Tommy's A-series Misery - NC500 prep!

[JimH]

On 9/14/2021 at 1:29 PM, Peter C said:

Forgive me if this has already been said, however according to period (1986) What Car? magazines, a 1.3 Estate Montego did not exist. The only Montego in 1.3 flavour was a sedan.

Go on - what does the price include? I can't work out what a single one of those letters means. 

[Mrs6C]

37 minutes ago, Tommyboy12 said:

We have made the first leg!

Huzzah!!!

[hairnet]

respec

 

[Low Horatio gearbox]

Outstanding  shitting. 

Country wracked by common sense  fuel shortages, in a base spec minus car. Amazing. 

[MrBen]

12 minutes ago, JimH said:

Go on - what does the price include? I can't work out what a single one of those letters means. 

Oooh there's a good memory test from 80's schoolboy reading of WhatCar when I should have been doing homework. I'm sure r1,2,3,4 were different types of radio-  think r2 was just a radio, r4 was a radio cassette, not sure what 1 and 3 were?  c was probably central locking?  Others power steering, electric windows and something else?  Who's got the key?!  

[hairnet]

3 minutes ago, MrBen said:

  Who's got the key?!  

 

 

[JimH]

R2 and R4 must refer to the number of speakers.

[Peter C]

28 minutes ago, JimH said:

R2 and R4 must refer to the number of speakers.

I’m about a thousand miles from home but from memory I think that R2 means it had a radio fitted. R3 was radio cassette, can’t remember what R4 was.

[High Jetter]

I wondered if the 'c' was for the talking computer, but it's only shown for the Mayfair saloon and not the Mayfair Estate. R4 possibly a more expensive version of R3? However, 'b' obviously stand for boot, so the letters could refer to absolutely anything, knowing AR at the time. Interesting question though.

[UltraWomble]

From recollection there were 2 types of plain radio available in 1986 - my own Metro came with a MW & LW (AM) radio - the next step up was a 3 band radio with no tape player

[Eyersey1234]

3 hours ago, Tommyboy12 said:

We have made the first leg!

Chodspeed with your adventure. I fancy doing LEJOG myself at some point, though I would probably buy some old chod to do it in for the LOLs

[bezzabsa]

did you have to pay to park there??? last time I went it was £5 iirc... robbing gits

[Tommyboy12]

18 minutes ago, bezzabsa said:

did you have to pay to park there??? last time I went it was £5 iirc... robbing gits

Yeah £5 to park for all of ten minutes.

Good run today overall. Just short of 500 miles and no issues. Managed to find fuel when we needed it. It's burning a bit of oil but it's running well.

[wuvvum]

5 hours ago, JimH said:

Go on - what does the price include? I can't work out what a single one of those letters means. 

a: air conditioning

b: central locking

c : sunroof

d: electric windows

e: rear seat belts

f: headlamp cleaning

g: split / fold rear seat

r1: pre-radio kit

r2: mono radio

r3: stereo radio

r4: mono radio / stereo cassette

r5: stereo radio / cassette

r6: four channel radio / cassette

[wuvvum]

Also, this thread is fucking fantastic.  I mean it was already good, but it's now heading towards the rank of one of the all-time great AS threads.

[Datsuncog]

It certainly appears to be shaping up as an AS legend, unfolding in real time... all the more respect from this corner, since I once test drove a baggy Montego Countryman diesel and found it to be literally the most dismal thing I've ever piloted.

Bonus points if you end up lodged in a funeral cortege with no selectable gears, like I did.

No, I didn't buy it. But I deeply appreciate the opportunity to experience such a feat vicariously. May flights of slightly sooty, oil-stained angels sing you north.

[High Jetter]

10 hours ago, wuvvum said:

a: air conditioning

So only the 'a' and the 'r' bore any connection with the name of the corresponding feature - seems about right for the time.

[ProgRocker]

16 hours ago, MrBen said:

Oooh there's a good memory test from 80's schoolboy reading of WhatCar when I should have been doing homework. I'm sure r1,2,3,4 were different types of radio-  think r2 was just a radio, r4 was a radio cassette, not sure what 1 and 3 were?  c was probably central locking?  Others power steering, electric windows and something else?  Who's got the key?!  

Bloody hell, I forgot all about that! I used to have my nose in the data section of What Car? magazines in the late 80s-90s. r1 was "pre radio kit". 

d was elec front windows and e was 4 electric windows. a was air conditioning. 

[Eyersey1234]

11 hours ago, wuvvum said:

a: air conditioning

b: central locking

c : sunroof

d: electric windows

e: rear seat belts

f: headlamp cleaning

g: split / fold rear seat

r1: pre-radio kit

r2: mono radio

r3: stereo radio

r4: mono radio / stereo cassette

r5: stereo radio / cassette

r6: four channel radio / cassette

Sorry for my ignorance but what's a pre radio kit? 

[mk2_craig]

Basically the wiring loom. I think you used to get that in low end German stuff so that they looked slightly less overpriced, thanks to unhelpful £ vs Deutschmark exchange rate in the eighties. 

[Tommyboy12]

Day two and we have made it to Cheshire for our overnight stop!

820 miles in. Only inconvenience is that the exhaust blew on the downpipe outside Barnstaple and I drove all the way to Cheshire listening to it! I'm averaging 40mpg which isn't too bad for the size of the old girl.

We took the coast road along north Devon through Boscastle, Barnstaple, Combe Martin before heading up the M5/M6.

[High Jetter]

Have a pint or 3, you've bloody deserved it.

[Tommyboy12]

15 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Have a pint or 3, you've bloody deserved it.

Got the Cornish cider we picked up yesterday!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

29 minutes ago, Tommyboy12 said:

 

 

The mighty TG Toyota Hilux pales into insignificance after seeing the heroic 'I'm back from the dead and I'm going to teach you all a lesson' Montego going to such lengths to be an outright 11/10 hero.

I'm assuming the previous owner who was responsible for the engine conversion/interior/long lay-up is no longer with us. However, if they are still living and breathing, someone should must send them a couple of paps of the old girl's exploits. Having said that, they may keel over from the shock, so maybe not.

Who's currently got the dusty key to the Autoshite awards cabinet? 

Edit: Also impressed that you popped to the Amazon enroute. 

Edit Edit: @Tommyboy12 could you also buy the sad looking blue 309 currently for sale on here and turn that old girl into a battle-scarred warrior too?!

[Talbot]

The fact that a '96 AX is being used as a support car speaks volumes about the state of the vehicle needing to be supported.

A superb venture!  I hope there will be an in-depth write-up.

[HillmanImp]

1 hour ago, Talbot said:

The fact that a '96 AX is being used as a support car speaks volumes about the state of the vehicle needing to be supported.

A superb venture!  I hope there will be an in-depth write-up.

Normally you'd say that someone driving an AX all that way was an absolute hero but doing it alongside that Montego makes them look like a fucking casual.

[Tommyboy12]

19 minutes ago, HillmanImp said:

Normally you'd say that someone driving an AX all that way was an absolute hero but doing it alongside that Montego makes them look like a fucking casual.

@sharley17194 is a dirty casual but he drives it on the absolute limit 😂

[AxWomble]

41 minutes ago, Tommyboy12 said:

@sharley17194 is a dirty casual but he drives it on the absolute limit 😂

Anything above 70 sounds on the limit in a 4 speed AX, in my experience, even though they’ve got a bit more to give! 😂

[MrGTI6]

Just wanted to say that I'm absolutely loving this thread. Thanks for sharing and keep the updates coming!

[Fumbler]

Thread of the year material without a doubt!