THE GUBBERMINT ALWAYS KNOWS BEST

[ashmicro]

Missus and GF are the same person . She's a total petrolhead. We managed to find the last car her Dad owned before he died, a mark 1 Golf GTi. Ive been working on it, but have been banned from posting pics "until it's finished"

 

Weld a thon!

[nigel bickle]

I've an old 911sc tucked away in the shed- not allowed to use it (she thinks I'll be ''on the pull''). That was damn quick -for its day, and could still hold a lot of moderns, but i find it pretty uninspiring.

 

Reactions were never good, always in fear of a keying/knicking -and the costs were humungus. A top end rebuild -when the vytlinder heads studs stretched (!) cost over £8k, 10 years back. Madness.

[greengartside]

Well the ongoing saga of the Carina E accident is still rolling on...

 

Found out that the electric aerial is completely obliterated hence why it was disconnected - were they electric on just the GTi's?

 

Oh and someone had removed the ABS bulb out of the dash - yeah, you just know what happened when I put a bulb back in. Probably wheel speed sensor as it goes down the road then the light comes on. Goes off when ignition is switched on. Also the interior light doesn't work, despite changing the whole light unit with the bulb. Any way I can hard-wire the light in?

[Cavcraft]

Have you tried arsing about with the switch in the door shut GGS? Sometimes taking it out and/or a bit of WD40 and a good old fashioned bit of wiggling does the trick.

Also worth running some sort of multi-meter or screwdriver-with-built-in-bulb arrangement to test for power is probably worth a bash.

[theorganist]

Hopefully have a solution to my smokey A series Allegro engine problem. The mechanic at the local garage knows where there is a good 1500 E series engine and box taken out a an Allegro in Cradley about three years ago. So hopefully I will be having that fitted.

[greengartside]

Have you tried arsing about with the switch in the door shut GGS? Sometimes taking it out and/or a bit of WD40 and a good old fashioned bit of wiggling does the trick.

Also worth running some sort of multi-meter or screwdriver-with-built-in-bulb arrangement to test for power is probably worth a bash.

 

I did think of that Cav, until I opened all the doors and still nothing! Can't see it being the bulb as it's intact, although the door ajar light comes on with the little green ignition lock light. It's stumped me that one.

[wuvvum]

Hopefully have a solution to my smokey A series Allegro engine problem. The mechanic at the local garage knows where there is a good 1500 E series engine and box taken out a an Allegro in Cradley about three years ago. So hopefully I will be having that fitted.

Alternatively, Pogweasel may shortly be breaking an OHC Allegro for spares.

[Lankytim]

I think the driveshafts and engine mounts are different between A and E series Allegros, you really need a scrap donor car.

[Station]

I finished this bastard today, after four months (nearly every (short) night and every weekend) of pure messing about:

 

[theorganist]

I think the driveshafts and engine mounts are different between A and E series Allegros, you really need a scrap donor car.

 

This engine and box apparently has the drive shafts and engine mounts included, also the hoses as I believe they are different too.

 

Alternatively, Pogweasel may shortly be breaking an OHC Allegro for spares.

 

Thats useful to know, thanks.

[dollywobbler]

The Mini is the next motor to get booted off the fleet. It isn't being used, so there's no point us keeping it really. Finding it difficult to price it though. We've spent over £4000 having the thing restored, but I'll gladly accept that it isn't worth anywhere near that. The bumpers and grille are getting a bit scruffy as are the front and rear valances (already!). The interior is original but a bit messy, the engine fine but not very good at keeping its oil.

 

I should tart it up a bit, but I'm having trouble finding time to do the jobs that really need doing on my motors at the moment, so tarting up is definitely off the agenda.

 

Here she is, last November.

 

I guess we'd like around £2500 for her. Seem reasonable?

[HillmanImp]

That was damn quick -for its day, and could still hold a lot of moderns

 

Honest Harry took me out in his once in his 1970's targa 911 on its first drive after it had been off the road for over 10 years. He did 150mph on the dual carriageway from the driving range in Rustington to the Body Shop in L.A. I can honestly say I have never been so scared in my life. A combination of a a reasonably elderly man a dodgy 911 and serious speed can cause you to really appreciate life.

[trigger]

I sold my BMW 1602 on Pistonheads, got to be worth a try, Plus ebay classified is only £14.99 for 30 days.

[Negative Creep]

Arse biscuits - OSF calliper has jammed on. Thought something wasn't quite right the last few days, had some wheel wobble at high speed so presumed I'd lost a wheel weight. On stopping at the local tyre place the wheel can't be rotated by hand so will need attention asap. Ironically it's probably come about as I haven't been driving the car in an effort to save money.

 

On the upside my friend is an ex Toyota mechanic and has a done plenty as they are renown for seizing. His garage just happens to be on the same road as my new place of work as well

[dollywobbler]

Bad news NC. Hope the wheel bearing hasn't been cooked. Had a similar thing with the 900. Got a wheel wobble at speed, took it straight to my trusted mechanic (fortunately I was heading that way anyway) at a somewhat more gentle pace and you couldn't turn the wheel by hand. Cue brand new caliper! With the benefit of hindsight, I might have actually been able to rebuild it.

[Richard]

Bad news NC. Hope the wheel bearing hasn't been cooked. Had a similar thing with the 900. Got a wheel wobble at speed, took it straight to my trusted mechanic (fortunately I was heading that way anyway) at a somewhat more gentle pace and you couldn't turn the wheel by hand. Cue brand new caliper! With the benefit of hindsight, I might have actually been able to rebuild it.

 

If it was a front handbrake 900 the new caliper was probably the best option, they never seem to stay fixed once they start giving bother.

[dollywobbler]

It wasn't. S'pose when you factor in an hourly rate, it doesn't make sense to pay someone to rebuild a caliper.

[Negative Creep]

Pretty sure it's only happened in the last few days, pads look even on both sides and can't see any obvious damage to the disc. Since I know the guys at that garage well they'll do everything they can with the existing calliper and I know they won't try and rip me off

[Negative Creep]

Car is now sorted, luckily it hadn't damaged the discs or wheel bearing. I'm now £120 lighter but could have been a lot worse and the braking is vastly improved

[greengartside]

Things are going from bad to worse on the Carina insurance front. The insurance company rang me up today and gave me some pretty bad news. The Carina was a Cat C write-off in December 2008 and because of this, they won't insure it after they have repaired the wing. Either that or keep the car and go with another insurer, which means losing a year's NCB (only four months to go until I get another year's...) - so I'm up shit creek without a paddle. I have no money to get another car with either, and I'm worried about flogging it to Joe Public because of it's tainted history. What should I do?

[trigger]

Why can't you repair the wing yourself and not go through the insurance?.

[greengartside]

Because it's already going through the insurance I think. Am I in my rights to cancel the claim?

[trigger]

Your the party that's out of pocket by someone else's error, I can't see why you would'nt be able to cancel the claim, Might be best to ask your insurance company.

[greengartside]

I've just fired off an email to them, will await their response. I wish I hadn't have bothered making the fugging claim now, just a complete ballache from start to finish.

[Shep Shepherd]

Decided to give The Volvo a bit of a clean at a jet wash not far from my workplace during my lunch break today, given that I had ignored it for a fortnight and it was covered in all kinds of muck as a result:

 

 

All was good until I discovered that the driver's side headlight had been holed by a stone, presumably the last time I drove the car:

 

 

Fuckery.

 

The good news is that replacement headlamp lenses for 740s are available separately to the headlamp units, thus saving me from having to junk the whole headlight. Not only that, they are reasonably cheap and easy to fit. Ergo, a new pair have been ordered from an online supplier.

[Richard]

Just stick some silicon in that hole and it'll be fine.

 

Why doesn't it have wipers?

[Shep Shepherd]

Just stick some silicon in that hole and it'll be fine.

 

Why doesn't it have wipers?

 

I'm going to do that as a short term measure, in order to protect the reflector from damage until I can obtain a new glass

 

The car hasn't got headlamp wipers as I removed them in 2006, as they hadn't worked since 1992

[myglaren]

Just stick some silicon in that hole and it'll be fine.

 

Why doesn't it have wipers?

 

I'm going to do that as a short term measure, in order to protect the reflector from damage until I can obtain a new glass

 

The car hasn't got headlamp wipers as I removed them in 2006, as they hadn't worked since 1992

 

 

Mine used to flop all over the place like drunken kittens. Never did do anything about them.

[wuvvum]

A mate has just bought himself a Chrysler Voyager TD on a T plate for £200 with T&T till the end of April. It was sold as a non-runner - the fault turned out to be that the glow plugs weren't energising, so he wired in a direct feed connected to a push button on the dash and it now starts fine. I could do with finding a few bargains like that myself...

[mk2_craig]

XR2 now insured again and new suspension on order. Battery dead. MGF battery also dead. Missus has nicked Focus so /1/ cannot jump start other cars, nor /2/ drive anywhere to collect new battery. Not yet friendly enough with neighbours to ask for a jump start.

 

Would use the scooter but my bloody provisional licence expired two weeks ago, earlier than I was expecting it to.

 

Bollocks.