Tommy's A-series Misery - Mini Tinkering

[Tommyboy12]

We're not dead or asleep! Got to Inverness about 15 minutes ago and now laying on the hostel bed contemplating my life choices 😅

Montego is running fine but it is a bit tedious listening to it strain up every hill 😂

[grogee]

16 minutes ago, Tommyboy12 said:

We're not dead or asleep! Got to Inverness about 15 minutes ago and now laying on the hostel bed contemplating my life choices 😅

Montego is running fine but it is a bit tedious listening to it strain up every hill 😂

The achievement is the reward. Who else can say they drove a unique* 1300 Montego estate hundreds of miles in 2021? 

You'll be dining out on this in the future, mark my words. 

[fraser.innes.3]

I've done a few at the side of a residential road before now, but on the side of a motorway???

Never done a head gasket, but did change the clutch on my Renault 18 estate on the hard shoulder of the M25 circa 1987.
Lived in a house share, so all of my tools lived in the back of the car.
I knew it was on its way out, and was a job for the next weekend.
Luckily the engine was longitudinal.
I had changed a few clutches on these before.
Process was -
Drop coolant into black bin liner.
Remove radiator.
Remove engine to gearbox bolts.
Remove engine mount bolts
Using trolley jack to move engine forward.
Replace clutch.
Stick it all back together.
Took about an hour.
Plod were not happy, but I had used the emergency phone to get them to call national breakdown (remember them?), and was told it would be 3 hours before pickup, so my way was quicker.
I then had 3 different patrol cars turn up to check the progress of the nutter changing his clutch on the hard shoulder.
It did help that I used to service most of the cars for the Orpington police force, so did a bit of name dropping.
Oh to be 21 again

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[hairnet]

Crazy muthas

[Tommyboy12]

It's day two and were already on our way. Just stopping at a fuel station. Were up to 577 miles of our 1400 mile epic. Today's first stop is the breakdown site from last time...

 

[Tommyboy12]

We've made it to the previous breakdown spot in Clashnessie!

 

[hairnet]

11 hours ago, Tommyboy12 said:

We're not dead or asleep! Got to Inverness about 15 minutes ago and now laying on the hostel bed contemplating my life choices 😅

Montego is running fine but it is a bit tedious listening to it strain up every hill 😂

just beast it itll be fine - a series love it

[hairnet]

15 minutes ago, Tommyboy12 said:

We've made it to the previous breakdown spot in Clashnessie!

 

nice place to brekdoon

wait for the big yellow bus

carrying on this time is good

[Tommyboy12]

Kylesku Bridge!

[Isopon]

2 hours ago, Tommyboy12 said:

 

 

1 hour ago, Tommyboy12 said:

 

Calendar pictures?

[Tommyboy12]

If you want a few more calendar options...

[Sham]

The beautiful, glorious misery portrayed in those pictures is absolute perfection.

[Noel Tidybeard]

what is your approximate itinererary for waving horn blowing etc?

[Tommyboy12]

24 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

what is your approximate itinererary for waving horn blowing etc?

All being well we hit John O'Groats in about an hour. Then onto Wick for the evening. Then Sunday we have to get back home to Peterborough

[Tommyboy12]

John O'Groats? Completed it mate.

[doug]

Easy!

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[tooSavvy]

22 hours ago, Tommyboy12 said:

Wired in with a metal toggle switch that gets really hot when you switch it on...

Ha.... You should see my HRW switch >> it GLOWS

Chod Speed 😉

[Tommyboy12]

And so we arrive at the overnight stop in Wick. Our noble steed has completed 835 of the 1400 miles so far. Fuel consumption is about 40mpg again. There's oil being burnt on overrun but nothing too dramatic. Everything seems ok 🤞

It'll be nice to have a bit longer not in the car tonight! Last night was 8 hours in the hostel so this is a bit more of a rest. Tomorrow is a long day with 10 hours driving though!

[chodweaver]

Heroes!

[sharley17194]

Today was a good day but nice to be away from the scream of the A series. 

[M'coli]

Nice!  There's a smashing little honesty-box stall on the left just after the filling station in Brora if you fancy checking out if they have jams etc. for sale.

[grogee]

An incredible achievement, if only for the sheer pointlessness of it. Hats off sirs. May your travels south be wind assisted and not punctuated with AR breakdown trauma. 

[High Jetter]

4 hours ago, M'coli said:

Nice!  There's a smashing little honesty-box stall on the left just after the filling station in Brora if you fancy checking out if they have jams etc. for sale.

Is the jam a cure-all for BL ailments, or just added ballast?

[M'coli]

Also, once you're out of Inverness the most fearsome and steepest summit you will face (please don't go the snow roads, it's not sommat to do on a Sunday!) is Slochd; it's really quite steep, so find something big that'll do 56mph and hypermile behind it.  I'm not unused to trying this in our Fiat Ducato motorhome, but it still doesn't have enough grunt to keep up with the big beasts!!!

I do, however, have experience of ragging a 1300cc D-reg mid-80s brief through the Highlands in the arse-end of the year, especially with a boot-full of Talbot Sunbeam engine.

Also, buy some Rain-X and new wipers from the Halfords in Inversneckie.😉

[Tommyboy12]

So it's day 2.5 and were nearing the off for the long leg home. 

Should get to Inverness about 10. Perth about 12. Carlisle about 2.30 and Nottingham about 5.30. Then it'll be just over an hour to get back to Peterborough.

It's going to be a loooong day.

[paulplom]

Good luck and I'm very jealous of your exploits.

[Tommyboy12]

We're still making progress and have just ticked over 1000 miles!

Another six hours to Château Sharley.

@sharley17194 is currently driving just to clarify the pic...

[Noel Tidybeard]

how are you doing Nottiash to Peterboghorror?

[Tommyboy12]

19 minutes ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

how are you doing Nottiash to Peterboghorror?

In my Montego 😅

Usually across to the A1 and down is quickest

[tooSavvy]

5 minutes ago, Tommyboy12 said:

In my Montego 😅

Usually across to the A1 and down is quickest

Hope the number plate is proper claggy..... So you can slip through the A1/A19 Tyne Tunnel without ANPR billing you 😉