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Apr 25, 2018 12:59:01 GMT
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What you don't realise is that I'm really very posh. I'm actually Lord Sweetpea of Kent. Yep. All of Kent. Had to down size in the crash and give Sussex away sadly.
And, yes, the tone will be lowered when the car comes home. One of the first jobs is to do the big ends which will dribble oil on the new block paving.
The missus will be having me cremated along with the car.
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,963
Club RR Member Number: 29
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Apr 25, 2018 15:52:58 GMT
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[quote author=" Sweetpea" source="/post/2408163/thread" timestamp="1524661141" And, yes, the tone will be lowered when the car comes home. One of the first jobs is to do the big ends which will dribble oil on the new block paving. The missus will be having me cremated along with the car.[/quote] We had a new block paving drive a few years ago, luckily the wife's Discovery leaks more oil than my MX5
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1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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Apr 25, 2018 16:08:14 GMT
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I'm sorry to butt in but I'm really not at all happy about this build thread. It starts with a post about Christmas lights, then moves on to huskies and Canadians and then seems to feature the commissioned construction of a brick wall later on, with various detailed photographs of a large hole and a pile of dirt. The general tone of the entire thing being that you haven't made any progress on your car.
I realise we haven't ever exchanged comments before and therefore this probably seems like an abrupt way to enter into correspondence, but I do feel I ought to advise you in a friendly but firm way that I am the author of the worst ever progress thread on RetroRides, and therefore I'd appreciate it if you found another niche to occupy. We're not living in the feudal ages anymore. Your status as a Kentish lord no longer entitles you to trample over my land and take what is rightfully mine.
I'll be keeping an eye on things from here onwards.
Kindly make some valid progress sir. There is only room for one worst ever thread.
Yours Faithfully,
Emporer Quatermass, Founder and eternal leader of BNMAC.
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Last Edit: Apr 25, 2018 16:11:55 GMT by Deleted
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Apr 25, 2018 16:18:11 GMT
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It's funny you say your car sounds like a tractor though and therefore the big ends are cooked. My car also sounds like a tractor and I've driven it around with an expression not dissimilar to Edvard Munch's The Scream for two years now, convinced its all about to go horribly wrong. Admittedly mine is an ancient V6 originally designed to be a diesel workhorse, but still... my impression of it has been for a long time that my big ends must be shot. The odd thing though is that any time anybody who knows anything at all about engines hears it, they always say "It makes a lovely noise... that's obviously a very nice engine you've got in there".
So I try very hard not to worry about it. Unsuccessfully.
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Apr 25, 2018 21:28:46 GMT
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Kindly make some valid progress sir. There is only room for one worst ever thread. If I had to make a guess, you're about four years too late!
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Apr 26, 2018 15:24:56 GMT
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Ah dear... You lot do make me laugh. It's one of the reasons I like reading stuff on here.
@quatermass, I'll get back to you as soon as I'm not teaching a training course...
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Apr 26, 2018 21:45:23 GMT
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My dear Mr @quatermass ,
So you reckon you are doing less car work than me? Not a chance! A quick look at your thread suggests that it's put on 10 pages in the last month. You've refitted your windscreen, messed about with the brake servo and had the rocker covers off. Amongst other things... In the same period I've bent a bit of steel and driven the car to B&Q and back. I can do way less than you in my sleep! In fact Mrs Sweetpea swears that the only things I do in my sleep are snore and fart. I've only got her word for this - I don't believe I do either. I was brought up in a proper Yorkshire Methodist family so I'm far too repressed to make any bodily noises. Ever...
Sorry, got off topic there. To make your claim even less likely I'm ashamed to say that I'd missed your thread (oops) but now I've found it it looks rather entertaining. So I've got 40 odd pages to read which means there's no chance of any car progress for the foreseeable future. Sorry son!
Anyhoo, it occurs to me that fighting over which of us is the most hopeless is a slightly odd thing to do. So instead I'll just offer a virtual hand of friendship... Or should that be - virtually offer a real hand of friendship? Oh God, I suddenly don't know what sort of hand I'm supposed to offer over the interweb! I'd hate to make a virtual faux pas. Or should that be - to virtually make a real faux pas!?
Arrrrgh!
(Hello mate!)
James
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Apr 26, 2018 22:41:34 GMT
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Okay okay...
I did have a new windscreen rubber fitted, but that doesn't count. The reason it doesn't count is too long to explain.
I stuck some playdoh on my servo, but that was almost by accident.
I did take the rocker covers off. I'm not going to deny it.
What you will find amongst those 40 pages though, is 35 pages of wide ranging discussion about my sump plug. A sump plug which I haven't yet removed. It's 35 pages of theory.
And I assure you of this, I am doing nothing else at all until my field operatives send me a report with photographs that place you in, on, or under your MR2, with fixing utensils in your hands.
Anyway, nice to meet you James. I enjoyed your thread and I love the car. I wouldn't advise reading all 40 pages of my thread. It is literally literary drivel from start to finish but I will say this... you get a mention somewhere around page 37-39 or thereabouts.
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Apr 30, 2018 21:20:12 GMT
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I’m afraid that, as much as I’d like to write a lengthy piece detailing magical works on the MR2, I can’t. Mostly on grounds that I haven’t done any works on the MR2. Magical or otherwise. Haven’t done much on the drive either. The chaps have though. Blimey. Darren (our man, not any of the various Darrens from here) even popped over on Sunday to finish the drain cover! That’s above and beyond the call of duty. Moreover, as he was working I felt the need to go out and achieve something myself. And it was miserable outside on Sunday. The chaps also got the little brick plinth done. The gate motor will sit on the top. Still to do is a step by the front door, some brickwork round the lawn and to finish the alley way… …which is taking ages due to all the cutting. As for me, well I started on the remaining side wall between us and next door. It’s built in rendered breeze block and it’s knackered. Some of the render is blown but I can’t be bothered to fix it at the moment. You have to draw the line somewhere. I plastered in a couple of patches on the top and ran GripFill into the cracks to try and keep the water out. To be honest I slightly regret not pulling it down but it’s not our wall and there is a limit. It can be a job for another day. That was Saturday and I intended to slap some paint on yesterday but it turned out to be cold and drizzly with a threat of enough rain to wash all my paint off again. I didn’t want a white lawn. I prefer them in a more verdant style. Silly old traditionalist that I am. Next job was to screw down the track that the gate runs on. Good God that bloke (which is me if you were wondering) is good looking. Many people would say devastatingly handsome and very sexually attractive but mostly those people didn’t go to Spec Savers. Three lengths of track with 24 holes in each. That’s quite literally millions of holes to drill. All right through the brick and into the concrete below. Stainless steel screws too so they won’t rust. Straight as a very straight thing. Then I went and watched the Grand Prix… Too cold and wet outside and I fancied a snooze in front of the TV. James
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Last Edit: Nov 11, 2018 10:23:26 GMT by Sweetpea
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James - That pillar thing - given that there is next no decent sight line out the rear of a MR2 - surely you are going to end up reversing into it at some stage - then again is the MR2 not drivable currently - if so it's not a problem that you have to worry about yet - and none of will laugh or snigger when you do back into it anyway - promise !
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,963
Club RR Member Number: 29
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James - That pillar thing - given that there is next no decent sight line out the rear of a MR2 - surely you are going to end up reversing into it at some stage - then again is the MR2 not drivable currently - if so it's not a problem that you have to worry about yet - and none of will laugh or snigger when you do back into it anyway - promise ! Good point I think it should either be painted fluorescent yellow or have a flashing beacon on the top (activated by a transponder in the MR2, or any other cars), there you are another project to distract you from the MR2. Alternatively you could put some crash barriers around it and pretend it's Monaco.
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1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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The MR2 is perfectly legal and roadworthy. Well, it passed the MOT anyway. It went from it's winter storage home to B&Q and back the other week A round trip of almost two miles!
Anyway, the little pillar won't be a problem. When the day comes when I can't get a 5 foot wide car through a 12 foot wide gate hole without hitting something you can have my licence. If the gate hole was just a little wider the MR2 would go through sideways!
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,963
Club RR Member Number: 29
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Anyway, the little pillar won't be a problem. When the day comes when I can't get a 5 foot wide car through a 12 foot wide gate hole without hitting something you can have my licence. If the gate hole was just a little wider the MR2 would go through sideways! Now that really is tempting fate!
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1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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Anyway, the little pillar won't be a problem. When the day comes when I can't get a 5 foot wide car through a 12 foot wide gate hole without hitting something you can have my licence. If the gate hole was just a little wider the MR2 would go through sideways! Now that really is tempting fate! I'm very confident because I used imperial units. I'm sure it'd be a lot more difficult to get the car in if the gate hole was measured in metric...
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jamesd1972
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,844
Club RR Member Number: 40
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Did you measure the studding location in imperial or metric? Have we found a root cause for the misplaced motor mount I wonder. James
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MiataMark
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,963
Club RR Member Number: 29
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I can see a flaw in your reasoning the MR2 is metric and you've built your gates in imperial, it'll never fit it's just an optical illusion that makes you think it will.
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1990 Mazda MX-52012 BMW 118i (170bhp) - white appliance 2011 Land Rover Freelander 2 TD4 2003 Land Rover Discovery II TD52007 Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon JTDm
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The misplaced motor mount was definitely due to me not reading the instructions properly. I'll hold my hands up to that one.
As for the MR2 being metric and the gate hole being imperial... Interesting thing the MR2. The manual has all the dimensions in millimetres and all the bolts are metric. But when I was welding the front bumper I needed to check the distance between the bolt holes in the chassis rails. So I offered a tape measure against the car and guess what...
It was designed in inches.
Where this leaves me in terms of getting it through the gate hole is anybodies guess.
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I’m flaming’ knackered. I’m going to have to stop these long weekends. I don’t have the stamina anymore. No you dirty sod, not that! I’ve been working in the front garden so there’s been no time for ’that’… The first order of business was to bolt the two leaves of the drive gates together. Then to turn them upside down and fit the wheels. They are pretty heavy as separate gates. Bolted together they are 12 feet of stupid heavy so Mrs Sweetpea was roped in to help man handle them. Or woman handle them. Whatever the politically correct version is. Don’t know why I’m suddenly worried about political correctness. Never been a concern before! Sorry, where was I? Ah yes, I was fitting the wheels. This involved cutting recesses in the bottom of the gates so it was out with the big orange monster. Nothing resists the CMT. Me included. No I didn’t get too close to the cutter - I’m more careful than that. But I had it sitting across my lap when I released the lock on the foot plate which sprang out and nipped my thigh. I’ve got a blood blister the size of your fist… Ok, it’s the size of your thumb nail but it bloody hurt! I was a big brave boy and didn’t cry. Used up my months supply of expletives though. Now it’s on wheels the gate can finally sit on its track. That done it was time to concrete the post into the ground that guides the top of the gate. Stops it falling over basically. Dig one hole… …Find the footings of another old building.The bricks are too deep to be part of the original wall. We spent a while fitting the top rail to the gate and setting things in the right place then the post was concreted in. There is some adjustment in the roller on the top of the post but we seem to have gotten it bob on. Happy days! Next on the agenda is to fit the rack to the gate and set the motor. There is also an opto sensor that detects an obstruction in the gate hole to fit. All we need now is to breath life into the Franken-Mechanical-Butler. Or is it a footman? So we just need a thunder storm, a kite with a copper wire, one of those big glass accumulator jars, and one of those massive knife switches… Muahahahaha! (That’s a sinister laugh if you hadn’t guessed.) It’s been a lovely weekend (too hot for me to be honest) with no chance of lightning. Frankly, this is a problem when you are attempting to give life to a mechanical butler. So I just plugged it into the mains. So there you have it. It works. Although the instruction book let me down again and I had to resort to the internet, but it’s in and working. I’ll get some video next week. Oh I painted the side wall that I patched in last week too. Forgot to take a photo though. We aren’t done with the gate yet. There is a pile of tidying up to do. Not least of which is a pile of painting. Hey ho. I’m now completely bushed. Off for a snooze. James
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Last Edit: Nov 11, 2018 10:51:05 GMT by Sweetpea
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That looks pretty damn smart. 😊
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That looks pretty damn smart. 😊 Thank you George! There has been quite a bit of interest from passers by but I think most people assumed that we weren't having drive gates. Suddenly they are there AND remote controlled! That's really captured people interest. It's also captured all my money! Holidays in the British Isles for a while... Nothin' up wi' that.
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