as far as I can tell...

[Dyslexic Viking]

This is a really nice radio/ head unit! And pity about the wires, mine is like that too frustrating.