What did you do today?

[AMCrebel]

I also had a tidy up in the garage (that's a work in progress) and found a piece of interior trim from my Chevy - I see a visit to the Post Office in my future so I can send it to the new owner.

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I have also been mucking about with the electric window mechanism from my AMC driver's door - I think I may have the germ of an idea about how to modify and repair it.

[mercrocker]

I haven't had reason to drive my cars much since mid December, save for the Chrysler which is effectively my daily at present. As it was a decent day for a change with no sign of the gritters since before Christmas I put a gallon or two in the VW and the Cowley and took them out around my 28 mile exercise route.

The dash problem on my T25 has reared its head again - no gauge illumination, temp warning light silliness and general malfunctioning. The ribbon breaks down apparently. I've got hold of somebody who can upgrade it if I send them the whole pod so that is going to be the next job on it.

Was tempted to keep the van out and have an afternoon in the Forest but when I stopped for lunch it soon got bloody cold with no heater on....

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I carried on stripping a Z3 that I bought to break. A lot is off, in boxes and on Ebay now and I'm leaving the engine until last. I might have a buyer for the roof tomorrow which will spur me on to getting the donk out and the shell weighed.

[RetroShite]

I bought another mz.

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And dropped off a moped at Reb's.

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The mz was a 160 mile round trip up north of Montrose. I loaded the moped into the truck last night, picked up the mz this morning and dropped off the moped at Reb's this afternoon.
I've started my own website on retroshite.com which I'm using to raffle off my unwanted shite and to arrange the monthly retro car meets, the moped would have been a prime candidate for my "shite giveaways" and I had intended on raffling it and another moped and giving reb another slightly shitter non runner but thought it would be best to give him something that actually runs which might help with the enthusiasm to make it usable and roadworthy.

[PhilA]

Did about 60 miles today.

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Got stuck at the bridge waiting on a barge to pass by.

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Went to Lowe's to buy some hardwares.

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Drove home the remote way back. No houses, nothing. Just trees.

Car is running well now. Fuel economy is better.

[SiC]

Drained and stripped the scrappy Dolomite some more today in preparation to pull the engine. Wanted to get more done but Mrs SiC and I went out with her spending far too long trying on clothes in the shops!
Debating how to get the engine out. I could crane it out the top but I might just cut the front off and pull it out that way. Or could just drop the subframe and bring it out the bottom. Need to get the engine on a pallet ready to ship out to its new owner.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Just crane it out, easy enough.

[xtriple]

Dug out the Merc yesterday (as it's not been used since, I think, late November) and dried it out inside. Not wet, wet. Just condensation from wet dogs and blankets on the floor. It was, after a truly appalling day on the 1st, a glorious, sunny, warm day yesterday! So the roof came down and the dogs went for a lovely two-hour mooch at the park.

Okay, actually Chester and I walked for about 30 minutes then I sat on a bench and chatted with a mate for an hour and a half while Chester wandered about aimlessly (his favourite thing) and Bellend chased her bally madly, threw the damn thing at every passing person (of which there were many) and waited none too patiently for them to throw it for her, eventually dropped it at my feet again and ran full pelt after it once I launched it into the hedge!

The Merc carried on playing up with the parking sensors going nuts constantly and eventually, turning themselves off and the ESP unavailable message on the screen. I didn't even know cars could read minds...

However, after it sat in the sun for a couple of hours drying out (left with the roof off, doors unlocked and the windows down so easily pinched) the ESP message pissed off (so it can't read minds after all) and the parking sensors occasionally worked but often, didn't.

Got home and had just parked the car properly (took three attempts, I really need parking sensors it seems, must be old age and a lack of neck mobility) when the chap who lives around the corner (but his flat is actually next door and upstairs from me) asked for help.

From me!

Now in my fitter days, I would have been all geared up and quickly equipped with a selection of spanners/socket sets and ready to whip out the engine, but his seemingly innocent enquiry had me in a flop sweat at the thought of actually breaking a nail or getting gruft under a fingernail.

It was, however, merely a flat battery on his Alfa Romeo JTD little thing (Mito?) on a 65 plate. I breathed a sigh of relief and came indoors, deposited Chester back in his safe spot (under the duvet with pillows and cushions, he was still there snoring happily when Bellend and I returned a goodly while later) after I attached the jump pack, which was a dismal failure (maybe I have killed it leaving it switched on for a year?) I decided in a moment of clarity that I had better exhume the jump leads from under the boot floor, where they have resided since I purchased them, probably eight years ago. Amazingly, they were where I thought they were and were still all sealed in the bag and perfect.

Next chore was getting the Merc to a spot where we could attach the leads. Now, as I had sense (once) I bought long leads and thick buggers with decent clamps that don't fall apart the first time you try and attach them to anything more substantial than a scrotum, this shouldn't have been a problem but his car was parked on the kerb right on the corner and so I had to actually move the Merc, drive right around the block and then park at right angles to the road to get close enough.

Once so done and with the aid of the ever-present Bella, eager as always for a 'learning experience' (in other words with paws and nose right in the fucking way!) it was but the work of a moment to start the horrible clattery thing, then we started the Alfa Hahhahahahahhah. No, the Merc sounds lubbly-jubbly it was the Alfa that clattered being a horrible diesel. Surely such a thing should never be allowed to infect an Italian motor vehicle?

Once again parked the old girl and that was when the next door but one neighbour informed me his Bandit had been pinched the night before. What a bastard of a way to start the new year?

[NigelBickle]

Went & got this:-

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With the Lancia.

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You may recall I offered, & was turned down- then he came back, a few days later with a price lower than I had offered! I bit his hand off, paid immediately, collected today.

It’s horrible to drive. Desperately in need of a service, running far too rich, with a near seized throttle ( on/ off seem to be the only positions) spongey brakes, wandery steering etc. winch seems to wind in, not out.
But I knew most of that, from when I went to see it. It looks “ok” which wins it for me, and it’s legal long enough for me to get it sorted before it’s next mot.

I was chatting to a motorcycle rozzer at Sutton Scotney ( on A34) as we both filled up ( he was curious about the car) without any ‘ attitude’. So, a winner that’ll probably drive me mad.

Hey ho

[angrydicky]

Another good run for the R600 and trailer completed this afternoon, with the old kitchen from the local village hall in the back, that I seemed to have got lumbered with disposing of. Some good weight in there including a couple of bins and a couple of bags full of tiles. Managed to get a trailer load of decent firewood out of the hall, then loaded up everything else and took it to the tip.

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