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I could make a comment about a roadtrip to collect the bonnet and bringing a trailer back with you. But I won't!  |
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,556
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Oct 31, 2016 11:23:45 GMT
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Thanks for the compliment on my Granada and it's colour choice! Made me smile!
I've been where you are now. I had a car in a certain colour (grey) that I did not want the 70ies-tastic interior in. So I changed to what I thought contrasted nicely. Spent 1300-1600 euro on getting the seats done and having materials to do the door panels etc myself.
Then another restoration came along as there was hidden plated over rust to deal with. No I did not want to spray the outside in the same colour i had once before. Seemed like a waste of the money if I'd end up with the car looking just as it had before... So I changed to grabbe blue custom mix and now my interior vision from the grey era didn't meet up with the new colour....
I had two choices: do what you are now contemplating and reupholster in any desired colour at huge expense. Or I could look for seats in the right colour that were not originally for my model car but I could make to fit. At 600 euro's for a set of 12 fold electrically controllable leather seats, rear seat and (unusable) door panels from the bay of evil, I was well ahead of the game regarding costs. Yes I'd need to modify the floor of the car, but that turned out to be relatively easy. Also I had to make matching interior panels myself, but that was still way cheaper. It's now one of the key features on my car to amaze people...
So maybe that is an option for you as well. The floor shape and the seat base shape will govern how much work it'll take to adapt. My new seats had the benefit of bolting to the floor at the same height on all corners. The base was basically flat/level to any surface. The granada seat rails had 4 different height mounts. In my case I just had to get those all on the same level.
Anyway maybe that is another course of action you could follow. I have no knowledge of old opels so I don't know what is available or what would be adaptable.
I do agree though, if this is a keeper, the cost of re-upholstering will be worth it as well. But the alternative I suggested might work out cheaper. And in my case I now benefit from modern quality supportive seats as compared to the unsupportive yet comfortable half benches that were originally fitted.
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Thanks for the link dikkehemaworst , i appreciate that. I have sent him a SMS enquiring if he will ship it to the UK, but as yet i have not heard anything. If he won't it looks like as georgeb said it's going to be a little roadtrip to Renswoude to collect it in person... There will be no trailer involved... Probably! I have no knowledge of old opels so I don't know what is available or what would be adaptable. I have no knowledge of old Opels either, or for that matter anything else, but finding a set of seats that will fit, and look the part might well be a better route to go down, it's definately worth thinking about. if not for the whole interior, just the front seats and get th back seats re-trimmed to match will probably be considerably cheaper than doing the whole lot. Thanks for the idea! Darkspeed , thanks for pointing that Carlton out, if only it had been up for sale before i bold the Gold one i reckon this would've been a far better starting point than where i started, it certainly looks a lot more solid!  jizzy gillespie can you tell us more about this thing of beauty? |
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eurogranada
Europe
To tinker or not to tinker, that is the question...
Posts: 2,556
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Guess I showed my Dutch origins here lol! Opel is the Dutch/European main land name for Vauxhall... so I know your Carlton as Opel Rekord...
Anyway I just wanted to highlight a third option for you and I see you took notice...
I'll be along to see what you end up doing!
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Milord
Part of things
Posts: 156
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the thing of beauty looks like a Rekord E caravan (like you have) with the nose of a Senator (vauxhall royale?) bolted on to it.  personally I think the later model Senator has a nicer nose to fit your boxy car, something along the lines of this pic. concerning the seats, anything from Senators, or even Omega's (later model Carltons) should fit without much adjustments. |
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Currently:
BMW E46 320i Touring
BMW E34 525TDS Touring
VW T3 panel van 1.6d
Opel Kadett C1 Caravan 1.2
Fiat 411R
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Nov 10, 2016 23:58:37 GMT
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That would be great if you could do that for me dikkehemaworst , thankyou. Now then, way back in the depths of this thread this got said:- Wow. What a fleet!! I can't believe nobody's asked before, but please can we have a build thread for the Volvo 262C? Pretty please? Er, well, i shall write about them as and when i do anything to them or with them, as of yet i've not really got around to doing aything with them. Well, finally i have got around to doing something with the Volvo 262c.  I'm sure that i might have told you guys something about this thing before, but i can't remember where, or when, so to re-cap. I have a love/hate relationship with this thing, and it's through no fault of its own. I bought it in early October 2013, i got such a good deal on it, that i paid the woman for it within 24 hours by wire transfer. We arranged a date when the shippers could pick it up, they went to get it, and she wasn't home! So we arranged another date, same story, then another, same story again, then on the fourth time the shippers went to get it she was home, and they picked it up! By now it was the end of December 2013! Of course, she then had to send the shippers the Title documents, which she didn't do!! She told me several times she has posted them, only for me to get an email from the shippers saying that they havn't received them yet, so i email the seller of the Volvo, and she promises to put them in the mail the following day. Well, this went on from late December until early February, and by this time i was pretty fed up with it, and to be honest, i'd lost all interest in what is a very cool car! But i didn't want to get rid of it, because i just kept thinking, if i get rid of it, will i be able to find, and afford another one? That is, if i ever decide to love one again! Anyway, fast forward three years to 2016, and i decided (against my better judgement) to sell it! I half-heartedly advertise it still unregistered, still not loving it, but still unsure if i should be selling it. I have driven it (on private roads) but the struggle it was to get it to me in the first place hadn't faded from my memory in three years, and i just thought it was time to let it go! So i'd put the word out that i had a very solid Volvo 262c up for grabs. Eventually someone wants to know more, and this chap comes and look at my Volvo 262c to buy it. He asked me what i would take for it? I said £2500. He ummed and arrd and scratched his chin a lot as he gave the 262c a good looking over, and then finally said will you take £2000? I told him that i needed £2500 as thats what it had cost me. So we talked a little longer and he seems very interested, so i said to him what are his plans for it, is he going to lightly restore it or what? He said that he wasn't planning to restore it, he was planning to race it! So i said, oh what like classic, or vintage car racing or something? And he said, NO, banger racing! I said what? He said, classic banger racing!! So i said let me get this straight, you're going to pay £2500 for a car that you're just going to smash up banger racing? He said, no, his sponsors buy the car then stick their stickers all over it, and then he goes banger racing in it. He reckoned he'd probably get three maybe four meets out of the Volvo and this is good value for money! To qoute the yoof of today, "WT actual F?!" He then showed me his farcebook page, and he's been doing it for a while, he showed me old Jags, Cortinas, Granadas, Carltons (annoyingly) Zephyrs, Zodiacs, and even a 1957 Chevy which by all accounts he paid £8000 for, just to go to an all american classic banger meet!!  My jaw hit the floor!! I genuinely can't get my head around the idea of banger racing even with some old heap of doggy doo-doo, but i really struggle with the idea of spending thousands of pounds on a car just to smash it up? Anyhoo, needless to say that once he'd told me his plans for my 262c, it wasn't for sale to him at any price, this suddenly put a different spin on things, and i must confess that i did become inspired to get it MOT'd, registered, and drive it. A quick phone call and before long my 262c was dragged out into the street, a battery was put on it, and a couple of quick blasts of Easy Start and its 2.7 litre V6 engine was purring away happily.  Right then load 'er up...  Point the nose of the trailer draggin' Chev-suzu at Coltech Classics for some remedial work prior to it's MOT, and lets go! Three years to the day from when i bought it the Volvo was finally failing it's first MOT in the UK! Thankfully it didn't fail on too much and as it was already at Coltech Classics, i just had my friend Paul recitfy the problems, and get it re-tested! It's second test was a far happier pass  Albeit with a couple of minor advisories, well, it's a 1978 car, it's never going to get a clean sheet now is it? I was happy with that, so once again i was headed down to Coltech Classics dragging a trailer behind me. Traditionally this tends to turn into a mad dash as i have to get back to pick the Pistonpoppets up from skool... But not this day, they had an 'insect day' I'm sure it's an inset day, but my youngest Pistonpoppet insists it's insect! As, as she says, "What kind of a word is inset? Thats a rubbish made up word!" Well, i'm not going to argue with her because lets face it, she's a little woman, and as i'm sure most of you fellas out there know, you can't win no matter what you say! lol.  I had Paul do a few other odd jobs while he had the car, mostly lowering the height of the seats in the front as they were too high, i'm guessing the previous owner was a dwarf or something, and needed the extra height to see over the dash, but me, at a towering 5' 10" was rubbing what is left of my hair off my head on the ceiling lol! I must admit, that after the shock of the banger racer, i did feel a bit different about the old thing. Plus, now it is MOT'd and i have had a run around the block in it with it's lowered seat i am starting to feel the love for it again a bit. So now, just patiently waiting... waiting... WAITING! With my BLACK pen grasped firmly in hand for the DVLA to send me the V55/5 form so that i can register it, and then, drive it... YEAH!  |
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Nov 23, 2016 20:04:28 GMT
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 Before i start, grab yourselves a cuppa, i want to put on my rose tinted glasses and ramble on about my P100!  Back at the beginning of the year i posted this pic... I spoke of a culling, and mostly of my mk5 Excort van. But sitting qiuetly there in the foreground is my P100.     Well you've probably guessed that i havn't used the P100 for some time (or the Surfboard) So it was a quick wash for it, and then the culling could begin... Hmm the culling isn't going particularly well. I have sold cars, but i've bought them as well. Foolishly, i'm treading water (at best!). My intentions are good, i do put them up for grabs, and occaisionally someone from ebay-land actually bothers showing up and collecting their prize, but then i think to myself. "Oh, i've sold that now... I wonder what else is out there?!" and before too long i'm bidding on something else that i don't need and will need to get rid of! Anyway, because the P100 is closest to the front gate it was decided that it was to be first for the chop and onto the bay of E it went. As is the way it was listed multiple times, the first time it sold to 'vwcaddy90' from Ilminster, Somerset for a grand total of £697.00. Not too bad i thought, but as ever it just wasn't to be. So it was relisted, with some better pictures because as I discovered last year, when you re-list things they never sell for as much as they do the first time they are listed. Plus decent pictures draw in potential bidders, and frankly, my pictures needed a bit of a boost!     The second time... SUCCESS!! And the buyer paid up his £621.00, then sent someone to collect it! But, bear with me while i just remenice for a second...  I have had this little truck in my charge since it was about three or four years old, and it has been great. It was my work truck. It was loaded (probably sometimes overloaded!) and driven almost every day at work, it towed trailers, it would get a big tank put in the back to transport heating fuel. it was driven hard and put away wet, and it never, EVER let me down! Not once in all the time i drove it at work did it break down. It had a 2.0 litre pinto engine in it, and a five speed transmission, and it was far quicker than it had any right to be! But i never really loved it. Driving it was great, but to look at it, not so much! Why? Well, i have a belief that pick ups should be blunt at the front, and the Sierra shape P100 clearly isn't! However, times have changed, and although i still believe that pick ups should be blunt at the front i have mellowed in my old age, and now look at the Sierra shape P100 as quite a cool looking car! The picture above shows it in full work mode, outside my workplace at the time, actually, it's kinda still my workplace now, but it's all very different now! Anyway, wanna know whats in it? It's loaded with wire that has had all the insulation stripped off by hand to reveal just the bare copper! A great bonus was had that day Anyway, when work closed i was made redundant, and as a bit of a bonus we were all alowed to take our vans with us! Undecided with what i wanted to do with my life back in the early part of this century i loaded my P100 up with some of my worldly possesions (and as it turned out my psychotic girlfriend)...  and headed off to Wales! I bought a house that was 'in need of modernisation' (if you ever see a house described as that have a really REALLY good look around it lol!) And started my new life in Wales as some sort of home renavator, and cinema worker! Well, i had to do something to earn a few bob! After about a year my (then) girlfriend had revealed her self as a raving alcoholic, and complete all round nut-job to boot by firstly crashing the P100 (on purpose!) into a bollard (hence the black wing!) then to prove her point further she ripped through the house like a tornado smashing litterally everything including all of the crockery, some of the windows, and going as far to smash through some of the doors... It was like being in The Shining...  Except Jack Nicholson is possibly better looking and less terrifying!! Then just to underline how much of a lunartic she was(is) she then attacked me, leaving me with three fractured ribs! After that it was decided that she needed to go! My friend who now lives in Germany helped her to move out! I (bizarrely) was completely bummed out about all of this, and after about another six months or so i had finished my house, and was wondering what to do with my time. I then got offered a little job back home. Actually i wasn't offered it, it was a case of, 'I need some help, and you're it!' So...  The P100 was loaded up with some of my stuff, and i blasted down the M4 towards home. As i raced along the M4 i noticed three cameras on tripod on a bridge. I thought to myself, ha ha, i've got no front number plate so they can't catch me as i blezzed under them at what the speedo said was just over 110, oh i thought i was so clever and continued to laugh all the way until the next bridge came up! On that bridge there were no cameras, but there were three Police cars! I slowed right down and nonchalantly started to whistle to myself! Not that this helped, as i approached the bridge, the three Police cars started to move off... DAMN!! I'll bet they want to talk to me! i thought to myself. Sure enough they did, they joined the M4, then as i was driving along at just 65mph they boxed me in, and took me off into the services... Not for a cuppa and a slice of cake i might add! But here's where the story takes a strange twist, one that i've never worked out to this day, nearly 15 years later. They didn't seem all that interested in my speed, they were interested in who i was, where i was going to and coming from, and also my P100. By chance i had my passport with me, so they looked at that, and my licence, they seemed happy with that too, but took down all the details from both. Then they gave my P100 a really thorough looking over, not in a MOT way, in a we're looking for something kind of way! It was odd, but after all that, (about 20 mins) then they wanted to talk about my speed! They showed me the film from the bridge, and told me that they were not happy with my land speed record attempt of 117mph! But then they said that they couldn't do anything about it as i had no front numberplate, and without that it would be hard to prove it was me who was speeding, even though clearly the pick up in the image has a black wing on the front, and the bike etc in the back! So i said, er, so you're letting me go? And they said, yes, they had to! So then i said, could i get a copy of the film, because nobody would believe that my P100 would get to 117mph! And they Policemen said, certainly, just sign here admitting that is you in the film and a copy is all yours!! I said, erm... No thanks! I got in my P100, and slowly drove away! But you know what, to this day i don't know what that was all about, but there were loads of other commercial vehicles in the service area, and they were all getting a good looking over. I can only guess that they were looking for something, or even someone, and luckily for me, it wasn't me. I genuinely thought that i was going to be on foot patrol for atleast a year for that, but i just got a telling off! Very strage, but it obviously worked, over fifteen years later, and i still don't do speeding! Anyway, i digress, I carried on using it up until 2011. I stopped using it originally because by then i was cruising around inmy V8 Tata pick up, but I always intended to get this P100 back on the road, obviously this was never going to happen, and with the loss of storage space, it was up for grabs! Yesterday, Tuseday 23 November 2016, the P100 set sail for pastures new...  And there it goes, will i miss it? Something that i've not driven in over 5 years. Well, possibly, as i loaded it up onto the transporter i thought to myself, what a great looking little pick up that is! Funny how your perception of stuff changes over time isn't it, especially after you've sold it to someone else. But, no doubt there wil be other pick ups, there might even be other P100's who knows, but i do wish the new owner well with it, and i like to think that i shall see it restored to its former glory at some point! But for now, i've still got the pictures to rememd me of the highs (and lows) i had with this thing!     Still no front plate...  and patina before patina was popular!  |
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Nov 23, 2016 20:48:23 GMT
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Cracking update, 117, they should have clapped you on the back lol. Long time to have a car that, I'm surprised there was no attachment.
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Nov 23, 2016 20:52:21 GMT
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Pistonpopper, always look forward to reading your posts, so glad you've decided to keep the volvo, it's looks great and soon you will forget about the hassle to get it here!
Lets hope the P100 has gone to a good home, rare thing now!
Cheers,
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Nov 23, 2016 23:37:52 GMT
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I must admit astranaut , for that kind of speed i really did think i'd be phoning up my Dad and asking him to come and get me as the police had shredded my licence on the spot! I reckon if i did it today that would probably be the story! It only took me from Swansea to Cardiff to acheive my land speed record too! As for there being no attachment, to be fair there was, but realistically it was just going to rot if i didn't sell it, and i had already done this to one...    However this one was a real project when i got it, but i was going to fix it up, but never got around to it. I didn't want the same to happen to the second one, and i thought someone else deserved a chance. Incidentally, that Apple tree growing in the bed in the first pic was a self setter, that now is growing very happily in my back yard! Shame really, had i have left it i could've had a pick your own apples delivery service! If you look closely in the second picture you can see the good P100 and the Escort van in the background. As for the Volvo, i am glad i've decided to keep it as well twincam11 looking back i think if i had decided to sell it i would've regretted it quite quickly. I don't think i'll keep it for long though, just long enough to get several hundred miles on it and to be able to say i used to drive one of those when i'm dribbling into my porridge while rocking in an old folks home! |
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Nov 24, 2016 23:42:19 GMT
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Selling the P100 was not enough, and it was third time lucky on the bay of E for the Bravo. The first time some of you might remember me whinging about way back in September when ebay decided in their wisdom or otherwise that my listing hadn't followed their Brand Name Misuse... What a load of...  Quite frankly. The second time i listed it, ebay decided it was ok to let it run through until the end, and it ended at a massive £82.00! The winning bidder 'lambey52' of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire clearly hadn't read Mystery Machine 's incredible "If only you were nearer" thread, and decided that 168 miles was too far to collect a cheap little Fiat... What a PEN-fifteen!! This, as ever ticked me off thoroughly, and i almost decided to not re-list it, but to keep it myself, but possibly good sense won out, and i figured that third time lucky, and back on fleabay it went! This time with even less interest! But by 21.06hrs on November 17, 2016 the auction came to an end with seven different bidders putting in a total of ten bids. The winning bidder had won it for just £77.00, and i thought to myself, i'm not gonna fight him for it, if it doesn't sell, what we have here is an engine doner, and the hunt for something to stuff it in will begin... I casually browsed ebay, and there it was, a very tatty Lancia Beta! I crossed my fingers, almost hoping for no contact, but then it came! The winning bidder had also bought a bike that i was selling, if you've been reading my clunkerz thread you probably know the bike, if not, heres a bit of cross-pollenisation from that thread... Lastly, the build quality. I know that these were built to a budget, but that just looks cheap, and badly engineered to me! I'm not saying that you couldn't get some enjoyment out of this bike, ofcourse you could. If you really wanted to get a work out when you're riding then a bike like this is the way to go, i'll bet that riding this for a mile was far more of a workout than riding my FELT for five miles! Anyhoo, as i've got plenty of other bikes to ride, and now that this one is just about rideable it's on fleabay, with a £1 starting price. I realise that my little rant about it probably wont do the final sales price figure any good at all, but it must be worth the £1 starting price in parts alone! Click the next picture for the link...  Let's RIDE!!... something else!  Contact made he asked me to put the bike in the back of the Fiat, and we arranged a time for him to collect it.  The time came on a miserable wet and windy evening, there was a qiuet knock on my door and i answered it to a boy, a youth, y'know, a young-un' standing there soaked to the bone! He said, "I've come to collect the Fiat." Ok, i said, and let him in. Upstairs as he sat there leaving a puddle on my kitchen floor for mrs Pistonpopper to mop up he counted out the money (it didn't take him long!) and then we filled in the documents, he said he'd never filled in documents before, so i helped him through it. Then that was it, deal done, hands shaken, it was time to wish him all the best with it, and watch as it drove away. He stood there, nervously, and then said, "Can you drive me home please? I only live across town, and my Dad will drop you back home." A bit stunned i said, ok, but why? He said, "Well, i havn't got a driving licence yet, i'm only 16!" He went on to say that he wants to fix it up a bit, and use it to learn to drive in. Re-affirmed my faith in the yoof of today a bit, i thought this sort of nipper had been MIA since the 1990's! So off we went, and i left it on his drive...  Goodbye ole friend... I'll miss you!  Dammit, that wasn't supposed to happen, it was supposed to be a cheap bit of fun that i used and abused, and didn't care about, it wasn't supposed to get under my skin, i wasn't supposed to fall in love!! But why, why did this happen? Well to put it simply it was brilliant to drive, it was well balanced, hugged the road, and went like the devil, it's even not too bad on the eye! Yes it was scruffy, but it was fun, and i genuinely would recommend one to anyone who is looking for a cheap, and fun car, as a track day weapon this would've been phenomenal fun, maybe not as fast as something more sporty, but that's not the point, this would've been such a chuckle as you're chucking it around a track you wouldn't care who was whizzing past you! So what else can i tell you about this little gem?  Well, starting with the interior it was a sea of grey plastic and cloth with a splash of blue thrown in for good measure. Oh, and some very cool floor mats that say 'Powered by Fairydust!' Very manly in case you're wondering! lol.  I quite liked the contours and shapes of the dashboard, although it was very plasticky, it did make it look quite interesting, and maybe even a bit special. My favourite part was probably the odd shaped radio with the flip up door for the casette to be loaded into. I toyed for a while with the idea of fitting an adapter plate and an ordinary CD player, but in the end dismissed this idea as it would spoil the ambience of the interior... So i dug out my Blondie tapes, and hit the road!!  The front seats were comfortable yet supportive, even when you were chucking it around. However, i could never get the front seat just where i wanted it, and it never felt like it was central to the steering wheel, which it probably wasn't. But driving it about town, or on a bit of a blast through the country roads it was a hoot, it was comfortable enough for that kind of thing. A five hour drive across the country was a bit of a different matter. By the time i got back home again my lower back was killing me. But i'm guessing that cross country jaunts were not what Fiat had in mind when they designed this car, and probably neither were fat middle aged blokes lol!  In the bach however the Pistonpoppets said they had plenty of room, and it was very comfy too, but, when it was warm and sunny (remember that?) they did complain that it was too hot back there, and it would've been better if the windows opened, even if they just popped open from the rear. But they don't, and i looked around at others that i had found on 'tinternet, and it would appear that opening rear windows was not an option. It's a pity, as at the time i thought i was going to keep this for a while, and i would've retro fitted some had i have come across some! As for space, well as can be seen a few photos up with the seat folded down it was big enough for a bike... Even a rubbish bike!  Under the bonnet, this, for me was what this little machine was all about...  The 1.8 litre 16 valve Fiat twincam engine. Designed by Aurelio Lampredi, the Fiat Twin Cam, or the Lampredi Twin Cam if you prefer was an advanced inline-four automobile engine produced from 1966 through 2000 as a Fiat/Lancia engine until it was eventually replaced by the "family B" series of engines. Make no mitsake, this thing goes! It revs, and revs and revs, and revs, until you think it can rev no more. Then it carries on revving! The more you rev it, to more it wants to rev. The faster, and harder you drive it, the faster and harder it begs to be driven! I've had a couple of twin cam engines in the past, but not like this, not like this little rev-happy monster! You find yourself thinking, how has this not gone bang? How hard do i need to push it? Is it infact indestructable? It's just fantastic, which was why i had started to think about using the engine in something else, something with a Lancia badge on the front! This little engine would scream away happily all day long, it was just brilliant, and it didn't even use and oil or water either! Now on to the bodywork.  It has to be said that it probably isn't the best looking car out there, it's quirky looking, but that doesn't mean to say that it is ugly, and for me the looks grew on me. It's biggest problem was probably it's paint. Masses of laquer peel, practically everywhere, every time i took it out it came back with less laquer on it! The paint had gone flat and/or pink on a lot of the surfaces that face up, and was missing from the roof completely, just a coat of thin primer hid the bare steel on the roof, and probably the less said about the matt black bonnet the better. But, that being said, shiny paint won't make it faster! Also, this patina was part of it's charm. I liked that i didn't need to worry about every mark that i found on it, i liked that i didn't need to worry if some dumbass beat their door into it at the supermarket, it was fine! Oddly, nobody ever did beat their door into it at the supermarket, whereas on my better cars they do! The funny thing was, although there was no rust on this little Fiat, the amount of people from the older generation who said, "ahh, you don't want a Fiat, they're rust traps!" when i told them i had bought a Fiat was incredible. It was like the only think they said about it!! Forget about the revvy twin cam, RUST thats all Fiats were known for to them. Even when i said, look there's no rust on it, not even where the paint is missing, they would reply with, yes, you can't see it, but it'll have rust somewhere!! Yes of course it will you dope, but so does every car! Nope, the Fiats of the 1970's have a lot to answer for! Anyhoo, here's some pretty pictures of it for your perusal.      See? Scrubs up pretty nice doesn't it? To sum up this great little car i can only say that these things are an absolute bargain, a mountain of fun at a molehill price. If you get the chance don't hesitate, buy one!! And in other news...  Took the Chev-suzu for it's first MOT under my care on Wednesday... FAIL!! But not as badly as some of my cars have!! I got:- Front brake excessively fluctuating nearside. Front brake excessively fluctuating offside. Rear brake excessively fluctuating nearside. Rear brake excessively fluctuating offside. Mechanical brake component has restricted free movement offside front. Brake disc in such a condition that it is seriously weakened offside front (INNER FACE). Leaf spring has excessive wear in shackle pin and/or bush nearside rear upper. Leaf spring has excessive wear in shackle pin and/or bush nearside rear lower. Leaf spring has excessive wear in shackle pin and/or bush offside rear upper. Leaf spring has excessive wear in shackle pin and/or bush offside rear lower. So, not too bad for a truck with just over 206,000 miles on it. On the way home it was a case of stop into the motorfactors, and order up some bits. Hopefully have it back on the road in a week or so  |
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Nov 25, 2016 16:13:35 GMT
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I was tempted to buy your p100 on eBay but ended up with this one instead   |
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1973 MK1 2600 Capri - Located in Texas
1976 3.0S Capri - X-Pack long term Project
1978 2.0S Capri
1984 Transit County MK2 4x4 LWB 2.5DI
1985 2.8i Special Capri (v8 5.0L)
1986 2.8i Special Capri
1987 280 Turbo Technics Capri
1993 1.8TD P100 - Beater, parts collector
2008 BMW 320i Touring - Daily
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duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member
Out of retro ownership
Posts: 1,320
Club RR Member Number: 70
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Pistonpoppers MotorJournal.duncanmartin
@duncanmartin
Club Retro Rides Member 70
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Nov 25, 2016 18:13:52 GMT
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I was tempted by the FIAT. If it had an MOT until the summer I might even have bought it! Instead I got my Multipla fixed. That was most frustrating - an MOT centre near work failed it on a couple of things, so I took it to my normal FIAT indy. They fixed those bits and took it to their local MOT centre, who pointed out a bunch more faults and failed it again! Fixing those cost a fair bit more - if I had the full fail list at the start I would definitely have thrown it away and just bought another car. So it goes.
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Nov 28, 2016 10:01:58 GMT
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That P100 looks very clean caprijake does it need much? Ah you live and learn duncanmartin you live and learn! The thing is, if it had had an MOT on it until the summer i would've kept it. Infact, if i hadn't managed to pick up a crack in the windscreen i would've re-MOT'd it and kept it. I wasn't bored of it, and i don't think i'd have become bored of it any time soon. But stupidly, i don't have windscreen cover, otherwise it would've been done, and i would've carried on cruising in it. Still, never mind, onwards and upwards and all that! Besides... I sort of have a new toy (which i bought just before selling the P100 if you look closely!) May i introduce my VW Caddy!  I've wanted one of these for, well, since they were new. I remember going on holiday to Austria in the back of my folks Cortina in the early eighties and seeing these on the roads of Germany and thinking, i've got to get one! Well, about a year or so ago my friend and i were talking about them, and it sort of re-kindled my interest in them, so i quietly started my hunt. I've got to say, i looked at dozens of Caddys, described as in 'great condition' and 'MINT' only to discover they were full of tin worm, and i've already got a car like that! Anyway, eventually this one showed up, it has had two previous owners, and now me! It is not immaculate or anything like that, it has been used, but not abused... It has patina! I just had no idea how much patina costs these days! But the thing is, they're never gong to get any cheaper, so i took a deep breath, and emptied my bank account!  Awesome first fill shot! the thing that worries me most about this little Caddy is this. My first foray into Hitler youth worker car ownership was a '70's Beetle Convertible, which i loved, it was just brilliant. I followed that up with a mk3 Golf Convertible, which i found to be extremely dull, and boring to both drive and own. Then there was the Scirocco, which promised so much, but to be honest was a bit of a disappointment. I am quite concerned that the Caddy will not live up to its expectations either. I've carried an image around in my head since the eighties of how my Caddy should look, i really hope to not be disappointed by how it actually is, although, after driving it for half an hour or so this evening it has to be said, that i like it a lot, so, so far so good! |
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Nov 28, 2016 13:14:01 GMT
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Its pretty good really. MOT until June drives great.
No issues other than wouldnt start when cold (Its a diesel) Turns out it was a dead glow plug relay somehow managed to get filled with water.
There is a bit of dodgy paint on the tub and a nice dent in the other side of it.
Ive wanted one for years and decided to use it as my daily winter run around but i quite like it might not let go as quickly.
Plans i have for it are cleanup the paint on the tub and add side mouldings back. Possibly build a bed cover as i don't often have anything in the back lol
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1973 MK1 2600 Capri - Located in Texas
1976 3.0S Capri - X-Pack long term Project
1978 2.0S Capri
1984 Transit County MK2 4x4 LWB 2.5DI
1985 2.8i Special Capri (v8 5.0L)
1986 2.8i Special Capri
1987 280 Turbo Technics Capri
1993 1.8TD P100 - Beater, parts collector
2008 BMW 320i Touring - Daily
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That does look pretty straight caprijake it's funny, the Sierra shaped P100's never really did it for me, they were a good truck, and great to drive, but too aerodynamic! Like i said before, i prefer my pick ups to be blunt at the front! Having said that, now that there is a P100 shaped hole in my collection i have found myself browsing the bay of e, not particularly wanting anything, but just casually observing, then this thing pops up...  My immediate reaction?.. YES!! Followed very quickly by Mrs Pistonpoppers immediate reaction... Er, NO!! I said, what do you mean no? She said, that i have enough cars, and you've just sold your P100. I pointed out that this was a crew cab, extremely rare as they never did one in the first place. But no matter, it was a definate no, and i have to admit i didn't try too hard to convince her because i'd already talked myself out of it for exactly the same reason, too many cars! I was kinda glad she said no actually, i know you probably don't believe it but i was. This is why, she said no, i'd already talked myself out of it anyway so i was already not interested in having it, but she now thinks (unless she's reading this!) that i didn't go for it because she said not to, so she's happy. The next time something comes up, that i really do fancy, she's far more likely to say yes, and on the off chance that she doesn't i can just play the, 'yeah, but i didn't have the crew cab P100' card! Happy days! Not that i'll really need to, i'm trying to have a culling anyway, and if i get rid of a few more cars, then i should be free to play. I've known the long suffering Mrs Pistonpopper for over twenty years now, and in all that time i think this is only the second or third time she's ever said no when it comes to me buying cars or motorcycles, or anything else actually! Actually she also convinced me not to buy a Gyro-copter once too! That was probably for the best! So anyway, thats my P100 gone, so i'm down to just two pick ups now, (or three if you count the hot rod) and as you know the Chev-suzu failed it's MOT on a number of mostly braking related items not so long ago! So off my local motorfactors and then the Isuzu main dealer for various items...  Then back to the ranch to get them flung on! I'm often surprised by just how much some car parts can be, for example, why are shackle pins, which are basically just bolts welded to a flat piece of steel £100+vat? Anyway, not that it matters as it wasn't getting an MOT without them, so i bought them, along with the rest of the stuff, and headed for home. My bank account seriously depleated just in time for Christmas! Sorry kids FATher CHRIStmas isn't coming this year, his sleigh needed a serious amount of work, so he's skint! Yeah, like that would wash with my girls lol! Anyway, glad i had the front discs replaced because quite frankly, they were, and this is a technical term, BUGGERED! So new bits on, the offside front brake caliper cleaned up and freed up, and it was back to the MOT station for a re-test!  Which of course it failed straight away! Why i hear you cry? Actually you could've probably heard me cry if you were with about a 50 mile radius of the place! Everything was good except for now the nearside front claiper had decided it was it's turn to sieze up! Great, forty miles from home and no tools! There was just one thing for it, go and see my friend Paul at Coltech Classics, and ask for help!  As ever he jumped straight in there and quickly cleared a space in his workshop and freed the front brake up for me! Standing there looking at my pick up amoungst the other pick ups in Pauls workshop i was suddenly overcome with what can only be described as a Sesame Street moment!  And before too long i found myself singing (in my head i might add!) That old Sesame Street favourite, Two of these trucks belong together. Two of these trucks are kind of the same. But one of these trucks is doing its own thing. Now it's time to play our game... It's time to play our game. Could've been a lot worse, i could've had a Peppa Pig moment!! I discussed this at great length with Paul, and he said, yes, but which one is the odd one out? I said, simple, mine, it's the only truck here that isn't from the 1950's! But Paul disagreed, he thought it was his, because his is a Ford, and mine and the other truck are both Chevrolets! Hmm, it's funny how you can have a long conversation with good friends over such trivia lol! Anyhoo, with the caliper freed up by Paul, and me extremely greatful for not having to get dirty while he did the work for me, i headed back off to the MOT station! Where a short while later i was issued with a certificate for another twelve months of happy motoring!!  Hooraah!!! And i was headed for home! Still with Sesame Street playing in my ears!! |
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recarouk
Yorkshire and The Humber
Posts: 435 
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Dec 13, 2016 13:25:52 GMT
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you're mad as a box of frogs, and I love it, ive sat on my dinner break at work reading the recent updates, and chuckling quite loudly according to some of my colleagues, but its certainly cheered my day up. keep up the good work that man |
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Albeit with a couple of minor advisories, well, it's a 1978 car, it's never going to get a clean sheet now is it? I was happy with that, so once again i was headed down to Coltech Classics dragging a trailer behind me. Traditionally this tends to turn into a mad dash as i have to get back to pick the Pistonpoppets up from skool... But not this day, they had an 'insect day' I'm sure it's an inset day, but my youngest Pistonpoppet insists it's insect! As, as she says, "What kind of a word is inset? Thats a rubbish made up word!" Well, i'm not going to argue with her because lets face it, she's a little woman, and as i'm sure most of you fellas out there know, you can't win no matter what you say! lol.
