Rightnider's past and present - Mercedes S210 test tour and Mk2 Granada progress

[ProgRocker]

On 10/04/2022 at 20:36, Rightnider said:

Car from the past #7: 1992 Ford Escort 1,8 D CL

I know the Mk5 Escort doesn't have a massive following, and it may not be the sexiest car ever produced. But in 2002 or 2003 my then GF, now wife, was going to study about 70 miles away. We needed something thrifty. And this is by far the cheapest car to run I've ever had. If I remember correctly I paid roughly  £500 for a well worn German import with 250,000 miles on the clock which needed quite a lot of TLC and a new timing belt.  But with that sorted it went on to be quite a nice aquaintance. It was not quick nor refined, and it was a reluctant starter during winter.  But it returned 56 mpg overall, and diesel was cheap back then. We put 40,000 miles on it, and I sold it to a friend who did another 40,000 in it before it went to greener pastures.  

I owned a 1994 Escort saloon 1.8 D L between April and September 2010. I was expecting to dislike it immensely but it exceeded my expectations. So good that I made my own topic about it on here:

Unsung hero: in praise of the 1994 Ford Escort 1.8 D L

I love the Granadas btw. My parents owned a white 1976 2000 L manual in the early 1980s when I was young. 

[Rightnider]

It’s wonderful to learn that I’m not alone having a soft spot for diesel Escorts, @ProgRocker! I didn’t know they were available with power steering. Wow.  That’s luxury motoring on a new level! 
 

Anyway, if I were to find one in good condition I’d buy another one. It is highly unlikely to find one, and that one being even decent, so it’s unlikely going to happen  

And @Datsuncog, what a story in Progrocker’s thread. Thanks!

[Rightnider]

Back from a short trip to my home island, and as the Mk4 diesel Mondeo is sold, we used the 2005 Mondeo 2-litre petrol I bought earlier this year. I have to say I like the model. Maybe it is a contender for 'an car' for me. It's not a fun car, but it's fairly roomy, quite comfortable, reasonably economical, returning 37 MPG on A-roads. And, to be honest, there is nothing in terms of equipment I miss apart from a better stereo. There are no terrible model related faults that I know of, and I've had a few of these. 

This one has only done 49,000 miles, so there should be plenty of life left in it, and apart from the exhaust shaking a little at start up due to perishing bushings and a slight knock from the rear suspension that needs to be looked into.

[Rightnider]

I’ve taken the ‘69 XJ6 home from storage and was planning for a bit of luxury motoring.  
 

 

Unfortunately one of the fan blades decided to bend and destroy the radiator.

Bugger. Has anyone got an XJ6 radiator? 

[Rightnider]

Just home from a trip round the south of Sweden to collect a rather sorry looking radiator for the S1 XJ6, but it was for free. 

I've also been thinking about replacing ALL suspension bushings on the E430 to make regain the ride and handling it should have, and why not start with a new rear subframe on the side? This isn't very nice looking either, but I'll look into having it shot blasted and powder coated. £30 from the breakers

At one place I saw a nice early BMW 525! Not for me, but there aren't many left now!

Yesterday I took the Daimler for a drive. It will be up for sale soon. 

[Rightnider]

Not that I think anyone from here would be interested, but it’s on the market. 

https://www.blocket.se/annons/skane/jaguar_xj6_daimler_sovereign/102741793

[Rightnider]

Whoops! 

It turns out I’ve just bought my very first BMW in a swap deal with the Daimler. 55,000 miles and in generally good condition, unmolested and nice interior. Yes, I had to throw in some money, but not too much  

[Nibbler]

11 minutes ago, Rightnider said:

Whoops! 

It turns out I’ve just bought my very first BMW in a swap deal with the Daimler. 55,000 miles and in generally good condition, unmolested and nice interior. Yes, I had to throw in some money, but not too much  

That’s a damn good looking car! 

[Rightnider]

And it feels so small and nimble for being a ‘large car’. I guess it weighs less than a modern day Focus. 

[High Jetter]

4 hours ago, Rightnider said:

Whoops! 

It turns out I’ve just bought my very first BMW in a swap deal with the Daimler. 55,000 miles and in generally good condition, unmolested and nice interior. Yes, I had to throw in some money, but not too much  

Shite deal, IMHO

[Rightnider]

15 hours ago, High Jetter said:

Shite deal, IMHO

Well, I like Jags more than BMWs as well, but everyone deserves a chance. And given that I was going to sell the Daimler anyway I couldn’t say no when I was offered this one since RHD cars are hard to sell over here, especially since 70s Jags are quite common, they were considered ‘classics’ almost right from the start. 
More mundane cars (like a 5-series) are almost extinct, especially when sales figures are taken into account. 
 

This will be passed on, but I’d like to drive it  little first. 

[Rightnider]

On the way home with the donor Granada 2.8 ‘S’ or ‘Injection’. 


 

The 430 4matic, doing what it was made for. 

[Rightnider]

I think it's about time to start the suspension refurbishment of the 430. It is almost 23 years old, and the rear sub frame to chassis bushes are long gone. Just as nice a 210 is when everything is spot on suspension wise, just as terrible are they when they start to lose their sharpness. And this one definitely has. 

Earlier this year, I bought a used rear sub frame which I had planned to have shot blasted and powder coated. This weekend I set off removing the old bushes using a patented method involving heat.

However, when doing that I started researching online, and realised there are companies in Germany refurbishing these, and the price would be roughly the same. 

I'd like to do the front cradle as well, and with all new rubber things it would add up to approximately £1,000, or more. And then I have to get someone with a lift to replace it. It is a lot of money for an old car.

On the other hand, most people pay sums like that for service and timing belt replacement... 

I'll have to process this a few days I think.

[AnnoyingPentium]

Just been catching up on this thread. Some great cars here, loving the older photos as well.

[Rightnider]

Thanks @AnnoyingPentium! 
 

The BMW was sold a couple of weeks ago to a dentist in his mid 30s from Södertälje, wanting to relive his youth having had an old 3-series. He didn’t strike me as a tinkerer, but apparently he had second line support in older relatives. 

[Rightnider]

 

Fords have generally been frowned upon in Sweden, and we didn’t get some of the most desirable versions either in the 80s. This is possibly due to the company car tax model making it cheaper to get a fully kitted 2,8i L rather than a 2,8i Ghia with no optional extras, even though the final price would be the same. 

 

Hence, the Ghia estate was never sold here, and I had always lusted for one. Early 2000, when the internet still was fairly new, I rummaged around online UK car adverts and found a nice looking (maybe not looking, since there was probably no picture in the ad) 2,8i Ghia X estate for sale. I emailed the owner, and his son answered because this was in the time when families had one address for all. The black injected estate was already sold, but they also had a B-reg 2,8 Ghia X estate. The son was a couple of years younger than me, a fellow Granada enthusiast, and he wanted Mk1 2-door saloon. We decided on trying to do a swap, all I had to do was to find one in running order.

 

I asked around in the network I had then and found a ’75 2000 base auto in a barn outside Nyköping. I was told it wasn’t a runner due to a 'small' fire in the wiring to the alternator. If I recall correctly, I paid approximately £100 for it unseen, and I went with my friend Ingemar one chilly morning in April ’00, I remember it was snowing. I had bought a water pump and various other things just in case, meaning to return what wasn’t needed.

 

If memory serves me right, I replaced some wiring, maybe the voltage regulator, started it up and went straight for the pre-booked MOT, which it sailed through. It went perfect all the way back to Uppsala, although the battery was dead, which I realised the morning after.

I used it for a couple of months, went back and forth to Öland a couple of times. It was actually a lot better than expected for a Pinto’d automatic Granada. It would happily cruise at 70-80 mph, and I think it returned around 25-28 MPG.

Me and three friends (of whom @Nibbler was one) were to take it to Sussex during the summer for the exchange to take place, and in late June we set off from Öland for Gothenburg.

First some final preparations, regreasing drive shaft joints.

Filling up for the journey to Gothenburg where we boarded the now defunct ferry to Newcastle.

Since we wanted a bit of a road trip we went to Edinburgh, I think Glasgow, Settle in Yorkshire, Sheffield (we wanted to see some proper UK industrial areas). Most B&B’s were happy to welcome us, some with vacancy signs out hadn’t any for four guys in our early twenties in a rusty Granada.

Don't know where, but it's scenic.

Filling up in the UK. HTG didn't like the petrol.

Having visited a castle

All in all, I think the trip was a bit more than a thousand miles before arriving at the South coast where we were greeted with the greatest hospitality; barbecue and a trip to a local pub with a Black Sabbath cover band playing. Couldn’t have been better. After a day in London, we went with the new owner of the Mk1 to a Ford meeting somewhere around Birmingham for the day. Again, it performed faultlessly for another 400 miles. The only problems we had were a slight coolant leak, and the fact that it didn’t like UK fuel. We had to get octane booster to prevent pinking.

The only prize we won was for the longest distance.

The trip home with the mk2 was a little more eventful. On the way past London to Harwich, we heard a 'thump' from the floor of the car. It didn’t come back, and we carried on to the ferry towards Esbjerg in Denmark. After disembarking and getting out on the motorway through Denmark we heard it again, and an hour or so later, once more. This time, the entire car started shuddering viciously. The transmission to prop shaft rubber coupling had disintegrated. It was at 4.30 PM, a Friday in Odense, and it all looked bleak. My friends were due to be back at work Monday morning.

Luckily, the local Ford dealer had a workshop for commercial vehicles, and it was open late! Furthermore, they had a new rubber coupling in store, so an hour later we were on the move again, home late after having used the Öresund bridge on the first day it was open for traffic.

It was a fantastic trip. Thinking back now, the Mk2 felt like an old car already then, being only 15 years old. A lot happened during the 90s in car development.

The Ghia was quite sound, although the left front wing let it down. A cheap and ill-fitting after market one. 
I gave it a light restoration, including some welding and a full respray in 2005. 

I sold it to make room for more sensible cars in 2007. A bit of a pity, but it is still owned by the gentleman who bought it from me. He worked as a postman, and was the only one interested in an RHD car, at least back then. 

The Mk1 was restored and upgraded with a 3-litre by its new owner. He later sold it on, and it is believed to have met its maker in a banger race. 

[Nibbler]

Best road trip ever! And here is a picture of the Ghia X inside the Ford workshop in Odense. 

[Rightnider]

Thanks for the picture @Nibbler! 

[Rightnider]

Finally, the Mercedes is on the operating table.

Since I don't have a lift, I wouldn't be able to do this myself, but the Polish guy who helps me seems to be a decent, problems solving oriented kind of guy. 

It will get newly sand blasted and powder coated front and rear subframes with all new bushes, new rubber couplings for the prop shaft, new steering axle bellows, engine mounts, new springs and some other stuff including brake lines and some other things. 

 

It looks better underneath than expected (which admittedly doesn’t say much for a 210 of this age). 

[Rightnider]

Present car: Granada 3000 LS coupé

The weather is wonderful, and I've just collected my pride and joy from storage, a Granada 3-litre LS coupé. I bought it back in 2001, the price was ridiculously low with today's standards, approximately £1,000.  Despite that, the seller had had it for sale for a couple of months when I bought it. 

I'm the third owner, it had a respray in 1985 and has done less than 20,000 miles since. I've replaced the clutch and brakes over the years. It's booked for an MOT next week. 

 

[Rightnider]

With the Revolution wheels on.

[Eyersey1234]

On 5/20/2023 at 10:10 AM, Rightnider said:

Present car: Granada 3000 LS coupé

The weather is wonderful, and I've just collected my pride and joy from storage, a Granada 3-litre LS coupé. I bought it back in 2001, the price was ridiculously low with today's standards, approximately £1,000.  Despite that, the seller had had it for sale for a couple of months when I bought it. 

I'm the third owner, it had a respray in 1985 and has done less than 20,000 miles since. I've replaced the clutch and brakes over the years. It's booked for an MOT next week. 

 

One chodtastic Granada

[Rightnider]

Thanks! I’m happy I’ve kept it over the years, even when the kids were young and it felt stupid to have this one standing in my parent’s garage. 

[Rightnider]

MOT’d and ready for the road. 

Apparently the last ever!

[Rightnider]

The 430 is finally back from getting ‘new’ front and rear subframes including all bushings, springs, backing plates, links and joints, engine mounts and shocks I could find, which was a challenge since it’s 4x4. I found  upper control arms in Kazakhstan…

It handles a lot better now when the rear subframe is actually attached to the car. 
 

Today oil change, all 8,5 litres MOT tomorrow morning. 

[Rightnider]

A clean bill of health

 

[Rightnider]

My cousin has started painting the 2.8 Injection. He's not a pro, but says it looks alright in places.

[Rightnider]

Just treated the Mk3 Mondeo to new gearbox oil. The old didn’t look too bad - it has done just 55,000 miles, but I had two litres on the shelf and am tidying up the garage. Forgot to take pictures though. 

[Rightnider]

I've just completed a longer trip, 500 miles, in the E430. There are a few niggles to sort out. I haven't replaced the transmission mount as I couldn't get hold of a new genuine one. There's still a bit of engine/transmission movement when accelerating from low speed, which I'd like to rectify. There is also a general 'harshness' to it, which might be partly down to old tyres. I know I'm nitpicking, drove for a bit in my BIL's Landcruiser 100 with four pot diesel, and that puts things in perspective.

News from my cousin is that the 2.8 Injection Granada is almost ready. His camera isn't the best, though. Roof, bonnet and front wings are not resprayed, we'll give them a good polish. The front wings visible in the previous post are 'spares', the ones on the car are surprisingly good.

[Rightnider]

Yes, I will replace the tinted rear window, obviously 😀