Car Talk

[StillCruising]

Back in the 70's I had a Bentley S2 which I used in a part time wedding car business.one day due to a very early morning return from a distant job I decided to take it to my day job and parking in my normal parking spot which happened to be in front of the MD's office window. I heard on the factory grapevine that the MD had be trying to find out who the car belonged to and during the morning I was called to his office where I was politely asked not to bring it to work again ……… unless I was prepared  to take him his clients for their pub lunches ! He had a Ford 1600E Cortina firms car.

[BroadAmbition]

Similar scenario used to occur in the RN.  If a 'Rating' i.e a non commissioned orifice had a 'Special / Nice / New' car at their disposal, they were ordered to keep it parked in the orifice's car park.

Nowadays one would hope that the RN in particular has relaxed it's outdated class system somewhat

Griff

[paulg25]

On 13/05/2020 at 07:05, ChrisB said:

I often wondered if Fleet Demos had special prep prior to delivery.

Yes, they did.

Many years ago I worked at Rover Group.  They had a department called "press cars".  Cars were prepared as demonstrators for the press.  Extra sound proofing, rattles and squeaks fixed, etc.

[NeilB]

44 minutes ago, paulg25 said:

Yes, they did.

Many years ago I worked at Rover Group.  They had a department called "press cars".  Cars were prepared as demonstrators for the press.  Extra sound proofing, rattles and squeaks fixed, etc.

Still do, friend of mine works for a well known Japanese car maker doing nothing but prepping and supporting press cars and events.  The cars come off the normal production line but are moved to a separate area to be fettled as Paul says.  From what I've heard I wouldn't like to own one of these once they have been thrashed and trashed by the press !

[ChrisB]

I had three fleet demonstrators that I bought after their three months trial with me. All were brand new when delivered. A MG Montego turbo, a Rover 825 Sterling and a Sierra 2.8 4x4.

As I said I always wondered if they had special prep as all of them never had one problem. At that time 85/86/87 I was doing up to 1000 miles a week so they got used.

[BroadAmbition]

That's the summer Alloys and tyres back on, proper smart they look too.  Now to get the winter alloys refurbished then stored for the winter.

The windscreen replacement Lads are due this morning to replace the screen in Trevor - They will have to erect their gazebo as its hammering it down here.  I hope its big enough for Trevor as I have been patiently waiting a month for them to arrive

Griff

 

[BroadAmbition]

Bike Talk

Or to be more precise

Headlamp Talk

In my case 'Tiger Talk'  the Triumph Tiger 1050 2006 onwards has a huge Achilles heel.  That is the low and main beam projector headlamps. They are very poor and have been since day one. Triumph came to realise this through the many complaints they received and as a result the later and current model the Tiger 'Sport' reverted back to normal headlamps and are much better

No end of Tiger owners have come up with fixes and farkles to improve the safety of night time riding, all with varying degrees of success but more often than not failure.  I've done the same over the years, upgrading to brighter halogen lamps, this helped but was still far from satisfactory.  The best upgrade I carried out was to add a pair of 'Cree' driving spotlamps.  These turned night into day but only when on high beam, not good for other oncoming motorists.  For some time now I've been looking at replacing the low and main beam halogen lamps with LED's.  Patiently waiting for the technology / performance to improve.  Keeping a watchful eye on the Tiger forum that I frequent.  Well, at last the day has arrived. Tiger owners are recommending in their droves 'Cyclops' LED's.  So I have pulled the trigger. They arrived this week and I shall convert / fit them this weekend, there is some fiddling to do to get them fitted but that is all part of the fun.  The down side is the cost, WOW, are these babies expensive or what. after much shopping around I bought a pair for £150:00, yes ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY.  Chuffin Eck.  But what price on ones safety ?  Even MrsG didn't quibble when I told her

I want to upgrade Trevor to LED's too, that will come but he is safe to drive at night, so will the Mighty Tiger be very soon

Griff

 

[ChrisB]

That is not bad Griff,

Full LED headlights on a humble Ford Fiesta are a £600 extra. I paid £500 extra for Xenon on my last Nissan and I think it was £800 on the VAG before that.

Did not bother on my present car as I hardly drive at night now.

[BroadAmbition]

Blimey,  I have briefly looked at the options for Trevor, If I don't go stupid on the main beam lamps I should be able to convert the whole lot front and back for around the £400 mark.

The Cyclops lamps for the Tiger claim to be better performing than HID / Zenon, plus of course lasting for 'Ever'

Griff

[MauriceMynah]

Two things Griff, and sorry about this but first, check the legality of what you are planning, there may be issues. and second, I advise you watch this.

 

It has a lot of interesting information

[BroadAmbition]

Thanks mm - I'll have a look at that.

The windscreen chap turned up at last - With the WRONG screen 

He was just as miffed as I was, wasted journey for him and having to face me too.  Apparently his office will be in touch apologising with another date come Monday morning.  If they try making me wait for another month - We will be having a one sided 'Discussion'  followed by me getting in touch with my insurance company

Griff

[ZimbiIV]

My car only has LEDs not a bulb anywhere and adaptive lights no need for main beam they just alter to road/traffic conditions.

Never been flashed for leaving them on main beam.

I hate driving Jill's Fiesta in the dark now I have think of beam control.

Beam me up Scotty.

paul

[BroadAmbition]

So Auto windscreens did contact me Monday forenoon.

The customer care was poor to say the least, not one apology just a lot of 'It'll be what it'll be' and the like.

It turns out that all along they could never have replaced the windscreen at any other venue other than one of their depots even if they had sourced the correct one due to the lane changing sensor needs to be recalibrated along with the high beam and wiper sensors.  It also came to light that I could have requested a depot visit and got this sorted ages ago but they never informed me of that golden nugget either. 

This month the 27th is the third and latest appointment then, another three weeks wait to wait on top of the 8 x weeks I've been waiting to date.  I'm far from happy. So much so that after it is eventually replaced there will be a letter going off to their complaints department (I bet there is a lot of staff in that office) and also to my insurance company that use them.  So since informing the Insurance Co of the small bullet damage it has now been over two months to get this sorted.  If I had needed an MOT before now I would have been stuffed and off the road.  The crack is now well over two feet long

Griff

[BroadAmbition]

Btw MM - Thanks for the link to the LED tutorial which in turn led me onto other sites as it does.  Vey useful and informative 

Griff

[MauriceMynah]

My pleasure, I just hope it wasn't too late.

[BroadAmbition]

I was advised to purchase a tube of Tiger Seal for a forthcoming 'Farkle' which I have done and it has duly arrived.  It seems to be potentially really good stuff, comes in many colours, can be painted, states on the back 'For professional use only'  It costs about £10 a tube via fleabay

I've never heard of it before, any of you familiar with it?

Griff

 

[OldBerkshireBoy]

Never heard of that one however there are now a sackful of adhesives/ sealants on the market some twice the cost of others. Somewhere there is a promotional video of ct1 sealing a glass tank full of water. Tec7 is another that I`ve used however I`m not saying the cheaper versions don`t work.

[TheQ]

On 04/06/2020 at 18:33, BroadAmbition said:

Similar scenario used to occur in the RN.  If a 'Rating' i.e a non commissioned orifice had a 'Special / Nice / New' car at their disposal, they were ordered to keep it parked in the orifice's car park.

Nowadays one would hope that the RN in particular has relaxed it's outdated class system somewhat

Griff

While in the RAF one Airman turned up in a Rolls Royce on the base I was at , He was given 7 days to remove it from camp.

He was from a wealthy family with a tradition of serving the the Armed forces. However, the previous generations wealth and the school you went to got you in to being an officer whatever your intelligence. Not today..(though it helps) he was as thick as a plank..

[Paul]

I use Sikaflex EBT+, around £7 a tube and can't be beaten. Sticks, seals, inside, outside, paintable and UV stable. 

[Upcycler]

On 06/06/2020 at 07:27, BroadAmbition said:

That's the summer Alloys and tyres back on, proper smart they look too.  Now to get the winter alloys refurbished then stored for the winter.

The windscreen replacement Lads are due this morning to replace the screen in Trevor - They will have to erect their gazebo as its hammering it down here.  I hope its big enough for Trevor as I have been patiently waiting a month for them to arrive

Griff

 

It has to be said, I look forward to the static strips and the furry dice pics to follow. 

[BroadAmbition]

By 

Terri Lynn Coop

Updated May 24, 2019

In the 1940s and 1950s, no serious hot rod was complete without a set of fuzzy dice hanging from the rearview mirror. Today, fuzzy dice are a symbol of retro flair or amusing schlock. Believe it or not, there is history and symbolism behind those innocuous-looking fuzzy cubes.

World War II

The common lore says that fuzzy dice spring from a pilots' superstition in World War II. Before taking off for a sortie, pilots would put a pair of dice on their instrument panel, with seven pips showing, for good luck. Another, perhaps grimmer variant on the story is that the dice on the panel were a reminder that every flight was a figurative "roll of the dice" as to whether the plane would return safely to base. Considering that by 1942 the United States was losing an average of 170 aircraft per day, pilots had a right to be cynical about their chances. Every flight was a gamble and only the lucky winners got to go home.

The Home Front

When the veterans came home from World War II, they found a country transformed. An entire generation of young people, both men and women, had seen their comfortable, often rural, lives uprooted by the chaos of combat and wartime deprivation. Young people also had two things they didn't have before the war: freedom and spending money. Many translated their restlessness into "a need for speed" and the golden age of the street rod flourished.

A souped-up hot rod was a good outlet for the mechanical skills that many veterans had picked up in the service and could replace the adrenalin rush many missed from their days in combat. An illegal street racing subculture sprang up in many cities.

Dicing With Death

Nobody knows which street racer hung the first pair of plastic dice over his rear view mirror, invoking the old pilots' superstition and cynicism. However, before long, plastic dice became part of a look that identified the alternative culture, like a pack of Lucky Strikes rolled up in a t-shirt sleeve. Displaying the dice meant the driver was ready and willing to be "dicing with death" in the dangerous and unregulated world of street racing.

However, even super cool hot rodders had to be practical. The cheesy plastic dice melted in the sunlight and were soon replaced with stuffed fuzzy dice. In the United Kingdom, they were called fluffy dice or furry dice.

Modern Times

As times changed and racing became an organized sport, the kitschy dice remained part of car culture into the 1980s. Drivers would pick colors that matched their custom cars and the dice became more of a symbol of individuality than defiance. However, by the end of the 1980s, more than one state had outlawed hanging any items from rearview mirrors and the fad had, in general, become a cliche.

The practice had become so tame that a 1993 study found drivers with fuzzy dice on their mirrors were no more likely to take risks or become involved in accidents than the average driver.

However, as a new generation discovers retro fads and fashions, symbols like fuzzy dice are coming back into style. If you look around the parking lot at the supermarket and it is likely a set will be dangling from a tricked-out pickup and an everyday minivan. They are no longer symbols of rebellion and recklessness, but of nostalgia.

-----------------------------------------

Griff

[Maxwellian]

Love the Port and Starboard Griff

[BroadAmbition]

When I purchased Trevor from the previous owner last August, who is also a long time friend, he reduced the price slightly (Ever so slightly as he is a tight Ar5e) due to two areas that had damaged paintwork, the offside rear quarter and offside roofline.  He made me promise I would get them sorted.  So, I delivered van to a mate of mine Friday early evening and collected him today.  Here is Trevor with the damaged paintwork back to its best.  Promise fulfilled 

Griff

 

 

[BroadAmbition]

And here is a genuine 'farkle'.    Seeing as the paint had to be bought in a minimum quantity there was some that would be going to waste.  So one two piece rear spoiler ordered, painted and fixed in place.  Now this won't make Trevor go any faster - It's not designed to.  It's hardly likely to increase downforce on the rear tyres either, pretty pointless what with having front wheel drive.  But it gives a bit of character from the rest and looks good too imho.  It might also aid the aft end from getting dirty

Griff

[OldBerkshireBoy]

In the last photo it shows a gap between the two pieces, now that would annoy me tbh.