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Howe's Mega Tat Thread


howe

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I've been driving for about 4 years now and within that time I've owned a ridiculous amount of cars, I keep making threads for them individually which seems a complete waste of time because they're swapped or gone before I've filled it out to any large degree.
Below will be an overview of the cars I currently own and what's happening with them, an overview of a section of car history and I'll post anything generally automotive in this thread. Individual threads seperate to this one for important projects like the Cabstar will be updated, and eventually the FSO.
It's a nice way to keep track of progression, if anything.

The fleet as it currently stands:

2006 Proton Jumbuck
This is the daily driver that I'm intending to use for the coming months while I'm sorting my life out career wise, it's just had a full overhaul with a new clutch and a stack of other bits, and it's waiting on some nicer wheels, other than that it's a load hauler that gets me about, ideally trouble free.

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1989 Civic Shuttle
I bought this from a good friend who needed the space for £notmuch with a D16Z2 and a manual conversion, it immediately split a fuel line and every rubber component on the car decided it wouldn't like to stay in one piece anymore, it's now got a D16A9 swapped in. It was purchased mostly because I missed my old 4g hatch.

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1979 Zhiguli/Lada 2101
The one car I'll never sell on, I bought this car in December of 2019 in Moscow with the help of my girlfriend at the time and her family, before driving it back through -20c winter into Latvia, through Lithuania and across Europe with no hiccups at all. It was revealed not too long into the trip the heater had almost fully packed in (full of limescale and scud from being sat) resulting in freezing my tits off and wearing the entire contents of my suitcase to stay warm, I stopped to pack cardboard into any vents in an effort to slow the airflow and have the minimal amount of heat I could salvage trickle into the cabin.
I then got stuck for over 24 hours at the Latvian border while they cocked up my transit declaration...
As soon as covid packs in a bit I'm planning on going back for a Lada Oka/VAZ-1111. It has a 2cl version of the engine that was in my Samara.

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1982 FSO 125p Pickup
This was a dream car for me for a long time. I'd been on the lookout for one for a couple of years when I got to scouring Flickr for pictures of ones laid up. I found a picture of this one outside of a house, with the post stating it'd been sat there for decades without moving. I send the poster a message asking where it was located, got a rough answer referencing two London bouroughs, before spending the earlier part of an evening combing over the two places he mentioned on google maps attempting to find anywhere that looked similar to the setting where the pic was taken. Eventually I managed to find some tower blocks that matched those in the original image, circled around them a while in street view, and found it!
Queue a very nicely worded letter to the home it was parked at, and about a month later I got a call back from a nice older woman telling me it was her brother's and he wasn't willing to sell, though she'd keep my letter "just in case" he changed his mind in the future. I'd written off all hope of owning one, until in June this year I got a call from an unrecognized number who turned out to be the same woman letting me know he'd changed his mind! I was invited to take it away for free with the only stipulation being that they'd like to see it when it's driving again.

I've never seen as many snails in my life while removing it from the drive, it took me a short while to free off everything and get it rolling.
The current plan is to buy a selection of parts from Poland when it's possible to travel, and it will in time be running something along the lines of a PD130 mated to an Rx8 gearbox, sat on mx5 suspension. For use as a daily! It's suprisingly well underneath, most of the panels, doors etc can be replaced, and I've also found a bloke over there making lightweight fibreglass panels and bonnets for them, so it'll be having those.

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1980 Datsun Cabstar
I bought this with the intention of driving it down to Morocco out of curiosity to see what a full restoration over there looks like while visiting a partners family (I was quoted £1500 for all the work including reupholstry) but covid as with all things has scuffed it.
It's now at a workshop outside of Carlisle, and it's about to be set up on a dyno with a Weber 32/36, electronic ignition, etc. I believe most of the suspension and brake components are similar to those on 720 trucks, and I'm long overdue a trip down south to visit a bloke with many of them lying about. I'll be repairing this one myself with some panelbeating/welding lessons from the bloke putting a carb on, I've set a goal to see it out to the finish. I'll also be setting a demountable camper back on it!

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2002 Nissan Vanette
I also own this. How exciting.
It's being used as a storage room for a friend who was struggling in Belgium, it's parked there until further notice and I'll be using it to collect all the parts for the FSO from Poland. Drives nice, plenty space, definitely a van.

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2000 Vauxhall Frontera
This is the newest addition and probably won't stay long, though a family member has taken a liking to it so who knows.
It's sole purpose is to shift the non driving project about to get them into more convenient locations.

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I'll do a write up about cars I've previously owned at some point I reckon, it'll take forever.

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great stuff

I have a feeling that FSO may have been one around the corner from where I used to live ?  There was one that colour in a driveway when I lived there up to 2013

EDIT 

Just checked Google maps and it was.  Brilliant.. I am glad it's been rescued.  I never knocked myself as I had too many projects and a very non understand Mrs at the time

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On 13/01/2022 at 15:09, wesacosa said:

EDIT 

Just checked Google maps and it was.  Brilliant.. I am glad it's been rescued.  I never knocked myself as I had too many projects and a very non understand Mrs at the time

Small world! I'm glad it didn't go before I had the chance to rescue it.

On 13/01/2022 at 19:21, wuvvum said:

Also, 1979 Shuttle on an F-reg?  (Or 1979 Shuttle at all come to that.)

Datman?

Both dates fixed, I was knackered when I made the post.
I'll hopefully be getting bits from an Andrew on the Datsun UK FB group.

On 13/01/2022 at 19:23, PrinceRupert said:

I love that Proton Jumbuck and I don't know why.

The utility? The badly painted two tone? The horrendous multifit wheels? The fact it's a butchered Mitsubishi?
All of the above?

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  • 1 month later...

Just back from a mega haul from Brussels in the Vanette, it lived over there for a couple of months and needed to come home to be sold on.

It's developed an air leak and won't start without bleeding the system if it sits longer than 6 hours without a run.
Had a trip around to Ghent and a couple other places for the week I was over, saw an old friend and booked it in for a ferry.

Things started getting a little worse as I needed to get back so I went in for the long haul and drove it from Brussels to Carlisle in one go on a couple hours sleep with the only stop being the boat and some mad diversions around Birmingham that added an hour and a half onto the journey.

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Slept in it most nights, including under a suprisingly quiet roadbridge in Antwerp:
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Had a camp on a rooftop too!

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And finally, spotted this massive Zil in Dover:
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I'm also massively chuffed to have bought this AX diesel back from the lovely @Jimbob McGregor after roffling it off in June of last year, never should have!

It drives far better than it used to thanks to new driveshafts etc and has had some welding, I'll be pampering and making this very nice over the next couple of weeks as it's here to stay now (especially with fuel prices going north)

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  • 4 months later...

I should post on here more, bit of pampering given to the Skoda today

Here it is yesterday at FOTU and today, all over polish and waxed after the pic was taken

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Also fixed the corrosion on the mirror while I was at it, other than that it’s still going beautifully and is taking me up and down the country when needed

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  • 3 weeks later...

Skoda blew the head gasket in heavy traffic on the M6 last night on a trip up to Carlisle from Reading, managed to get it into an SOS bay just down the road. Lane closures up ahead so luckily traffic was two lanes over below 20 MPH.

Amazingly (and for the first time in personal experience) the RAC were terrific at getting me out of there, arrived within an hour and a half and I was in a taxi home within 3 hours, less fortunately the car is still with them and due tomorrow.

All the bits are ordered and I'll get on with fixing the HG tomorrow with a couple other bits as it needs to be back in order by the 23rd to drive home! Lucky I keep a toolbox in the back...

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  • 4 weeks later...

Skoda was catastrophically mullered, head bolts were immensely tight through the block and full of corrosion. When I eventually got them all out the better bolts were jammed up leaving the threads back into the block almost smooth, and a couple of them snapped.
The coolant channels were rammed with corrosion too, as it stands I don't have the time to be faffing as I only had the weekend up north. It's parked and will recieve some upgrades including a new, more modern fan a new engine that I'll go over down south before popping up to fit in Carlisle.

Here's the best head bolt I removed:

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On a lighter note, some more cars:

My mother was in need of a replacement runabout to use as a daily now the Elgrand is being sold. She's moving to a diesel with a larger motorhome to travel in while working remotely and selling up house and furniture wise!
Bought her this local PD100 Bora to use, it's decent but now in need of a front wheel bearing replacement and the cambelt wants done sooner rather than lately - also need some other wheels...

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It's been handy but I'm going to be taking it instead once I sort it, selling on after a bit as I'd like to buy a PD130 Highline and she's now got a much better option.

I've bought her this!
2004 MG ZT-T CDTi
Found a link to the forum sale post somewhere on here and picked it up a day later, owned for the last 14 years by a lovely chap who's taken excellent care of it. She's utterly in love with it and it'll stay long term.
Two new tyres have been put on the front and it wants for nothing, having the very miniscule blebs of rust seen to so it's futureproofed body wise but it's the ideal all rounder for her. Rear springs and mounting points renewed and waxoyled too so no worries on that common fault area, and it has a lovely walnut wheel with alcantra/leather interior.
Quite possibly the best vehicle I've ever bought! (And also the only car I've ever seen my grandfather absolutely enamoured with)

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As for myself I'm dotting about in the most clapped out Micra I've ever seen, mate had this sat spare when the Skoda went bang so I'm using it to run about between work and home before I settle on something proper. Putting a new bumper on the back and respraying the hatch to make it more presentable 😂

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  • 2 weeks later...

Picked up a rear bumper that someone had going for free, realigned and straightened out the crash bar, then gave the rear a spray with some silver metallic paint we had on hand. Got dark before I took a pic with the plastics and plate back on unfortunately and the bootlid isn't latched here.
Looks miles better and I'm not dotting about in something that looks like it's falling to pieces anymore, still a temporary vehicle but I figure it's best to have it cleaned up before it's moved on to whoever else ends up in need of an emergency runabout.

Ignore how bitterly angry I look, I was in a good mood covering some spots on the arch and glanced up for a split second not realizing a photo was being taken 😂 I've been told I look like someone's angsty son being forced to fix up their car.

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  • howe changed the title to Howe's Mega Tat Thread

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