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Rascal's Learning to Drive


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4 hours ago, Baitrunner said:

I have just moistened myself. A firenza with a droop snoop!!! 17 yr old dreams. 

that still looks gorgeous today  

and with twin Delortos. Better than Webber’s. Ooh I’m going to upset the ford boys now.   

That takes me back to a certain Mr Gerry Marshall and the flame spitting exhaust of good ol touring cars.

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1 hour ago, JanetAnne said:

Gotta get the mapping sorted on a rolling road but its a ST170 base and now turbo'd so should be up there. Its very quiet to drive though after that V4!

JA I’m not a big fan on this remapping lark.... Had a bad experience a few years on a truck I drove.... My old boss had it mapped up... yes it pulled like a train.. Then it decided to blow turbos 11 in total.... Then it was running hot found out the water pump spindle wasn’t man enough... so that had to be changed to a bigger spindle then the ECU had a melt down.... So in the end we went down the Irish route and changed the ECU to a marine ECU... was like different truck then after that it decided to go bang....After jacking the cabover found the Conrod hanging out the block... Game over... He never had anymore done.. And it put me right off...

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17 minutes ago, ScrumpyCheddar said:

JA I’m not a big fan on this remapping lark.... Had a bad experience a few years on a truck I drove.... My old boss had it mapped up... yes it pulled like a train.. Then it decided to blow turbos 11 in total.... Then it was running hot found out the water pump spindle wasn’t man enough... so that had to be changed to a bigger spindle then the ECU had a melt down.... So in the end we went down the Irish route and changed the ECU to a marine ECU... was like different truck then after that it decided to go bang....After jacking the cabover found the Conrod hanging out the block... Game over... He never had anymore done.. And it put me right off...

Agreed. We try to map on the conservative side, well as far as the lambda will allow us. Its an aftermarket ecu on this one so there is always a bit of dialing in to do and we have a flat spot to iron out along the way. At the end of the day all we are doing is what we used to do with a colour tune and induction pipe. Sadly, setting up common rail by ear like we used to do carbs just doesnt cut it anymore :default_biggrin:

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12 minutes ago, JanetAnne said:

Agreed. We try to map on the conservative side, well as far as the lambda will allow us. Its an aftermarket ecu on this one so there is always a bit of dialing in to do and we have a flat spot to iron out along the way. At the end of the day all we are doing is what we used to do with a colour tune and induction pipe. Sadly, setting up common rail by ear like we used to do carbs just doesnt cut it anymore :default_biggrin:

That’s the sad part of engine tuning these days.... Ear to the carb with a slight tweak on the screwdriver as you said long gone what is sad... just think years ago any problems  use to be a spray of carb cleaner clean the foam air filters job was a good one.... or a Sunday afternoon would be carbs off .... news paper on mother’s dining table stripping the carb down cleaning it using a foot pump for the tyres to use as an air gun to blow it through.... while all this is going on you’ve got mother in the back ground shouting can you smell petrol ha ha ha...

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23 minutes ago, ScrumpyCheddar said:

That’s the sad part of engine tuning these days.... Ear to the carb with a slight tweak on the screwdriver as you said long gone what is sad... just think years ago any problems  use to be a spray of carb cleaner clean the foam air filters job was a good one.... or a Sunday afternoon would be carbs off .... news paper on mother’s dining table stripping the carb down cleaning it using a foot pump for the tyres to use as an air gun to blow it through.... while all this is going on you’ve got mother in the back ground shouting can you smell petrol ha ha ha...

Still happens here.... just had the grandsons fiesta spread all over the place. Gotta keep your hand in where you can!

Funny thing is I built the whole thing from feel (like many of us on here can) but then had to hand my phone to said grandson to do something for me because I cant work it... :default_dunce:

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9 minutes ago, JanetAnne said:

Still happens here.... just had the grandsons fiesta spread all over the place. Gotta keep your hand in where you can!

Funny thing is I built the whole thing from feel (like many of us on here can) but then had to hand my phone to said grandson to do something for me because I cant work it... :default_dunce:

I can picture it now JA the whole fiesta all over the place.... I Remember having my 4 spoke 13”RS alloys in my wardrobe at the time... but I can beat that a few years back now having A twin set of eminox exhaust pipes for my old scania in the spare room.... The Mrs hit the roof when she saw them sat there ha ha ha 

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JA everything seems to completely complicated and to technical... my boys sort my tech side out... I’m good with my iPhone nd iPad... anything else I pass-on..

This technical stuff is way to technical for me to use...The washing machine... microwave... oven... kitchen sink...all that’s the wife’s department ha ha ha...

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I find cooking, cleaning, repairing the washing machine etc is all worth brownie points to spend when spreading car parts all over the table or wanting boating time. And when you own a wooden boat you do need plenty of boaty time to keep the bloody thing afloat!

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when I used to have the old volvo 340's they always had head gasket problems (I probably had a warped head) but I could swap a head gasket by the side of the road in 20 minutes, an engine swap in the evening was about an hour (I had a spare engine that was as bad with head gaskets as the first) I did find the renault head gaskets fit, and wee half the price of the volvo ones.

my old v4 transit, - the tappits would drop out of adjustment, so I would pull to the side of the road, off with the rocker cover, and tweak the tappits by hand until they went quiet - all without bothering to stop the engine. that engine had been rebuilt with new rings,  while it was still in the van, the worst problem I had was a starter motor that dropped off in the middle lane of the m40, there had been a traffic queue, and as it moved away I stalled it, then found the starter wasnt on, just dangling from its wires, that was the worst 5 minutes of my life, using a length of studding to hold the starter on to get it running, while traffic flowed around us.

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Grendel.... JA has a spare V4 engine for you... ha ha ha .

Was yours Essex V4 1.7 Or 2.0 L ... Must of been in mk1 transit.. I use to like the firing order on them 1234.. On my apprenticeship the company had a in house fire brigade 3 fire engines and a 1972 L reg mk1 transit fire tender I use to look after... use to make me laugh opening the bonet up looking in and seeing this little engine in there... Your right there Grendel those tappets always needed adjusting.... it had very low mileage on the engine... Then one day they was doing a fire drill and it decided boil up and seize up... So changed it with a 2.0ltr pinto with yes twin Webber’s.. Another great engine... went like a rocket...

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Peter, you'd cry if you knew what I have seen one of those go for recently!

Many transits came with low compression heads and so to increase power people used to nick the manifold and Weber from the 2000E Corsair. This made the engine slower because it couldn't burn the fuel it was now receiving resulting in quite a volatile exhaust gas and the occasional explosion! 

Of course the placebo effect made it much quicker and with some decent go faster stripes it could just manage to crawl back up to the speed it had before the conversion was started :default_biggrin:

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2 hours ago, grendel said:

2.0 litre - pulled like a train, yes it was a mk1 dormobile parcel van

19-03-2008205933.JPG

St Mary,s Bay by the looks of it

I used to work for Fords delivering those (plus other things but that in official secrets)things all over the UK. Why oh Why were the diesels (and governed to 55) always destined for Scotland.

Made it hard to earn your good crust in a day, as usually had a Ford Fleet car back and we were paid on mileage.

Plate driving in those days was worth a fortune.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Thought I would just give peeps an update about things to do with Colin (Co's that is what we've called the car)

So after a lot of faffing about with dates finally got the new tyres fitted. I have got away from dreaded run-flat tyres. They are so nosey, and the sidewall's being so tough cause handling issues - bumps feel far worse that they really are  because the tyre has virtually no give to it.  That said the Michelin Latitude Sport 3's  are 'reinforced' and suitable for 4x4 vehicles, so have a harder carcase and can carry more weight generally.

So everything was done, then had a call from the centre to say my brakes were devoid of any lubrication on calipers and did I want them inspected fully? It would take an hour and cost £70.00, so I agreed. They have dealt with the lubrication - the nearside rear was binding and not releasing as freely as should and have told me I need rear pads in the next 5,000 miles if I drive hard but could go 8,000 is I am light with my braking. BMW say they should be changed at the next oil service in 1,200 miles. BMW say the rear discs and front need changing - the Independent say the front pads and discs are fine having been changed before, the rear pads and discs do need the attention but again not immediately.

Anyway so all done and go and collect the car, drive it back through Norwich and it feels weird - like you can really really tell the tyres are different and the brakes are super responsive and bite better than before. However between 15MPH and 30 MPH there is a really weird feel to the steering. It does not vibrate and there is no pull to the left or right but it is as if the steering is perfectly fine for say 20 seconds and then for half a second the feel that the car has decided to add some correction - the wheel goes a touch firmer is the best way I can describe it.  Along the A47 at speed no issue, back down to slow speed on a rough road and it comes back. 

I go online and read how new tyres are not round, how they need to bed in to the car, and need to wear in so give it 200 miles or so and and weird feelings should calm down. Hmm I think I need to go for a 200 mile drive so call my Mum and say I am on my way and taking her out for lunch..I drive to Wisbech and back and there is a little improvement by not that great so the following day I call the centre and they ask a bunch of things about what I am experiencing but it does not seem to be about alignment being out (done about 2 weeks back) or balancing.

I then go out and check the pressures - well damn I was running at 2.4Bar all round none of the tyres had the same pressure in and the rears were up at 2.8Bar.  I let the pressures down and had them all equal then headed off to London, cos I am me. Well having got down to London it has all got much better and that odd feel in the steering is barely noticeable so clearly is the tyres.  I then also found the DVLA had kindly finally got around to posting my V5 document.  In with it was a little slip saying 'don't forget to tax your new car'. Immediate dread! Had I done this? Urmm

I go online and find no..No I had not, the car is shown as being SORN - so here I have been driving almsot 3,000 miles since buying it with no tax. I have been to London where there are ANPR's on several roads, I have had Police cars behind me in Norwich, on the Motorway and A11 and nothing had happened thankfully. So I was worried what the tax may be as things have changed since I did the 7 Series - but that clean burning engine with the AdBlue benefit really makes the CO output a lot less - my tax for the year came in at £195.00 - to put that in perspective that is the same as a 2003 Perodua Kelisa 1.0LPetrol (similar to a Micra in size) And someone with a 10 year old petrol Maza MX5 would pay £290.00.  So much for big dirty diesels being the real costly cars in terms of tax. 

The next thing to do is get the number plate for the registration I bought - X5 XXU - can take that one of two ways really, in loving way of blowing kisses or in a 'f#'k you kind of way I have an X5. It was cheap and hides the true age of the car which was the idea along with finding one with as many x's in it as I could. 

Perhaps the most shocking thing to report is I have been eyeing up a Volvo S40 that is 18 years old, been garaged,  has had one owner, done only 58,254 miles and they want £650 for. Hmm a collection may be beginning...

 

 

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Robin, that volvo is the sort of car I would normally go for, the only thing I would say is to have a trial drive in it first, my only complaint with my v40 of about that age was there was less room inside between the seats, so if my passanger sat cross legged, you would occasionally have trouble changing into first if their foot was in the way, in the v70 there is just that extra bit of room that makes this a non issue. 2000 is the last year of the pre ford merger builds (equals thicker body panels )

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13 hours ago, LondonRascal said:

Thought I would just give peeps an update about things to do with Colin (Co's that is what we've called the car)

So after a lot of faffing about with dates finally got the new tyres fitted. I have got away from dreaded run-flat tyres. They are so nosey, and the sidewall's being so tough cause handling issues - bumps feel far worse that they really are  because the tyre has virtually no give to it.  That said the Michelin Latitude Sport 3's  are 'reinforced' and suitable for 4x4 vehicles, so have a harder carcase and can carry more weight generally.

So everything was done, then had a call from the centre to say my brakes were devoid of any lubrication on calipers and did I want them inspected fully? It would take an hour and cost £70.00, so I agreed. They have dealt with the lubrication - the nearside rear was binding and not releasing as freely as should and have told me I need rear pads in the next 5,000 miles if I drive hard but could go 8,000 is I am light with my braking. BMW say they should be changed at the next oil service in 1,200 miles. BMW say the rear discs and front need changing - the Independent say the front pads and discs are fine having been changed before, the rear pads and discs do need the attention but again not immediately.

Anyway so all done and go and collect the car, drive it back through Norwich and it feels weird - like you can really really tell the tyres are different and the brakes are super responsive and bite better than before. However between 15MPH and 30 MPH there is a really weird feel to the steering. It does not vibrate and there is no pull to the left or right but it is as if the steering is perfectly fine for say 20 seconds and then for half a second the feel that the car has decided to add some correction - the wheel goes a touch firmer is the best way I can describe it.  Along the A47 at speed no issue, back down to slow speed on a rough road and it comes back. 

I go online and read how new tyres are not round, how they need to bed in to the car, and need to wear in so give it 200 miles or so and and weird feelings should calm down. Hmm I think I need to go for a 200 mile drive so call my Mum and say I am on my way and taking her out for lunch..I drive to Wisbech and back and there is a little improvement by not that great so the following day I call the centre and they ask a bunch of things about what I am experiencing but it does not seem to be about alignment being out (done about 2 weeks back) or balancing.

I then go out and check the pressures - well damn I was running at 2.4Bar all round none of the tyres had the same pressure in and the rears were up at 2.8Bar.  I let the pressures down and had them all equal then headed off to London, cos I am me. Well having got down to London it has all got much better and that odd feel in the steering is barely noticeable so clearly is the tyres.  I then also found the DVLA had kindly finally got around to posting my V5 document.  In with it was a little slip saying 'don't forget to tax your new car'. Immediate dread! Had I done this? Urmm

I go online and find no..No I had not, the car is shown as being SORN - so here I have been driving almsot 3,000 miles since buying it with no tax. I have been to London where there are ANPR's on several roads, I have had Police cars behind me in Norwich, on the Motorway and A11 and nothing had happened thankfully. So I was worried what the tax may be as things have changed since I did the 7 Series - but that clean burning engine with the AdBlue benefit really makes the CO output a lot less - my tax for the year came in at £195.00 - to put that in perspective that is the same as a 2003 Perodua Kelisa 1.0LPetrol (similar to a Micra in size) And someone with a 10 year old petrol Maza MX5 would pay £290.00.  So much for big dirty diesels being the real costly cars in terms of tax. 

The next thing to do is get the number plate for the registration I bought - X5 XXU - can take that one of two ways really, in loving way of blowing kisses or in a 'f#'k you kind of way I have an X5. It was cheap and hides the true age of the car which was the idea along with finding one with as many x's in it as I could. 

Perhaps the most shocking thing to report is I have been eyeing up a Volvo S40 that is 18 years old, been garaged,  has had one owner, done only 58,254 miles and they want £650 for. Hmm a collection may be beginning...

 

 

Robin I hope you’ve informed your insurance company that you have removed your run flat tyres... And fitted them with normal tyres...  Insurance companies would make your policy void.. And MOT failure...  

Technically you’ve made a serious modification to the car with out informing them.. Your wheels are built for run flats... where the run flats take the stress on the side wall  normal side walls won’t... There for taking stress on the wheels what could cause it to crack and disintegrate causing total failure... 

If your insurance company are happy with your modification they will adjust your policy and quote it that you have made a serious modification to the vehicle..

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