ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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So, I haven't really done much with it over the last few weeks because life got in the way of cars, however a couple of things have niggled me since I bought it, and have now escalated (through my meddling) from minor niggles into 'issues'
Firstly, the exhaust backbox, a previous owner has adorned it with some fart can exhaust, now, while part of me things it actually sounds quite good, especially if you just rev it on the spot, being an automatic it makes it very droney around town and, a little bit embarrassing if I'm honest. So I found a standard backbox for it from ebay - not as easy as you might think, the stock item from factory is a fairly neat looking oval pipe which tucks snuggly under the bumper, however many aftermarket replacements were this hideous bent down towards the floor monstrosity of a thing. No matter I found the correct one, 2nd hand for £25. Came to fit it, and could not get the other box separated for love nor money. Its one of those joints where one pipe slips inside the other and despite peeling it back like a banana it is still stuck fast. So I've parked that one for now.
Second problem was it has a sort of resonance from the front, which makes it sound like its blowing, but it isn't (well, it wasn't) I've had this before on a car, and it was because someone had hollowed the cat out and the resulting empty chamber makes it sound awful. Wondering that this might be the case here, I set about removing them to inspect. Now, it has 4 cats on it, a 'pre-cat' in each downpipe and then two normal cats further down. by removing the normal cats I could look back down the system into the pre-cats. So I removed them without any drama, these are the clamp together flange type joints that you can't really go wrong with.
Suspicions confirmed, it looks like someone has indeed hollowed out the pre-cats, curse word. A scout about online seems to suggest you cannot buy these any more - anywhere! Except for ebay where there is a 2nd hand pair for £200 - no thanks. So I figure i'll probably just live with it, so I put the cats back on, bolted everything up tight. Fired it up, boom, it sounds like there is no exhaust on it! Thinking I must have made some fundamental error I go back underneath, I must have removed and re-fitted these joints 8 times but I cannot get them sealed. I simply cannot understand how they're leaking so catastrophically. This was starting to make me very angry so I abandoned it and there it has sat for the last week.
So now I have gone from no major issues, to a severely leaking mid pipe which makes it undriveable and a backbox I cannot get off. Good progress...
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Not going to lie, the sticker on the pickup truck did make me giggle. I mean, no way I would put it on my own car, chiefly because its not a Dodge Ram so it would make no sense, partly because, as we've seen, most people find it inappropriate, and partly because I just hate stickers. I drove mine round for a couple of weeks after buying it without even noticing the previous owner had put an "Old Fords don't die, they just get faster" sticker in the back window. Didn't see it until I washed it, I was horrified and removed it immediately, anything more than a dealer sticker is a no-no for me.
Anyway, sticker shenanigans aside, I am far more gobsmacked by the bare faced cheek and effrontery of the badge thieves! And that's a father setting an example with his son, I mean, seriously! If my dad had got wind of me stealing badges from other peoples cars he'd have damn near taken my head off my shoulders, nevermind coming out with me to do it. Jesus wept.
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Apr 12, 2016 10:48:49 GMT
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Great ending to a great thread
And actually £895.14 loss over 12 cars in 12 months isn't all that bad going, maybe you're a better salesman than you give yourself credit.
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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I honestly believe the gearbox will be a fairly simple wiring issue, mainly because I've just bought one and mine was the same
I would offer to take a look if I was closer, because that almost certainly is the major turn off
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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And if you can find a Mk5 130 BHP zetec version they're pretty rapid, disc brakes on the rear and an MTX75 gearbox too which has much better ratios than the IB5
Unfortunately they're quite rare and well known about so tend to attract a 130-tax.
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Had two when I was young as my 2nd and 3rd cars. Red 1.4L and Grey 1.6i Ghia
Both fab cars, particularly the 1.6i, as mentioned above basically an XR3i with a boot, and for its time pretty well equipped, very nice interior, heated front screen, fuel computer, leccy mirrors and front windows, yeah, as a 19 yr old I'd made it!
Nowadays tin worm will no doubt be your mortal enemy, as I remember they didn't rust as badly as the equivalent mk4 escorts, but that was 15 years ago, I'm sure it's had a chance to take a good hold of them by now in the usual ford places, rear arches, inner wings.
Avoid OHV examples (1.3 in the Mk2 range) gutless and noisy, 1.4 or 1.6 CVH's are the ones to have, CVH's suffer with valve stem oil seals (smoke on startup but can be replaced without removing the head) rattly hydraulic lifters, used to be cheap but now I don't know about availability, if replaced and still rattle it's probably a worn cam. At the very least aim for an LX, has the higher spec clocks, better interior and I think central locking. L's are proper poverty.
Also 1.6i's have a different final drive ratio to the 1.6 carb, and when people replace gearboxes they often don't realise and use the more common carb boxes, the higher FD really blunts performance in the injected models. 60mph in 5th should be 2500rpm, if it's 2200 it has the wrong gearbox and will be nowhere near as good. (Probably won't be an issue if you've never driven the right box to compare it to)
Definitely avoid diesels, if any still survive, they pre-date the time when diesels became acceptable by a long way and are dirty, smelly, slow and horrific.
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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I don't think it's overpriced, I think maybe your ad dwells a little too much on the faults/negatives (more on that in a minute) but at the end of the day it's a classic/retro/describe as you will Ford with 12 months ticket, I'd say it must be worth a grand too, or thereabouts.
for example, I recently bought an M reg 2.9 Granada 24v, was on eBay for 1500 start price, the seller described it basically as a couple of minor faults, lumpy idling, few age related dings and dents, overall clean and tidy etc etc, included some pics and that was enough for me to buy it. (Note that I may just have no idea about the price of granadas because I thought that was cheap and expected an intense bidding war, but I got it for the starting price and was the only bidder)
Now, his description was pretty fair, is IS a reasonably tidy old barge and it does have a few faults, however if he was being 1000% honest like your ad, he'd have had to put
Aux cooling fan knackered Doesn't shift into 4th gear Screw in front tyre Doesn't get up to temp Been resprayed on the rear arches and the finish isn't the best Rear bumper cracked Headlight cracked Headlight washer motors don't work Air con doesn't work Trip computer doesn't work Cruise control doesn't work Drivers side seat adjustment switch half missing Little mix CD stuck in the CD player Boy racer exhaust Etc Etc
Now it sounds like a shed and nobody is interested except people that want to break it for its engine, and they're priced out by the starting bid.
Fortunately he got me as a buyer, and never in a million years would it occur to me to phone him up (having bought it sight unseen) and start bitching about cracked bumpers and missing seat switches or faulty oem CD players on a 22yr old car, I expected issues and have now resolved nearly all of them
So where do you draw the line, well that's a tough one, I totally get where you're coming from, give a brutally honest description detailing every fault so buyers know exactly what they are in for, that's what I'd do, but then it's a 20+ year old car, so a certain amount of the stuff you've listed in the bad points section doesn't need to be included, , slight knocking, radio faults, heated seat inoperable, bodywork scuffs....with the possible exception of the gearbox fault, I wouldn't include any of the rest, it's all to be expected on cars of that age and none of it serious, you're not selling a 12 month old car here but you're filling up the page with negativity about trivial faults, made worse by you listing bad points first before the good stuff, by which time people have stopped reading.
Be honest, don't deceive anyone, but at the same time don't talk everyone out of it, post good pictures, list the major mechanical woes, if any and encourage people to come and view it before the auction ends and make their own minds up.
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Mar 26, 2016 19:08:20 GMT
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Afraid I don't know the answer to your questions, but I was thoroughly entertained by the rage stoving of the wings, that's exactly the kind of thing I have contemplated doing in the past, but have somehow always restrained myself.
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Mar 26, 2016 18:43:03 GMT
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That looks like a real beauty, I had one the exact same spec as my first car back in 1996, only mine was red. Oh them were the days
Enjoy
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Mar 26, 2016 17:24:23 GMT
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Thanks, the photo definitely flatters it, it's got a few dings and dents, but it's not too shabby really. In a way it's better for me that it has a few imperfections already, because it makes me less bothered about new ones! Yes they still have the red room, there is a great selection of old to relatively new stuff, I also liked the mockup of the workshop with all the vintage parts on the shelf, you're even free to pick up and molest them to your hearts content, (there is CCTV to keep you honest of course)
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Mar 26, 2016 17:15:56 GMT
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Well, I had intended to do a full detailing post, but then it occurred to me that I'm not particularly interested in detailing posts. For anyone that's interested I used a Porta Cable Dual action machine polisher which I imported from the states years ago, and Sonus Polish and sealant, it came up well and I was really happy with the results. New fan, while doing another job on it the other week I noticed the auxiliary fan at the front was all wobbly, on closer inspection the clip that holds the blade on was missing, not only that but the motor was seized solid. Now as a rule the viscous fan does a pretty decent job of keeping things cool, but as Ford put it there for a reason I feel better knowing that it works I checked the part number and amazingly they're still available, not so amazing is the price - €450! So off to eBay and I sourced a universal one for £18 So I set about removing the old one, quickly became apparent that trying to do this without removing the bumper would be more hassle than just removing the bumper The old and the new, out of the box it is designed to go on the back of the rad and pull air from the outside, so I had to reverse the blade and the polarity to make it a 'pusher' for this configuration, dead easy. Cut the wiring plug off the original to keep the wiring OEM Getting the new clips in behind the air con condenser was a bit of a faff, but they're basically just open ended zip ties, so simple enough - et voila Tested it works by bridging the coolant sensor, and reassembled.
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Mar 26, 2016 16:20:17 GMT
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So, what can I say about the Haynes Motor Museum, well, it's a long old drive there and back! Nearly 400 miles round trip all told but as the weather was a bit iffy and not much else on the agenda to do, it seemed like a perfect day for it It's £14 to get in and if you gift aid your entrance fee you get unlimited free re-admission for 12 months. Not sure I will ever get round to going again, but it seemed a nice touch. Inside it's pretty much as you'd expect a car museum to be, with an eclectic mix of cars from all eras, I didn't photo all of them, a lot of the vintage pre-war stuff doesn't really interest me, but I've included some personal highlights and a link to the rest Triumph Vitesse and Triumph 2000 - this one photo encompasses about 20 years of my dads motoring history, I forget how many he had of each but it was a few, before he moved onto Fords. It's a shame he's not still around to come and see things like this with me. Dolomite Sprint - I don't know why, I just like them, first production car to have 4 valves per cylinder, first with alloy wheels as standard? A friends dad had one and always raved about it when we were kids, but then, he would, wouldn't he... XJ220 and Lamborghini Countach - poster childs for all people around my age when we were growing up no doubt. I have a large model of it I bought when I had my paper round, £80, my dad leant me the money and I paid him back £5 a week that I earned, it still has pride of place to this day. For some reason the Jag had its engine missing, hopefully not stolen for a metro... The Mini, there is actually an entire room devoted to the mini and its various stages and incarnations. I recently had a blast in my mates and they are just so good. At 6'6" it's quite an undignified spectacle getting in and out, but it's easily the most fun car I've ever driven Yank Tank Convertible hard top - I just love American thinking, how can we make a convertible hard top, engineer an impossibly complex folding roof mechanism? No, just make the back of the car long enough to house the roof complete - sorted Dodge Charger - because, Dodge Charger 1931 Duesenburg - have to be honest, I'd never heard of it, but on some exhibits they have 'top trump' interesting fact cards. I thought the current valuation to be interesting, and then stepped away from it slowly Also interesting because, if anything, I thought their valuations on other cars were wildly conservative The rest can be found here once they finish uploading, all in all, for £14, it's a damn good day out. They also have some things to keep the kids entertained if you have them, a great cafe and gift shop. I was suitably impressed And if it's not enough to fill an entire day, you have the Fleet Air Arm museum just down the road which is also fantastic, though I didn't have time to do that as well this time s33.photobucket.com/user/Festamk1/library/Haynes%20Motor%20Museum
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Mar 24, 2016 10:23:58 GMT
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Ok, so arguably not really that retro and not much of a road trip..but I've wanted to go to this place for a while so I decided to book a couple of days off work and have an extra long Easter break, and me and a mate are currently hurtling down the M6 in the Granada It's a good opportunity, after a few teething problems, for it to prove it is capable of reasonably long journeys without breaking Naturally the trip actually started yesterday with a day of machine polishing and elbow grease, it's no concourse winner, but for a 21 year old Ford it's not come up badly at all Also my weekend started off with the usual 'few drinks' down the local so my mate is driving the downward leg, which means 170 miles of driving too close to the car infront, late and unnecessarily harsh braking and frayed nerves (for me) Anyway hopefully later on I can upload some iPhone quality photos of some interesting classics for your viewing pleasure
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Last Edit: Mar 26, 2016 16:22:30 GMT by ianmk2
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Mar 23, 2016 20:28:22 GMT
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Sent you a PM
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Mar 22, 2016 23:17:44 GMT
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Mine are in my purpose built man cave, ( all 4 of them, plus 1 of my sons & 6 motorbikes )12m x 9m garage with 2 post ramp, compressor, huge Snap-On tool box etc etc. But it's just as you'd expect, too full now. The more space you have, you just fill it up, nice though! I cannot tell you how envious I am of this setup. i thought I'd reached a new level of awesomeness the other week when my friend and I fabricated (knocked together out of an old scaff board) some home made ramp extensions so I can drive it forwards onto metal ramps, having a two poster is real holy grail stuff
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Mar 22, 2016 16:33:22 GMT
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Don't worry, I'm not after addresses, or GPS co-ordinates, or even towns or cities...but where do you store your cars? Are you blessed enough to have room at home to store them, or do you rent a unit, share storage, have a 'Garage Community' etc
I am quite fortunate in that I have a friend who has a lot of land and he lets me keep mine there, although sometimes I wish I had my own storage area where I could come and go as I please, and maybe have another car or two..
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Mar 22, 2016 11:37:59 GMT
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Is that an A4LD automatic box in the 3rd picture, if so do you know what it is out of and is it for sale?
Cheers
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Mar 21, 2016 17:39:18 GMT
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I have a similar problem, my Granada has a pusher fan on the front of the rad which is for the A\C and as an aux fan if things start getting heated. However it is knacked, so I am just going to replace it with a universal jobbie off ebay similar to below. I am going for a 16in, because that's the size of the original, but they come in all sizes www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-10-Inch-Slim-Line-Universal-Electric-12v-Radiator-Intercooler-Cooling-Fan-/360709940710?hash=item53fbfce5e6:g:15kAAOSwZG9WjOYuApologies if this has already occurred to you, which I am sure it probably has. I know some people may not wish to entrust the cooling of their engines to cheap ebay products, but for me I'm not too worried because the main engine cooling is from a viscous fan.
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Mar 21, 2016 17:16:45 GMT
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Well, there goes another afternoon with vastly reduced productivity. Another great read (and hopefully by no means over yet)
I totally get the addiction thing, particularly for old school icons that you can now pick up for next to nothing. The for sale section here is packed daily with cars that I look at and think "hmm, if I didn't already have 3 cars I would love to buy that and smoke round in it for a couple of months, then I could sell it and move onto something else..." but then which of my current fleet do I get rid of,? This would inevitably lead to me concluding that I need to keep ALL of them and buy this on top, and then something else will come up and the same process happens all over again....
I just cannot bear to sell things, partly because I form strong emotional attachments to things, especially cars, partly because I don't want other people to have them, but mostly because the last time I sold one it wasn't a great experience and reading this and your 12 cars in a year thread have done nothing to make me believe things are any better now, so those which I don't become attached to, I keep because I just can't bear to go through the selling process.
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ianmk2
Part of things
Posts: 116
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Mar 18, 2016 22:59:13 GMT
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Sad that the only item I can tick off that list is rust
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