33grinder
Likes DAFs
CHPD* sufferer (*Compulsive Heap Purchasing Disorder)
Posts: 2,905
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Post by 33grinder on May 22, 2014 19:27:37 GMT
Hello all and welcome back to Some are quick to deride our county and yes, sometimes it does suck. But we like it anyhow. So, welcome back to our latest update to this greatly oversized tome. I shall endeavour to make it that little bit longer and even more unweildy by adding loads more photos punctuated by lengthy rambling prose. Ready? OK, first we need to rewind to Saturday 3rd May and you may recall the Shaguar had been denuded of both rear silencers as the over-axle pipes that they connected to had rotted through. I'd been running her without the rear cans and revelling in the boy-racer glow of loud exhausts, soaking up the lovely V12 burble. However that burble became a nuisance at higher cruising speeds so needed to be resolved once and for all. A few well placed enquiries had earlier lead me to the door of Pipecraft, Basildon. More used to American classics however they have experience of working on XJSs and more importantly were not scared off. My previous appointment was to see the Jaguar on their ramp for a close up inspection. The bad news was that the list of replacement parts needed was long. Not only were the rear silencers goosed but the over-axle pipes had rotted through too. That I did know however upon further examination it was found that the baffles had blown in one of the centre boxes which would need rectifying. On the plus side the proprietor had worked on an XJS a week before because the owner wanted a louder exhaust system, hence custom rear silencers (he will regret that decision, I am sure!), and would I be interested in two used but perfectly serviceable Jaguar original equipment rear boxes? Damn right I would! And so the stage was set and the Jaguar delivered at 8am that morning. He'd need the big cat for four hours but that was not exactly a tragedy because as serendipity would have it Pipecraft is just around the corner from my favourite greasy spoon. Having delivered the Jag I settled down in the cafe with my 'B6' all-day breakfast and Practical Classics magazine and settled in for the duration. Just three and a half hours later I received a call to inform me that Shaguar was ready and it was time to collect. My stomach achingly full of many fried delicacies and copious tea, I staggered back. I must say, that they have made a nice job of the exhaust. At £320 all in the bill was not a small one but it could have been much, much worse. Being pragmatic I always knew that the big cat would hit me with a suitably large bill one day and that was the day. On first impressions, the straight through pipes lend the exhaust a nice rasp under heavy (i.e. normal) acceleration but without intrusive noises into the cabin at speed. Perfecto! There wasn't to be too much more going on for the author that weekend due to being roped into take Grinder Jnr to a child's birthday party at a roller disco...sigh. And so onto Bank Holiday Monday and I got a day pass to go to Central. Yay! There present was Matt and Dave with Eric Bhojani visiting. Eric had brought a giant pink carpet with him, a by-product of moving home and a useful thing to lie on to save our aching joints. Well, we are getting on a bit these days. Here I must apologise as I'm still experiencing problems uploading photos. For some reason my iPhone now refuses to link up to my net-book (well it does, but the camera wizard tells me there are 'no new photos' which is bovine excrement) so I have to use Mrs G's PC which is a bit of a tiresome affair. Then not all the photos work when they get to Photobucket. I will figure it out (or rather Mrs. G. will when she gets some time). OK, so I digress. First up was Yolanda and a crushed plastic fuel line at the fuel filter was deemed to blame for her poor running issues at the 'drive it day' outing the previous weekend. We then got Eric's Ovlov 340 onto the carpet for some adjustments to the belt which took a bit longer than anticipated due to some 'issues' we found, but all's well that end's well. Then for the piece de resistance we got Minx the 55 Marathon saloon out for the rear nearside swing arm to be changed. This was a job involving much gnashing of teeth but we got there eventually. Nasty gash on that swing arm... But we won through eventually and the recalcitrant part was removed. Here's that nasty gash close up. An unfriendly bedfellow of that was a trashed belt which was removed and after a bit of jiggery pokery substituted with a better version. Here's a replacement waiting to go in. It's the best of the bunch but was missing a plastic lug for locating the handbrake (swapped over from the removed item) and a welded bracket for the brake flexi hose. This was skilfully replaced by cable ties. And in it goes. Cable ties to finish the job (yes, we did trim them back afterwards... ) Here's that new belt going on. A bit of a pig but perseverance but plenty of expletives saw the new belt in place... And so Mimi was pushed home until the next job to be done which is probably welding... We also took the opportunity to look at Yolanda's front brakes which had lead to some concern on her outing to the DOC AGM. We found her calipers partially seized and brake pads that were decidedly low. Having new pads in stock this was fitted and with the caliper freed up a big improvement was felt. We also discovered that one of Matt's extra long screwdriver was the perfect replacement for a lost cotter pin for Daf hub nuts! Nah, just kidding. We do have replacement pins you know! OK, so the following Saturday was to see yours truely over at Island Landrover. It's always a jumper or two cooler up there but finally, spring has sprung. There I was to see a bright yellow defender trying to camouflage itself amongst the yellow posts of the ramp. When the owner turned up to collect it would transpire that I was at school with him 30 odd years ago. Small world, innit? Also in is this ex RAF lightweight, in for some welding of the rear chassis member. Work on Gavina would centre around removing the last of the non-ferrous items from her shell. It's amazing how many little things can be missed. Like these rubbers sat at the top of the rear turrets. So, how to remove those plastic airvents from the D pillars behind the stainless trims? The answer is very carefully!! They are a push fit and take gentle prising. If you're lucky you'll get this... And if you're unlucky then this will happen. Lastly was the front bump stops which can be drifted round with a centre punch and hammer. Well done for Martin for spotting that as I didn't see it through all the oil and grime so was having a good swearfest at them! The only thing that I can see is still left attached is the cotton reel exhaust hanger which is seized onto her rear valance. That can stay there for now and be melted off as I know a replacement can be obtained relatively easily. Meanwhile Matt set himself the gargantuan task of rotating all the cars at central, removing them from the museum and switching them around. Even the 33 van had her engine span over. I'm afraid the photos are another casualty of the problems that I'm having uploading photos at present. When I can get to them I will...sorry! And so onto Sunday. This was an epic day. Firstly my friendly MOT man turned up to fit these drive belts to the big cat. He'd already fitted the fan belt (previous one had snapped) and this job had been on the cards for a while. I had intended to take the car to an independent however I spent three weeks trying to contact him, leaving messages etc before he sent me a text to say he was off work with a poorly back for another three weeks and try him then! Well, I empathise with the guy but really, that's not a way to run a business. Plus he'd told me it was a five hour job involving removing the radiator. Well, my friendly MOT man did it in less than three hours without removing the radiator and, mates' rates, for a nifty. Can't say better than that! The difference to the power steering is great and makes her a joy to drive at parking speed. Whilst he was doing this, I buggered off to Reading with Matt in this... We made good time despite Matt's obligatory tea break at South Mimm's Services... Our reason for going was to meet Stephen who had a stash of DAF parts. His council garage was damp and leaking and due for demolition soon. He'd had these spares for years, having purchased them from a DAF dealership which was closing down. He'd offered them to the UK DAF Owners Club who had declined them, the Dutch who had declined them, and then he learnt of Essex DAFs. We were in the nick of time as it happened as the spares needed saving and only that morning Stephen had received a phone call from a 'Mr. Bailey' enquiring as to these spares. Thankfully he told Mr. Bailey that the spares were going to Essex DAFs. There really was a cornucopia of parts. Some have survived better than others and we only just managed to fit everything in the van. Then we went to have a look at Stephen's 66 Marathon Coupe. It may look frilly but it's essentially solid. He hopes to return it to the road one day. And so it was time to return to Central to unload our bounty. Matt had thoughtfully cleared some space in advance for unloading. Best get on with it then... Boxes upon boxes... Bumpers R us... Doors...and rear quarter panel for B saloon and estate. Parts barn filling up quickly... Wassis then? Any ideas? If you need a B body chassis rail c/w rear inner arch then yep, they're in stock... 44/46/55 bonnet in primer. Needs work on one corner. 66 bonnet NOS. 33 rear quarter. 33 front nearside wing. Bit frilly but might go again (thank you God!). Well, that's just about all from us for now. Cheese, 33g
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Post by Patrick on May 23, 2014 0:01:53 GMT
What a fabulous haul!
Great update Sir.
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Post by dafdaffer on May 23, 2014 22:19:40 GMT
There was a Guy near Crewe who had loads of panels like that, including the b bodied innerwing and chassis, i wonder if it was the same stuff....he wanted a grand for it all so i decided not to bother
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mattsdafs
Likes DAFs
Yolanda, 55 estate
Posts: 374
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Post by mattsdafs on May 24, 2014 7:42:18 GMT
This lot we pulled out of Wokingham Paul,didn't pay anything near that for this...also got the van and most of the fuel through work which helped...be interested knowing more about the Crewe job lot if you have the details pls Paul
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33grinder
Likes DAFs
CHPD* sufferer (*Compulsive Heap Purchasing Disorder)
Posts: 2,905
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Post by 33grinder on May 24, 2014 8:32:53 GMT
Thanks Patrick:) ...be interested knowing more about the Crewe job lot if you have the details pls Paul Cue parts barn number two for all the extra stock!
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Post by dafdaffer on May 25, 2014 17:25:42 GMT
there were Loads of panels but the 44/55 front chassis section was almost the same, i really cant remember what the details were,i think that they were printed in one of the magazines one so maybe Mr b could help... we are talking at least 10 years ago!
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mattsdafs
Likes DAFs
Yolanda, 55 estate
Posts: 374
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Post by mattsdafs on May 25, 2014 20:30:32 GMT
Oh that long ago ..prob long lost by now,just hope someone saved them...still worth asking about,you never know...thanks Paul... MR B....
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Post by joe on May 26, 2014 11:26:26 GMT
That is one amazing haul of parts! You must be close to having enough to build a brand new daf surely?
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33grinder
Likes DAFs
CHPD* sufferer (*Compulsive Heap Purchasing Disorder)
Posts: 2,905
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Post by 33grinder on May 26, 2014 14:19:24 GMT
We have thought about it Alwx. Maybe if we had a decent 66 she'll we could do it...
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33grinder
Likes DAFs
CHPD* sufferer (*Compulsive Heap Purchasing Disorder)
Posts: 2,905
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Post by 33grinder on Jul 6, 2014 20:28:33 GMT
Hello all and welcome back to Essex. It's an odd little county that we call home, but we like it anyway. You never know what you'll find round these parts... OK, so time to reconvene our thread with apology or three. Firstly, apologies for the protracted delay, partly due to pressured of the day job, secondly due to computer issues. My ageing netbook has recently had a disagreement with my iphone and will no longer recognise it. I have discovered that due to recent upgrades to the iphone it is now no longer compatible with Windows XP and indeed Windows have withdrawn their suppport. Thus to properly rectify the situation would entail lining Mr. Gate's pockets with more of my hard-earned which I am reluctant to use. So, I now need to use Mrs G's PC to store my photos which is a bit of a faff, and the last few photos I uploaded had issues (i.e. only half the photo loaded). I think I have it rectified now. Secondly, I was missing some photos from Matt which were omitted from the last report but have now been located and I show below. One by one, they left the barn... ...almost empty but these two were reluctant so got left behind... ...whilst the others enjoyed some sunshine. This report is otherwise Jaguar focused as you will see. News starts well, an early MOT test was passed fairly easily albeit just when I thought my exhaust woes were behind me my MOT man pointed out that one of the big cat's, erm, cats needed replacement. Also, a front wheel was binding. Still, all good enough for another year on the queen's highway. I then proceeded to Europarts (ex GSF) to obtain parts for a front brake overhaul. She's always had a steering shake under heavy breaking and with the poweeeer I wanted to make sure her brakes were up to scratch. With new calipers, discs, pads, flexi hoses and wear indicators I popped by Helfrauds and picked up 10 litres of oil and a filter. £400 lighter I headed over to IL for some ramp time. As we were working on the brakes we needed to use the ramp's rails and this was a very tight squeeze leaving a rizzla paper gap between the rails and the Jag's exhausts. And so, on with the job. The old brakes... The old calipers were looking a bit crusty but I have kept them (despite a £20 surcharge on the replacements, but that's another story I'll expand upon later). The discs are connected to the hubs and the hubs therefore have to be removed and separated from the discs. We imagined this would be a pig but was relatively ok. And so on with the discs and calipers. Don't they look nice? One of the calipers was obviously a reconditioned Jaguar original and fitted nicely. The other was a crude (we suspected] Chinese copy for which Martin needed to get his air grinder out to slightly modify to get a decent fit. This lead to plenty of swearing so by the time this job was finished we decided that anything else would have to wait. We then discovered that we had been supplied the wrong pads... ...so we had no option but to fit the old pads. We bled the brakes which was fun (very difficult to get pedal pressure) and that was that. I left for home but it was evident that the front wheel was still binding. The following Saturday I returned to Carparts with the breakpads and here is a synopsis of the conversation. Bloke at counter: Yes sir. Me: You supplied me with these brake pads for my XJS but they are wrong, I need to change them. Bloke at counter: Hmm...(looks on computer)...you must have the wrong calipers fitted to your car. Me: That would make sense, I bought those from Carparts too! Bloke at counter: Hmm...let me have another look. Oh yes, you're correct. Me: Yes, no sh!t. Can you change them please? And whilst I'm here, please check that these parts I haven't yet fitted (brake hoses and wear sensors) are correct for my car. Bloke at counter: Yes, I can get the pads in for you in two hours' time. Erm, hold on...(looks at computer), yes, these other parts are correct for your car. The next day I was to make it over to Central in the Shaguar. Upon entering the car I was met with a flacid sun-visor as the retaining clip had failed. I stuck it together with some strong glue and left it to set overnight. It did not set so I will need to make a trip to the local Jag breakers. I swapped it with the passenger one so as to not to cause annoyance and set off. I had informed Matt that we would need to change the flexi hose on the Jag and he was well prepared for this (well, the kettle was on)... So, we battled with the crusty old item and remove it from the caliper end only to find...yes, I've been supplied with the incorrect hose for my car... So, I start to put everything back together and do the unthinkable, cross threading the union for the solid line into the caliper. The Jag would have to stay at Central for a week. Fortunately we had a visitor that day, the thoroughly nice James (aka Jayvee1980) who was driving via the QE2 bridge so giving me a lift home was a short detour. The following week I took no more chances with Carparts and rang SNG Barrett, a dedicated Jag supplier. The service was excellent, the parts man e-mailing me an exploded diagramme of the front brake components whilst I was on the phone, along with pictures of the parts I needed. I proceeded to order two flexi hoses and a solid brake line between flexi hose and caliper. Not cheap at just shy of £60 delivered but peace of mind that the parts should at least be correct...shouldn't they? The following Saturday I took a train to Central and was met at the station by Matt and Dave. We took Yolanda over to Central so battle could commence again with my SNG supplied parts. Oh well, no point in delaying the inevitable then. Well, good news, the flexi hose was correct so we started to remove the old one. Had we been doing the nearside our luck would have been in. On the offside it's a whole different ball game. The hose needs to be disconnected from a union on the inner wing. This involves removing the airbox on that bank for better access. Then the union is on the inner wing, below the strut top and towards the bulkhead, just visible beneath the shiny pipe and below the other gubbins on the inner wing. Disconnecting was a simple spannering job but removing the escutcheon plate involved drifting with a long flat blade screwdriver and a hammer. Fine from one direction but from t'other a perilous job as the top of the screwdriver is below the hight of ancilliaries such as the brake master. Still, with that off the pipe was removed. The new one does look different but is the right part, even in a Jaguar logo'd bag. Then on with this little chap... ...very different from the Heath Robinson job that was removed. However, this is where the problems started. The union into the caliper was hard up against steering components and it was near enough impossible to get the correct angle to insert the union and really, I didn't want to risk another cross-threading incident. By this stage it was clear that only one person was needed for this job and so Matt cracked on with Dorothy. Ken had very kindly supplied a new coil for her but unfortunately the points set had not yet arrived. Still, this gave Matt plenty to crack on with. I don't think he got to the bottom of the matter though. Meanwhile I had decided that the only safe way to connect the solid line union to the caliper was to remove the caliper, which is what I did. With it connected the solid line was then threaded into place with the caliper attached and the caliper attached to the disc...but, I was unable to bolt the caliper to the hub because...yes, you guessed it...the solid line was fouling. There then followed much gnashing of teeth before Matt gentled persuaded it back together. Then time for brake bleeding... We really did have problems with the bleeding and the pedal remained very soft. A call to my MOT man (who served a Jaguar apprenticeship) revealed two things. 1. Bleed all four brakes and start furthest away from the master. 2. Push the pedal to the floor, jam it down then turn on the ignition. The ABS pump will do the bleeding for us and when the pump stops, push the pedal a couple of times and it will kick in again. We started at number 1, however rear XJS brakes are in-board and the brake nipples were rounded. We really didn't want to risk it so we could only deal with the fronts. At some point I will need to replace the brake nipples. So onto number 2. We got there eventually but it is evident that the ABS does drain the fluid very quickly so keep an eye on it. We got through the half litre bottle I brought with me plus Matt's supplies too. BUT, all was good and the brakes are sharper. There's no binding but there was still a vague feeling at the front. It was plenty good enough to make my way home though. Now some things need to be mentioned about old Jags. Firstly, they cost a lot to run. Yes, a tank is £100 to fill with petrol (and they like super unleaded btw), and that gives you a range of about 200 miles. Secondly, they are always needing something. Thirdly, your mates will help you to fix it, but they won't necessarily appreciate it at the time! I have had the tracking checked and the front offisde was miles out which was making the inner edge of the tyre bald. BUT, now that's fixed the camber on the front nearside and rear offside needs adjusting and guess what? That's a Jaguar dealership job apparently. Now, some things need to be mentioned about old Jags... Yesterday an enjoyable afternoon was spent with Ken at the overflow but there were no photos taken as they are forbidden at SCC meetings. As for my regular DAF, the 66 coupe, I have not got around to helicoiling the cylinder head yet. I am waiting for Martin to visit as I don't really feel confident doing this. I have however changed her fuel pump as I suspect that the old one may have been behind her poor starting. We shall see. Well, that's all for now. Cheese, 33g.
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33grinder
Likes DAFs
CHPD* sufferer (*Compulsive Heap Purchasing Disorder)
Posts: 2,905
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Post by 33grinder on Aug 3, 2014 13:16:56 GMT
I've been asked by Pete to do a "guest editor" bit for the ED thread II to bring you some news from the badlands of Essex, so here goes.... WELCOME TO:EDC by macplaxton, on Flickr Actually, scrub that, WELCOME TO EDZ (Essex DAF Zuiden!) Remember this? A quick pictorial reminder... Daf3178_zps3e621c08 by macplaxton (courtesy of 33Grinder), on Flickr Daf3180_zpsbea52ed8 by macplaxton (courtesy of 33Grinder), on Flickr Daf3181_zpsfc833332 by macplaxton (courtesy of 33Grinder), on Flickr Daf3436_zpsf41e2fca by macplaxton (courtesy of 33Grinder), on Flickr Firstly, a big thanks goes to Ken & Pete for putting her up (and putting up with her) all this time. Sorry it took so long. (Mrs MacP was 8-months pregnant with no2 when the incident occurred) Fast forward to July this year and we're not much further on in this insurance saga, but she really needed to move. Arrangements were made around 10th July to do a "smash 'n' grab" a couple of weeks later. So I booked a flight from Dublin to Southend on the morning of 24th and a return on the boat early doors on the 25th. The bit in the middle could sort itself out :wink: As I couldn't find my spares, I had to borrow a light cluster from the BB which I took off the night before in the dark 2014-07-25_07-21-56_502 by macplaxton, on Flickr The 24th arrived and as usual I had little sleep (2½ hrs) and a red-eye flight to catch. The kids were dug up early and plonked in their seats. I drove up to Dublin Airport with Mrs P driving the car back home. Arrived at the Airport just after 6am with a 7:15am flight to catch. Things were slightly sticky through security as one particular thing caught their eye on the X-ray machine. A NOS pair of metal bumper brackets. The only other things in the back were a OSR lamp unit, four rubber exhaust rings (as they were in front of me at the computer desk when I was packing) and a roll of silver duck tape. X-ray man referred the brackets to his senior, who in turn referred them to his big cheese. Eventually I got the nod to keep them. Phew! The flight was uneventful and arrived about 20 mins late at 9.10am. UK Border bods called me back and asked for ID and what/where/how/why questions. Do I look that suspicious with my Tennent's Lager sports bag? Again I was duly sent on my way and met up with Pete who agreed to lend a hand on his week off and also transport me to the EDZ in the Shaguar. (V12-awesomeness courtesy of 33Grinder) We arrived at EDZ to meet Ken who had put in a much appreciated early appearance to get Abby scrubbed up a bit and looking more presentable. With the clock against as the first problem to see to was the running. She wasn't holding an idle at all. After popping the air filter housing off for further investigation, it was reveal that a vacuum hose had split. This was shortened and refitted. The other issue was the choke mechanism had unscrewed itself and fallen off (explaining why the choke wouldn't push fully home). This was re-attached and then she was running as sweet as a nut. Next up was to deal with the rear light. After a good bit of swearing, prying, hammering, taping between us - we had a working rear light cluster, but no number plate lights (both bulb kaput). The tailgate wasn't latching, so I just moved up the striker plate so it did so. Resulting in this: IMG_7244 by macplaxton (courtesy of 33Grinder), on Flickr IMG_9769 by macplaxton (courtesy of 33Grinder), on Flickr 2014-07-27_17-58-57_223 by macplaxton, on Flickr 2014-07-27_17-59-05_281 by macplaxton, on Flickr That'll do, if tape is good enough for Mondeo bumpers, then tape is good enough for me. By now it was 1 o'clock, so I had to say goodbye to the lads as I had pre-arranged a MOT for 2.45pm....... ......in High Wycombe. Following leaving, I managed to cover the M11, M25, M40 and the respective manors of Essex Police, Hertfordshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police. 66 miles and no tug. Arrived in Wycombe just after 2pm. Stopped at the Shell garage on London road for some Shell Mega Nitro Turbo Super Plus Optibollox and Irn-Bru was on offer, so I got those and a sandwich and crisps. Then another 1/2 mile up the road to the MOT testing station. Was 30 minutes early so asked if he had a couple of number plate light bulbs handy. (Working on the basis that if he didn't, I know the motor factors is just over the road round the corner and could get them whilst waiting). It wasn't necessary for me to go there as he said "no problem" and I fitted the bulbs. And 45 minutes later, I had these: 2014-07-24_15-30-54_621 by macplaxton, on Flickr *1 advisory: "Offside Rear Suspension spring mounting prescribed area is distorted but not considered excessive (2.4.A.3)" Woo-hoo! Post Office was a short hop up Micklefield Rd so bagged my disc in there. Interestingly, I could either buy a disc starting 1st Jul or 1st Aug. In ye olden days, if you didn't have a current one, you could only get next month's two days before the end of the month, but since all this online malarkey, you can get a following month's one any time after the 5th of the preceding one. Not wanting to risk the wrath of the filth, I opted for a July start. That was me all ticketed and taxed at 3.30pm. Wandered down to Bourne End and got the front wheels balanced at ATS. The hammering on first motorway leg was unbearable. The nearside has a 10g on the outside and the offside a PAIR of 40g £14 wasn't too bad and it saved me going bananas on the trip to port. (I was even happy with their service as they didn't even attempt to flog me anything extra whatsoever. No comment about old tyres being the work of satan, or tracking, or go on - have some Nitrogen. Zilch.) Went up the road to see my mate Raymondo and picked up a couple of motorcycle fairings, left his 7pm, to make my way to Oxford Services for 7.30pm. Picked some more bits up from a Michael who came up from Newbury (he used to stay in Slough poor fellow). He also had my NOS Volvo-fake-chrome-plastic-rain-gutter-trims. Had some Burger King filth and saw lots of plod in and out of there but no interest. Left at 9pm and next stopped at Chester Services on the M56 at 11.45pm for a quick slash and another Shell fill-up. At this point I noticed something when locking the door of the car at Chester Services in the dark. One of the nearside taillamps was on, despite the lights and everything switched off. It did go out after a bit of slapping. This might have been the cause of the phantom battery drain that Pete said he had experienced during lay-up time (Bob Bosch battery was very new before the incident). The only other strange thing which used to happen long before this was an erratic clock that would sometimes tell the right time and sometimes stop. Got going again at midnight and got to port at 1.30am with plenty of time to spare. Speedo needle was fluttery all day and gave up the ghost 17 miles short of Holyhead. Unfortunately my spare stock of Smiths speedo cables is dry, so another one is on order from Speedograph Richfield. Got 1½ hours kip in a rather uncomfy chair on the boat (didn't make it upstairs fast enough to commandeer one of the limited number of bench seats everyone who is too tight to pay for a cabin crash out on). It was slow getting out of the boat (Customs doing some work for a change). Failed to arouse their interest too. All-in-all, a complete breeze of day really (well, 26 hours out of the house). Thanks to Pete, Ken, Ray & Michael for all the help. Ken's sterling tapework is rather impressive (and to MOT standard!) I don't know how I managed all that without Essex tea! Until next time, Cheers, Rich (LDC - Leinster DAF Centraal) PS. Howard, I'll have to do some juggling first to make a space... 2014-07-27_17-58-01_571 by macplaxton, on Flickr
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33grinder
Likes DAFs
CHPD* sufferer (*Compulsive Heap Purchasing Disorder)
Posts: 2,905
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Post by 33grinder on Aug 22, 2014 20:40:17 GMT
Hello all and welcome back to Essex. For some of you attending ED5, welcome to Essex already! Anyway, a quick update to this thread is in order before ED5 kicks off good and proper for the rest of us... So, what's been happening? Not a lot really, as is customary in August. The Grinder clan has been on holiday in Where else of course? Saw a fair few classics knocking about but never had my camera phone to the ready. Did spot this nice Citroen parked in a side street though. Back home I made an investment in the Shaguar. It was annoying me that I had a nasty vibration that kicked in around 80mph and I really didn't want to balance the tyres because the front offside was going bald on the inside edge (tracking now corrected!) and they were old, crusty and mismatched. That is a particular pet hate of mine, especially on a car designed to do the thick end of 150mph. My local tyre shop quoted me anything from £70 per corner upwards, but I really didn't want to fit Chinese van tyres, the Jag demands a better quality tyre. Trouble is that the better tyres would cost up to £220 per corner...ouch! Doesn't help that they are an odd size tyre too, 225/60ZR16. A look on flea bay found some new Michelin tyres in Germany for the princely sum of £518 delivered. I bit the bullet and whipped out the light fantastic. A week later they were in my garage. The following weekend I was down the local tyre shop (the one who gave me those tyre quotes) and for £20 they fitted and balanced my new tyres (and replaced the valves too). Job done. Off with the old... ...and on with the new. I'm pleased to say that they have made a tremendous difference and the high speed vibration has finally gone. There is also the added benefit that she no longer squeals like a stuck pig at anything over walking pace at sharp corners. Not that I minded too much though! Too much time spent watching 70's cop films I suppose. Last Wednesday Ken R and I met up at the overflow with Ozzy. Thankfully Matt had been there a couple of weeks earlier and changed one of Erika's flat tyres (well, not literally, he swapped the wheel for one that had air in the tyre...) and she was loaded onto Ozzy's trailer with ease. We then made our way to EDC. There was a brief moment of discombobulation when we became separated but it all turned out well in the end. Ozzy hadn't come over for Erika but it was all part of the deal as he was travelling from the west so was coming past the overflow. So, we got there eventually and it was time to unload. [ With Erika unloaded, it was time for Ozzy to be united with the car that he had come to collect - Tigga. The idea here is to use the mechanical items from the quickly dissolving Isabelle to make one good DAF from the pair. Tigga, despite her 'rat look' is remarkably sound after all, it's mainly mechanical work that is needed. So, off to the trailer with her. An A body traffic jam! Oops, forgot Erika was there! Time to load up. Come on Ken, put your back into it! That's better. Squeezing Erika into the corner of the museum took at bit of pushing too and fro but we got there eventually. That done it was time to head west again. I sped off in Shaguar however we soon hit a traffic jam which would be an RTA a couple of miles up the road. I don't know about you reader, but I always pick the wrong bloomin' lane in traffic jams. Pretty soon I noticed a familiar sight draw along side. And this is the last I saw of Ozzie and Tigga, although I'm told both made it home safely. Then we fast forward to last Sunday where I was to meet with Matt over at Island Landrover where some parts need collecting. As Martin said, the 55 was designed to fit a 33 inside. So, here we go. 2 aircooled engines, two doors, a bonnet, a work bench and some other bits. Not bad going really! So, there you go. The next update will hopefully be ED5 but in the meantime that's all for now. Cheese, 33g.
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Post by Patrick on Aug 23, 2014 23:54:18 GMT
Michelins eh? Will you resist buying a white rubber marker pen to colour in the logo?
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33grinder
Likes DAFs
CHPD* sufferer (*Compulsive Heap Purchasing Disorder)
Posts: 2,905
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Post by 33grinder on Aug 24, 2014 9:04:11 GMT
I think I can for now Patrick, lol.
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33grinder
Likes DAFs
CHPD* sufferer (*Compulsive Heap Purchasing Disorder)
Posts: 2,905
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Post by 33grinder on Aug 27, 2014 21:33:25 GMT
Hello all and welcome back to Essex and our report of Needless to say we look forward to this event all year long. Well, it's our event afterall! We never know who's going to be there which is part of the fun but we've got used to planning it over the years and everything seems to have run smoothly. We can always rely on perennial visitors so we must be doing something right. For the Welsh contingent ED5 started last Thursday with Joe and Sian plus dogs and cat, and Paul Bashford claiming their spots on the campsite, to be joined later by Lewis and Nick. First things first on Saturday morning was to get things in place. First up the entertainment.. ...then, what's going on here? Ah, that'll be the Car-b-que then! Yes, that is a sausage on the left... Many thanks to chef Dave for keeping us fed over the weekend. In case you were wondering about elf and safety, we did check with Matt whether there was any petrol in the car to which he replied 'not a great deal...' Meantime Joe piled through a bag full of watches needing replacement batteries. Watches to Mrs G are like shoes to Imelda Marcos... Sian handed out lovely commemorative ED5 silver broaches. People arrived throughout the day. Dan brought his 55 coupe and Richard his 55 estate. Lewis brought Tango his 46 estate. Promptly joined by her sister 46 estate, Nick's Gina. Nick also brought his very well behaved great dane, widget. There were various activities throughout the day. Many took the opportunity to ride on Sian's used motorbility scooter which was a real hoot. An underlying theme was to get all of the DAFs together for a photoshoot which at times was easier said than done because there were plenty of things going on to cause distraction! Minx with her recent new swing arm could be driven into position. Others had to be pushed out. Slowly but surely we managed to get there... ...eh voila! Meanwhile Lewis was spending his time on rebuilding Gavina's engine. Then Joe showed a moment of concern during the dry fit when we found that my machine shop reground crank had a tight spot. This is particularly annoying as I had spent a lot of money on the engine internals at a well known machine shop. Rather than cuss and swear we decided it was a good time to go with Paul B to collect Priscilla from my garage, a job made easy by Paul's truck and tilting trailer combination. Back at the farm a decision was made to check over my 'factory' un-run engine to get that ready for Gavina. I can always swap over the engine numbers on the V5 and in any case, I don't know for sure if her engine was the original one. Pretty soon it was time to make our way to the pub. As you may have heard the Courthouse Inn is shut for renovation by the new owners, but the nearby Kings Head served good food and had a friendly landlord, so all worked out well, even if the waitress was no David Bailey. The next day there were several things happening all at once. Mimi received a replacement portion of floor pan courtesy of Nick. It was great to watch a craftsman in action. Here Nick sizes up our replacement metal. Eric (Clint) Bhojani shows off his Heath Robinson ear defenders... And so, back to Mimi... We interrupt this report to bring you pet corner... The Goggo's even a little too crusty for Nick. "Just where would you start?" he was heard to say... Ahem, back to the report. The engine build was not a smooth one as some rust was evident on the valves. A trip was made to the local Helfrauds in a freshly tuned up Dorothy (Matt's 46 estate) where with the assistance of Paul B's trade card a grinding stick and paste was purchased together with a valve spring compressor plus some welding consumables for Nick. Thankfully other aspects of the engine appeared to be in better condition. So Lewis could set to work on the valves. Anything else ancilliary wise would come off her other engine. Eventually Lewis came unstuck. A bolt screwed in where the oil cooler goes was a different size to the banjo bolt. I'm not sure what was the outcome of this but it was odd indeed. Meanwhile Matt and I were finishing removing Priscilla's cylinder head. Whilst that was happening, Passionwagon was getting attention from both Nick and Joe. When Nick was working on the body Joe got a coffee break and then when Nick was off fabricating Joe set back to work. So, to start with the mechanical. It was considered that her rear offside driveshaft was kaput, especially as there was a replacement unit in the rear of the van. Closer inspection was to prove that the driveshaft was fine, it was the reduction gearing that had given up. Best bet was to replace the whole lot. That was until we found that the replacement unit had a broken driveshaft. Interesting tag on the replacement unit by the way. The shaft was swapped with the unit which had the good reduction gearing and oil was let in. Joe and Nick fashioned a home made tool for fishing out detritus from the casing which had the broken driveshaft. The swingarm put up a little bit of a fight but nothing that SuperJoe couldn't handle. Eventually it was out but then Joe noticed that the replacement swing arm didn't have a bump stop (the removed one did). He also found that the two halves of the swing arm didn't appear to be welded together. This prompted a walk into the fields for a very loud scream, before returning to swap over the mechanicals into the van's original swing arm. Strangely the van's swing arm seems to have a reinforced bar running along the front edge which we had not seen before. It was the same on the other side so we can only presume that this was a different, heavy duty item indigenous to the van. Other van owners please comment! Eventually all was completed, although it took three of us to manhandle the replacement unit into position. Meanwhile Nick was making a replacement panel for the rear of the van. Swage line? No worries, a hammer and chisel will sort that! I don't think I'm the only one jealous of Nick's skills. After a short while he'd come up with this. When Nick wasn't welding Joe was tinkering with Dave's Erika and got her running quite sweetly, having identfied and fixed a vacuum leak. As the afternoon started to turn into eventing, the ED5 cake came out and general banter kicked in, and so the reportage photos. As night fell it was time to leave, although many stayed overnight and longer. Well, that's all for now, see you at ED6! Cheese, 33g
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Post by Patrick on Aug 28, 2014 0:34:34 GMT
Fabulous.
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33grinder
Likes DAFs
CHPD* sufferer (*Compulsive Heap Purchasing Disorder)
Posts: 2,905
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Post by 33grinder on Sept 8, 2014 22:18:16 GMT
Hello all and welcome back to the Badlands. So, we pick up where we left off, which of course was ED5 and we hope that everyone who attended enjoyed themselves. Last Saturday I was to pop by and collect some spare wiper stalks as Lewis' Tango (46 estate) windscreen wipers packed up on the way home from ED5. I had some distance to cover and the use of Mrs G's Civic, however approaching Central I received a call from a stricken 44 estate owner. So I was to tow Dorothy into Central, she's made it to within a mile of the Cross Inn pub. Her prop-shaft was fried. Having given Matt and Dave a lift home I made my way to visit our neighbours at Norfolk DAFs. It's always nice to see the automotive porn parked outside. Now, I forgot to photograph the 1930's Riley and the MBG GT Jubilee edition and very nice they were too. I am always more taken with things like this... Note the wobbly stalk adapted for taller drivers. Lemon sparkler is it? Lewis' Consol, a barn find and work in process. Runs and a lot more solid than it looks. Apologies for the lack of frontal shots but the sun was quite low in the horizon at that point. Well, that's my excuse... I was particularly smitten by this Skoda Estelle 105. Last Sunday was a good tidy up down at the barn. The Car-B-Que was tucked away for next year's duties and the rubbish went out. I also bought a big chunk of cake home, thanks for wrapping it carefully guys. Then it was time to have a look at Priscilla. Because there was no antifreeze at EDC when the work was done water was let in, so we drained a couple of litres of water from her bottom hose and topped up with neat antifreeze. She started on the key and we took her for a drive onto the main road but it was soon evident that she had a hesitation which was only getting worse at speed, so back to the workshop. We looked at adjusting the distributor angle but that made no effect so we set it back where it was and looked at the points. The points gap was well over 20thou so we tried adjusting but it was evident that the screw would tighten, nor would it let us remove it. So, we found a 1,300cc dizzy in the parts barn and swapped over the points, but that was a dead dizzy. So we had to go back to the original dizzy. We started putting the points back in and then Matt dropped a little clip through a little slot between the casing and the base plate. We couldn't get the pick up tool through that little gap so we magnetised a screwdriver and had a dig about and...hey presto! Unfortunately there was also a piece of e-clip on the screwdriver so Matt went fishing and found the rest along with two washers. We then extracted the dodgy screw with me pulling on the dizzy shaft while Matt held the plate up with pliers and turned the screw, which thankfully worked. Flushed with success we then hit about removing the screw from the dead dizzy... ...and fitting that, albeit the new screw wouldn't tighten, so it was evident that the thread in the base plate was mullered. Our only option then was to find a crinkly washer which actually did the trick. We got her up and running again to the same degree that she was but clearly something is up. Could it be that her dizzy needs a recondition? Should I send away the 1300 unit for repair? Should I just buy an electronic set up? There is also the carb which I have been told would benefit from a rebuild kit (which I have). Then there is also the airbox which is rusted shut and perhaps the filter needs changing. Priscilla took most of the day so I vowed to return the following Sunday so we could consentrate on Dorothy and that we did. Through sliding her engine forward just enough we could extract the propshaft. And then here's the rub. We've got loads of propshafts... ...and none are for a 44. If you have one for sale or swap then please let us know! Whilst in the parts barn we found a tank for Paul's 44. Not sure how to post it but there you go. We've been contacted by another 33 owner who wanted a front trim strip. If you should ask us for trim then please be patient as we have lots of it to go through... All we could do for Dorothy was to bolt her engine back in so at least she can be mobile again. The plan now is to perhaps put Mimi through a test before Dorothy, in case the propshaft takes a while to arrive. So Dorothy pushed out the way... ...and enter Mimi. Matt knew there was a small hole to weld in the front of the footwell but for now it would be nice to fit the drivers seat... Except it wasn't playing ball, there wasn't enough thread bolt showing on the underside to turn a nut onto. It's not sitting straight, said Matt, needs some weight on it. Even with my leaden weight in the driver's seat it wasn't working out. A look under the floor matt revealed things are a little crustier than first though. We did manage to bolt the seat down in the end once all the rust was swept away. Then it was time to pack up and clear off. Not the most satisfactory outcome to the day, but you can't win 'em all and I guess a bad day DAFfing is better than a good day at work. Well, that's all from us for now. Cheese, 33g
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33grinder
Likes DAFs
CHPD* sufferer (*Compulsive Heap Purchasing Disorder)
Posts: 2,905
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Post by 33grinder on Jan 31, 2015 11:30:35 GMT
Hello all and welcome back to Essex. I apologise for the hiatus in this thread. With project Gavina as far advanced as she can be pre chemical dip and Priscilla awaiting a rebuilt distributor there wasn't much doing. I also had some personal things come up which for a while meant I wasn't really interested in my hobby. I consoled myself by building a 2000 piece jigsaw puzzle of the Republic. After a while though I decided that I needed to rekindle my car interests. This came to a short stop three weeks ago. On a drive over to Island Landrovers in Shaguar I took a different route. Having followed a 24mph pensioner through town and a BMW Mini who showed no promise of overtaking, we reached a part of the road which is national speed limit and known as 'the long straight mile' because erm, it's long and straight. A mile long indeed and excellent visibility. It was a proving ground for youngsters and their cars for many a year and most likely is still so today. Any way, the pensioner doesn't really speed up but the Mini pops out for an overtake, as do I. The Mini isn't travelling that fast so I kick down and take them both. I lift of at a certain speed which I shall not mention for legal reasons, then looked in my rear view mirror expecting to see two rapidly diminishing cars only to see a white cloud from my nearside. This was quickly followed by coolant hitting my windscreen, spraying up from the bonnet shutline just behind the nearside headlamp. I pulled over immediately and called the recovery services. Popping the bonnet to let the steam out a pool of coolant quickly pooled underneath her. I had the big cat recovered home. Consensus is now a blown head gasket. Unfortunately two heads are not better than one, when it comes to V12 Jags because it means doing both heads. Quotes are in and they are all four digits long. The first one started with a 3 before started with a 4 with VAT. I have now found a decent independent XJS specialist in Kent who charges realistic prices because I'm not paying for marble workshop floors and gold plated taps in the mechanic's lav. I just have to wait for a slot to get the Jag in which is a good sign I suppose if he is busy. He'll check the car over generally and then quote on the work, all for free. Why spend this much money I hear you ask. Well here's the thing; the money I would loose between her purchase price and value now is commensurate with the cost of the work to repair her. So as long as there's nothing else seriously wrong then I may as well bite the bullet because I do still like the car after all, and petrol is cheap right now. It's suspected that the Jaguar overheated because of a silted radiator. The V12 rad is a little different in that it is internally compartmentalised for each engine bank. You'd have thought that it would be sensible to make this division vertically however Jaguar decided to make it horizontal and the bottom of the rad feeds the nearside bank. I thought I hadn't cooked the head because the temperature gauge didn't increase however I'm now told that the sender unit for that is fed by the other bank! So there you go, a 'Luxury' product but designed and built by Minkies, caveat emptor! Being pragmatic though if you buy a V12 you will always be playing Russian roulette. I just happened to be holding the parcel when the music stopped. Hey ho. I had even planned to attend the DCA 30th birthday event in June and even looked into flights and accommodation. Such is life. The following weekend I had use of Mrs G's Honda Civic. I also received a parcel from Richard Plaxton of the Leinster DAF Centre. Now, I was expecting a repaired unit which might have had a bit of a wipe over if I was lucky. What I received was a total surprise. Yes, that's electronic ignition. But hold on, there's more...yes, a brand new Bob Bosch coil... ...a new set of leads... ...a new set of plugs along with other sundry items. Thanks Rich, that's well above and beyond the call of duty. I had some errands to run but did manage to pop by Matt's. He was car-less too, Yolanda with a flat battery and blowing exhaust and Dorothy with an electrical problem. During a recent trip out her lights failed. The switch was at fault. Matt managed to get around this problem by removing the wires from the switch and bridging contacts with forked connectors. Trouble now is that the wires entering the switch do not match the wire colours in the workshop manual. Added to that there are four wires and the switch only has three terminals. Fixing this will have to be trial and error with a few spare fuses on standby. So, we trundled down to the barns in the Civic, taking Priscilla's box of tricks with us. We didn't have time to do anything with them mind, but we did go into the spares barn and picked up a spare switch for Dorothy. There we had a visitor. Who says there's no pussy at Essex DAFs? She's a lovely thing but totally feral is the farm cat. The trick is to let her come to you. If you move anywhere near her she will scarper... ...and hide under the nearest crusty thing she can find. That was it until the following weekend. With no use of the Civic on Saturday I did intend to use this bad boy on the Jag. That's until I remembered the rat's nest under the bonnet. I tried but to get the plugs out you really need to empty the vee, and I bottled out. Checking the head compression had been my job for the day so I got the bucket and sponge out instead. It's always a pleasure to wash the XJS with those lithe body lines. If you fall out of love with your car then get the car shampoo out and it will soon come back. I then hung a DAF tinplate in my garage... ...along with some fairy lights. Why? Why not! On Sunday I still had no car so decided to train it to Colchester. My plan was a 20 minute train ride to Shenfield where I could change trains. Reality was rail replacement service for part of the route together with an RTA in the neighbouring town meaning the bus took over an hour to arrive. End result was arriving to Colchester around 1pm, about 2 hours later than planned. We had a quick cuppa and off we went in Dorothy. Regretfully Matt hadn't found time (and daylight) to fix her lights so that would be our limitation for the day. It was cold at the barn... ...but after a quick cuppa we cracked on nonetheless. Pulling the dizzy didn't take long. Then out with the coil. The red wire I presume is for my rev counter. The black went to the dizzy casing but I presume that it's no longer required because the electronic ignition has a wire feeding to the coil negative. However Bob Bosch was a tight fit for the coil clamp and despite gentle coaxing and spray lubricant we were having no joy. We had to resort to gently holding the coil in the vice and drifting the clamp down with hammer and screwdriver. There was just one other job to do which was to remove the three pin connector... ...and swap with the single pin from the old coil. This is because the red wire has a ring connector (and our terminals etc were in Yolanda's boot back at the flat) so it's easier to fit that with the one connector rather than three. This was cleaned up with some emery cloth and we were good to go. We fitted the gasket kindly supplied by Rich and we cleaned the distributor shaft hole. We had no problem fitting the replacement distributor, wires reach the coil and all is good. However the distributor drive has been fitted 180 degrees out, so really we need to screw a bolt into the top of the shaft, remove it, turn it and reinstate it to the correct orientation. By this time dusk was almost upon us so we had to make like a shepherd and get the flock out of there. We'll be back to fight another day! Well, that's all from us for now. Cheese, 33g.
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33grinder
Likes DAFs
CHPD* sufferer (*Compulsive Heap Purchasing Disorder)
Posts: 2,905
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Post by 33grinder on Oct 15, 2015 22:02:33 GMT
Hello all and welcome back to Essex. Yes, you heard right, this thread is being officially given some CPR. I do apologise for the hiatus; the day after I last updated this thread (and not as a consequence thereof I should add) my marriage fell apart. I should hopefully be divorced next month and have since found a new partner, life is good again. But, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster and to be fair I'd lost interest in my hobbies whilst dealing with trying to buy my house (again, I should own it next month) and not seeing my son for four months was a bind. Also coming home one day having been 'unavoidably detained' through no fault of my own and finding that most of the household brown goods had gone, including the PC which I had been using to upload my photos to photofeckit. As one would expect it was quite a morose time when I found solace in Corvoussier and was drinking a litre a week. But fat drunk and stupid is no way to go through life. I picked myself up, lost three stone in weight and just got on with life but it took time. So, there you go, all better now and I'm back. I've never been one for chronology so I'll just chuck some photos at y'all and comment when I can remember or if it particularly interested me. Everything else fades into insignificance I regret. Hey ho. Well, you may remember the demise of the Shaguar in a cloud of white smoke denoting cylinder head failure. Naturally I no longer had use of my 'wife's' car and Priscilla my 66 coupe was off the road following a cylinder head job. I needed something that was reliable, could carry my son and my dog and whilst not being a panty-dropper could at least look respectable if I wanted to start dating again (or whatever it's called these days). I fancied a Honda Civic in black and wanted the copper-bottomed guarantee of a main dealer. My money stretched so far but was on the cusp of buying something too old for a main dealer to have in stock. Patience a few calls found a one female owner car 'due in' with 49,000 miles on the clock and a low spec but black. I made the deal over the phone sight unseen on the strength of the dealer's assurances that it was a good'un and put down a deposit to hold it until the weekend. I made my way to St Albans to see the car where I was in for a mighty surprise. This was well very well specced and the dealer hadn't realised. He had to honour the price even though the car had spare wheel (they usually come with spray foam), reversing sensors and best of all, full leather interior with heated front seats. Finally I felt my luck was changing.
Matt and I did get Priscilla and up running in a manner of sorts. She's now been sold to a local owner who will no doubt announce himself if not already, so she's still local. There was a reason for selling her and the Goggomobil and not to do with the Civic either, but more of that later. It's always good to have something to look forward to in life whatever situation you are in and for me, since January, it would be the chance to travel to Vermont with good friend Howard Bennett of Bristol DAFs to attend the DCA 30th anniversary which Howard and I managed to keep quiet from John de Bruin. This trip couldn't come quick enough. We'd planned to spend a week in and around Vermont before attending the weekend event. Things were going so well, even abysmal roadworks on the UK's biggest car park, the M25 couldn't dampen my enthusiasm. We met up at the NCP carpark Heathrow to commence our epic lad's roadtrip. The flight over was delayed by several hours due to inclement weather and when we finally got to the car rental we were informed that the flash Caddy Howard had booked was unavailable. We were offered a Lexus which was a huge SUV and totally not us, so they of course offered a free upgrade to a convertible Mustang. Could we? Should we? Too damn right we should! So, meet Dennis. Dennis Roof-off. Those photos were not taken on that night. We got to the motel at 3am and it was out of hours so we slept in the car. The Lexus would have been better for that but such decisions are not made on comfort. I now know when I'm beat as driving the last stretch I kept seeing black fog which I though was strange but now realise was my eyelids. Vermont is truely beautiful, New Englanders are lovely accommodating people and we had a great time. Like the roadtrip to see Niagara Falls. We got there at midnight and back to the motel at 7am the next morning. Here's some random photos. This was nicknamed 'Howard's erection'. Don't ask... From the local pharmacy (they sell cigarettes too!), we were a couple of giggling schoolboys... Johnny Boy's waffle house became an institution! One day we were heading north and Howard, being a Corvair owner, spotted this beauty at the side of the road. We soon got speaking with the dealer and even took her for a test drive. And so on with more snaps of lovely Vermont. Don't wait for Autumn and be a leaf-peeper, summer is equally nice. No roadsign to photograph of Bristol. They have their own dollars. Howard's plans to earn some extra holiday dollars were sadly thwarted. Sadly didn't see any stereotypical girls here... ...and just for Matt. One day, after a hearty breakfast... We took a trip down the road to a neighbouring town to look for a Corvair specialist, Cotrefold's. We drove around in circles until we spotted this van. Surely if we hung around then the owner might know where the Corvair centre is? Well, the owner did indeed turn up and what a surprise to find him to be Mr Cotrefold himself, owner of the business. We were taken to the workshop for a guided tour, including a Yenko Stinger, a very rare Corvair. For those who don't know Corvairs, they are aircooled 6 cylinder boxer engines between 2.4 and 2.7 litres and rear engined. They were the only rear engined aircooled car made by a US manufacturer. A later trip would see us revisit the Corvair we saw for sale at a dealership and we had a sneaky look around the back of the lot. So, whilst we were there I did something silly and bought the Corvair out front. That wasn't the only highlight of the trip of course, remembering the reason why we went to Vermont in the first instance. Surprising JdB and meeting the other guests at the DCA was truly superb. We arrived at John's the night before as he was setting up for the event. We pulled up music blasting and roof down, much to his surprise! And so on with the show. The next day was all about Niagara, what an epic journey, 7 hours each way excluding stops. And we made it for nightfall. One gets the feeling that Canada didn't want us...make yer minds up! The Canadian side has the better views by the way. And the next morning we had an hour's kip and went to the DCA event. Photos speak for themselves otherwise I'll just ramble on about how good it was, what a lovely bunch of attendees they were and how great it was to see some very nice and rare DAFs up close. All the way from Virginia. John's hometown was delightful. Cue Dooby Brothers and long train running. All too soon the end of the day and time to pack away before a lush meal out. On the way home we stopped off for smokes and saw this... And so back again next day. Once everyone had left on the Sunday John took Howard and I out in his Isuzu Vehicross to a Dairy bar for lunch which was very nice indeed and I would have been quite happy to work through the menu.
Then onto Hemmings motor museum which was shut but dangerously the gift shop was not.
Then time to go, sadly. On the way home Howard felt his loins stir but we managed to not bring another vehicle back.
And then on the road again to the airport and home.
Like the Grinder hound but this is a cattle dog and beagle mix. Lovely.
Well, that trip was just the tonic for the pair of us. Back in Blighty I decided to get on with things. Remember that Corvair I bought? Well, after a cull my credit card was paid off.
First to go, Priscilla. Then, following a surprise valleting from Kenr, the Shagaur. She's been bought by a CCW journo so hopefully I'll see her again in print.
And so onto ED6. We missed some regular visitors but those who attended enjoyed. A small and intimate event as ever with friends old and new. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.
Well, that's just about all for now. Hope you enjoyed the update and I'll try not to be a stranger in future.
Cheese,
33g
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Post by andrejuan on Oct 16, 2015 15:48:25 GMT
Wonderful update thanks Pete !
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Post by joe on Oct 17, 2015 9:52:41 GMT
Thank you ever so much for posting some pics! Sounds like you have had the same luck as I did for about a year.
And apologies again for my absence at Essex Dafs - The only event I missed this year! If you would have me down to visit any time over the winter I would be happy to pop in for a cup of tea!
Lovely to see the Blue Van again!! In my view a van trumps a 55 Coupe any day in terms of Daf-Desirability.
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mattsdafs
Likes DAFs
Yolanda, 55 estate
Posts: 374
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Post by mattsdafs on Oct 18, 2015 7:46:46 GMT
Your welcome to visit anytime Joe and if brave enough to pitch a tent,we can make it a mini ED event Of course this does extend to all who wish to visit us..just give us a little advanced warning with a date and we will be there
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Post by Patrick on Oct 21, 2015 23:14:09 GMT
Oh! I have missed these. Lovely pics. Who'd have thought cream cheese would make a good window sealant.
Very best wishes - and hope thing continue to improve Sir.
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33grinder
Likes DAFs
CHPD* sufferer (*Compulsive Heap Purchasing Disorder)
Posts: 2,905
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Post by 33grinder on Jul 31, 2016 20:54:13 GMT
It's with sad news that we announce the passing of Farmer George, our landlord.
George lived an astounding 86 years. We understand he died peacefully this afternoon having been omitted to hospital this week.
Visitors to Essex DAFs over the years would undoubtedly have met him. He always showed a keen interest in both our cars and our hobby. He was a kind and generous, friendly man who was always happy to pop by for a cuppa and a chat. He was an integral part of our lives at the farm over many years and an integral part of Essex DAFs indeed. He will be sorely missed and our thoughts are with his family at this time.
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Post by Patrick on Aug 13, 2016 22:36:59 GMT
Crumbs! Missed that. Hope "Essex Dafs" future is secure! It's with sad news that we announce the passing of Farmer George, our landlord. George lived an astounding 86 years. We understand he died peacefully this afternoon having been omitted to hospital this week. Visitors to Essex DAFs over the years would undoubtedly have met him. He always showed a keen interest in both our cars and our hobby. He was a kind and generous, friendly man who was always happy to pop by for a cuppa and a chat. He was an integral part of our lives at the farm over many years and an integral part of Essex DAFs indeed. He will be sorely missed and our thoughts are with his family at this time.
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mattsdafs
Likes DAFs
Yolanda, 55 estate
Posts: 374
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Post by mattsdafs on Aug 14, 2016 0:32:06 GMT
Thanks Patrick...
Essex Dafs will always be here,it might take a knock or 2 but will always bounce back.
We are safe where we are for at least 6 months..poss another year...
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Post by triumph66 on Dec 23, 2016 15:33:55 GMT
Just spent a fascinating hour reading and looking at this thread about Essex DAFs.. Great photos and such dedication to these little cars with a big heart. Now I want one due to your infectious enthusiasm.
I hope the future of Essex DAFS will be secure due to the late Farmer George's departure.
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mattsdafs
Likes DAFs
Yolanda, 55 estate
Posts: 374
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Post by mattsdafs on Jun 14, 2020 23:05:33 GMT
Time to remind all Daffers that Essexdafs is still around..
Since the last update..some 3.5ish years ago..😔..there have been 2 moves and no more events 😭..Dafs have come and gone..and mainly stayed..and even Essexdaffers have drifted away..😔..
However..I have kept it going,it's not been easy but worth all the hard work that has kept it alive..
More individual updates can be found on the Essexdafs forum,all are welcome to view and even join..but I'm afraid I can't post pics..
For those who know us,the large collection of Dafs and parts are still around..but now in a new home,a barn of 161ft long,consisting of 16 bays each side..and yes,I have filled my side.. (shared facility)..but unlike the previous barns we have had,all my girls now have a large bay to themselves..and includes power in each bay..😊.. The spares take up a 6 bays and I'm still to find somewhere for all the screens I have,currently leaning against Jenty my 340 vario..
With recent worldwide events restricting us all..and now being a bit more relaxed,all Daffers are welcome to visit if they wish..still based in the Colchester area and contacting me direct will provide the details of the new location..
Work has started on the Dafs again,at the moment Yolander my white 55 estate is getting all the attention,currently no Daf to drive around in as Dorothy my 44 estate decided she likes smoke screens when driving along..and a thirst for oil.. With the help of Dan,things are starting to improve..and long may that continue..
With the recent visit of 4 Daffers,most buying parts and leaving happy..(hopefully 😁)..and a famous Essexdafs brew or 2..and a chance to meet the on-site security William the billy goat,hopefully more Daffers will decide to visit..
Hoping to see some new faces..and old 1's..in the near future,remember the kettle is always on..and even if it's only to view the collection and have a day out..all are welcome..😉..
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stefan
Likes DAFs
If it isn't broken fix it till it is
Posts: 1,282
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Post by stefan on Jun 15, 2020 11:24:47 GMT
I have not seen this place in 10 years I hope you are well. I am positive I will need a few bits for my car. I will contact you an due course when I want some things
Buy the way is that black 343 volvo my old one. if it is can we get hold of the owner and tell him whenever he wants to sell it I will have it back.
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mattsdafs
Likes DAFs
Yolanda, 55 estate
Posts: 374
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Post by mattsdafs on Jun 15, 2020 12:41:30 GMT
Hi Stefan..
Yes it's been some time and good to see your back..
Let me know what you need when your ready,if I haven't got it we can see if Graham has it..
Not sure about the Volvo..Richard Plaxton owns it,either it's up North or in Ireland but not heard from Richard for some time so all could have changed..
Matt.
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