The Continuous Car Thread of S_S - Skodas, BMWs, Austins...

[Crimson]

Wow! You literally must eat, sleep and breathe old cars

one project is enough for some people - but you have them all over the show LOL!!

one of the craziest threads I've ever read on here - class!!

looking forward to the updates

 

[KevM]

This is the coolest, most random thread of the forum!!

Full respect to @surprising_skoda

 

[surprising_skoda]

Small update. It's not much but...

Daily driver duties have shifted onto an E46 330 convertible. With heated seats because it ain't actually all that warm just yet...

M535i is now midway through HG renewal and still sounds glorious. Shouldn't have let it lay all winter but it has no heater so it wouldn't have been used anyway, but will need cleaned and dried inside.

And although the E39 535i is up for sale I still want it to look right, so I tackled an annoying job the other night, after work from half 7 until flipping 10pm in the dark I stripped the radio and dash out to replace the solitary 8 inches of wood trim on the radio flap with the silver Sport trim it should have and does everywhere else. Radio was jammed which is why it wasn't changed before but unjammed that and also took the opportunity to fit a rare OEM CD headunit.
The body is very good but there had been one little bubble spot starting as it was used over winter which I wanted to remedy, cue after work on Saturday getting the tools out...

Bumper off

The culprit:

Little trial picture while I was at it...

 

[surprising_skoda]

Being that one of the guys that works for me is/was a painter I got told off for wanting to touch up the little blister. So he made me buy a load of stuff and then he took over.

While we were at it, the rear bumper had a load of scrapes on it so it got painted too.

Put the other wheels on, just to see, and the paint was all faded in and buffed etc and I am pleased I have to say. Home in it tonight for the first time in ages.

The M535i was behind it so needed covered as well

Picked up the skimmed head for it this morning, that will be back on tomorrow hopefully.

 

[surprising_skoda]

A month hence, not a good length between updates!

So the 330ci and 535i went up for sale and since I've been driving around in this:

Which does the job but apart from being quiet and fast has no character.

I've been resolving that in the meantime though.

First off, spend several weeks wages on tyres:

Then, then... then I can finally fit them. This is the realisation of a look I've had in my mind for many a moon. The right car, right colour, the right wheels, right sizes, all picked out way before I bought any of it. A proper Colonel H. Smith moment:

 

[surprising_skoda]

So with the return of the sunshine it was time to pull the S110R out of the workshop.

Took it for a drive only to find out that when it gets hot, it starts to run like a pig and cuts out. Had to trailer it home.

Diagnosis day spent investigating fuel supply.

Ran for almost five minutes with the fuel pipe disconnected...

The guy that rebuilt and repainted this car in 2006 (or 2008) has been helping me diagnose and when he saw this picture was annoyed that the brand new correctly jetted carb he had fitted had been swapped out for a Weber, which almost certainly will explain its tendency to drink fuel at an alarming rate. Probably not jetted right and possibly causing some of the bogging issues if its too rich, which Webers usually are. I had an orange Estelle 1.2 years ago (same engine as what's been fitted to this one) with the same carb and it went from 40mpg standard to 19mpg on the Weber.
Anyway couple more things to check as to why its got this issue, but a friend took it down to the MOT station on the trailer so it was cold and it went through, sticky front caliper aside.

Will get another look at it shortly, meanwhile here's a sunny picture in the Armagh countryside.

 

[surprising_skoda]

next up on the MOT hitlist was the Triumph. Had to purchase a replacement mudguard off ebay quick sharp and top the oil off with some random stuff lying in the garage as I'm finding it hard to get the proper rated stuff it needs.
Sailed through, well after I had to nip down to Halfords for a reflector and back up to get the cert.

Straight back to work and start on the Austin for racing on Saturday. Was moving it out and next thing the steering wheel didn't feel so good...

Wooden wheel starting to separate at the joint. A little bit of hokery bodgery anticipated today. Also need to set the timing and wire in a remote switch for the cooling fan as I suspect the thermostatic relay is inoperative. Oh and investigate the radiator leak also. Doing no work today then!

Oh and the head is back at last for the Mini, MOT booked for the 840ci and powerflex bushings ordered for the E28.
Sold the X5 and the Transit and the Fiat van is off the road at the minute, leaving the Alfa to drive but it needs the brakes done all of a sudden so in one fell swoop I'm downgraded to borrowing my mums spare car...

 

[surprising_skoda]

Long time no update - again.

Continuing with the theme of getting MOTs on stuff, the 840ci and the Cooper S are both approved for road use now. Got to get some sale pics of the 8 series this week.

My 156 had a bit of a braking issue which was quickly traced to below-par rear discs - which had eaten the greenstuff pads it got not that long ago, but lack of use had made the discs rusty and then they went downhill from there. One side was fine, and then I sadi "it's going much better than expected" - cue the offside taking half a day and the caliper piston being seized up, then ripped the dust cover trying to clean it... Ended up putting on an old BMW sleeve with a wire clip to hold it in place. After hacksawing the rusty bits off the groove.

Might replace it some day.

Bought a crappy Transit while my Ducato was having a new gearbox. Bought another Ducato to take box out of in the end rather than stomach the £750 for a used box from a breakers. Ducato is now fixed so the Transit's for sale.

My mums old 206 which the Arosa (mentioned previously) replaced - my dads camera gear could make an Amica look nice... This I've tried to use but it's just too slow and diesel-y for me so will have to be sold.

Speaking of things that look nice:

Bought another E34. This one takes my total of Avus Blue 525i Sports up to 5. I'm not sure if there are any more Avus ones left in NI.

And after all that, I'm still driving around in my mums old Touring, but she wants that back now, which is fair as I've been "borrowing" it for about two months now. So Tuesday the M535i is up for MOT so hopefully that passes and I can go back to using that every day until the gritter lorries return.

 

[Dave..]

I am knackered from reading all your updates, great stuff. I wish I had your skills to do all that work.

 

[surprising_skoda]

I don't have any training or any skills. Just a willingness to give it a go. The odd job gets farmed out if it's awkward like the van gearbox and I have a mechanic working for me at the min which is a bit of a cheat but I am well sick of doing headgaskets since I was 19...

 

[Boabybooster]

That Z3 does look well!

 

[Andy044]

Awesome stuff love your updates, wish I had the time to tackle a few of my own projects!
Love the z3 also looks really well

Kinda tempted by the van tho, any back seats in it?

 

[pinto200]

Game as a badger.....

 

[surprising_skoda]

Awesome stuff love your updates, wish I had the time to tackle a few of my own projects!
Love the z3 also looks really well

Kinda tempted by the van tho, any back seats in it?

just the normal three, but if it will seal the deal you can have the bench out of the Ducato I bought for spares and bolt that in...

 

[surprising_skoda]

Had a chance on Thursday to utilise the single sunny day we've had this few weeks to photoshoot the 840ci with some sale pics.

And on Saturday after work had a spare couple of hours to tackle the Caddy suspension

This is how you do it, wrestling with grime covered nuts stuck behind the steering linkage and having to knock them out with a drift, foot-operating the jack to stop the wishbone landing on my head.

Double wishbone suspension is great stuff but not exactly spring-removal-friendly.

But anyhow we got there and man I was not expecting a spring this long.

Also the shock is totally done which goes some way to explain the boatyness of the front end.

Back looked to be a much simpler affair with a trailing axle

Spring compressed, shock unbolted at the bottom, and then found that the shock top doesn't go into the boot/body, it bolts to the ladder chassis, at the top, not into a welded on thread but into a loose bolt on top of the chassis, which meant lying on my back, left hand holding a metres worth of extension bars with a 1/2" socket on the end, right hand round the back of the axle, over the exhaust, over the spring perch to the back of the chassis - and then to find out one of the nuts had been rounded by some previous knuckle dragger.
Thankfully after pulling the spring out, the shock was loose enough and had an open lug so it slid out but still a stuck bolt to cut out with the grinder in an inaccessible location. Fun ahead.

Now to compare springs and find something else the same but half the length. One does not simply buy off the shelf lowering shocks/springs for a 1978 Caddy.

 

[Shannonsir]

@ferrett .... was convinced you would uphold your title until now.

 

[ferrett]

@ferrett .... was convinced you would uphold your title until now.

im past 160 now and thats just cars had 15 bikes to date tho

 

[surprising_skoda]

@ferrett .... was convinced you would uphold your title until now.

What title is that?

 

[Dub_cub 89]

What's the story on the 840? Please tell me it's sold already... I'm in the mood for a big aul V8 pimp wagon but I really don't need any more cars about me

 

[pedenjohn]

you could probably cut those springs quite safely as they are so long. I see the rear is pigtailed though, you could have a top hat made to slide over the nipple on the axle that allowed for the larger diameter after you cut it. At least you know the springs you have are capable of taking the weight.

 

[brendy]

The right car, right colour, the right wheels, right sizes, all picked out way before I bought any of it. A proper Colonel H. Smith moment:

Lol it looks like it quit on you outside rockos house. you didn't happen to take a lamppost out just on the previous corner per chance?

 

[surprising_skoda]

What's the story on the 840? Please tell me it's sold already... I'm in the mood for a big aul V8 pimp wagon but I really don't need any more cars about me

If you've got 5k burning a hole and need 286bhp and 19mpg in your life, it's still here...

you could probably cut those springs quite safely as they are so long. I see the rear is pigtailed though, you could have a top hat made to slide over the nipple on the axle that allowed for the larger diameter after you cut it. At least you know the springs you have are capable of taking the weight.

Did think about cutting them. Front is definitely safe for that, double wishbone mounted springs are a cinch to cut down but I would kinda like not to do that if possible, just for the challenge of finding something that would work

Lol it looks like it quit on you outside rockos house. you didn't happen to take a lamppost out just on the previous corner per chance?

I haven't taken out a lamp post since 2005...

 

[Andy044]

Love the updates

As per the van, I'd love it for a farm runabout but its not the right time for me just atm.
Probably sold and all by now anyway

 

[surprising_skoda]

Nope, still using it, haven't taken up any of the generous "will ye tak £400 fr da van" 2am texts yet.

 

[surprising_skoda]

Transit is sold, hurrah!

This week I was at a wedding so the Alfa was chosen over the M535i because its a little bit quieter. Not actually quiet, just not as much as the E28. It gets parked under a hedge and used as a toolbox so it was filthy.
As long as I've had this car I've hardly ever taken pics of it, and that still rings true. Meant to when it was clean, forgot entirely. Good job too as the guy that detailed it a year or two back would have a meltdown, never even got a wash since.

On Wednesday I collected a radiator I'd left in to be fitted with a new core. The PO had put plastic ties through the core to hold an electric fan on - pikey extremes. Needless to say it's being mounted properly now. £154 I paid for that stupidity.

Also completely removed the dash panel and instruments so I can get a better look at the wiring as I contemplate rewiring another Austin 7 from ground up.

And today I also rebuilt a tricycle for my sister that's been laying in the workshop taking up precious space for a mere 18 months. Needed entire front brake assembly, thankfully I have plenty of spares which I keep meaning to sell of but never do, good when you need a cable and lever and bits at 6.30pm on a Saturday.

Getting ready to go to England in a week when there will almost certainly be a vehicle purchased if not several.