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Jul 30, 2014 19:52:22 GMT
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Just gotta decide which set of rims to run on and fit my spandy new dashcam. Then a quick wash and polish and the Carledo is good to go. Now i've said that, something is bound to break at the last minute!
Steve
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Jul 16, 2014 22:45:30 GMT
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The only car i've ever loved enough to want back is my LHD Volvo 122S Estate. I paid £100 for it in 1982 and sold it, part restored in 2010 (though I put over 100k kilometers on it in the meantime) on the understanding that I would have first refusal if it were ever to be resold. The guy did a very indifferent paintjob on it, MOT'd it and sold it to a German guy within 6 months of purchase and without telling me! I was gutted when I found out! On the other hand, I have owned newish (at the time) examples of Triumph GT6 and 1600E Cortinas and loved them dearly, but driving nice restored examples of both recently had me thinking "what did I ever see in these!" Felt much the same on seeing a couple of ex-girlfriends come to think of it!
Steve
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Jul 15, 2014 20:12:20 GMT
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No pics ATM, a customer and friend of mine has one of the unloved and unlovely 350i wedges. I've been glueing the chassis back together with bits of galv scaffold pole every year for the last 5 or so since he bought it! The brakes are cr*p and nothing we do seems to help, the steering is heavy and vague, everything rattles and nothing electrical works properly for more than a few minutes after being fixed! But it sounds the mutts nuts, goes like the clappers (its quite happy to light up, spin and snake for many yards from a rolling start at 40mph) and never fails to bring a huge grin (probably of sheer terror) to your face when driving it! It will more than likely be at RRG at Shelsey and will almost certainly be going up the hill, not for the first time as the owner is local.
Steve
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Jul 12, 2014 20:50:05 GMT
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I can only come on Sunday, me in my retro Toledo and my wife in her modern Picasso since she is disabled. will there be provision for disabled parking close to the showfield?
Cheers Steve
PS I'm just about to book a show space for the Triumph Dolomite club (and friends) we're expecting 6-10 cars including my Vauxhall powered Toledo and the awesome blown MX5 powered Dolomite
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It is also legal to use the smaller motorbike font plates...... but only on American cars where the plate recess is often too small to accept a British plate in standard font! Had them on my 84 Caddy Seville and never got grief from plod or MOT.
Steve
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Last week I sold 2 cars, but before the week was out, I'd bought 2 more! So I still have 14! 3 Toledos 2 Dolomites 3 Cavaliers 2 Picassos 1 Carlton 1 Omega 1 Mondeo and a Pug Expert van. 6 of these are street legal. Just don't go there, allow yourself (if you must) 1 cool retro and a daily and stop at that. Otherwise you'll end up like me , surrounded by metal and no time or money to do what you want. Its a slippery slope!
Steve
PS anybody wanna buy a Picasso or a Mondeo? No, I didn't think so!
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Right, First, The legislation for the 1 year continuance has not yet been passed and will not come into effect until after the budget, sometime in March (so we may not get it at all) Second, if/when it does happen, should your car have a reg date before 1/1/74 you can get it changed at the post office and get your disc on the 1st April, the PO will send your V5 to DVLA and you'll get an amended one back inside 4 weeks. Thirdly, if, like me, you have a car built in 73 but registered in 74, basically you're screwed! You need to send all the paperwork to DVLA (after the change is confirmed in the budget or they'll just reject it out of hand) They will "consider your case" and let you know! The chances of getting this done (along with probably several hundred other similar cases) between budget day, whenever THAT is, and the 1st April - I would say negligible! It has been suggested that I buy a disc on April 1st and get a refund after, I don't see why I should have to, when it's THEIR cockup but it may be the only way! I got all this information from several exhausting phone calls to DVLA so it is from the horses mouth (or a**e)
Steve
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Jan 24, 2014 20:43:45 GMT
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Has anyone started transplanting the Focus ST lump into MKII's yet ? Mate has just bought a year old one - it's a five cylinder 2.5 and "quite nippy" ! Paul H Yes lovely lump, Made by Volvo! (and possibly the only reason Ford bought Volvo!) Steve
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Jan 18, 2014 21:16:25 GMT
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All time favourite for me is the '67 Pontiac GTO and has been since I was 12 (am now pushing 60) but an Iso Grifo Lusso comes a very close second, a sort of Swiss made Bristol with incredible style and a brutish yank V8! Sorry I only have models but no pics!
Steve
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Jan 12, 2014 20:48:40 GMT
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I've been looking into the Acclaim and it's starting to appeal to me more and more. Plenty of choice for wheels and the ones I have seen seen to be low mileage. I'll be putting the Gold up for sale in March by the looks of it.... Are Acclaims plentiful or rare? There's only two on Thiefbay at the moment. They were never what you could call common when new, however, since most new ones were bought by old retired guys as their "last" car, the survivors tend to be tidy and relatively low mileage. They are not common but they are "out there". At this time of year the only people selling on ebay are DESPERATE! 3 or 4 at a time is more usual! Steve
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Jan 12, 2014 20:36:11 GMT
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I know I'm a Triumph nut, but the Acclaim is a very underrated car mostly due to all the original owners being 90 years older than God! Its well screwed together, nippy, economical and pleasant to drive. Not exceptional but its Honda underpinnings mean there is a vast tuning potential without spending a fortune and its general negected status means you'd be doing something not many other people have - surely the holy grail of Retro!
Steve
Make a great sleeper with a V-tec, a small drop and some decent rims!
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Last Edit: Jan 12, 2014 20:41:11 GMT by carledo
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Dec 29, 2013 20:11:19 GMT
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I think you want an Olds Custom Cruiser Not if you want 25mpg you don't! My old Custom cruiser with 305cu in V8 and standard 4v carb (and lots of heavy fake wood on the sides) managed to average 8mpg during the 18 months I owned it. The gas mileage was the reason I sold it
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Dec 21, 2013 21:03:55 GMT
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Cavaliers are brilliant, still cheap to buy (if you don't want a GSi or Turbo) well equipped,ultra reliable, good fuel economy for the size, cheap plentiful parts supply and reasonable inside space for carrying stuff. Can only appreciate if you keep it long enough. Downside is a slight tendency for the rear arches to rot out. Oh and the possibility you might like it so much you'll keep it and sell the 'Tina!
Steve
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Dec 18, 2013 21:14:17 GMT
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Cheers!
Steve
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Dec 18, 2013 20:57:45 GMT
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My Triumph Toledo with 2ltr 8v Vauxhall Carlton engine pulls very well with its 125ish bhp and bags of torque and returns a pretty steady 36mpg on mainly country roads despite being used "thoroughly" most of the time! A very strong, simple engine, relatively light for its size, using Cavalier or Carlton models gives the choice of rear or front sump well and the Omega gearbox is very short and light and makes it RWD with the bonus of a hydraulic clutch. The stock injection system is a breeze to wire up with only 5 connections into the car for the whole injection/ignition system. These engines are cheap as chips in the scrappies and quite plentiful. what more could you want?
Steve
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Dec 18, 2013 20:38:08 GMT
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Triumph Spitfire 1500, At least that's where the engine and front suspension come from!
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Dec 14, 2013 23:04:31 GMT
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Yeah right! I know dozens of MOT testers (and was one myself before starting my own garage up) and they ALL take the easy way out. I have in the past had cars fail for not having the plate, despite the numbers being stamped in elsewhere.
Steve
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Dec 13, 2013 21:57:34 GMT
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Not about the paint code, but you will need a VIN plate for the MOT when it comes round!
Steve
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1, why the hell not? 2, of course you can, show the receipt, or get them to call the DVLA or do the online check on the DVLA website. 1 because this in line with the timing of closing LVLOs will mean it has to be done entirely online by the time it phases in, and you can't do that with trade insurance (or any insurance that isn;t updated by the provider immediately) 2 no guarantee of a receipt being provided, and phoning, yep, that will work well at half 8 on a saturday night, or in an area with no reception. Which is a LOT of places. I tax my cars online with my traders policy so it IS possible! From what I gather, it will also be possible to still do it the old fashioned way - at the local post office, which is how I do it in a hurry when the car is not yet notified to the insurance company. I don't know many insurers, or post offices that are open at 8pm on a Saturday anyway so what are you whingeing about? Steve
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Found a few pics of home grown stuff from my own murky past. The Consul was mine and though I got the Essex V6 running not long after these pics were taken, I never finished the car off, its probably long gone but if anyone knows different, the reg was WLO 851. The Blue Zephyr THM 605 was also essex powered with a Jag axle and was owned and driven by the tiny young lady in the photo. I can't remember her name but the car was called "Blue Moon" "Pieces of Eight" seen at Santa Pod circa 1976 with a mighty 390 V8! Sorry about the lousy picture quality, the pics are scanned from 1970's Instamatic photos Steve
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