My New Zealand Shite - Yet Another Car Added

[Jon]

 

Lovely car. If it was me, I'd leave the side skirts off.

 

 

yes leave them sill finisher things off IMHO

 

Thing is, I really hated them when I first saw the car for sale on Tradme because I didn't understand their function and thought it was some tragic chav attempt at a body kit. However, NZ roads aren't great and roads never actually shut for roadworks as the network isn't that vast, so their system of laying stones down on hot tarmac and using the general public driving over them at low speed as a means of washing the excess away does create a lot of stone chips, especially on a car with such pronounced barrel sides. You do hear them in action quite often but yeah, it does look a bit more ordinary without them. We'll see.

 

 

 

Is it going to be in a movie?

 

There's a local drama/film looking for early 1980's cars to use and a Commodore wagon was asked for, so since this is one of only a few remaining that hasn't been personalised so much, it fits the bill nicely. No idea how much use it'll get and productions often change their minds from experience so it may not get used, though it was a good excuse to get it out the garage and made available again. May hitch up the trailer to it and use it locally for collecting some firewood etc. whilst the V8 transplant motor is getting some attention.

[STUNO]

I have been a Jon's a few times recently, helping with a few bits on the Visa. We have done such a good* quality* job of repairing* the sunroof channel which now does not leak that the words "Pebble beach restorations"  were uttered completely in jest. We also removed the tail lights which also let water inside, the reason was soon clear, years of mud built up. That cleaned and the lights refitted and Jon says the leaks have ceased. Good work Jon ! It is now dry inside apart from a few drops getting in round the front doors. We also got the radiator fan wired up and running from a dashboard switch so the overheating in traffic should be stopped. 

The Commodore, Back on the road now but 5th gear cannot be used without serious ear protection, I think Jon will leave that as new box will go in with V8 power,Jon has a choice of two for that.

Should he fit  GM Hydramatic 3 speed or 5 speed manual  ? Don't bother answering, you know which will go in !

Book your seats now for a film starring a blue Holden driven by the crims! maybe.

[LC Torana]

Hope it's an episode of "The Brokenwood Mysteries", so we can be treated to a scene with the HG Kingswood.

[Jon]

Aye, STUNO has been indispensable as unpaid labour of late, though as much time has been spent sat in the garage drinking coffee as applying our wondrous repairs. Currently, said Frog chodbin is not adhering to my attempts at sorting out the issues it has with non-functioning wipers (front and rear), temp gauge and speedo, though I did manage to revive the rev counter today and also undertook the very high priority task of repainting the speedo and rev counter dial arms orange after they'd faded. They're still wonky from having warped in the heat at some point though...

 

 

Hope it's an episode of "The Brokenwood Mysteries", so we can be treated to a scene with the HG Kingswood.

 

I had a day's work on Brokenwood a few months back and there was no sign of the Kingswood that day, though we made good use of the DOP's early Xantia, which had a starring role as the murder victim's car.

[LC Torana]

I had a day's work on Brokenwood a few months back

 

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to get Fern to woollard for you on the HG.

[STUNO]

That Visa's dashboard wiring seems to mainly consist of those cheap scotchblock thingys. Someone may have fixed it in the past !

[Jon]

OK, so electrical maladies with the Visa still haven't been resolved, therefore it's still not roadworthy, so of course I've taken the very urgent step of fitting a new home made headlining, as of course we all know that this is a major failure point when a car goes in for its test....

 

 

To recap, here's what it did look like:

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a result of the blocked drain tubes which had let standing water rust out the sunroof cradle and drain tubes, letting water deteriorate the glue and the fabric of the headlining material. It's got a floppy backing which is a sort of glass fibre reinforced cardboard, which was presumably light and cheap to build, much like most of the components that comprise a Citroen Visa. Obviously all headlinings were assembled all the same and then the ones with a sunroof cut-out were pressed out, meaning the material around the sunroof was always going to be prone to peeling away, having not been folded over the other side and stuck down. Damn you Citroen for not considering owners a mere 30 years down the line.

 

The backing was a bit more wobbly than first devised by Citroen due to a couple of tears and a few bits sticking to the glue on the roof, so a glass fibre kit was applied in an attempt to solve this, then all the flaky sponge was taken off and the material (£2-ish a metre in sale at ladies' hobby centre) applied directly to the backing, so I knew it wasn't going to give factory results. That said, at least it's folded around all the cut-outs, so should hopefully be a bit more durable, so long as the spray glue sticks! Here's a couple of not very interesting pics:

 

 

 

Please excuse the shit tip that is my garage at the moment. And yeah, pretend you haven't seen that shoddy workmanship. Mrs_Jon did assist with the gluing, so I suppose I can divide the blame between the two of us, like a properly chivalrous man.

 

 

 

I've got to say that it actually looks quite good, especially as STUNO has mentioned, if you don't look up.... The only issue will now be that the dipped rear view mirror will have to be used again, as the old headlining was great at blocking out modern headlights/tailgaters and those who insist on using full beams when following you, once there's a gap anything beyond about 10 car lengths.

 

 

Next week, we should have another 'shiter on the scene to lend a hand with the electrics, then as a reward/pennance they'll get the use of it when it's roadworthy. Looking forward to a legal fang in it beforehand though, I must admit. It's been almost 2 years off the road!

[hairnet]

visa - git

 

need to do nz

[philibusmo]

The headlining looks pretty sweet to me.

 

I'm now getting rather excited to clap eyes on this sexy beast.

[Jon]

Arrive with low expectations and you shouldn't be too put off - a pessimist is never disappointed, of course. I must admit that the general shape of it still excites me and it does look rather cool parked next to the Clio, if only to prove that Clios up until the mid-2000s were still actually quite compact cars. 

 

Now to tidy the garage, in an attempt to find all the tools not properly put away......

[STUNO]

Ok, I admit the headlining does look good now and my last viewing was before most of it was glued up. It certainly looked good with the cleaned carpets too. What a shame I was delayed on the way over last week and we could only drink coffee. I took the Mazda in for it's test on the way over and it passed with full marks, but the tester went for lunch for a hour while I waited !

[hairnet]

clio tho

 

[Jon]

Today (well, yesterday now), this happened:

 

 

Apologies for the brevity in this update because:alcohol but bask in the internet coolness scale that is engine removal whilst boat on roof. 

[Jon]

So.............

 

 

Erm, nothing whatsoever has happened to the Commodore since the beginning of the year! I've not even cleaned the engine bay, which is one of those to-do jobs that can be slotted in during bouts of free time before the new motor gets installed. On that front, I've not even ordered up a set of V8 engine mounts, despite them being readily available for not very much on Trademe. Basically, aside from a large bout of work this year, I've just been a lazy sod with it. Plans for '18 are to discuss with someone the certification requirements involved in getting it back on the roads all legal eagle, though this shouldn't be too difficult, as I'm hardly re-inventing the wheel, installing an engine in a car that could be specified with this engine. Then simply* get on with the job.

 

 

In the meantime though, it became startlingly apparent that 2 non-functioning cars wasn't really enough for the collection and that this needed rectifying forthwith. Those of you who enjoy read my spotted thread may have seen a clue as to what this new addition would be, in the last-but-one update:

 

 

 

Sherlock certainly needed the help of Watson to solve this mystery, no doubt.

 

 

 

 

Yes, it's a farm-spec SIIa Land Rover, which hasn't seen the road during most of the 21st Century.

 

 

 

 

Hark at the chalky grey paint job and awful aftermarket adornments.

 

 

 

 

Including this! No 2.25 petrol motor here but a straight six 2.8 diesel Nissan LD28, as per the motor my Commodore rocked for many a year. 

 

 

 

 

The interior has seen better days but those seats are quite luxuriously appointed for a Series LR, so I'd like to emulate them later on. Bulkhead is surprisingly rust free, despite appearances, which coupled with this one's availability at a price I could afford was the reason why it sits in the driveway, in lieu of a Series I, which is what I really wanted.

 

 

 

 

Out back, there's a rear end, too. Again, much of the rust appears to be surface only but there's a little rectification required underneath but not too much; a couple of outriggers to fettle and assess a few patches, plus a general clean and protect. Brake lines are jibbered, so will be put on consumables list alongside other brake and suspension stuff, no doubt.

 

 

 

Sit-rep on other non-working fleet: Commodore in stasis and the Visa is having some head work undertaken once more, as the gasket failed again, which is why it stopped being used by philibusmo about 18 months ago. Hopefully the next time Phil's available to come over, it should be sorted and then it can have a few more jobs done to it for a WOF, then most likely it'll fly the nest, as I've ticked off 'owning a Visa GTi' on my car list.

 

 

The 205 GTI is currently lent out to family visiting from overseas and in fact I haven't seen it for a few months now. Got a clutch lined up for replacement over Christmas, as apparently it slips a little when given some beans. Clio 172 is doing its thing and I've modified the bodywork slightly on the Jondeo, so it looks pretty horrendous. Clicked over 348000km the other day but that's only the 4th highest k's on a car we've owned over here.

[hairnet]

go back and ask them how much for the kwak (please)

[Jon]

Can't say the farm look really did it for me - well, not that farm look, anyway. 

 

 

 

So off with the guff wide wheels and the roll bar effort. Bonus wide rims for the rears, though one of them doesn't have a valve, so one guff rim remains.

 

 

 

Then the bull bar was cut off, the number plate bracket straightened and put back centrally and the hard top fitted. How much better does this look now?!

 

 

 

 

Close up of a bulkhead top corner, which is rust stained and solid, instead of rotten.  Note 1997 rego expiration - I swapped the 'screen over with the top as it was easier, so the rego slip isn't for this Land Rover. In fact, it isn't for any Land Rover - rather, a 1986 Hilux. Am guessing it was an olden days cost-saving measure.

 

 

 

Crusty roof adds to the decrepit ambience but check out that rear view mirror! I emailed these photos to my Dad and he tells me it's a 'wink mirror' and he had one back in the day in his 1098cc Midget and loved it.

 

Be like me for just £30: http://mjcautomotive.co.uk/mjc-automotive-5-panel-wink-rear-view-mirror-871-p.asp

 

 

 

 

So yeah, the top fits - sort of. I'm guessing there's a missing piece to solve this gap issue and get the rear bulkhead and hard top mated together? It's a sort of rhetorical question, as my cousin and uncle will very shortly clap eyes on it and both are serial LR enthusiasts, so they'll probably know what to do. Actually, my cousin saw it a while back before my epic modz and he was pleasingly positive about its condition, so it appears that I haven't bought a pup!

[DodgeRover]

Are the plates dead or on hold? Nice update by the way.

[Jon]

Are the plates dead or on hold? Nice update by the way.

 

Plates are on hold! That certainly makes things a little easier but it's been put on farm rego, which basically means it's WOF (MOT) exempt but can only travel a few kilometres from the farm gate. Since I'm not a farmer, this is not something I can take advantage of, though I could be unscrupulous, pay the $34 annual farm rego fee and just chance it. However, I assume getting pinged by the police would not be a cheap endeavour if it ever happened, so I'll do things the hard way.

[Wack]

Dredging up an old thread, just because I can. Almost a year has passed since we arrived in NZ, so naturally one car in all that time just wasn't going to cut the mustard.

 

On my 30th birthday we picked up a 205 GTI 1.9 for the missus which has provided sterling service for when I can't be bothered to drive around slowly. On a long run, driven with 'spirit', it still somehow manages 39mpg, which makes the Yorkshire part of me very happy indeed. Here it is at our old gaff:

 

 

 

 

I had a 205GTi in 1988 a 1.6, couldn't afford a 1.9 , couldn't afford a 1.6 really but I wanted it so bad , had it for a year and loved every minute of driving it  but then I needed something to tow a trailer so it had to go, sold it to a friend who had it a couple of months then wrote it off , with style , came over a narrow hump back bridge at speed and lost control on landing bending it quite badly, luckily he walked away from it.

 

Very envious of your new location

[DodgeRover]

Plates are on hold! That certainly makes things a little easier but it's been put on farm rego, which basically means it's WOF (MOT) exempt but can only travel a few kilometres from the farm gate. Since I'm not a farmer, this is not something I can take advantage of, though I could be unscrupulous, pay the $34 annual farm rego fee and just chance it. However, I assume getting pinged by the police would not be a cheap endeavour if it ever happened, so I'll do things the hard way.

I know someone with a Chevy impala on farm rego, it has been ever since it got too rusty to get a WOF - he did go into town regularly with it. Haven't heard from him in a couple of years though.

 

The plates being in hold is a massive bonus though, no re vinning required

 

If you can manage a decent British accent still you could probably blag you way out of getting pulled by saying you never realised etc etc rego is cheap for old stuff anyway isn't it?

[Jon]

Apart from my T's sounding like D's on occasion, my accent is quite unchanged, so I probably could get away with it. Plus, I live near a load of farms, so farm rego could be got away with locally I guess but my address is very much a residential one! Plenty of people seem to get things certified, so how hard can it be...?!

 

If it was de-registered, all would not be lost as thankfully, the rules have changed; whereas in the past, re-vinned cars got issued with brand new plates, you can now ask to retain your old ones, so long as they're in OK nick. Still have to go through the re-vin process of course but no jarring white plates to add insult to injury.

[STUNO]

Jon lies . I'm sure I was there one day when he put on his Jandals and went out for two pieces of fush und a scoop of chups . And he was driving a Holden. 

[hairnet]

Chups lmao you've been to newry

[Jon]

Chaps, I'm not going to beat around the bush here. No photos of coffees and sandwiches or public transport, as none of these things were involved in procuring.......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A FLIPPING CAVALIER SRi!!!!!!!!

 

 

I saw this a while back on Trademe but it was down in the south island, it wasn't really the right time to get another car, so I closed my eyes, stuck my fingers in my ears and went la la la until the auction was over and no-one had bid. Then I think it was re-listed and sold last year, when I was in the USA. 

 

 

 

 

However, the story took a major twist a couple of weeks ago. Mrs_Jon's Clio needs a bit of fettling, so is off the road, which meant that despite owning 6 cars, we were down to only one in our possession which actually worked. And we work about 150 miles apart. So I had to go down to visit my cousin and pick up our 205 GTI, which he'd been borrowing for a few months and thankfully is in rude health. On the depressing bus trip south, I passed my serial shite owning mate and lo and behold, this was parked outside his gaff!

 

 

 

So inevitably, I asked him about it; he told it was for sale; I drove back in the Peugeot to view it; he was out; I looked at it on the street for 5 minutes but it was raining so the viewing was very half-arsed; I agreed to buy it; my wife doesn't know.

 

 

 

The interior is mostly OK, barring the wear to the driver's Recaro (shameless name drop) and the cracked dash top, that's warped and could do with a little attention. It's also pretty novel to have a 5th gear in one, as our family Cav estate only had a 4 speed box.

 

 

 

So here we are! It's an honest old thing and quite frankly, I can't believe I own a Mk2 Cavalier in NZ! That it's a phase 1 and and SRi is pure cherry on the cake stuff. It drives really well, is in generally very good condition for a 35 year old ex-UK car (been here since 1986) and despite some niggles, I can't wait to get laid into sorting them out. Only downer is going behind my wife's back and buying this, as she's cool with me changing the fleet but on a strict one-out-one-in policy. So I really need to get the Visa sorted (and probably fix her car, too), then I can tell her the good* news!

 

 

 

 

It's currently hidden at a mate's house and it's now Easter, so I'll have to wait a few days until I can see it again and take a few more photos.

[mrbenn]

That really is a thing of beauty - nicely bought!

 

I'll never forget being driven around in a mate's Dad's Cavalier SRi in the late 80's. He was taking us home from the cinema and had to start it with a screwdriver as he'd just got it back after being nicked. Again.

[STUNO]

I had the pleasure of being involved in the collection of this. It is definitely a  good buy, it had been standing for about 3 months and with the application of the correct amount of electricity started instantly and settled down to a lovely quiet idle. I followed him home and can confirm that the exhaust was showing no signs of worn out banger syndrome and progress was made at the speed limit .

I like it Jon . 

[Asimo]

Best alloy wheels of the '80s!

 

I was lucky enough to drive SRis as company cars when they were new. Quite an upgrade over the 1600GL Cortinas they replaced where I worked.

[Jon]

Aaargh, I was in the middle of replying to comments, as it's too early for Mrs_Jon to be up in the Easter hols. Except bizarrely, she's now got up, so I can't reply fully. Maybe subconsciously, she knows something's up....

 

Not sure I can handle the shite subterfuge, I feel like I could crack any minute! 

[Squire_Dawson]

Good grief that's awful. Well bought.

[Split_Pin]

Super stuff! The scene is strong in the UK with these, I love spotting them at shows.

 

Fatha_Pin had an estate in the 1980s, which I believe is made in Australia?