MGB GT fettling

[Scruffy Bodger]

Not much in life more frustrating than a fucked uploader.....Except a closed motor museum.

So very true. I visited the Portuguese railway museum last year and found some of these foreign museums had some nice stuff on display.

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Back to this trip.

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Instead we had to endure the rest of the place and some liquid refreshments. Poxy uploader's done it again!

[Scruffy Bodger]

Yesterday morning was rudely awakened by what we thought was a bin lorry going ott on the recycling in the square outside. We were wrong.

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I'm not sure what was in the box, maybe part of a comms tower? They had the one of the skips down below filled with roofing tiles in a matter of minutes, someone up there was ready to go on the B of the Bang. We only just squeezed out of the underground garage as the second crane was across the entrance. The minimum was cordoned off, no hard hats, posties still delivering round the square. In the UK with the HSE involved you'd have not got within a quarter mile of this operation!

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This was parked up on the way out the garage.

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The twat nav had a couple of glitches as it hasn't been updated in 3 or 4 years, I never normally use them but you'd need so many maps and there are so many new roads and cloverleaf type junctions it does come in handy at times.

[Scruffy Bodger]

We topped up the tank leaving Salamanca, it took just over 60 euros to brim the tank after 383 miles. I don't think that's bad going considering the climb up from Santander which is significant and long.
We then headed for Nazare on the Portuguese coast avoiding all toll roads going via Tomar to have a look at a bit of an old aqueduct. No handrails or wall around the edge, a hundred foot drop and a fair bit of wind gets the blood moving.

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One interesting* bit on the drive was an island with traffic coming up from Lisbon. It was so busy and trucks were coming steaming round, one after another, after another, after another. I had a learner on the outside of me frozen and some cunt local up behind me nipping the horn. The old man goes you're just having to go for it, that's what I'd been avoiding to try not to scare him! A slipped clutch, a boot full and we're off, slight wheelspin after so many yards, I back off and then the fucking traction control kicks in savagely just as the truck is bearing down on us, fucking Nanny state is with us after all! Got a beep off the truck but it wasn't that close tbh.
The the Z is brilliant to drive if a little low geared, it takes some getting used to compared to pretty much every car I've ever driven.

[Hooli]

Looking a good trip so far. Sod climbing up that viaduct though.

[Scruffy Bodger]

Looking a good trip so far. Sod climbing up that viaduct though.

Better than being home with all this shit going on, even if I do have to spend 2 weeks on my own when I get back. Things are more relaxed in Portugal, still plenty of old sprouts wearing masks but if you are out in the open air it seems to be up to the individual, unlike Spain. As for the viaduct I'm not brilliant with heights but better than some by the sounds of it!

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Still showing over 34mpg with 650 miles done, not bad for a gas guzzler? Generally staying to the speed limits, saw one massive straight and said shall I see if we can get it up to 150 along here? The reply was "You can fuck right off" so that sadly didn't happen It pulls pretty much everywhere in 5th and 6th unless it's more or less a hairpin. Overtakes tend to be 6th to 3rd, bury the pedal in the carpet, enjoy the noise it makes, coast down to a legal speed again, then 6th and tootle on. The roads are so quiet generally and people don't tend to fuck about so you dont get stuck behind much.
Handling wise I've still never really pushed it as it's not my car. I did test it round an island in the UK a while back to see how cunt proof the traction control is and I was impressed. I stamped on the throttle on an island I know well which is wide enough to accommodate a fuckup, if it hadn't have kicked in it'd probably have spun in the road as i was so aggressive. It just cut the power, the car straightened with a little wiggle and that was it, drama free. All in all with the Brembo's all round, the way it sits on the road and the eagerness it has to go it's been a great experience so far

[Scruffy Bodger]

Today there's a bit for the anoraks amongst us. A funicular railway. I live near England's only Inland one so always quite like to come across these.

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It appears to be electric/hydraulic looking at the controls inside. Nice to see that there's only sign of a small leak right by the driver, fills you with confidence about the rest of it

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There was a bit for the toy collectors too. The old man bought one of the yellow Vespas to remind him of his youth as a Mod.

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No huge waves but all in all a good day and the back of my necks burnt

[mercrocker]

Some dramatic cliffs there, too. Great stuff, enjoyed these pics.

[Scruffy Bodger]

Some dramatic cliffs there, too. Great stuff, enjoyed these pics.

Indeed they are. I'd have taken a few more shots but it was the wrong time of day and the light was crap to show them properly. I've found you another from the bottom though.

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I've just landed near Tavira on the south coast, about 930 miles all in. Very few photos I'm afraid which is a shame as some of the scenery and roads were fantastic but what can you do when you're driving? Some sections of the road today were truly abysmal though. I was actually driving on the wrong side at times as good as the Z is for not shaking your teeth out roads like that are no good for the car. I did get my foot into it towards the end as there were a lot of straights, sweeping sections and fast carriageway, previous to that I got it up to 35mpg again, briefly...

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So quiet that you can get out, take photos up an down the road and not upset anyone

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Found an ornament on the way to keep him happy.

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The main thing of note on the journey was that bridge. It really is something else, not that you can tell from my shitty photo.

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https://www.lisbon.net/vasco-gama-bridge
It's 10 miles long and really pretty impressive if that's your sort of thing.

[Hooli]

I didn't see the bridge, but the little engine looks familiar.

[Scruffy Bodger]

I didn't see the bridge, but the little engine looks familiar.

You missed out there then! I can't quite remember where the little engine was I'm afraid. The twat nav for whatever reason changed its mind from doing the same trip a couple of years back in the camper van so we just went with it. It was roughly bridge, to Evora to Beja to
Alcoutim to Tavira. I've just looked on Google maps to compare the routes and it's about half an hour longer but that's ok by me as it was a great set of roads with some great scenery
Nothing to report today and haven't really had chance to pap much in the way of old bangers I'm afraid.

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His present to himself, pretty much all metal too.

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A minter, presumably just resprayed, it was literally lime brand new paint wise.

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One very sun bleached Nova set up as a van. I didn't notice the driver till after I'd taken the pic. He was looking at me very oddly

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The 205 sadly got photo bombed. It had an old boy driving it and was properly sat on its arse, it must've had some proper weight in the back of it!

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This was in really good nick too.

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One thing that hasn't changed is that the Portuguese are still getting properly reamed on their fuel prices.
We did pass one garage which had all sorts of old shit outside but I was in an HGV sandwich at the time on a really bumpy section so only got a glimpse of it and not sure where it was sadly.