Continuation of this:
retrorides.proboards86.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1196621747
What with work progressing rapidly on the Chevette – see photos soon to be added – it was about time to pull some guts out of another vehicle ready for a bit of fettling [there’s only so much wheel dolly fabrication one man can take before he needs some more grease beneath his nails] With the ‘red top’ being a popular choice amongst the Chevette/Kadett camp, I had looked at finding one for little spends and reconning it myself before bringing some SBD/Bogg Bros nouse into play as regards tbs, management and set up. As it was, although not exactly a rare beast, most in my budget seem to have been run hard, run long and run rough…anyway I wouldn’t be on here if I intended to follow the crowd would I…?! So it was with this in mind that I start this readers ride thread and set out to Oxford with my housemate Matt [Knobstar] on Saturday.
I’d had the tip off from Dom about an Omega with head trouble, but still with tax and a ticket. May not sound like much but factor in a spare tidy ecotec sitting under a tarp on the same driveway and the chance to knock together one spot on 2.0l engine [and comprehensive spares package] was pushing my buttons. So after a morning running about [Bristol to Weston Super Donkey Ride to pick up an engine crane in the Clio – tight – and three hours of Christmas shopping with her in drawers – expensive] we packed into the coup for Kidlington. Time Check 1pm.
After successfully leaving the pre-prepared map and home, and two false starts [forgot tools]] we eventually arrived to see the future object of my desires. Cleanliness is not next to godliness in my book – not even close, so a few rust scabs, caked flanks and grubby interior didn’t put me off a car in surprisingly good nick [more of which we’ll get to later!!] Between me, Matt and Craig [owner] we managed to walk the spare engine into the boot of the Omega – I used to own an M-reg Pissrat and thought that was roomy!! and armed with 4 litres of water we began the convoy back to Bristol. Time Check – 4pm and back in time for tea.
Keeping a beady eye on the gauges we edged past Oxford heading down to the M4. Now Craig had only warned me upon arrival that when he’d gone out to the car that morning the battery hadn’t been playing ball and so had gone on a quick charge in the hope that it would get me back to Bristol. A couple of hours charge on a car with electric E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G would have been fine if the alternator was tip top but I reckon something might have been amiss and so we soldiered on and completed 20 odd miles with relative little discomfort. Time Check – time for the first coolant top up. We pulled into the services and once the boiling water had settled a full tank of water once again instilled confidence. Time Check – MacDonalds o’clock
A rather sluggish restart later and the brow was furrowing – electrics light was on and Morgan was not as happy a man. Still, a little further and we made Membury Services – but not without two cut outs and what sounded the equivalent of a fire cracker display in the coolant department…ooer! Another swift top up and jump from Matt and she was running, but with him needing to take the girlfriend to Bath for the evening, I beckoned him off, insistant that I had recovery and could limp home. However, another cut out on the slip road meant a roll back and another jump start to get the old girl going [nothing if not persistant!] With the car running again I headed back onto the M4 and then a few miles on the temperature went stratospheric, power dipped and I dived for the hard shoulder. Time Check - 8:15 and although everything else was dead there’s still enough juice to give me a temperature reading of 0 – still warm enough for jeans and a hoody Morgs?!
A two and a half hour eta claim for the countrys fourth emergency service struck me slightly relaxed for an ‘emergency’ and Highway Patrol – as friendly as they were – couldn’t help due to Health and Safety. Time check – stuck and fast sinking.
After a quick call to Clive [girlfriend’s father] I was sat back in the car whilst a van sped to my aid. Now a caddy wet probably weighs less than an omega, let alone one packing two engines but these things are sent to try us and all that!! An hour later Clive arrived and fruitless jump start attempts led to us piling back in the van and off to grab a tow rope. Now at this point I can feel the draft off you lot out there shaking your heads and tutting at me not carrying a rope, but believe me, my not inconsiderable size 13s were already hard at work tanning my hide a fetching black and blue. All this along with a brand new battery was sat on my garage floor in Bristol…argh!
Six quid later and powered by a boost bar [only thing I could afford with the seven shekels I had on me and the first feed in bleeding ages] we returned to hitch the car up and tug it off at the next junction only one mile away…doh! Seven miles later we pulled into a farm layby after Clive noticed I’d just done the last two with no lights on. Battery Check – fecked.
We arranged the car in the layby and left a note before struggling for 20 minutes to lock the bleeding thing without the help of the electrically operated central clicking and alarm. It wasn’t until we’d achieved this feat that we realized that we’d parked her across a field entrance. Time Check – air about to turn decidedly blue. So we unlocked, rearranged and then decided to fully secure the car by getting the engine out of the ajar boot and beasting it into the van – muscles me and Clive didn’t know we had!! Mission accomplished and game plan amended to ‘we’ll be back’. Time Check – Past caring and where’s bed?
Fast forward to yesterday lunchtime and with my proper tow rope in the back of the caddy we headed back to the car – all still in one piece [result]. No point taking the new battery and risking further damage to the head or anything else. So what ensued was an hour and a half of towing along the old A4 - Marlborough, Chippenham, Bristol – a spot of darkness and rush hour baiting with our timing, but all in all a very successful and tidy towing trip. Final status – car and spare engine back in Bristol ready for some intense spanner twirling come next week.
So I want to take this opportunity to offer my deepest thanks to Matt [knobstar] for his paitience and running the gauntlet of incurring the wrath of a stranded girlfriend, and Clive who as a surrogate father figure [while I’m living the other end of the country from my dad] has really stepped up to the plate. Thanks guys. I also want to apologise for anyone out there stuck behind a blue caddy and black Omega yesterday afternoon on the route described. We were going as quick as possible – believe me, because I had no heating, no lights and no wipers [couldn’t see a thing when we finally got back to the garage] and tried not to queue traffic up too badly. Also thanks to Dom and Craig. Even though the road trip was a serious mission, I’ve ended up with so many parts suitable for the job that the garage actually looks to have a purpose to it now ;D .
So as a sub topic anyone out there with a longer time for a shorter distance taken to move a project? Anyone left something out there for the elements to claim before you got back/remembered where you’d left/got a note on enforcement headed note paper reminding where you’d left it? You’ve 180 miles in 51 hours to beat
retrorides.proboards86.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1196621747
What with work progressing rapidly on the Chevette – see photos soon to be added – it was about time to pull some guts out of another vehicle ready for a bit of fettling [there’s only so much wheel dolly fabrication one man can take before he needs some more grease beneath his nails] With the ‘red top’ being a popular choice amongst the Chevette/Kadett camp, I had looked at finding one for little spends and reconning it myself before bringing some SBD/Bogg Bros nouse into play as regards tbs, management and set up. As it was, although not exactly a rare beast, most in my budget seem to have been run hard, run long and run rough…anyway I wouldn’t be on here if I intended to follow the crowd would I…?! So it was with this in mind that I start this readers ride thread and set out to Oxford with my housemate Matt [Knobstar] on Saturday.
I’d had the tip off from Dom about an Omega with head trouble, but still with tax and a ticket. May not sound like much but factor in a spare tidy ecotec sitting under a tarp on the same driveway and the chance to knock together one spot on 2.0l engine [and comprehensive spares package] was pushing my buttons. So after a morning running about [Bristol to Weston Super Donkey Ride to pick up an engine crane in the Clio – tight – and three hours of Christmas shopping with her in drawers – expensive] we packed into the coup for Kidlington. Time Check 1pm.
After successfully leaving the pre-prepared map and home, and two false starts [forgot tools]] we eventually arrived to see the future object of my desires. Cleanliness is not next to godliness in my book – not even close, so a few rust scabs, caked flanks and grubby interior didn’t put me off a car in surprisingly good nick [more of which we’ll get to later!!] Between me, Matt and Craig [owner] we managed to walk the spare engine into the boot of the Omega – I used to own an M-reg Pissrat and thought that was roomy!! and armed with 4 litres of water we began the convoy back to Bristol. Time Check – 4pm and back in time for tea.
Keeping a beady eye on the gauges we edged past Oxford heading down to the M4. Now Craig had only warned me upon arrival that when he’d gone out to the car that morning the battery hadn’t been playing ball and so had gone on a quick charge in the hope that it would get me back to Bristol. A couple of hours charge on a car with electric E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G would have been fine if the alternator was tip top but I reckon something might have been amiss and so we soldiered on and completed 20 odd miles with relative little discomfort. Time Check – time for the first coolant top up. We pulled into the services and once the boiling water had settled a full tank of water once again instilled confidence. Time Check – MacDonalds o’clock
A rather sluggish restart later and the brow was furrowing – electrics light was on and Morgan was not as happy a man. Still, a little further and we made Membury Services – but not without two cut outs and what sounded the equivalent of a fire cracker display in the coolant department…ooer! Another swift top up and jump from Matt and she was running, but with him needing to take the girlfriend to Bath for the evening, I beckoned him off, insistant that I had recovery and could limp home. However, another cut out on the slip road meant a roll back and another jump start to get the old girl going [nothing if not persistant!] With the car running again I headed back onto the M4 and then a few miles on the temperature went stratospheric, power dipped and I dived for the hard shoulder. Time Check - 8:15 and although everything else was dead there’s still enough juice to give me a temperature reading of 0 – still warm enough for jeans and a hoody Morgs?!
A two and a half hour eta claim for the countrys fourth emergency service struck me slightly relaxed for an ‘emergency’ and Highway Patrol – as friendly as they were – couldn’t help due to Health and Safety. Time check – stuck and fast sinking.
After a quick call to Clive [girlfriend’s father] I was sat back in the car whilst a van sped to my aid. Now a caddy wet probably weighs less than an omega, let alone one packing two engines but these things are sent to try us and all that!! An hour later Clive arrived and fruitless jump start attempts led to us piling back in the van and off to grab a tow rope. Now at this point I can feel the draft off you lot out there shaking your heads and tutting at me not carrying a rope, but believe me, my not inconsiderable size 13s were already hard at work tanning my hide a fetching black and blue. All this along with a brand new battery was sat on my garage floor in Bristol…argh!
Six quid later and powered by a boost bar [only thing I could afford with the seven shekels I had on me and the first feed in bleeding ages] we returned to hitch the car up and tug it off at the next junction only one mile away…doh! Seven miles later we pulled into a farm layby after Clive noticed I’d just done the last two with no lights on. Battery Check – fecked.
We arranged the car in the layby and left a note before struggling for 20 minutes to lock the bleeding thing without the help of the electrically operated central clicking and alarm. It wasn’t until we’d achieved this feat that we realized that we’d parked her across a field entrance. Time Check – air about to turn decidedly blue. So we unlocked, rearranged and then decided to fully secure the car by getting the engine out of the ajar boot and beasting it into the van – muscles me and Clive didn’t know we had!! Mission accomplished and game plan amended to ‘we’ll be back’. Time Check – Past caring and where’s bed?
Fast forward to yesterday lunchtime and with my proper tow rope in the back of the caddy we headed back to the car – all still in one piece [result]. No point taking the new battery and risking further damage to the head or anything else. So what ensued was an hour and a half of towing along the old A4 - Marlborough, Chippenham, Bristol – a spot of darkness and rush hour baiting with our timing, but all in all a very successful and tidy towing trip. Final status – car and spare engine back in Bristol ready for some intense spanner twirling come next week.
So I want to take this opportunity to offer my deepest thanks to Matt [knobstar] for his paitience and running the gauntlet of incurring the wrath of a stranded girlfriend, and Clive who as a surrogate father figure [while I’m living the other end of the country from my dad] has really stepped up to the plate. Thanks guys. I also want to apologise for anyone out there stuck behind a blue caddy and black Omega yesterday afternoon on the route described. We were going as quick as possible – believe me, because I had no heating, no lights and no wipers [couldn’t see a thing when we finally got back to the garage] and tried not to queue traffic up too badly. Also thanks to Dom and Craig. Even though the road trip was a serious mission, I’ve ended up with so many parts suitable for the job that the garage actually looks to have a purpose to it now ;D .
So as a sub topic anyone out there with a longer time for a shorter distance taken to move a project? Anyone left something out there for the elements to claim before you got back/remembered where you’d left/got a note on enforcement headed note paper reminding where you’d left it? You’ve 180 miles in 51 hours to beat
;D
Omega swap would be. Engine, box, sump(?) all provided...
