Today I mostly .....
Re: Today I mostly .....
Had a brief shot behind the wheel of a 1929 Albion PMA28.
Not actually anywhere near as much of a brute to drive as I'd expected - though still quite a world away from anything else I've tried!
Probably the biggest issue to be honest is the gearbox. It's a crash box, so changes are rather slow (especially as we're talking an 84 year old vehicle here so there is a tendency to be pretty careful and to match revs as closely as possible when double de-clutching - not that this actually seems to have any effect on the horrible crunching noises!). The ratios are massively widely spaced - so you drop from screaming in second into third - and find that you virtually stall when you take your foot off the clutch. That combined with having something in the order of 40 or 50bhp on tap in a vehicle this heavy makes for shall we say...leisurely progress. The gearchange itself is bloody awkward as well. Steering wheel is mounted very high up - and the gear lever is virtually on the floor in first and third, wheras second and fourth are well past vertical. Managed to smack myself on the chin with the steering wheel first time I went for third.
Oh...Pedals are in the wrong place as well, first time I've encountered a vehicle with the throttle in the middle in person. Does make for a bit of confusion from time to time, especially as the accelerator sits about six inches lower than the brake so it's easy to get your feet tangled up.
Good fun though. Bit nerve wracking though driving something that old and rare though, makes you very aware of the consequences if you were to bend it.
...Especially given that it really doesn't have any brakes to speak of!
Not actually anywhere near as much of a brute to drive as I'd expected - though still quite a world away from anything else I've tried!
Probably the biggest issue to be honest is the gearbox. It's a crash box, so changes are rather slow (especially as we're talking an 84 year old vehicle here so there is a tendency to be pretty careful and to match revs as closely as possible when double de-clutching - not that this actually seems to have any effect on the horrible crunching noises!). The ratios are massively widely spaced - so you drop from screaming in second into third - and find that you virtually stall when you take your foot off the clutch. That combined with having something in the order of 40 or 50bhp on tap in a vehicle this heavy makes for shall we say...leisurely progress. The gearchange itself is bloody awkward as well. Steering wheel is mounted very high up - and the gear lever is virtually on the floor in first and third, wheras second and fourth are well past vertical. Managed to smack myself on the chin with the steering wheel first time I went for third.
Oh...Pedals are in the wrong place as well, first time I've encountered a vehicle with the throttle in the middle in person. Does make for a bit of confusion from time to time, especially as the accelerator sits about six inches lower than the brake so it's easy to get your feet tangled up.
Good fun though. Bit nerve wracking though driving something that old and rare though, makes you very aware of the consequences if you were to bend it.
...Especially given that it really doesn't have any brakes to speak of!
LOZ: Oddball cars, lighting information, and anything else I remember to upload!
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.
Re: Today I mostly .....
Fitted the new hearth, surround, back panel and fire in the lounge. Took ages as the floor was not level, which knocked everything else out of true.
Fitted a new CAT5 socket, just need to borrow the fitting and crimp tool from work to do the ends.
Fitted a new CAT5 socket, just need to borrow the fitting and crimp tool from work to do the ends.
Regards.
John 2E0DHN
Holly: This is not a daffodil, repeat, this is not a daffodil!
John 2E0DHN
Holly: This is not a daffodil, repeat, this is not a daffodil!
Re: Today I mostly .....
Attempted to change oil and filter on the Saab. Aborted early on when I realised that my tools were all in the boot of the Skoda (35 miles away...) and that despite turning everything at my parents house upside down, couldn't find a 13mm spanner or socket to save my life. Plenty of 12 and 14s...but no 13s. D'oh! Oh well, at least I discovered it before I'd taken the filter off.
Changed the headlight bulbs, checked the rest and changed the running light bulbs all round as well as they were all looking decidedly tired. Attempted for the 239454387239843rd time to waterproof the nearside tail light cluster. I'll bet that it's showing signs of water ingress yet again next time it rains...
Finally managed to separate the Skoda's old silencer from its support bracket, so I can bolt that on to the new silencer that's already in place on the car tomorrow.
Had the battery in the Skoda tested again after it was charged last weekend and used through the week - Halford's tester thingie now says that it's A-OK (opposed to "Replace advised" last week). So looks like it just needed a proper charge. Not really surprising this time of year given that the Skoda doesn't have the world's greatest alternator, and it's been doing a lot of relatively short runs after dark.
Attempted to get the Saab washed...and failed as none of the car washes around here seem to be working at the moment.
Oh, and continued renaming some of the PDFs of scans of some old architectural plans I got copies from the archives at work last week so that the descriptions mean something. My PC really doesn't enjoy opening 400+ meg PDFs though! Still need to get the rest of them scanned this week too - thankfully though we have a very fast large format scanner there which makes things easier.
Changed the headlight bulbs, checked the rest and changed the running light bulbs all round as well as they were all looking decidedly tired. Attempted for the 239454387239843rd time to waterproof the nearside tail light cluster. I'll bet that it's showing signs of water ingress yet again next time it rains...
Finally managed to separate the Skoda's old silencer from its support bracket, so I can bolt that on to the new silencer that's already in place on the car tomorrow.
Had the battery in the Skoda tested again after it was charged last weekend and used through the week - Halford's tester thingie now says that it's A-OK (opposed to "Replace advised" last week). So looks like it just needed a proper charge. Not really surprising this time of year given that the Skoda doesn't have the world's greatest alternator, and it's been doing a lot of relatively short runs after dark.
Attempted to get the Saab washed...and failed as none of the car washes around here seem to be working at the moment.
Oh, and continued renaming some of the PDFs of scans of some old architectural plans I got copies from the archives at work last week so that the descriptions mean something. My PC really doesn't enjoy opening 400+ meg PDFs though! Still need to get the rest of them scanned this week too - thankfully though we have a very fast large format scanner there which makes things easier.
LOZ: Oddball cars, lighting information, and anything else I remember to upload!
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.
Current fleet: 02 VW Caddy 1.9SDI, 90 Mercedes 208D Autotrail Navajo, 85 Sinclair C5, 78 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6GL, 73 AC Model-70.
Re: Today I mostly .....
Jet washed the Landy..Three times in the Shell garage jet wash. I think I have most of the Welsh WRC mud off the car.
Picked up the trailer axle, its a weighty thing! One drum brake is free the other is seized, so needs some attention with the penetrating fluid and an FBH,......or maybe a big puller
Picked up the trailer axle, its a weighty thing! One drum brake is free the other is seized, so needs some attention with the penetrating fluid and an FBH,......or maybe a big puller
Regards.
John 2E0DHN
Holly: This is not a daffodil, repeat, this is not a daffodil!
John 2E0DHN
Holly: This is not a daffodil, repeat, this is not a daffodil!
Re: Today I mostly .....
...turned on the heater / air blower in the car and after less than a minute smoke starting coming in the car behind the head unit. Then, there was some spark and the amplifier just stopped working.
'00 Ford Escort 1.4L Current daily
'98 Volkswagen Golf Variant 1.4L Undergoing repairs / mini project
'96 Volkswagen Vento 1.4L Donor car for Golf
'98 Volkswagen Golf Variant 1.4L Undergoing repairs / mini project
'96 Volkswagen Vento 1.4L Donor car for Golf
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Re: Today I mostly .....
Invested in one of these for the landrover.
- Attachments
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- Landrover rear diff.jpg (28.93 KiB) Viewed 15704 times
Neil Chowney
Land Rover Discovery Sport (just sold the Freelander)
Cube Agree HTC Di2
Land Rover Discovery Sport (just sold the Freelander)
Cube Agree HTC Di2
Re: Today I mostly .....
An IRD for the Freelander?
Regards.
John 2E0DHN
Holly: This is not a daffodil, repeat, this is not a daffodil!
John 2E0DHN
Holly: This is not a daffodil, repeat, this is not a daffodil!
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- Administrator
- Posts: 2641
- Joined: Sun May 25, 2003 8:34 pm
- Location: Whitchurch, Hampshire
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Re: Today I mostly .....
Yup! back end minus the haldex unit.
Neil Chowney
Land Rover Discovery Sport (just sold the Freelander)
Cube Agree HTC Di2
Land Rover Discovery Sport (just sold the Freelander)
Cube Agree HTC Di2
Re: Today I mostly .....
Bearings gone?
Regards.
John 2E0DHN
Holly: This is not a daffodil, repeat, this is not a daffodil!
John 2E0DHN
Holly: This is not a daffodil, repeat, this is not a daffodil!
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- Administrator
- Posts: 2641
- Joined: Sun May 25, 2003 8:34 pm
- Location: Whitchurch, Hampshire
- Contact:
Re: Today I mostly .....
Pinion howlin'!
Apparently they fitted a bad batch at some point.
I could have bought just the bearings but you need (allegedly) several LR tools to set it up properly. So I bit the bullet, flogged my last remaining kidney and bought the unit.
To be fair, considering the price of the car, it was reasonable.
Apparently they fitted a bad batch at some point.
I could have bought just the bearings but you need (allegedly) several LR tools to set it up properly. So I bit the bullet, flogged my last remaining kidney and bought the unit.
To be fair, considering the price of the car, it was reasonable.
Neil Chowney
Land Rover Discovery Sport (just sold the Freelander)
Cube Agree HTC Di2
Land Rover Discovery Sport (just sold the Freelander)
Cube Agree HTC Di2
Re: Today I mostly .....
I was going to say known feature (as well as the VC)
Somewhere like Ashcrofts for the diff?
Somewhere like Ashcrofts for the diff?
Regards.
John 2E0DHN
Holly: This is not a daffodil, repeat, this is not a daffodil!
John 2E0DHN
Holly: This is not a daffodil, repeat, this is not a daffodil!
Re: Today I mostly .....
sold my niva :*( cant wait for a "new" one
'92 niva, 93 escort lx wagon, both were bargain finds, less than 1000 USD for both, new to working on cars, need all the help i can get and more
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Re: Today I mostly .....
Keith Gott at Alton. Very well thought of LR firm.excossack wrote:I was going to say known feature (as well as the VC)
Somewhere like Ashcrofts for the diff?
Neil Chowney
Land Rover Discovery Sport (just sold the Freelander)
Cube Agree HTC Di2
Land Rover Discovery Sport (just sold the Freelander)
Cube Agree HTC Di2
Re: Today I mostly .....
Do you want to watch ?
Regards.
John 2E0DHN
Holly: This is not a daffodil, repeat, this is not a daffodil!
John 2E0DHN
Holly: This is not a daffodil, repeat, this is not a daffodil!
Re: Today I mostly .....
Had to drive 5-7 minutes this morning until the speedometer decided to start working.
'00 Ford Escort 1.4L Current daily
'98 Volkswagen Golf Variant 1.4L Undergoing repairs / mini project
'96 Volkswagen Vento 1.4L Donor car for Golf
'98 Volkswagen Golf Variant 1.4L Undergoing repairs / mini project
'96 Volkswagen Vento 1.4L Donor car for Golf