Star garages - The Good, the Rusty, and the Delayed - Flock returns home?

[hairnet]

sik automotive lmao

[IronStar]

1 minute ago, hairnet said:

sik automotive lmao

It arrived today. SIK packaging innit m9?

mates up properly though and test fit look great IMO

 

[IronStar]

You know how I complained about my cars not keeping liquids in the other day?

I was on the phone with the Mini specialist tonight - the hose he caught weeping and tightened blew up today leaving him in a cloud of white smoke coming from under the hood. It’s small hose going to the radiator if I got him right.

Option a - Shit quality hose.
Option b - Head gasket, again.

Fucking hell. 😭

Silver lining is it blew up in controlled environment and didn’t overheat. Verdict tomorrow. 

[IronStar]

Hose reconnected and the verdict is in.

It’s fucking fucked m9. It’s pressurizing the cooling system and there’s bubbles in the radiator. 
Head skim was skipped last time it was opened as machine shop was upgrading skimming machine and the specialist thought it must be fine as the gasket didn’t completely burn through. He’s owning the fuckup and will fix it out of his own pocket. 

Off with its head then. Not before the 20th though, as it has a date with exhaust place, and fuck re-booking that with 3+ month waiting list. Limping or on a tow truck, it’s getting there. 

[Yoss]

7 hours ago, IronStar said:

Hose reconnected and the verdict is in.

It’s fucking fucked m9. It’s pressuring the cooling system and there’s bubbles in the radiator. 
Head skim was skipped last time it was opened as machine shop was upgrading skimming machine and the specialist thought it must be fine as the gasket didn’t completely burn through. He’s owning the fuckup and will fix it out of his own pocket. 

Off with its head then. Not before the 20th though, as it has a date with exhaust place, and fuck re-booking that with 3+ month waiting list. Limping or on a tow truck, it’s getting there. 

At least it's a fairly simple job. Compared to anything modern anyway. 

[IronStar]

6 hours ago, Yoss said:

At least it's a fairly simple job. Compared to anything modern anyway. 

It's just I'm so pissed off it's off the road, again. It spent the best part of two nice-car driving seasons off the road being worked on. It's not even about money anymore. I was just hoping to do something with it and drive it somewhere this year, yet here we are again. The estimate is end of the month, but I don't believe it until I see it. His estimates are always way too optimistic.

[IronStar]

With all the cars seemingly saying no to keeping the fluids in, or fighting me and not wanting to be completed for an array of reasons, I've found myself idly scrolling through the classifieds. So, instead of buying yet another headache, how about I tell the story of buying my 155 instead? 😄 

Mid-march 2023. It's midnight, I'm idly scrolling Facebook, and I run into an ad along the lines of - For sale, Alfa 155 1.8 TS, phase 1, owned for many years, but it has been sitting for the past 8 years. Project car for someone, I'd rather not see it parted out. Someone, please save it. 350E. 200km away from you. Posted an hour ago. 30+ comments.

350 is pennies for these, so I naturally expected it to be sold by now. Shot a message anyway. 

Sold? Nope, but plenty of interest! I fully expected it to be scrap fodder only. Is it absolutely rotten? It really wasn't the last time I saw it, 6 months ago. I got it undersealed properly when I got it, and the underseal is still doing fine. 

I was very, very, very interested. 

Talked with a guy a bit more, he's the first owner in Serbia after it was imported. He bought an Avantime(!), and lives abroad now. Left the car hoping he'd get to it, but the place it's sitting at is getting demolished for a road, so it has to go. His mum lives in Serbia still, and can show anyone interested the car. 

My love, how about a day trip to Subotica? Why, what's in Su....OH-MY-FUCKING-GOD, which car is it today?! Ammmmm.....it's....a....am.... *shows photos*. It's really cheap as well! It always is, and it's always a bloody moneypit. Well, yes, but... How much? 350. Will you ever buy a sensible car? I'm just wasting my breath, trying to talk you out, right?

And so, the trip to Subotica was on.  Guy told me that there's another guy coming to take a look before me, but if he doesn't want it, I'm next in line.

As always, when I'm buying cars, it's raining buckets. The car looks sound in person. Heavy laquer peel is concealed by the rain, but overall, it's a car. Not rotten either. The downside it's a non-aircon model. I'm sold, mrs Star is rolling her eyes as I'm talking to the seller's mom as she's realizing it's yet another car in the household. I was messaging with the seller for an hour while he was talking to the other guy. Turns out he wanted it for bits for his 155, he was told no, and I got the car!

Getting it home was a PITA. Subotica is a border city, and most of the cars that are getting imported are going through there. The obvious result is plenty of empty trailers that left cars at the customs going home. I found some folks at a great price who were supposed to pick up the car and trailer it to my garage, but it took them two bloody weeks of pulling my leg to actually get it loaded on and delivered. An absolute bunch of cunts, I hope their truck fails in the most inconvinient place with no phone signal.

Here's the car being loaded onto the truck

The day after it finally got delivered seller sent me the service history he had, and all the photos of different things he did with the car. Here's the car in all its glory when he first bought it:

and before it was parked up

Paperwork had to wait for another few months. The seller was away, and as car sales need to be notarized here, I had to wait for him to get back so we could get it done. An astounding bloke all round. We still message each other once in a while.

So what did I do once it got to a garage? Well, I changed the oil, tried to start it, and the fuel pump was dead. Ordered another one, started it, saw a huge fuel leak, and... life got in the way. So it was left sitting for the best part of 2 years before it got carted off to a shop last December. 

[IronStar]

Finally a bit of positive news today.

Wrong radiator cap and a thermostat delete resulted in Mini not blowing hoses, so it will be limpable to exhaust shop tomorrow morning. Which is nice, at least there won’t be a tow truck to pay for both ways.

Also Bravo is finally done. Except tame mechanic forgot about the clutch cable, so he’ll swap that out tomorrow, so it should be sweet mechanically. I’m not entirely sure how do you forget the clutch cable as it’s barely drivable as it is now, but heyho, I’m happy we’re almost there. Next stop, giving it a proper wash and sorting out small niggly bits I saw around the place as I was driving it home. 

[IronStar]

How about some more positive automotive news from Star Garages?

Day before yesterday, Mini reached checkpoint 1

Then yesterday, Mini reached checkpoint 2

and today, Mini got new, lovely sounding zorstage

and successfully reached checkpoint 3, Mini specialist’s shop. He’ll whip the head of tomorrow, and send it for machining. He’s hoping I’ll have the car back by Monday. Optimistic, but maybe.

After attempting to kill me by CO poisoning last night whilst being jumpstarted

Florida reached a technical inspection pass today.

I’ve completely neglected the rest of the jobs that need doing as I kinda lost my mojo after the garage got burgled. After driving it for 50ish kilometers today after a while, I stand firm on my prior verdict - what an amazing an car, that does everything you could expect from a daily driver.

There’s a whiff (or seven) of exhaust gasses inside while driving, but I miraculously managed to convince the exhaust shop to book it in without a crazy wait time. Picked up Mini, left the key to Florida and drove away.

To give a sense of waiting time scale, the still unfinished Yugo Cabrio is booked for the first available full exhaust slot - 1st of September. 😄

Got some workshop updates as well. Clutch cable for Bravo is arriving and getting fitted tomorrow. It’s getting swapped in the shop for 307CC to get it liquid-tight again.

Yugo Cabrio is still driving bodyshop guy crazy, and it’s parked up until he finds some mojo to work on it again. Apparently, a bunch of mounts are different between EFI and non-EFI cars. The current holdup is fuel hoses that are routed completely differently and fuel tank mount that’s completely different. No timeline other than “I really don’t want to bodge it, and I’m completely out of nerves ATM. Give me a bit of time to recharge.” Which, I mean, fair enough, it’s really a PITA to do. 

Pro Kit for 155 is still stuck at customs, but Amazon is now offering a refund for being late. Should I get this on Bezos? 🤔

[IronStar]

Guess who’s back!

only to be promptly crashed into by a giffer in front of the tyre shop. 

Reversed into it, full throttle. He also mangled the pneumatic jack the car was on. If he was going even a smidge faster, he would’ve knocked it off, and totaled the car, there was less than a centimeter of clearance left from the rear hub.
I’m not even mad, I’m honestly amazed. It was there when he arrived. It was there when he moved his car. He lives next door and there’s always a car there. How? HOW?!
If you gave me an entire afternoon to smack a car and damage 3 things at once at under 10kmh, I’m not sure I’d manage to do this.

Details exchanged, he’ll pay it out of pocket as he doesn’t want the price bump (and probably a proper aptitude test if he’s still fit to drive) that would be a result of going through the insurance. Ballpark estimate of 200€ to fix at a trusted bodyshop.

A set of Kumho Ecsta HS52s fitted. Bunch of things replaced at the shop, and it seems to be going pretty well, I’m really happy with it overall.

Last night I also fixed some trim clips that were missing, so drivers door trim isn’t falling off anymore, 

From tyre shop I went to the exhaust shop to pick up Florida and drop off Bravo. Florida no longer leaks gasses into the cabin which is a nice upgrade. Bravo needs a rear muffler and central pipe. 🤦‍♂️ Put on order. Oh, and antenna is leaking, because of course it is. 

Florida is back home

and I made sure to disconnect the battery this time so I don’t poison myself again.

307CC went to fill the place in front of the shop that Bravo was taking up. I don’t know where is it leaking, and tbh I don’t even want to know. I just want it fixed.

While I was fucking around, I also left 159 to get the stone chip in the windscreen patched up. It’s deep so repair is visible, but I really can’t be bothered to replace the windscreen for it. I drove with a patch for 6 months and I wasn’t really bothered, so it’ll be fine.

I also got to drive this last night

630CS. It’s not fast by the modern standards, but it’s so old school cool! What a lovely old thing. I expected it to be less comfortable as well, but it’s just wafting all over the place. Not something I’d spend 25k on, but well impressed!

[Yoss]

You really don't have much luck do you? To the point that if I believed in that sort of thing I'd say you were cursed. 

[IronStar]

56 minutes ago, Yoss said:

You really don't have much luck do you? To the point that if I believed in that sort of thing I'd say you were cursed. 

It really is a stream of rotten luck with cars lately. But in the grand scheme of things, if I’m using up all shit luck on cars, it’s not the end of the world. 
I’m really grateful I’m in a position I can afford to fix all of the issues and get to drive a bunch of interesting cars I met a bunch of great people doing what I’m doing, and I’m surrounded by people who are willing to borrow me their cars if somehow all of mine conk out at the same time. I also get to help out people around me with having reliable* transportation when they have a problem or seven with theirs.

At the end of the day, shit happens, and there’s only so much you can do to prevent this from happening. As long as no one is hurt or killed, everything else is fixable. 

Onwards and upwards, and things will eventually get better and the cars will be mended. It’s just challenging to remember all of this when it pours.

[IronStar]

Got a round 1 of what’s leaking on the 307CC.

2.5years old water pump is leaking like a sieve. It was branded part, not cheapest Chinesium either.  Multiple engine seals, and one gearbox seal that proceeded to soak the clutch in oil. While in theory clutch could be salvaged, new clutch kit is a smidge over 100€, and as gearbox needs to go down anyway, it would be daft not to. 
Rear shocks are fucked, but that I knew already, injectors are leaking so they’re getting rebuilt as well. Rest of the front suspension will be checked over once it’s disconnected and dismantled, as most of it needs to be removed to remove the gearbox anyway. I fully expect multiple things wrong, as it’s knocking and it been thoroughly rinsed in oil for ages.

Positives are that underside is completely rust free, so at least it doesn’t need welding.

Mini’s head is back from the machine shop, and got a skim. It got another lick of paint to look nice again, and it’s supposed to be going back into the car as I write this.

Oh and hub adapter got modified to cancel out the indicators, as it was missing that bloody tab on it.

More soon(?)

[IronStar]

Yesterday things happened!

First, this arrived.

No not the cat, the cat has been here for almost five years now. Pro kit for 155 was finally released from customs after 17(!) days and delivered. Tax and customs over 30% of the price. 🙄

Next, there was another delivery 

Shortly followed by a levitating car

Now wrapped in a set of Sava Intensa UHP2’s. Sava should send me some discount code for the amount of tyres bought off them lately. 😄
Thankfully no old giffers driving into my car this time. Speaking of which, the giffer paid up for the damage to Bravo on Monday morning.

Yesterday morning also brought a phonecall saying 307CC is fixed and not leaking anything for the time being. So while I was away in the afternoon, Mrs Star took another delivery.

Welcome home little Peugeot. I hope you decide to be fluid-tight for a while now. AC is definitely not working again, following a pattern of regas in the spring, no leaks detected under uv light, working fine for the entire summer and autumn and promptly shitting itself the next year. I’ll ask the shop to replace the valves this year so we try at least something.

Afternoon saw another call, and in the evening I picked up this little shitter up.

Pictured: An amazing car and unreliable British excuse for a vehicle in the foreground. 🤣 The specialist also sorted the rattle from gear lever. Some spring in the mechanism was missing and he replaced some teflon washer that’s supposed to keep the stick firm. Much nicer place to sit than it was now it’s not rattling all the bloody time. Very throaty exhaust note now as well. It sounds like a ridiculously powerful car is coming, and then you see a Mini. 😄

However, it’s now over 35 degrees celsius outside, so hardly the best car be in, with no aircon and all. So into the garage it went, waiting for a bit cooler weather. Supposed to be going under 30 next week, so it may get a spin before it permanently becomes unlivable until September or so.

Pro Kit got delivered to a shop today, and they’ll get 155 working and through the inspection one of these days. Bravo is supposed to have an exhaust done by Friday EOD. 

More of the flock returning home soon then?

[IronStar]

Went for a regas m9 today with 307CC.

I’m a regular at the place, and they moved to a new shop after hotel Yugoslavia was demolished last year. New location used to be a Mazda dealership that closed some 10-odd years ago, and there’s soma evidence of its past life. Snaped a few photos that are probably more interesting than rest of the story.

The sign on the door says “Car sales”. The one on the billboard is “Completely new…”

Back to the 307CC

Conversation went along the lines

- It leaked. Again. It’s the same pattern over and over again - we fill it early summer, it works until it gets parked up for the winter, and it’s dead again when it comes out pf hibernation. 
- We’ll do UV…. 
- We do it every year, and it’s not visible. Can we at least change the valves this year? 
- We can, but that’s not your issue, and you’re just throwing money away. I can show you with foam that valves are not leaking. It’s never that with these. It’s almost universally a pinhole in the condenser, right behind the fan. The fan throws shit at it, and it has nowhere to go because fan shroud is in the way. Over time it corrodes and pinholes. It’s not visible under UV light as the shrouds are in the way so it’s impossible to see without removing everything else. 
- ….lovely.  
- Look, I can check it for you. If you weren’t a regular I’d just say let’s regas it and send you on your way, but it’s end of the day, there’s no other cars waiting, so I might as well.

Sure enough, there was a pinhole in the condenser where he said there will be. Corrosion on the fins, right behind the fan.

- Still want it fixed properly? Regas is 40, and it will probably last until next year. Fixing it properly and regassing it afterwards is 190. We have it in stock. 
- Yes. Please. I can’t be arsed regassing it every time. When can you do it? 
- How about now? We’re waiting for another car after working hours anyway.

So out with the old

and in with the new

I really hope that the final leak on this car for the time being. I spent more money than the car is worth in the last 12 months on it, so I just want it to behave for a bit.

Oh and it needs front shocks as well. Having rears done revealed how tired the front ones are as well.

I also have a Bluetooth receiver for the stereo that I should fit one of these days.

I’m honestly considering doing absolutely every single bit that this car would like. Satnav display, seats, rear lights, plastic trim in the boot, antenna amplifier, maybe even throw a respray at it. Not because I expect to gain any actual value out of it, just for the sheer idea of seeing what goes wrong next, after making what would probably be world’s nicest 307CC.