This was the NAUGHTY CORNER

Sadly I only think he stuck the stickers on to make it more sellable. But... removing the stickers isn't my only modification. I've also blacked out the rear window, with some black photoshop window.

I will be using real window and doing it for real, on my real car, very soon.

Yes, I had an old tub with a few pixels left in it. Just enough to do the two viewable wheels.

Really liking that (and you're journalistic style had me chuckling! Which had a few people staring!!) I've always had a soft spot for the Scimitar, never been in one, but I think a nice auto would make a lovely cruiser.

I like it! Always makes me laugh that EVERY used Essex V6 you see for sale is a 3.1

I do like stickers, but I always find myself wondering what we're trying to communicate when we drive around with stickers on ordinary cars on ordinary roads.

"Hello there, I'm using Spax adjustable shock absorbers"

"Hi, how are you? My engine is full of Castrol oil, so it's nice to be me"

"Just so you know, if I ever fit spotlights to this car... they'll definitely be Hella ones"

"I know it's not a race... but I'm number 72 anyway so WATCH IT PAL!"

On some cars, they just belong there. It's legit. No question. But not this one.
In truth the owner put them on because he took the car to a classic event/race at LeMans earlier this year. It's got some nice discreet "I've been to fancy places" stickers on the windscreen which I'll probably keep.

OOOOOH. Nice. NICE.

Love the lowered stance. I'm not going to start dabbling in ride height on this car. I got proper fed up with scraping my last car over mild speed bumps and pebbles, so I'm actually quite happy to keep it where it sits... BUT, if I was going to lower it, I would want it standing just like yours.

Capri quarter bumpers?

I've got a VW splitter on mine underneath the standard Scimitar bumper. Haven't looked to see how well it's attached, but I was thinking I might remove the front bumper from mine completely if the splitter doesn't look like a a packet of crisps behind it.

Just submitted my application!

..and I've just approved it - see you over there

Phil
(Scimitarweb Admin)

I haven't posted any updates here for the last 3 weeks because I've been learning a tonne of stuff over at the scimitar forum. I've done a fair amount to the car already, but chipping away at the edges really and not anything worth posting pics and stories about.

The three biggest issues to tackle were a misfire, a front wheel that rubbed the wheel arch when turning left, and the fact the rear hatch only has one hinge currently. The latter seemed the least important.

Misfire disappeared never to return with new spark plugs (Misfire most likely caused by one of the old plugs being effectively two independent parts occasionally touching each other). The front wheel arch fouling seems to be a simple case of a slightly dropped nose due to a missing piece of support and a weird deformity to a reinforcement plate. Finally got the deformed plate off today, straightened and fettled and refitted it, and the wheel no longer touches the arch. The missing piece of nose support will be fabricated and fitted tomorrow, so that issue will be gone hopefully. The rear hatch hinge turns out to be the trickiest fix now.

Aside from that, I've got the indicators working (they werent), the electric windows working (they werent), fitted weather strips to the door window exteriors, refilled gearbox oil, changed engine oil, greased everything that needs it, changed the curse word fuel line for proper fuel line, restored a very shabby windscreen rubber which should give me a couple of years before I need to rip it out, refitted exhausts - one of which was almost falling off, fitted a rear view mirror, and I had the brakes checked out by a trusted local garage (I don't mess with brakes, I don't feel confident to fiddle with them). Ive also tore down a fair few areas in pursuit of squeaks and rattles to silence them (both door internals were full of bits of the car that shouldn't be there for example) and that's been a good way to start to get familiar with the guts and giblets.

The car runs really well and I don't have any engine/mechanical issues on my to-do list (famous last words). The only thing I need to think about is whether I need to change the front shocks as the car feeds back every lump and cranny of the road surface but also seems to bounce after significant lumps/dips. It may equally be the really curse word bucket seats though, I don't know... I haven't begun looking at that yet.

It's only been three weeks and I've only been chipping at the edges, but I feel I've already made more positive progress with this than in the 2+ years of the Humber.

Lots still to do, but as things stand i'll be focusing on cosmetics sooner rather than later, and making it look like the decent car it seems to be at this point in time.

There seems to be the potential for the gear selectors to be a bit worn, but I think I might just be dragging the anxiety of the Humber over to this car as they both have the same type5 gearbox. The gears change perfectly, but I keep asking myself "did that change feel stiff, difficult, odd?" but I always conclude it didn't.

Lots of things I want to change... tyres, seats, refit proper seat belts, refit centre console, but i'll be focusing on fixes and doing stuff like refurbishing doors and tidying up bodywork first.