33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Sept 18, 2012 23:08:16 GMT
Yes, welcome back all to our round-up of DAF happenings in our glorious county. Well, at Essex DAFs Central that is. Saturday was to see the main thrust of DAF action last weekend. We had great weather for it too. Much of the afternoon was quite frustrating really and can only be described as trying to fit a quart into a pint pot. Yes, Mushy Vee's boot is rather large but really? A 850cc engine, a watercooled block sans head and accessories, a suitcase (presumably full of spares, a propshaft, a 66 inlet manifold with carburretor and various other items. The list is endless. First up is some engine oil draining. Easy enough when in the engine bay but when loose alternatives are needed. Here's how we did it. Take one enigne... ...position a drip tray beneath two tyres... And tilt. Of course, it's a little easier with the air cooled units. Whilst that was happening, the roof rack and wiper blades were fitted. We're told that the idea is to fit everything into the boot leaving the contents covered by the parcel shelf. So, best get on with it then. Engine in and first up was to remove anything that sits higher than the parcel shelf. So, that'll be the oil filler neck, alternator (it's a 46 engine), and plastic shroud. Hey ho. Then follow by loading the 66 engine along side to find that it doesn't fit as heat exchangers are getting in the way. So out with the engine and remove heat exchangers (well, one of them anyway as the other just wouldn't release) whilst gnashing teeth and wailing like a banshee. And then put the whole lot back in again including various assorted sundries, filling every nook and cranny. Only to find that the parcel shelf is not exactly flush fitting... ...and that there is even more inside the car itself. Sorry but these will have to remain on the floor behind a reclined passenger seat. Well, we tried our best. And there are two front Volvo 300 series wings which were meant to go in Mushy...hmmm. Ah, and there is no key for the boot so it doesn't lock. Not looking so good then. So, having spent most of the afternoon packing her boot, we thought it best to do some mechanical work on her. Seeing as the last item to be removed was a new exhaust system, that seemed to be a good place to start. The old exhaust was pretty nasty and had to be cut out. Cue the grinder. And out it comes. Along with a pile of rusty flakes. This then left a Gavina-esque exhaust section remaining. Extra height was required for access... ...and we proceeded to alternate tea drinking with taking turns doing this... ...until we were left with this... ... ...which is as far as we would get with Mushy that day. Matt has since told me that the middle box was the incorrect item for Mushy but fortunately he had the correct part in the parts barn. As for the new replacement shock absorbers we were left wondering whether this was also the case as whilst in the air the wheels barely came down. We hope you like the slammed look John. ;D There was just enough time for another cup of tea and a closer look at some of Ken's great progress with Laura. The welds need dressing and some more paint, but she is coming along very nicely indeed. Sunday was to see Matt take a day off from activities and attend an Essex car show. Commentary from Matt. Spot the odd one out...yep, it's the 940, the rest of DAFs...ex Richard Butler red 340 on the end. Lambourghini and S type Jaguar. BSA three wheeler adn Triumph 2500. Singers...lovely. Trevors...sorry, TVRs. Chevy Camaro...960bhp...sweet. 56 T-bird and Caddie...lovely...truck, well...it was there. More yanks, both lovely. Wolsley...50 years off the road...now back...hope it stays like this. Citroen DS estate and Triumph Slag. White walls on a Fiat 126. Alfa and GT40. And so, onto Monday which featured Loulou Belle, this time with a charged battery. Regretfully she was to fail on track rod ends. She'll be back Wednesday with replacement parts fitted. But the day was not totally lost as Matt has had a visitor the last couple of days - Mac of V300 forum fame. Monday was to see work on her brakes and today was about fitting a new exhaust. She'll have all the basics sorted before she leaves. Well, that's all for now. Cheese, 33G.
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kenr
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Vee the 33
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Post by kenr on Sept 20, 2012 10:39:48 GMT
Thanks for the kind comments on Laura's paintwork Pete. Not bad for a non-professional/amatuer I think. No doubt a professionaol would do a much better job but hey, at least it's been done.
The rear shocks were the same as the one's taken off, even down to the fittings provided. Who knows?
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Oct 11, 2012 18:52:35 GMT
Here's some last photos of her being fettled pre-shipping. Spot the difference. The top item is the supplied part which was incorrect. The bottom part is from the parts barn. And the silver section has gone from the parts barn to Mushy as the one supplied didn't fit either. Ooh, tools! Ah, that'll be Mac sorting out her boot lock. The barrel was disassembled and reprofiled to fit another key. Final job was to drain a surfeit of oil. What came out was very watery indeed. Mac doesn't suspect that it's a faulty head gasket to blame and was at a loss to find a suitable alternative explanation. Weekend before last saw Matt at work and myself over at Island Landrover. Strangely Mrs G requested that I took her 500 to burn off some surplus fuel ready for a part exchange on another car which, as it turned out, would be delayed and not happen. Business is still good at IL and on the ramps was a lovely limited edition 50th anniversary Defender. Martin is a particular fan of this model, as he says it is the moment the Defender finally got the engine it deserved. As it transpired, this fine machine belongs to the and and same chap who has bought my R5 GTT project car, Scott, and that he was due to recover it the followng Monday. We decided that as there was a number of us there then it would make sense to dig out the Renault at that very moment, which would first necessitate the moving of a dormant Landie. Fortunately this didn't prove too taxing and at last the Renault was freed from her emancipation, leaving a Gavina sized space. Or at least it will be once I have had a tidy up. With Scott that day was his brother who had arrived in his VW Beetle. Fans of patination will love the paint job which specially contains iron filings to give the rat look. Personally, I like his taste in stickers. Interior is original and likely to be left just as it is. And so, we fast forward to the weekend just gone. Saturday was to see Nick pay a visit in Gina, who we are told behaved herself beautifully during her trip South. I'm told Nick enjoyed his visit and also had a little drive of Loulou Belle around the farm. Whilst there he also re-attached a bad spring in Yolanda's tailgate so it now holds itself open without the use of a scaff bar. Bad, bad spring! ;D ;D Nick was also kind enough to collect and delivery a parts haul for us. Sadly I couldn't make it to Central until Sunday and it was fairly busy by the time I arrived. Kev and Carla were there, as well as Kev's friend Alan in his rather nice Mk 2 Cortina, a rare fleetline version. Also present was Sion and his ex Richard Butler Bjorn. She really is a nice looking car but Sion was worried about some strange vario noises. A drive sounded like a grumbly bearing so the advice was to fit a stereo to drown out the noise rather than strip the unit apart. Lewis had driven down in Tango, his 46 estate... ...and Dan arrived in his 55 estate.... ...which unfortunately needed a fettle on arrival as a hose had slipped off at the vario end. And of course, the chickens were there too. That was soon fixed and she was ready for her photo to be taken next to Yolanda, two of the three remaining oadworthy 55 estates together that day. Sadly Eric could not attend that day in his one. There was plenty of tea and some good DAF banter. Kev came prepared should LLB's speedo stop functioning. Taken just before Kev and I took LLB for a little drive up the road. General banter... Why does everyone turn their back when I take a photo? ;D An Essex DAFs and Norwich DAFs joint production... Matt presented Kev with LLB's keys... And Kev presented Matt with this lovely momento... ...and then Matt was presented with a cake and two crates of beer to help him celebrate his 40th (well, it is actually on Thursday but nobody else has that day off work). All in all a great day and eventually people started to make their way home, leaving Matt, Dan, Sion and myself to sort through the parts. I must say, there were some pretty obscure items, even for pre 33 A bodies. For example, take the knob ontop of the gear selector rod. On a 33 it has a round hole. Pre 33 the lever is flat and requires an oblong shaped hole. We have them both, new in the box. Yes, Essex DAFs is full of knobs. ;D Well, that's all for now. Cheese, 33G.
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Post by Richard DAF Webmeister on Oct 11, 2012 20:13:43 GMT
Goodness me, what a turnout and site.
And Bjorn! I remember him well. Still looks fab, which is great to see. To think that a couple of years ago, it was looking doomed.
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Nov 13, 2012 22:28:16 GMT
Hello all and a hearty welcome back to Essex, one and all. I do apologise for the protracted delay in this report. It's not that nothing has happened either. I guess a short break was required, having kept this thread updated (near enough) week in and week out for three years - has it really been that long? Trouble is, the longer the break the harder it is to get back into things. And with my terrible memory, any prospect of bringing chronology to this report is, well, fanciful at best. So, where to start? On the home front...After three years of ownership and almost 19,000 miles it was time to say goodbye to Mrs G's Fiat 500. I have to say that it's been very reliable with just one hose being replaced under warranty (not that we noticed, we were told about it after the first annual service). It's returned good mpg and been a spritely little town car. Fact is though, that G Jnr is getting a little big to be in the back of a small three door car and it was getting more of a chore entering and exiting. Add to that the fact that Mrs G no longer needs it as a commuter (her teaching days are over and she is back in the city) and wouldn't it be nice if we can go away as a family - G hound included - without needing a hire car. So, the search was on. It's fair to say that in the last three years the technology in new cars has certainly moved on, especially with regards to emissions and economy (unless you are Kia and then you just tell lies about the economy of your latest products ). BUT, here was the conundrum. Lots of cars have funky styling these days which I don't consider appropriate for a mature lady of 39 (ish ) and certain suggestions from Mrs G were met with "only if you buy a balaclava for the glove box for when I have to ride in it". ;D Then there's the economy versus performance versus road fund arguement licence. We looked at Fords which either had good performance (but £170 per annum rfl and poor economy) or good mpg (but gutless performance). Then we hit upon the Honda Civic. Not only can it provide good economy (combined cycle 63mpg if I remember correctly) but it also has good performance. 135mph is equal to Rover but 0-60mph is faster or certainly feels it. So it has something for Mrs G's frugality and something for my leaden right foot. I must admit, I was a little reticent about going down the diesel route as I remember when they were the poor relation of a model range, being overpriced, gutless chuggers. How things have changed when the diesel is the range topper performance wise and it is generally a very quiet engine and great ride. Knowing how much new cars depreciate at time of purchase we plumped for an ex Honda UK owned 6 month old example with about 7,500 miles on the clock and were able to barter a good deal. Hands were shaken, deposit taken and arrangements made to transport the car to the dealership. Upon arriving to collect it we found that the log book (post separately) had been signed for but was not to be found. This resulted in a week's delay but gave us a chance to look at the car which was very nice indeed. As a peace offering the dealership threw in a dog tray for the boot, arranged to have an alloy wheel repaired (very small scuff on front nearside, I even missed it and Mrs G spotted it!) and a full tank of diesel. Not to mention paying for the tax disc as we had to renew the Fiat's rfl! The following week were were finally and legally reuniited with our new car. All was well aside from an errant seat belt display that kept reoccurring every five seconds. We let it go at first so Mrs G could concentrate on driving, but a look at the menu's showed that it wouldn't clear. Plugging in all the seat belts cleared it and the following weekend we took it back under warranty for the dealer to look at. In the meantime they lent us this Jazz, sadly not a CVT one though. Still, turns out they just needed to plug in and reset and all is well in the world now. Gavina has been out and about and has not suffered any new ailments, in fact she has been running quite nicely - baring the usual 'going out of tune and being difficult to cold start' problems. ...at Island LandroversBusy is still brisk over at IL and Martin is being kept busy. The military trailer conversion is thankfully now gone having had it's axle replaced for a landrover item and it's service and handbrakes adapted, quite a job. The trailer pre-conversion which gives a hint at the job ahead. In other news, a customer gave Martin 10ltrs of workshop paint and tins of hardener and, seeing as the R5GTT has left an empty space, this area was treated to it. Of course, we drank tea and kept well away. Until we heard something fall off the shelf... ;D ...which lead to an interesting retreival method! ;D ;D Fortunately the welly landed towards the rear of the section as it had been painted in two halfs and the front half was not as dry as hoped. This lead to extra heat being introduced however possible. Nothing more could be done that day other than let nature take it's course and there was much watching paint dry. On my next visit things had progressed a little. There is a little trade-off for this work on my little corner but it is all panning out nicely. Ladies and gentledaffers, the dark hole of Culcutta now has light! The gaffer tape will be reapplied above the boards, Martin thinks it is a duff roll. And this is a temporary measure... ...whilst this Defender is sprayed. This will be panels within the booth rather than the whole car but it is a giant Mechano kit anyway and it all had to come apart for other work in any case. The speed Martin has attacked it so far I'm sure it will not take him long. Animal has been a little temperamental. She broke her points and Martin found this to be a fault on the distributor. Matt sent a replacement which put her back on the road and running nicely. On my last visit Maroushka arrived and told me how it felt wrong and holding back. It certainly seemed to rev higher pulling away. Martin has checked pipes etc and has put it down to the belts being a bit past their best. A replacement used set is now in the workshop for a belt swap. We also had to replace her front tyres as they were bald on the inside edges. The replacement used tires are 135 as opposed to the previous and rear 145s giving lower profile and a bit of a lower front stance but at least she is legal now. DAF CentralYou know, some things just don't change at Central... Every day starts with one of these There's no flies on us, but we do move a snail's pace. The parts barn has had a further tidy up... ...whilst the dead tyre pile is being gradually and responsibly disposed of. As you probably will have seen, Stroppy is now with her new owner, Rob of Lincolnshire. I regret we just got fed up of her constant tantrums whilst other cars being prepared for sale are much more appreciative of our TLC. Yes, she played her usual party peice of running nicely, conking out, not starting and then later starting as if nothing had happened. We had the carburettor stipped out and cleaned, the spark plugs regapped, all electrical connections and starting components and filters checked and the timing too and still messing us about. So, a call was made to Rob, a discussion was had and a deal made and she is now in his safe hands. By the way Rob is smitten with her I think she has found the right new owner and maybe will be a little more inclined to behave herself - we certainly hope so. Matt and I undertook a road trip to Bedford, midway between Nick and us as he had kindly collected two engines and an eBay parts auction for us. No pictures I'm afraid as the weather was attrocious and motorway speedlimits were limited to 40-60mph and with average speed cameras it wasn't worth the risk. But we made good time and Rover returned a record 21.57mpg including a free run back down the A1 with no lowered limits as the weather had cleared up. There was some nice glass and reputedly a 33 bumper, albeit it's not. Any ideas? Laura's front offside brake was found to have a poorly adjuster and was swapped out, as well as the hose as Matt found a little Nick in it (well, it is getting on for Christmas I guess). So Matt swapped over the backplate and hose. And, well...I think that's just about it from us. Cheese, 33G.
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Post by dafdaffer on Nov 14, 2012 11:13:31 GMT
Welcome back nice choice with the Honda, it looks very nice. i can't believe that you have had the fiat 3 years it only seems 5 minutes since you had it. we have had to part with the Volvo V50 as it has been the worst car we have ever brought, in the 2500 miles it has covered in the 6 months of ownership it has spent most of its time in garages broken down the latest being an ECM and BCM failures (all ford parts) we have now swapped for a BMW 320d touring so fingers crossed. the DAF has been used as a daily with no problems other than a very annoying hesitation which it gets when the weather gets colder. She has now been stripped down and gone away for her respray ready for our wedding in December. i will post up when she is ready.
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Post by Patrick on Nov 14, 2012 22:42:43 GMT
Not tempted by a "Bigger" Fiat then? When I first saw a new Civic I thought "Citroen SM that someone's put in a vice and squashed". The latest model looks a bit better than the first maybe. Nice.
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Nov 18, 2012 21:44:38 GMT
Hello all and welcome back to Essex. There's not too much to update on this thread but not wishing to get too far behind again, here we go... Over at Island Landrovers Martin has finished work on his temporary spray booth with the installation of an electric fan. Work has started on the Defender and Martin is very pleased with his new spray gun and the results are very visible. The paint will need a polish however at the pace he is moving I don't see this job taking very long to complete. Unfortunately, one of Animal's replacement tyres had developed a bulge and the wall of the tyre has started to crumble away exposing the carcus. This was a surprise as four people had previously looked at the tyre and declared it sound. Martin may yet go down the route of 13 inch tyres as he can secure part worns at very reasonable prices, especially as he can fit and balance them himself. Meanwhile, over at Essex DAFs Central it was a day of receiving visitors. John from Ipswitch (Citroenboy) was there with his new eBay purchase the bergina 44 saloon (OEW) and Lewis and friend arrived to take the caravan home which has served us so well during previous weekenders. There was much debate over how the vacant space could be utilised, but first Farmer George wants to take the Leyland tractor through with his mower attachment. Once the lads had left, Ena was to receive some attention. Thanks to our friend Albert in the Netherlands, she now has a replacement exhaust downpipe as her original had rotted on its top flange where it meets the manifold. This job caused much gnashing of teeth as the whole system had to be removed which meant jacking the whole car to get clearance. Still, we perservered and removed the whole system. Seeing as it was only replaced recently, we expected it to come apart nicely. Well, the rear box did but separating the front pipe from the middle caused major problems as it just would not separate and the inevitable happened with a stub of exhaust left in the middle section. Out with the hammer and chisel then. With the night drawing in and it getting a little chilly, Ena was parked up for the night with assurances from Matt that tomorrow was another day and would bear fruit. And so it did. The replacement downpipe and whole system is now in place and Matt will start to tackle the sticking rear brake tomorrow. I'm afraid that there were no pictures from EDC today, aside from one of the chickens tucking into a hot 'n' spicy chicken wing. ;D Well, that's all from us! Cheese, 33G.
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Dec 18, 2012 22:55:02 GMT
Hello all and welcome back! Yes, And so, our report starts here. Now, there's two great things to have come out of Norwich, one of them is this... The other of course, and of no less importance, is our friendly neighbours at Norfolk DAFs. And so it was that I found myself and Rover driving through the lovely picturesque Thetford forest en route to, amongst other things, check up on Isabelle's progress. Now, those of you who haven't checked up on the photolink will not realise that these photos are rather up to date. And, if you haven't bought a raffle ticket to win this car then why not? It's all for charity and all work has been given for free and all parts and services donated for future favours or gratis even. The lucky winner will be announced at the 2013 Norfolk Show. Check it out here: www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.462906747095214.129330.163698673682691&type=1I was not to be disappointed with the progress to date. These air vents are a close match from a Nissan Micra and have been skillfully set into the scuttle. the originals were crumbling away and beyond repair. The rear end was looking very good indeed. The rear valance had crumbled away so rather than spend much time trying to form a compound curve out of fresh metal, a step was welded in which will not be seen under the bumper. Last time I remember seeing Gavina's bonet it was a twisted mess, now it looks stunning. There was a further suprise in that apparently she was a non-runner. Not any more. And so, time to move on to Island Landrovers. Sadly it was time to say goodbye to Animal. A slipping clutch (read 'totally non-operable') was the final straw. She was bought by somebody responding to the advertisment on the DOC forum and collected in the back of a removal van for her new life in the Orkney Islands. And so onto non DAFs at IL and the Defender respray job goes from strength to strength. Replacement galvanised bulkhead. These doors have not been flatted down yet. But the front end has and looks absolutely georgeous. On Sunday we fitted the windscreen. Despite a stone-chip the owner didn't want to replace it for new. Still, Martin refused to mask the rubber and spray the frame, so a new rubber was fitted. This is an awkward job at the best of times but between the two of us we managed this in quick order. If only our DAFs were so easy! There was also a pleasant distraction from painting there was a chance to tinker with a competition Defender whose customer had removed the troublesome injection system from his V8 and opposed to Martin's sage advise to fit a pair of SUs, had fitted an Edelbrock carburettor but not managed to get it to run. This caused much confusion. The petrol was good as we took a sample to ignite safely outside. The spark plugs were changed and a good enough spark was made to generate a small fire in the carburetor. However all she would do is cough and any fuel poured straight into the carb would just ignite in the inlet manifold and blow back. The carb was taken apart to check the float bowls, all good. Then we checked the timing, the rotor arm pointing to cylinder one when the piston was at TDC. Then it dawned on us that the piston will be at TDC twice in a cycle, once for inlet, second for exhaust. We rotated the dizzy 180 degrees and hey presto - doesn't she sound lovely? On the home front...... Not much to tell really. Gavina was due her MOT on Saturday but many attempts to start her flattened the battery and even with Rover's assistance it was not to be. Cue the land of the rising bonets (and sagging linings)... After much wailing and gnashing of teeth her battery was put in charge and the MOT was put on hold for this Saturday. With a charged battery I was then able to tweak her timing to enable better starting and less battery flattening. We hope. She drove well and took me over to IL on Sunday. Over at EDC... Well, the past month has been one for visitors. First up was John, or Citroenboi to use his nom de plume, in his new acquisition OEW. Unfortunately not all is well. This was an eBay win and when John went to collect, the owner made the mistake of not pulling the handbrake on start up and leaving the door open, with inevitable results, not to mention pinning John to the behind! We know about the charging problem (hopefully now rectified) and also the exhaust is due a replacement. In the parts room a well needed sort out of the brake component box means we now know what we actually have. ;D Of course, everyone's an expert! The used tyre pile is slowly diminishing every week. And Yolanda received a new set of Bosch points and a tune-up... ...which was to come in handy when we ventured up to Princethorpe for the club AGM...not only the sole DAF attending but also the first car to arrive - come on guys! Thanks to our Dutch friend Albert Hoving, Ena was fitted with a sound replacement downpipe and now is much quieter! And that just about brings us up to last Saturday. I arrived to find a keen Ken in attendance. He was busy polishing part of Laura's painted wing and it has come up shiny indeed. The top of he wing still needs more paint but we will need to wait for warmer weather. We want to make a proper job of this one. Regretfully Ken needed to leave soon after I had arrived but I made sure he had some homework. We love you really Ken, even if we do extrac the urine from time to time! ;D Also there was a new visitor, Darren, aka Dazasdolly who lives locally. Upon arrival I thought we had a 44 visiting us but upon further inspection it was Darren's lovely original Triumphh 1500TC. Darren was not the only visitor. Who's this...? Yes, it's DAFfer Dan, our fix-it man! Here in action replacing Dorothy's steering rack after replacing the nylon bushes with a fresh set courtesy of Mr. Horner. That was not all, as he also adjusted the handbrake. All was working well. So we took advantage! Remember Laura's sticking front offside brake? Turned out to be an overtighened hub-nut. So, we set Dan the task of fixing Ena's sticky brakes. We suspected the back ones were at fault so we started there. Aside from a sticking handbrake cable on one side, all was well. And so onto the front where the problem was diagnosed as sticking calipers. With the pads removed these were worked in and out with plenty of lubricant to free them up. That worked on one side but on another one of the pistons popped out. Cue Matt's G clamp number 4 which wasn't man enough for the job. So the caliper was removed and taken to the big barn to be put in the vice and levered (thanks to Darren for leaving us his lever bar when it was time for him to leave. Even this strugged until we found Farmer George's G-clamp number 4.5. The extra point five made all the difference and the piston was pursuaded back in. Well, the result is a lack of binding brakes and she stops on a dime. Thank you, thank you, thank you Dan! And that just about brings us bang up to date and leaves only for all of us to wish all of you a most enjoyable festive period. We really hope you get your xmas beaver. Go on, you deserve it! Cheese, 33G.
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Post by Patrick on Dec 19, 2012 22:55:18 GMT
Hope you packed some Thermals for Animal! ;D
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Dec 23, 2012 17:12:41 GMT
Hello all! As promised, as little update following my trip to our neighbours at Norfolk DAFs. Firsly good news in that Gavina passed her MOT on Saturday. There was the usual advisory with the oil leak and her exhaust system didn't impress the examiner either. Play was detected in the steering rack (interesting as she has been rebushed) and there was found to be slight play in the rear bearings. Otherwise a clean bill of health and nothing more serious could be found, despite best endeavours to do so. And so, onto Norfolk DAFs. I can say that whilst Isabelle is still not quite finished and has a small 'to-do' list... ...she is looking very fine indeed. Her roof lining crumbled away to nothing when it was removed to fix dents in her roof, so this has been replaced by a specialist, donating his services for free. Said specialist has also made replacement doorcards for the warped originals, wrapping them in new vinyl. So, just in case you've forgotten what it's all about, here's Lewis to explain. So, go buy yourself a ticket, it's all for a good cause! Cheese, 33G.
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Post by drivenbyclassics on Dec 29, 2012 20:17:09 GMT
remember that anyone can buy tickets and she will have a new owner in june and it could be YOU so come on and help us raise money to help save the lives of premature and ill new born babys follow the link , pm me, or ncvcfunday@live.co.uk thanks a lot and lets sell them tickets
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Post by drivenbyclassics on Dec 31, 2012 19:35:06 GMT
ISABELLE CLUB DAF 33
The new newsletter editor has asked me to write the full story about Isabelle, but where to start, from the beginning is best I think so:-
When I was the tender age of twelve my brother passed his driving test and his first car was a 1974 DAF 44, after that he had a 33 van and a 66 saloon and the seed was set for my interest in these quirky little cars.
Fast forward 20 something years and after purchasing our HB and HC Vauxhall vivas we started looking for a DAF. However we were not aware how much of a challenge this would be and after looking for a few months we were on the brink of giving up. Then we found a Honda Civic a Hondamatic not a DAF but a variomatic at least this was purchased and after a trip to Solihull to collect her a DAF was almost forgotten.
Roughly a year later while surfing the internet a DAF 46 was found in Nottingham unknown to us at the time but she was the only 46 estate road legal in the UK , after several phone calls a deal was done and we went to collect her and yes we brought her without seeing her first.
She was driven home with no problems despite still wearing her original and very badly perished tyres. The tyres were quickly replaced however we still needed a few parts for her but where to get parts for an obscure little car that went out of production in 1975. So we placed a cry for help on the DAF Owners Club Forum and a group of guys from Essex called Essex DAF’s came to our rescue and also became very good friends. They have a weekend get together at their HQ every year and this year was quite a challenge.
A DAF 32 that was meant to be restored by a television company was cancelled by budget cuts or not mainstream enough was just two of the excuses used. Yet again Essex DAF’s came to the rescue by having the car brought to their HQ knowing that most of the people that would be there would be willing to help and know what they were doing. So over five days or so {that’s an Essex weekend} the car was rebuilt including an unplanned engine re-build , an average day was around 10 -14 hours even working till past midnight on one occasion , all the work was well worth it though not only to see another DAF back on the road where she belongs but also to make a grown man cry as he had never met the people that had come from far and wide to re-build his car , they descended on Essex DAF’s HQ from Anglesey, Cardiff, Bristol, London, Norfolk and Vermont USA.
While all this was going on it came that Joe and Sian from Anglesey had a 33 that Sian’s daughter had abandoned next to Joe’s workshop. I explained that as a club we were looking for a car to restore and offer as a raffle prize for our club show in 2013 to raise money for our local Special Care Baby Unit after a couple of blank looks they agreed to let us have her as Joe didn’t have the heart to break her for spares, he did warn me however that she needed quite a lot of work now I always try to look on the brighter side of life and thought its only a little car how hard can it be.
First things first how to get her back! While we were at the East Coast Pirates show in Great Yarmouth I told a few members about this and Adrian Stebbards said that as he was retired that he would be willing to bring her back that was when I explained that she was in Anglesey “well” he said “if you can sort out the fuel cost I still will”.
At the next club night I informed the members that were there about what was going on and had a whip round raising over £120 enough to get you there but you will have to make your own way back I told Adrian jokingly but Paul had already told him that the club would pick up the shortfall {thanks Paul}. A trip was then planned for mid-late October to go and get her. I did already know that there was no battery on the car and being a 6 volt they are not a common item and not cheap either , after telling the owner of ASE Fork trucks {who service the works truck} about what we were doing he said that if I could find a reasonably priced one he would pay for it so a call to Andrew Page Motor Factors and getting a great deal due to the club trade account the new battery arrived.
Mid October arrived and so did Adrian to collect me for the trip to North Wales, after being let down on two car transporter trailers our home dolly was pressed into service yet again. The journey was mostly un-eventful apart from the usual M6 congestion and as I am not used to sitting down for long periods of time I got what some people consider me to be a pain in the daf daf daf daf.
Seven hours is a long time to travel and the stop was fantastic after seeing Isabelle for the first time I thought what have I done as she was properly in the worst condition that she could’ve been in but we had come that far so she was loaded up and transferred to her overnight stop while on the two or three mile journey the exhaust fell off and that was my first look under her mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. With her safe for the night and a wonderful sunset we went to Joe and Sians for the night, after a Chinese far to much for the four of us and a long catch up with Joe we turned in for the night. All to soon Sunday morning arrived Adrian and I said our reluctant goodbyes as its so beautiful there and we both pledged to return, the return journey was also mainly un-eventful apart from a return of my rear issue.
Isabelle was dropped off at Les Heatons {Purely Classics} workshop in Shipdham for what turned out to be major surgery ,the first job to be done was to remove her lady bird spots this was done just before dark. Thanks again to Adrian who drove the 694 mile round trip armed with this and in a now buoyant mood I asked the club for help thinking that we would soon be beating off help with a big stick, how big was the bump when I cam down to earth HUGE.
At first James Edwards was the only person to offer help unfortunately he then had a small health issue. By this time however Les Heaton and myself had started in ernest on removing the rust lumps from the bodywork large holes appeared were then plated and filled two days work on one panel.
So at the next club night I asked when James would be allowed out to play and the following sataday he and his son Dan arrived along with David and Adrian Stebbards, Les Turner and Chris Heaton. The lads done us proud on the braking system new pipes fitted, 1 wheel cylinder totally gave up and Memory Lane Classic Car Spares came up with a new one ,its almost the same as a Rover Metro a little fettling and it fitted we now have brakes. How many places can you get classic spars on a Saturday afternoon Memory Lane it seams is always open.
When the car was still in Wales a bunch of young people had jumped all over the roof so it resembled a Welsh mountain range. The headlining had to be removed so we could try and push out as many of the dent as possible but the lining was so fragile that as soon as we touched it it tore badly. Having foreseen this I had already spoken to Kieran from All Trims Auto Interiors and he had pledged to sort this out for us. So then my favourite tool a big hammer was used to nock the roof roughly back into shape and then filled another two days work.
The list of parts that we needed was growing fast bonnet, wheel, wing mirrors engine cover plus others so a call was placed to Matt from Essex DAF’s and the following weekend Les Heaton and I took a trip to the badlands of Essex and got what we needed once again thanks a million to Essex DAF’s not only for the parts but the large amount of tea.
The air grilles on the scuttle panel were so rotten that they could not be saved and unfortunately Essex DAF’s didn’t have these in their vast stock of new and used parts so I measured the old ones and trundled off to a local scrap yard although the scrap yard was full I only had a choice of two a Fiats or a Nissan Micra , the nissans won as they were easier to remove ,returning to the workshop the old ones were cut out and the new ones mad eto fit they were then welded in and filled. We then had a visit from one of the guru’s from Essex DAF’s Pete and even he didn’t notice that they were wrong, with him seeing what we were doing to Isabelle he now wants us to do his 33 {Gavina} some time in 2013.
Not only did I put out a call to club members for some things that we needed it also went out to my fellow dafers the response from them was fantastic 2.5 litres of paint arrived from the Cotswolds, this was bright orange though so mixed with a litre of BL Damask Red from Paul McAlpine the colour match was fantastic, a manual, new tyre and chrome headlight surrounds arrived from Eastbourne and abook on the history of DAF’s was autographed by the author and sent all the way from Vermont USA wow dafers love their cars.
The rear valence was non-existent so Les Heaton made a new one some parts just don’t exist the floor pans have also been welded in places and the whole floor has been under sealed ,parts of the exhaust have now also been replaced.
Time for painting this was done in sections and we wanted her to stand out from the crowd not that you will ever see a crowd of DAF’s, so after a rumage through Les’s paint store he emerged with some silver left over from another job so she now has a silver roof , we were then unhappy with the finish on the rest of the car so she was flattened off again and repainted a lot better finish this time.
Electrical gremlins arrived wipers not working no brake lights plus more so Martin “Relay” Roberts arrived and after a couple of evenings work all the gremlins were exorcised.
Kieran had took away what remained of the old headlining and the door cards as they were badly warped due to the drivers window being left open for the two years that she had been left outside. He returned two weeks later with the new headlining and not only had he made new door cards he had covered them in new vinyl as well, the lining and windows were fitted but the little chrome insert for the rubbers was in a bad way Kieran surprised me yet again by giving us new chrome strip. However after struggling to get this in I realised that the new strip was 2 mm wider than the old but as it was free I spent the time needed to gently coach it in and now looks great.
She has now had a good cut and polish and all the little snags have been sorted {I hope} and has been out for a test run on private roads of course she drives great kicks down as she should and goes like hell for a DAF. She is booked for her MOT on 03/01/2013 which has been donated by Central Garage Shipdham.
She will be going to as many shows as we can get her to between her being legal and Norwich Classic Vehicle Clubs funday on 02/06/2013 to try and sell as many tickets as we can details of what shows she will be at will be posted on face book and the club newsletter so if you want to see the finished article feel free to come along and help to sell some tickets. We already have tickets winging their way to France and the USA.
As far as we know we are the first classic car club in East Anglia to restore and raffle off a classic for charity so PLEASE GET BEHIND US AND MAKE IT A WORTHWHILE THING TO DO.
Many thanks go to :-
Purley classics Alltrims Auto Interiors ASE fork trucks Essex DAF’s
All the club members and Dafers worldwide
Last but not least ME
Lewis Turner
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Jan 22, 2013 21:13:59 GMT
Well, hello all and welcome back to Essex. I do apologise for the delay in updating this thread, which I can assure you is not through being non-backsided more over that not a great deal has happened over the festive season. Over at Island Landrovers the Defender paint job is finally complete and with its owner. Here we see the final stages of the job. And here we see the finished product the night before collection with just the colour coded wheel arches to be fitted and the car to receive a final buff and waxing. And so, over to Essex DAFs Central. Saturday was to see just a dusting of snow but it was freezing cold and us Southern Softies don't like it too cold. It struggled to get above freezing and that was out of the biting cold breeze..... .....it was all a little tyring... Still, plenty of tea kept our spirits up as ever. Present was Matt, Ken, Darren (Dazzasdolly) and Darren's friend Ben. Strangely both Darren's Triumph and Rover were to share a common problem that morning. Upon trying to leave the drive way at Essex South Rover was unable to find reverse gear. This was to be nothing more than a dry clutch reservoir and easily rectified with a little top-up. On the other hand, Darren's Dolly had a soft clutch pedal that limply sunk to the floor. So it was that they were to venture out in Ben's Toledo. Now, I have not driven a Triumph since my prepubescent childhood when sat between my father's legs I was allowed to steer his Stag into the garage whilst he controlled the accelerator and brake pedals but I hardly consider that a true Triumph experience. Ben was happy to oblige me in letting me take his lovely Toledo onto the public highway and what a lovely ride it was too. Naturally the favour was returned with Rover however she is not the best representative of the marque and I really think I got the better deal - thanks Ben! Between tea brakes we did manage to drag out the Granada as it has been sold on and the new owner will be collecting it next week. It took four of us to push her out though. However a flat battery was to scupper our plans and a back up battery was no better. Cue Rover to the rescue for a jump start. Now, 3.5 litres and rear wheel drive with no traction control and Matt at the wheel does not make a good bedfellow with wet grass and it was a bit of a faff to get her turned around so her battery would be on the correct side...which was all in vain as the batteries were too cold, so they were taken home to be put on charge. Being that the two cars are of a similar age and would have been direct competitors in the same market sector, there was a debate as to which looks the meaner car. What do you think? Well, that's all for now. Cheese, 33G.
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Post by Patrick on Jan 24, 2013 0:51:07 GMT
I'm a fan of both - but your Rover has it - So much "Butch-er" than the rather effete looking Granny!
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Jan 24, 2013 13:18:59 GMT
Thanks Patrick. I'm lucky to have owned examples of both cars over the years. I do like Grannies for all the whistles and bells, like the electrically adjusted and heated seats. But, they don't have the Rover's V8 engine...
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Jan 30, 2013 23:11:27 GMT
Welcome back to Essex all. Well, looks like in our last report I was rather complacent in stating that we had received but a dusting of snow as we were to receive a good three inches. Not much compared to other areas but you need to remember that the typical Essex driver is not accustomed to driving in such conditions. I was also to see a Reliant Robin in a ditch further down this road but felt it would be a little churlish to stop and take a photo when the driver was in attendance... My journey in Rover was to the overflow as Richard's Abbey was being relocated whilst the insurance is being sorted out. Farmer George has been patient but she was blocking in his tractors and a man can only be without his tractors for so long! I arrived in good time to find yet more junk in our portion of the barn. Landlords take note - if you rent out space that doesn't give you the right to store your own junk in it! I built up quite a sweat moving this little lot and Michael helped me finish off as access to the barn was temporarily blocked by another vehicle who's owner was in the farm house. Still more to go but we can get three cars in the space now, if not four. And so Abbey was unloaded and moved to her temporary new home. I was then to go to Island Landrovers to check over the workshop and flat in Martin's absence. No photos as panic ensued when the sound of running water was heard at the garage and further investigation found a fountain in the cloakroom. I switched off the isolator valve and with the wet and dry vacuum hoovered up three bucket loads of water that had flooded under the mezzanine. I was just as unfortunate trying to reach the flat and stopped a hundred yards short due to lack of traction. Still, by Tuesday the snow had all but melted and things were warming up at Central. I had intended to take Gavina but a flat battery put paid to that so Rover was pushed into service again which was all as well, as a traffic jam en route to Matt's flat (I was a taxi service due to Yo's woes) meant I could make up time on the faster sections of the route. Not to worry as Ken was already in attendance and had brought Dorothy's steering wheel with him which he had made a good job of filling and just required some sanding and a spray of matt black paint. Our reason for being there was Practical Classic's Sam Glover was attending to collect a certain Ford Granada which he had bought from Ken. There was much banter and then we loaded up Sam's van with spares, this photo showing but a small portion. Fortunately we were able to coax the Grannie into life this time. Sam seemed quite happy with his new acquisition. And so the deal was complete... ...so after a bit of tail out action from Matt and following a nerve racking drive onto Sam's impressive Ifor William's trailer the Granada was safely strapped down. There was time for another brew before Sam had to leave and of course, all visitors receive an ED mug... ...but not before Matt was keen to remind Sam what he was missing out on from not having a roadworthy variomatic. A drive of Dorothy was arranged however Sam had the last laugh as we really weren't expecting him to drive where he did! ;D I must say that we thoroughly enjoyed Sam's visit and what a lovely chap he is. I was a little gutted that I was not to meet him a few years ago when I visited the Practical Classics office in Peterborough so it was nice to finally put that straight. With Sam gone it was time to play our regular prank on Ken... ...unfortunately though he's wised up to our tricks by now and washed it off... ...before getting his own back! So, all in all a great day was had by all. Well, that's all from us. Cheese, 33G.
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Post by Patrick on Jan 31, 2013 10:50:49 GMT
That reminds me; In the early 80's, my brother parked next to a friends Volvo 343 in the local car park, unfortunately he also slightly misjudged it and caught it just below the rear window (rather like the dent there I imagine) with the corner of his Allegro. He offered to pay for the damage. Unfortunately, his friend took it to the Volvo dealer for repair, who naturally took all the time in the World (and Labour charges) in doing it "properly", removing the window and half the interior etc in order to bash the dent out. The bill was sizeable. Surprising that the friendship lasted.
The Allegro had a small finger sized dent in the front corner of the wing.
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Feb 20, 2013 19:02:23 GMT
Hello all and welcome back to Essex for a mini update. Saturday saw Gavina and I over at Matt's flat to attend to a stricken Yolander. Gavina ran very well following her replacement points and condenser and we made good time. After a compulsory cup of the brown stuff, we were joined by Daffer Dan in his V66 estate, and then there were three. For those who haven't read of Yo's woes, a couple of weeks ago, when entering the parking lot for Matt's flat, her belts on the nearside pulleys wound up and became a tangled mess jamming the back axle. Fortunately some neighbours were at hand to lift her read end and bump her into place into her usual parking space. The reason for this happening was the last bought of snow that we had coupled with the entrance to Matt's being a 120 degree turn up a cambered hill. That was enough to do this... That's the secondary you're looking at there. Both the secondary and primary were wide open and the belt was wedged. I was able to get my lever bar into the little loop that can be seen protruding and pull that all. Then with some combined effort with my lever bar and Matt and Dan with a chisel we were able to remove the belt. Upon removal both pullies snapped closed (fortunately avoiding finger trapping scenarios) so at least the springs were good. That's where the bad news ended however. So, that'll be a snapped half shaft then... With that we took ourselves to Central to raid the parts barn. We found this bad boy... ...and this one... ...but we weren't convinced that either were right. Could these be clutch splines? There was much procrastination before deciding that they weren't right and we would wait for the pair of 44 half shafts that we won on eBay. We also dug out the boot lid which we don't think is needed now but should anyone be in absolute dire need, and seeing as we have photos, here it is. It looks pretty sound apart from one very small piece of rot at one of the rear corner flanges. It's a bummer we didn't have the parts to fix Yolander and had we then I think we might have pulled it off. But with that conclusion reached it was time to set off home, via Matt's. I guess with his long legs he cannot really be a backseat driver in a 33. ;D Well, that's all from us for now. Cheese, 33G.
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Mar 10, 2013 20:33:21 GMT
Hello all and welcome back to Just a small update for you as small updates seem to be en vogue these days. Firstly we turn our attention to Yo's woes. Yolanda in happer days… As luck would have it, Dan has found a 55 half shaft. This was a surprise to us as when Dan had to vacate his workshop we thought that all of this supplies had gone to Central. Clearly this little ripper had evaded us. The bearing is a little suspect but that can always be changed. The plan is now to get Yolanda down to Central for the shaft to be changed. This will neccesitate someone with a tow bar to help out or a tow when Rover is next down there. However, all is not lost as Dorothy the 44 estate, post steering wheel repair, will be taken for an MOT on Saturday 23rd March - fingers crossed! We can also announce that we have started stripping OTW 5P as nobody brave enough wants to take her from us to restore, well, not at a cost price, so she will be yielding parts. The challenging and very rotten OTW… Sam, here's her front bumper - it will need tidying and respraying but is basically straight and sound - any use to you? John, here's those front seats you were interested in which should clean up ok but I can detect a slight problem with these - can anyone else spot it? A photo of the rear seats alludes me but I can ask Matt when he is next there. This is pretty much as far as Matt has got so far: For my own part there is not much to report. Rover developed a misfire which saw her being tailgated by an Optaire minibus for much of her last journey home from Island Landrovers. Even changing her plugs became a mission as two Halfrauds stores both only had four spark plugs in stock (of different brands) which is not much use when eight are required! I did take Gavina out on Saturday though and, whilst timing issues meant she took an age to start, she did run well, especially having an empty boot. Time for one last Gavina's Speakers, so let's see what '70's kitch we can find this time... I caught the train home. Adieu Gavina, I will miss driving you. Cheese, 33g
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Post by andrejuan on Mar 11, 2013 11:53:27 GMT
;D ;D
So, both passenger seats eh........
Still nothing is impossible.
I may also have the front seat belts if available, my static ones drive me mad ;D I will check mounting bkts.
Thanks Pete
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Mar 13, 2013 0:03:15 GMT
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Post by Patrick on Mar 13, 2013 0:52:53 GMT
*Points excitedly* Ooooooooh! ;D
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Post by joe on Mar 14, 2013 21:31:47 GMT
I love it when a plan comes together.
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Post by dafdaffer on Mar 14, 2013 22:14:13 GMT
oh you have my old coupé now then lol.
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Mar 15, 2013 14:25:01 GMT
Certainly do DD! I was thumbing through the history file last night and your name is in there along with an e-mail, both from yourself and also being referred to in another e-mail as someone who's rather helpful and a good egg..I can attest to that. She's still in rude health Paul and aside from that freak spark plug issue drove home faultlessly.
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Post by howard on Mar 15, 2013 14:53:40 GMT
Arr she is lovely. I genuinely do miss her, but as I need to move to a smaller place I should concentrate on the other 66 coupe....no point being greedy, is there? Be a few more MOTs done over the next few weeks, and even the return of the Allegro! Good grief!!!
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Post by dafdaffer on Mar 15, 2013 16:31:40 GMT
She is a good car, the primary's were sorted and the engine is a 1300 v66 engine so plenty of go. It had a new stat and head gasket as well when I had. It would have been around 5 years since I had her. We sold her because of the arrival of my little boy who is 6 next month. Ps Howard if you ever sell the other coupe then please let me know, I missed out on that one once before ; )
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Mar 15, 2013 17:55:49 GMT
Thanks DD this is all good to know and yes, she does have plenty of go, doesn't she? ;D The insurance think she is 1108cc as does DVLA so we never had this conversation... Jonathan tried the back seat for size and even though he's approaching 9 years old he still had a good 3-4" above his head. I was thinking of putting rear belts in the back but they grow so quick, don't they? (Kids that is, not seat belts).
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33grinder
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Post by 33grinder on Mar 25, 2013 21:42:01 GMT
Hello all and welcome back. Sorry it's been so quiet recently. Matt's been in Cornwall on some family business, albeit that has not stopped him from hankering after some motoring action and he recently bagged a ride in this lovely 1935 Lagonda. Whilst there, Matt was also able to check up on this 44. He's known the owner and has supplied parts for years, although he's now a little stumped. The owner has asked for 10 thou shells - big and mains - both rear engine mounts, full gasket set and standard piston rings. Well, we can do the rings but nothing else, can anyone help? Here's the car, looks very nice indeed. Back in Essex and with Yolanda still out of action, Matt has been finding the opportunity to keep fit on his commute to the barn with old faithful. As one would expect, Matt's not to be kept long without a running DAF so this meant Dorothy was pushed into action. We've had a little dusting of snow around these parts don't you know... ...but nothing to stop Dorothy going for her MOT test... ...which I'm pleased to confirm she passed. However, it was not all plain sailing. A small leak on her middle exhaust section became progressively louder on the way home and developed into a full blown hole... ...and the advisory for the binding rear brakes turned out, upon further examination, to be shoe linings parting company. Needless to say these were swapped out... ...as will be these crusty heater hoses. And that's about it from Central, other than to report it's been quiet on the visitors front. John (Citroenboi) popped by and took Ena for a little spin around the farm... Like Matt, family committments have meant that not much has happened in Essex South, albeit Priscilla's improvements have started already. Thanks to a previous owner enlarging her stereo aperture to accept a modern size head unit, I don't have the guilt complex of doing so. So, out with the old radio cassette player and in with a nice Kenwood CD player. Priscilla's Speakerz anyone? Well, that's all from us for now! Cheese, 33g
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