THE GUBBERMINT ALWAYS KNOWS BEST

[cms206]

Just been offered another fifty quid car... E30 316i on a G-reg, in requirement of a wishbone and a propshaft coupling, and according to the rego the DVLA list it as beige... tempted...

[greengartside]

  Minimad5 said:

Shame about the 205

Could you still not whip the head off and inspect everything ?

You may be lucky and only need a new Headgasket (and minor headskim)

 

Failing that, a nice Mi conversion would create a secret weapon

 

I've half-arsed/half-heartedly stuck it on eBay - three people watching it at the moment.

 

I'm tempted just to whip the head off, give it all a good bloody clean and fit a new gasket - I mean if there's water in the cylinders it must be holding water ok which may mean the piston rings are ok?? How hard is it to get a head off one of these?

[Cavcraft]

I've just bought an Escort convertable* (cabriolet?)'. In the dark. You just know this isn't going to end well don't you?

Just to make things worse (if indeed that's possible) it has an RS Turbo bodykit, less MOT than he told me it had, the battery's fucked and I think the passenger seat is held on with flour and water glue.

 

*Coming (very) soon to an internet auction site near you. Or a metal yard possibly.

[greengartside]

Hey Cav, fancy a "I shouldn't have bought this pile of metal" shite-off?

[Cavcraft]

Fucking right I do! I'm pretty convinced I'll win like as I didn't even try and drive it until I had to move it a few hundred yards.

[greengartside]

Yours actually works?

 

I'm out then.

[Guest]

Had the other half of the Mazda 626 welding job done in readiness for MOT, now there are no holes in the rear arch inners - the reduction in road noise is quite something. Though to be honest it'll probably make little difference, I mostly drive with the window down and my arm on the windowframe because I am very cool.

[ashmicro]

Re: The PSA parts thing: my Uncle's bird is a Frog, and her ex-'usband worked for Pugrot for a time. At least part of the reason for the myriad parts combos is PSA stockpiling components from different suppliers so that production could continue during strikes at said suppliers.

 

My Samba had one Girling caliper and one Teves caliper. QED.

[Guest]

  Cavette said:

Fucking right I do! I'm pretty convinced I'll win like as I didn't even try and drive it until I had to move it a few hundred yards.

 

I feel some kind of atrocious music video coming on. (Dir: Warren T Claim).

[RoadworkUK]

Righto. Audi is laid up temporarily as the n/s rear wheel bearing sounds like a Bjork high C. This puts me behind the whel of the "spare" family '97 KA for a few days. God, I'd almost forgotten how much fun that thing is to drive, if it wasn't rustier than the Bismarck I'd consider stealing it for myself.

 

Rover 800 update: My grandfather has begun to discuss that he really should consider hanging up his driving gloves, his only concern after he gives up driving will be how he collects his fisn 'n chips of a wednesday afternoon. Regardless of its fate, my father and I are currently gathering instructional material (and courage) so we can tackle a KV6 cambelt-change. Looks like a right bastard of a job so far...

[greengartside]

I have sold the 205 through gaybay last night, hopefully should be picked up this week. Sad but I want it to go to someone who will get it 100%.

 

So I'm on the hunt for shite again, anyone got anything going? Preferably running and maybe even a cheeky m.o.t?

[dollywobbler]

BX has cured itself! No leakage on the 250 mile round-trip today, though I did discover that I now live a bloody long way from places. Welsh miles are enormous. Much larger than English ones. However, it did seem to manage an impressive 54mpg. Definitely the yang to the ying of the Landy!

[trigger]

  greengartside said:

So I'm on the hunt for shite again, anyone got anything going? Preferably running and maybe even a cheeky m.o.t?

 

I know of a nice Mk 4 Escort 1.6 local to you...

[greengartside]

Do you know how tempting it is.....

[Cavcraft]

I know of a Mk4 Escort too. Do you have lots of Elizabeth Duke bingo armour, frequent dodgy coastal resorts or have a 1980's rave cd?

[greengartside]

I happen to own/do none of those things. I do have a costume jewellery ring from New Look, frequent Great Yarmouth and am in posession of a Shamen CD...

 

*Edit* Great Yarmouth is dodgy.

[Cavcraft]

Then you need a Ford Escort cabriolet/convertable/whatever they're called. Ideally in some sort of garish blue-ish colour with a fair bit of stick on shit!

[Angrydicky]

Won this on the 'Bay:

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWNX:IT

 

A bit extravagant maybe, but I decided to treat the Maestro as it's been such a good car. The autochoke has always been knackered on it so this should make it a lot more drivable when cold, and less smelly when warm.

[seth]

Gggrrrr. Bloody Hillman Or more like Ggggrrrrr Me for not sorting it out.

 

Its been rather lazy at starting since about October but I've not yet properly sorted it. I'm loathe to get a new battery as the one in it isn't that old and in any case I've been using a better higher capacity one lent by a neighbour to jump start it now and again and it still cranks really slowly. The starter motor was a new/recon one that came in a box with the car though I swapped that for one from the shed a while ago and it seemed to make no difference. I then discovered that the one from the shed was not the one I though it was (there's one I know was definitely good, just with a sticky bendix). Need to swap that one on really and see what happens.

 

I've bypassed starter solenoid and even all the cabling and it still cranks slowly and I suspect (as I have had before) the starter is drawing excess current leaving not enough for the ignition to properly function so its only getting a very weak spark. Enough to "huff" occasionally but not continue running if there's only just enough juice in the battery. Once started it runs fine and is OK later the same day too as its still got some warmth in it. Just not using it enough at the moment. Was going to take some stuff to my mum's earlier for her birthday and couldn't coax it into life so had to walk

[dollywobbler]

I had that with the BX Seth - turns out the 'new' starter I'd fitted was crap. Might be worth checking if the neg terminal's getting toasty when you're cranking though?

 

As a reward for self-healing its cooling system, I actually washed the BX today - including doing all of the door shuts and everything. Didn't shammy it down though as the water froze to the car before I could. It's a bit cold today...

[RoadworkUK]

Well, I know that at a mere thirteen years of age my A4 doesn't quite qualify as full-on shite just yet, maybe shite-in-waiting; but I wanted to celebrate that I'm now about a quarter of the way through my rear wheelbearing transplant. nearside just needs reassembly then I can crack on with the offside. Also, I managed to find somewhere in the garage where my £20 Asda DAB radio can recieve BBC6.

 

EBay auction-winning man is theoretically taking the Alfa away tomorrow, I'm emotionally somewhere between elated and gutted.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

  Angry Dicky said:

Won this on the 'Bay:

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... K:MEWNX:IT

 

A bit extravagant maybe, but I decided to treat the Maestro as it's been such a good car. The autochoke has always been knackered on it so this should make it a lot more drivable when cold, and less smelly when warm.

 

I bought a 'conversion kit' off ebay for my maestro for £1.50!!!! All i used out of it was the cable and a poxy bracket that I could have made myself. I dont know whats in that box, but i'll bet a quid most of it is unnecessary.

[barefoot]

  RoadworkUK said:

... at a mere thirteen years of age my A4 doesn't quite qualify as full-on shite just yet, ...

 

My dad's 1966 Morris 1000 went for scrap in 1979 - it was as rotten as a pear underneath.

they don't build them like they used to.

[seth]

  dollywobbler said:

I had that with the BX Seth - turns out the 'new' starter I'd fitted was crap. Might be worth checking if the neg terminal's getting toasty when you're cranking though?

 

Hmm, I've made a point of trying to sort it out today. Had the borrowed battery on charge all night. With one jump lead on a starter motor bolt and the other touched against the starter's terminal it cranked very slowly. So I freed up the bendix of the one that was originally fitted (paint implies it may well be original to the car) and swapped them over. Hmmm, much the same result. So perhaps the borrowed battery isn't much cop any more either and the battery is the source of these problems? Decided next thing to do was to try and jump it from the Herald (I didn't have this option yesterday). With the two cars umbilically joined I don't know how fast the starter spun 'cos the engine started on the first compression. So that definitely seems to point to all the batteries I have being duff after all

[garethj]

I've done about 2500 miles in the Volvo since buying it, had some new exhaust sections fitted a couple of weeks ago but I don't mind that.

 

I thought the clutch release bearing was on the way out as it was groaning when I pushed the pedal down but that bit of my brain at the back said to think again. Hold the pedal down steady and the noise stops, could it really be the pedal shaft that needs oil? Answer: Yes it is, and you can't beat the smell of Plusgas in the footwell

 

The handbrake seems to be sticky on one side so if the weather's ok tomorrow I'll take the wheel off and have a look. For the last week I've been parking it in gear with the handbrake off which is a cheap temporary fix

 

The header tank is weeping a bit from around the pipe, any attempt to fix this will involve antifreeze being poured over my shoes so I might leave it. A cupfull of water every month isn't really a worry.

[mattblack]

As I mentioned before, I had this week off work, so...

 

Chopped most of the rot/old patches out of the Sceptre floor,chassis rail, inner sill and outriggers. Welded a patch in the floor, not the prettiest job I've ever done but I recon the running the welder off the generator dosn't help. Well, that's my excuse anyway... Made a start on fabbing a piece for the chassis rail, will be made out of 2 'L' section pieces to make a 'U'. Certainly won't be up to 'restoration' standards but if it's solid and keeps the MOT man happy...

 

Changed the oil and filter and air filter on the V****a, was suprised to find it was a paper element oil filter. Took me right back to A60s Ect. Auxilary belt change is on hold until I get a manual/fathom out how to get the top engine mount bolt out. checked the rear brakes as well, pads are fine but one disc is pitted with rust, although I knew that as it was down on the MOT advisory. Discs aren't *that* old tho' according to a receipt I have.

 

Did the CV gaiter on the Rover, was a bit P'ed off as it was the one I'd done a few months ago. Couldn't really see were the grease was comming out, TBH. Fitted another 'spilt' one, had a faff about as one section didn't seem to want to glue together very well. Looks like I'll end up fitting a 'proper' one at some point. Checked and adjusted the rear brakes, while I had the wheels off I looked at the trailing arm bushes that were advised on the MOT, looks like a ball ache/press job... Oh, and there's a slow puncture in the O/S/R tyre, looks like there's a nail or something in the tread. Hopefuly it'll be a repair job.

 

Bit of a sad job tommorow, picking up my Dad's Mondeo as he's having to give up driving. If all goes to plan will be moved on to Scooters of this parish.

 

Having a haircut then off to the allotment this afternoon.

[Cavcraft]

Just been to collect the comical Vectra dizzler of shite. The bloke has flattened the battery and the bastard wouldn't start. He couldn't understand why the jump leads he had seemed to make no difference.

I didn't have the heart to point out that they're pound shop shite and he'd have been better off using two lengths of damp string. Back again tomorrow I go.

[TagoraSX]

I'm trying to buy some headlights.

 

When the description says "For right hand traffic only" and "For left hand traffic only" who's perspective are they coming from?

 

In other words, which one do I get for a rhd car driving on the right?

[Pete-M]

604 is off to the welders this weekend. This should be fun.

[Richard]

  tagorasx said:

I'm trying to buy some headlights.

 

When the description says "For right hand traffic only" and "For left hand traffic only" who's perspective are they coming from?

 

In other words, which one do I get for a rhd car driving on the right?

 

I'm pretty sure it refers to the side of the road you drive on- LH Traffic for the UK, RH Traffic for foren parts.