Homersimpsons Nailesta and other less significant vehicles

[Homersimpson]

I've just joined as a member (been lurking for a few weeks before signing up).  This is my daily steed, its a 2007 Ford Fiesta 1.4 Style (bottom of the range) known here as 'The Nailesta' its an extra special superleggera version of the marque (because a lot of it has disolved into rust!) and this picture is a good view of it from at least 20 feet away (a better view would have been if you were facing the other way!).

The history of this car is that my now wife bought it just before we met in 2011 and when it first needed welding around 2017 I decided to get her something better to carry her and my daughter around it (enter a 2016 Focus 1.0 Ecoboost that so far hasn't done anything wrong to get a bad name but no doubt that will change!).  At the time I was driving a 2006 X-Type diesel (absolute bottom of the range from a company car type who could have had a decent Mondeo but went with the crap Jag because of the badge) that I had bought stolen recovered in 2011 and had put around 60K miles on and it smoked like a chimney and because I was now commuting mainly on the train I decided to sell the Jag and keep the fiesta.

I fitted a towbar and yes it gets used and abused reguarly with my trailer moving all kinds of junk around and have carried out routine maintenance to it and so far at 93K miles and coming up for its next MOT soon its been pretty good.

From what I can remember apart from the annual services and tyres since 2012 when I started looking after it the car has had between 27K and 93K miles:

• Both front springs (both failed at the same time on our drive in Jan 2015 strangely)
• Both rear springs (changed as a precaution after massive overloading when we moved house.
• Cambelt and tensioner (twice due to age)
• Water pump (precaution with last cambelt change).
• Welding to both sills (done twice once small second time last year a lot bigger).
• Front discs and pads
• Rear brake cylinder
• Rear wheel bearing
• Handbrake cable
• Rear wheel studs (type place over tightend them till the were wrecked somehow).
• Rear shocks
• Reverse light switch (started leaking)
• Radiator - took on a fox and lost.
• Front bumper repaired with steel plates and pop rivets (see above).
• Driver side wing (serious rust).
• One wheel (rusted through on rim - I shit you not!).
• Exhaust from cat back.
• Various bulbs
• One wheel trim (my bad, forgot to fit safety cable ties and it went walkies).
• Gear shift bush (kept expanding and making it sieze up, in the end I made a new one in nylond on my drill press that was a right lash up and its been fine ever since), I think the fact I have fixed my lathe has contibuted to this as now I can do it properly I don't need to!

In all seriousness this has been a brilliant car and even with the welding (and I do love welding) its not wanted much condidering how old it is now, the fact that we have had it so long between us and the fact I now do around 250-300 miles a week in.

I would also have to say to my shame that its been to the tyre place for new tyres more times than its  been cleaned since 2011.

This was the little bit of rust repair for the last MOT:

Now onto less interesting things, these are some of my other cars that keep me amused.

First my 1962 MK2 Austin Healey Sprite, this is my favourite car that i've ever owned and the last one I would part with, someone will have to prize the keys from my cold dead hands for this one.

I've had a lot of great times in this one with family that are no longer with me sadly, last time it was on the road was 2018 for the spridget 60th anniversary.

Next one is a MK2 Jag, this one is a 3.8 with chassis number 1 for these, built in 1959 and kept by Jaguar until 1961 where they converted it from LHD to RHD and did other stuff to it according to the factory records (mainly trying to work out where the oil was pissing out from!).

Next one for anyone who has seen me on Retrorides is my Jag MK2 2.4, this one isn't historically significant like the one above and so i've made some modifications, it has a rack and pinion power steering conversion, Jag 420 brakes, an X300 dual circuit master cylinder and servo, uprated heater etc.  The thread for this one was called Econojag because I wanted to see how well I could do one a budget.

The current project is a frogeye sprite called Econofrog and in the spirt of Econojag this one is being done a budget (its purely an experient to see how cheaply I can do this not because i'm skint honest!).

Lastly there is a 1965 Mini estate project tucked away but I don't have any pictures of that, its been in a garage at my mums house since I bought it in around 2006.

[mk2_craig]

Tell us more about the tin hiding behind the 62 Sprite? 

[Rightnider]

That’s a great collection of cars! Welcome!

[Homersimpson]

10 hours ago, mk2_craig said:

Tell us more about the tin hiding behind the 62 Sprite? 

Sadly I dont have any of those now, that photo was taken around 2002.

From left to right we have:

Under the blue cover we had my 1971 mini that I shortened :

Then 1962 mini van that I never did anything with and sold on.

Then a 1964 mini estate that was too far gone (mainly because it had been horrifically bodged together).

Next a 1967 mini 850 saloon that I used daily for a while.

Under the final cover was the remains of a 1965 MG Midget that I used for spares, it had been an Arkley I think and so had no outer panels and was rotten as a pear,

The mini pickup behind the shorty in the picture above was my daily for a while, it had a 1275MG Metro engine and disc brakes.

A few others over the years:

A 1966 Jaguar S Type:

A 1971 Healey Frogeye (Isle of Wight)

A 1958 Frogeye Sprite

A Ferrari Dino 246GT Replica based on a 1981 Lancia Beta.

[Stinkwheel]

I think you might have won Autoshite for the day