THE GUBBERMINT ALWAYS KNOWS BEST

[Mr Lobster]

Little Lobstafleet update then -Sprinter is getting occasional use at the moment and other than a battery that drains overnight and really needs replacing everything is ok. Need to crack on and get Lobster graphics for it though. New battery will wait til next month once it get pressed into more regular service.Seat just keeps doing its thing with no drama. Needed an indicator bulb though R4 continues its winter lay up. Not been started in about three weeks so I suppose I should dig it out at some point. Likely to stay in hibernation for another month or so yet.

[M'coli]

I'm feeling pleased with the work recently done on the Cavalier. OK, so it was up for sale just before Xmas, but the Polo proved not to be the car for me (or more importantly, the wife as she didn't find it comfortable) so the Cav is back to frontline service having sold the Polo.I took it for a jetwash to get rid of the salt from wheelarches last week, so since then I have ripped into surface corrosion etc. witht ehangle grinder and then found a hole in the sill, which meant the welder had to come out. Why I'm pleased is that I feel this is "The stitch in time".

[seth]

Just how long did you take to set it up,

Quite literally the millisecond it took to make the decision not to fit my circular polariser and then become totally oblivious as to what was in the reflection. Thanks for the artistic interpretation of my laziness

[Cavcraft]

Ah, excellent. Time to announce the proud new arrival to the Cavette household: a Vectra © 1.9CDTi (150) dizzler. It's dog rough and looks like it was parked by feel rather than sight, and as the previous owner was a bird with kids it's got the usual drink stained/grubby shit hole interior.In fact things have been moving like mad here recently, up to car number eight or nine already this year.The Pajero has gone and in some ways I'm sorry as it was fantastic to drive and extremely well built.2.9TD auto meant fuel stops were far more frequent than I would have liked but I'd have another in a heartbeat.The deal I got for it (see above) was far too good to say no to though because although the Vectra is rough it's worth considerably more.The V70 went last night, another car I really took to and it had all the bells and whistles. Bit silly on fuel on town trips but 46 odd on the motorway.That's been replaced by a fucking Renault and another dizzler at that. Renault and diesel usually equal FAIL but the first hundred miles have proved to be very good.2.2 Grand Espace with inter galatic mileage but in surprisingly good nick inside/out.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Just went to 'Pizza hut' at lunchtime. On the way, back, the clutch started slipping on my 'Crab!! Thats a right sod cos you have to take the engine out and dismantle all the bloody idler gears to replace it, what a bastard.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

Ouch

[seth]

Balls. Hope the pizza was OK at least

[nigel bickle]

Nah. You were just imagining it.Weren't you?It'll be fine tomorrow- promise.

[pompei]

Were the two events connected?

[Mr Lobster]

Were the two events connected?

What you suggesting? That Mr_Spudz noshed his way through as much ALL YOU CAN EAT LUNCHTIME BUFFET PIZZA before heaving his pizza engorged self into the crab which unable to cope with the new extra bulk decided that the clutch should give up?Seems a bit unfair really if you are

[chester drawers]

Had a text this afternoon. The Nova has a fresh MOT, new cam belt, water pump and is serviced. Excellent.Now I can drive it legally to see the man about some paint. And start a presumably futile search for a sunroof seal amongst other things. Then there’s the small matter of storage as the driveway is nowt more than a building site. Bollocks.

[Cavcraft]

Done a couple of daft jobs on the Vectra and Espaz, aided and abetted by my sixteen year old son who already knows more than I do.(He) spotted some previously repaired/timkered with bits on both cars and we spent some time tidying things up under the bonnet of the Vectra, including replacing missing screws and such like.Espaz still showing up a couple of daft niggles, one being the central locking won't lock one door and the other being the six disc CD changer thing appears to be fucked.Quick driving lesson for him after that and the little swine has taken to it like a duck to water.He says he's going to get a Nissan 350Z as a first car

[whitevanman]

After a damn good going over I have decided not to scrap the Orion and put her back on the road.... now I just have to check on the MK4 Cortina.....

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Just done a driveway repair job of replacing the water pump on my truck. SORTED!

[Guest]

Hey that's eerie, Albert Ross did a driveway repair job of the water pump on my Galant today! A bloody good job at that!

 

I reckon I'll book it an MOT next week, I deserve to go about my daily business in a Galant again.

 

 

Mmmm!

[Cavcraft]

Had a text this afternoon. The Nova has a fresh MOT, new cam belt, water pump and is serviced. Excellent.

Pictures please, feeling a lot of love for Novas.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

bump

 

Lots of fog from my new engine... wonder why that is. Let's check the oil.

 

I shouldn't be allowed to work on cars.

[seth]

That doesn't look nice

[trigger]

That's resembles something i left in a bin this morning...

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I've put a better quality head gasket on today, only able to run it for 2 mins but fingers crossed there doesn't appear to be any coolant down the pushrod holes this time.More upset about wasting £15 of Duckhams Q.

[VWPowered]

stripped polo ready for one 1) to have the windows tinted) to to start the rub-down for laying some fresh paint once all the trim and badge holes are welded up..Scirocco left yesterday on a low loader hopefully the new owner will lavish abit more love on it than i have the last three years anyway off to get my paint, woohooo

[Mr_Bo11ox]

new turd burner arrived at Castle_Bo11ox this mornign, courtesy of shite saviour Retro80sboi:

 

 

 

 

Trip over to Wrexham this morning, sun shining, radio 4 on the tinny-ass stereo, shite out back on the A-frame.... lovely.

[Gompo]

Maestro looks great!

[Guest]

Looks nice, COUGH 929 COUGH! etc.There's a Maestro van in a yard near me, I'll have to see if its got the missing wheeltrim you need.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

That's lovely - Maestros still look so good.

[vicsmith]

Nice Maestro, but if you don`t like the tinny ass stereo, maybe you should replace it with something from the premium in car entertainment purveyors, I don`t know, ALPINE, perhaps, someone like that.

[seth]

First "proper" journey in the Mirald today after it passed its MOT last week. I was up at 5.30 to leave the house at 6.00 and head over to Malvern. Didn't start the journey well when I pulled off the drive, bumped down the pavement (squeezing between Hillman and a parked car) and the rear silencer caught the curb stone and pulled the pipe out of the front joint. So I spent the next 20 minutes with the car on a jack and stuck half way out into the road crawling around underneath loosening all the mounts to get it lined back up and re-inserted.

 

Still the rest of the journey was great! Clear weather and roads and I did a couple of B road overtaking maneuvers most unbecoming of Triumph Herald. I made a start at re-profiling the SU needles last week in advance of a rolling road session as it was running too lean to be driveable. Still very slightly lean on the motorway particularly when a bit of oomph was required up hills etc. So I drove along with the choke pulled out (the jet is pulled down when you do this) at times to give it some more fuel.

 

A slightly sad day though as I was buying some of the equipment from the workshop of a friend who died last year. Whenever he saw an item that was better than the one he had he'd buy it and then sell the old one. They should last me the rest of my career.

 

Journey there and back accomplished with no other mishaps and I'd fitted one of the Bond bucket seats yesterday and it was supremely comfortable. Also looks like it averaged about 30 to the gallon over 270 miles which isn't great but then it includes a return journey across London last night and I'm still rather enjoying the available revs... It should improve once set up better.

 

[Cavcraft]

Hey that Maelstrom looks ace.Latest from Cavette towers:RFL'd my lads Mk3 Disastra yesterday. This involved a trip to the local Divlah orifice as it was on raspberry tax so a ten-ish minute wait spent listening to posh bints getting upset about plate transfers, chavs complaining about fines and having a laugh with some scousers there.Came to work in said Dis' this morning and sort of regretting jet washing the engine as some old (or new?) oil must have made it's way onto something hot. GR8 4 BURNING SMELLZ.Still it pulled well, especially to the left, so first job for my lad is to check tyre pressures and tracking followed closely by sticking the comedy be-angled rear view mirror back on properly.All this talk of Maestro vans on here has made me wonder if I should go and see if my old one is where I last left it about 3 or 4 years ago at some old joker's workshop. I strongly suspect it's long gone to be honest

[whitevanman]

The Freebie Colt was taken in for it's MOT yesterday................FAILbut only on a flexi pipe and a blown bulb so it will have a fresh new MOT tomorrow

[pogweasel]

Hey, gang, I have just wheeled my BMW out for the first time since October. Quick check over, bit of jumplead assistance and straight into business, all fluids good, running nicely, no electric wierdness etc. I am gonna get it straight in for an MoT and get back to zooming about in it. CLASS.