Today I mostly .....

[Hoodoo]

Became a staunch supporter of snow socks! Decided to get the snow out the way to enable the van to get up the drive. There was a 3' pile behind it that I'd dumped there while clearing a path a few days ago, so that had to be moved first. As I finished shovelling that little lot, I began to feel my back on the way out! For those of you that haven't experienced sciatica, you really don't want to! When you start getting the warning signs - time to stop!
So, I was left with a driveway covered in snow anything from 6" to 12" deep, with a cleared path down to tarmac meandering up one side (I wasn't looking where I was going whilst digging that!), and a mixture of hardpacked, slippy snow and soft stuff up the other. And a front wheel drive FIAT Ducato 2.3TD Hi-top van sitting on everyday road tyres that are shortly due to be changed. Even if I could keep the left side in the cleared path all the way up (I couldn't because of the meandering - I'd actually dug into a wall at one stage!!), the right side would be running on a raised 12" bank of slippy, icy snow. There was absolutely no way it could drive up there - in fact wheelspin started as soon as the front tyres encountered 1" snow left where I'd cleared the path-clearing debris.
So, enter the snow socks!
I'd bought these about three years ago, and never used them. The basic idea is that the Niva's fine ploughing around in the muck, but I do NOT want to risk getting caught by inclement weather in the van and being forced to cease forward motion, especially when my wife is with me (she's disabled). So the snow socks were intended to keep us going and get us home if needed, but they had not been used to date.
Now I decided I might find out how good they were.
Fitting was a little bit of a fiddle, mainly because I'd never put them on before, but now I'm certain that they will go on in a quarter of the time I took. That's the way it goes, isn't it? With them on, I reversed out and turned the van to face up the drive. By now it was on solid ice / hardpacked snow and the back end was in a drift (caused by earlier digging!). Turning the steering I drove straight up the drive. For part of the way, the left side was on tarmac, then on snow / ice; the right was on snow / ice all the way. At the top, I turned right, through a 18" pile on the right side to get onto the minor road at the top, then reversed and drove back down the drive to park at the start point. Absolutely NO problem, and, most surprisingly to me, NO WHEELSPIN at all, on either side, at any time!
To say I'm impressed is putting it mildly - my wife is now getting a bit fed up of me extolling the virtues of snow socks (so I thought I'd plague you lot with it!! )
I now have total confidence in them, and would strongly recommend them!
Regards,

[happiness stan]

Is this for real? http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/rangerover-6- ... 6rk%3D4%26
Or is it two cars welded together

[happiness stan]

Fair enough, probably quite rare now although I don't think i'll be bidding on it any day soon .

[spikey dapikey]

Used to see one of these driving around Coventry in the 80's on a regular basis

[excossack]

Day 4 of creating a false ceiling in my mums kitchen. Task, was to lower the ceiling by 6" and create a new frame work to support new plaster board.
All joists done, next is a middle support to stop flex and then its noggins and get the spark in to measure up for the locations of the lights, then its 6x3 plaster boards to go up.

[excossack]

Went to my sisters for Easter eating, ate too much, drank some rum and played F1 with the B-i-L on the X-Box

[jick]

spent nearly an hour changing two track rod rubbers,cost £2.50 !!! retest Tuesday hopefully another year of trouble free motoring hussar or was it cossack

[excossack]

Finished the last set of joists and supports for the false ceiling. Next is the spark to do his stuff and mark the location for the lights then I can go back and do the plaster board fixing.

[GvidoR]

Found an old Lada garage. Unfortunately it's closed now and there's a few old Toyota's and Renault's up front, but I did see 3 Lada's at the back and a number plate was visible on one of them so I wrote it down, one of them was 1989 Lada Riva 2107 1.3L and then there was one 2105 and another which I couldn't see very well.

[Zelandeth]

Very nearly bought a Citroen XM.

One day, maybe. Just have too many cars just now though. Much as it pained me to resist.

For all their faults I love the big Citroens (and big Renaults for that matter, still miss my 25 Monaco), and very much want to own one. Even if it's only for six months so I can say I've had one. The old Volvos like the 240 fall into that bracket as well - they just hold an allure to me that I can't quite explain! The big French cars at least I can explain slightly at least in that they're generally stupidly comfortable luxobarges.

[GvidoR]

The XM's are nice, sort of just a little longer and boxier version of my car.

[GvidoR]

Yes, I'll see if I can contact the owner.

Also, there was a red 2105 Riva for sale here in Ireland with a 2 litre Opel engine for 750 euro and it got sold in 2 days.

[excossack]

I think that Riva could have been Avtovaz's from here who put a C20Xe into a Riva and I think he sold it on to someone on Ireland (john?)

[excossack]

Ahhh slight issue there. Time for a new one, or out with the TIG welder?

[excossack]

Hunted down an annoying squeak in 2nd and 3rd gear on the 110.
I think I found it...Most of the bolts on the prop shafts needed a tweak, espeacilly the ones on the front output of the TC. These needed more than just a tweak as you could see the play in the flange and prop shaft when turn the rear prop and held the front prop. So maybe new nuts to be on the safe side.

Checked oils and water and then checked the g/box oil and TC oil. Also broke out the bucket and sponge and gave the Landy a wash and polish.