mexicansteve
South West
Posts: 683 
Club RR Member Number: 31
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Aug 12, 2016 10:43:44 GMT
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And so the woe continues  . whilst up on the ramp I popped into the garage for a chat, "by the way" the chappy says, "there's a hole in the passenger sill the size of my forearm", I should point out here that he is a body builder. sigh, add it to the list. And the shocks have seen better days.  If I at least had somewhere to work on it or someone with a lift I could probably attempt some of it myself (not the welding though, way beyond me is that dark art). Not sure how it got through the last MOT with no advisories. Anyhoos, I shall perservere as this is shonky old car ownership after all. On a final note, if anyone reading this has any 120Y bits lying around that they want to sell (let's say an exhaust and sill box section for example...) please let me know. |
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BeQuietandDrive
1989 Bedford Astra Van
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Aug 12, 2016 11:22:21 GMT
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Aug 12, 2016 12:00:36 GMT
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Not sure how it got through the last MOT with no advisories. because they used the same tester as my old land rover ? 12 months ticket this had  |
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Aug 12, 2016 13:18:17 GMT
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Bad news about the MOT, but for a car like that to have survived 40+ years is something worth celebrating and justifies the work to keep it on the road. I've no Idea how many Sunny Estates there arein the UK now but I'd be willing to guess there's a lot fewer than many exotic cars of the same era.
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Aug 12, 2016 13:47:20 GMT
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Bad news about the MOT, but for a car like that to have survived 40+ years is something worth celebrating and justifies the work to keep it on the road. I've no Idea how many Sunny Estates there arein the UK now but I'd be willing to guess there's a lot fewer than many exotic cars of the same era. It is a shame rarity doesn't correlate directly with value. Us Datsun owners would be minted  |
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mexicansteve
South West
Posts: 683
Club RR Member Number: 31
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Aug 12, 2016 18:41:36 GMT
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I got the results from the car docs, and had a chance to check out the underside. I need an entire exhaust front to back so I've found a local company who should be able to make me up an entire new one in stainless steel for a not too bank breaking sum. Worse news is the sill, basically I need an entire inner and outer sill on the passenger side, the drivers side is ok but is starting to go as well. Also on the passenger side the rot is creeping across the floorpan, again with the sigh. I don't think an entire floor pan is necessary or even affordable at the moment so I shall cut out the crud and blend in the new. Adios mi dinero At least keeping on top of things will keep it going into the foreseeable future and keep it eminentally more saleable when the time comes, as Hotwire said, if only it's value was reflected in its rarity. |
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BeQuietandDrive
1989 Bedford Astra Van
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Aug 12, 2016 19:22:58 GMT
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Bad news about the MOT, but for a car like that to have survived 40+ years is something worth celebrating and justifies the work to keep it on the road. I've no Idea how many Sunny Estates there arein the UK now but I'd be willing to guess there's a lot fewer than many exotic cars of the same era. It is a shame rarity doesn't correlate directly with value. Us Datsun owners would be minted True, but like the (excellently restored) MK1 Cavalier that's also on here, it's the cars like these that are more historically significant to the majority (what the politicians keep on calling "ordinary decent working people"). Cars that were once as common as lamp posts and kept the country moving and are now an endangered species. I applaud anybody keeping one alive, standard or modified. |
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mexicansteve
South West
Posts: 683
Club RR Member Number: 31
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Right then, Datsun is at Save on Tyres in Exeter getting it's shiny new stainless exhaust, tomorrow it's going to the body shop for a few days, I even have a proper outer sill courtesy of Datman. In the meantime I got a decorative item. A while back someone suggested replacing the mint tin in the dash with a pack of Rothmans for that '70's feel, well I got these instead. They're not for smoking, purely, stoopidly visual.  |
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BeQuietandDrive
1989 Bedford Astra Van
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mexicansteve
South West
Posts: 683
Club RR Member Number: 31
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Sept 2, 2016 14:20:50 GMT
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First off, I'd like to thank Andy at Save on Tyres in Exeter for doing a great job on the new stainless exhaust and to Ubi of Y and R Motors in Exeter, who has done a cracking job on the sills and has just been a mine of information, and indeed has laid plans for future fixes as they arise. Anyway, The shiny new exhaust       Replacement sill must have been for a coupe or saloon, not quite long enough  Excellently blended in at the end  Ubi then finished off with a coating of stone chip which, when it's cured will be sanded back before painting. In other news we found some passenger floor pan issues. In the wheel arch,  In comes the light...  Holes!    Again, when the work was done, the wheel arch and passenger underside got a fresh coating of stone chip. And all of this at a very reasonable cost. |
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BeQuietandDrive
1989 Bedford Astra Van
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logicaluk
Posted a lot
Every days a school day round here
Posts: 1,373
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Sept 2, 2016 21:07:16 GMT
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Good to hear you've found some decent affordable classic friendly people to work on the datsun.
Love it
Dan
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mexicansteve
South West
Posts: 683
Club RR Member Number: 31
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Sept 3, 2016 11:33:15 GMT
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Thanks Dan.
On another note, as the pie dish hubcaps keep hurtling off into hedges or whatever I might give the steels a lite refurb, what colour would sit well with the blue? Answers on a postcard please.
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BeQuietandDrive
1989 Bedford Astra Van
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mexicansteve
South West
Posts: 683
Club RR Member Number: 31
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Sept 6, 2016 14:47:34 GMT
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After losing yet another pie dish hub cap, I decided that I can't just carry on buying them from Datman, he will eventually run out. So despite being a thorough novice at everything I do, I thought I'd give the steels a bit of a refurb. Now I never have spare cash or anywhere decent to work but I set to scraping and sanding (the spare first as a bit of a tester), masked off, gave it a couple coats of primer and this morning went for a top coat of black. So it's a tad shoddy but not a rusty steel any more anyhoos. I also thought some centre caps might look good on it (anyone got any closer than Detroit!). On another note, where the new sill is covered in stone chip was supposed to be sanded and repainted blue...I kinda like the matt black strip at the bottom of the car. It'll have to look traveller until I sort the other side out. Anyway, the wheel...  |
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BeQuietandDrive
1989 Bedford Astra Van
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Sept 6, 2016 15:49:41 GMT
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So despite being a thorough novice at everything I do Being in the same boat I've found getting stuck in is about all you can do, and hope someone can save you if you do something too stupid  ... it has generally been going in my favour, even with my stupid engine in my car. Glad to see the work continue on this |
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,284
Club RR Member Number: 146
Member is Online
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Sept 6, 2016 16:41:26 GMT
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At least you've answered the question I've never bothered to ask of where all the funky Datsun wheel trims went. They're all in hedges dotted around the countryside! Such a shame too, the pie dishes on these are just superb. Reassuring to see the work being done to keep it useable and solid, there's plenty of people out there that just wouldn't have bothered.
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mexicansteve
South West
Posts: 683
Club RR Member Number: 31
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Sept 6, 2016 18:09:18 GMT
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At least you've answered the question I've never bothered to ask of where all the funky Datsun wheel trims went. They're all in hedges dotted around the countryside! Such a shame too, the pie dishes on these are just superb. Reassuring to see the work being done to keep it useable and solid, there's plenty of people out there that just wouldn't have bothered. Well I'm still keeping the three I have left, probably give them a tidy up when I've finished the wheels and thanks, just doing my bit for cool old tat  |
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BeQuietandDrive
1989 Bedford Astra Van
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Sept 6, 2016 18:46:18 GMT
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Great car that brings back fond memories of the one my Dad had from nearly new until the mid 80s, XGA 871S which started life as a white 120Y estate and ended up painted red after an engine bay fire, this is the only photo I have of it parked in the background around 1987  |
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mexicansteve
South West
Posts: 683
Club RR Member Number: 31
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Sept 10, 2016 15:01:01 GMT
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By the time I'd got to the back left I was getting lazy, so I'll spend more time on the spare and swap them over.  The only thing now is the rusty centres (and wheel nuts, but that's not a problem). I've been told that that there weren't centre caps for these but I found some on fleabay and the measurements seem to match up, now if only I could get a response from the seller...  They should fit, just not gonna waste money until he responds to me.  |
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BeQuietandDrive
1989 Bedford Astra Van
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Sept 30, 2016 21:15:06 GMT
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Nice looking example for a 1975 Datsun. I know what you mean about hubcaps flying off - I've suffered the same thing a couple of times with my Minor Traveller. However, your Datsun's 'pie dishes' appear to have little holes in, so surely you could use some suitable cable ties to hold them onto the wheels? If you went for ones with a suitable colour (transparent?), they wouldn't be that noticeable if you tie them up nice and tight then cut off the excess. |
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mexicansteve
South West
Posts: 683
Club RR Member Number: 31
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I've just gone for the black steel instead, the three remaining dishes are tied up in the boot for now. Right, onto the next thing, indicators. Here's the issue, the left seems to be fine all around, the right works all around but at it's own special pace. The right flasher is slow but speeds up when I depress the accelerator, not good when slowing to turn obviously  . Last night a new glitch appeared, after going really slowly, when I depressed the brake before applying the handbrake the indicator stopped flashing altogether but remained in the on position. I have had advice to check each bulb in order and also to check the connectors (I just haven't got around to it because...blah blah blah), and also the relay if I knew where it was and what I needed to look at. Helpful hints accepted |
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BeQuietandDrive
1989 Bedford Astra Van
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mexicansteve
South West
Posts: 683
Club RR Member Number: 31
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Just a quick one, this arrived in the post. It's the little things that matter (and are considerably easier to do). Thanks again to DMB Graphics for bearing with me.  |
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BeQuietandDrive
1989 Bedford Astra Van
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. whilst up on the ramp I popped into the garage for a chat, "by the way" the chappy says, "there's a hole in the passenger sill the size of my forearm", I should point out here that he is a body builder. sigh, add it to the list. And the shocks have seen better days. 
... it has generally been going in my favour, even with my stupid engine in my car.
. Last night a new glitch appeared, after going really slowly, when I depressed the brake before applying the handbrake the indicator stopped flashing altogether but remained in the on position. I have had advice to check each bulb in order and also to check the connectors (I just haven't got around to it because...blah blah blah), and also the relay if I knew where it was and what I needed to look at.