Today I mostly .....

Any topics of general interest (not lada related), post them here.
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excossack
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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by excossack » Wed Aug 07, 2013 2:21 pm

Less than 21 ?
Regards.
John 2E0DHN

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GvidoR
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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by GvidoR » Wed Aug 07, 2013 3:09 pm

excossack wrote:Less than 21 ?
Well then, I guess I am young.
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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by GvidoR » Wed Aug 07, 2013 3:38 pm

In a way, I guess you are right, but it is a lot of money. Especially if you compare it with the prices in other countries.

Actually, in most countries you insure the car and anyone with a licence driving the car is covered, so the price doesn't depend on the driver at all, just the car, and it's just as easy as buying road tax.
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GvidoR
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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by GvidoR » Wed Aug 07, 2013 4:14 pm

That's the way it should be here too. Oh well...
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Zelandeth
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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Zelandeth » Wed Aug 07, 2013 8:34 pm

Today I mostly:

1. Annoyed a lot of drivers by furthering my bus driving training in a Leyland Atlantean. Only does 42mph in top before hitting the rev limiter, so you're just going to have to be patient folks!

Interesting design quirks I picked up on.

A: That whoever installed the tachograph didn't use their head. You can't see the speedometer past the steering wheel. At all.

B: That the switch for the wipers is a silver toggle switch at knee level roughly level in lateral terms with your right shoulder. Hidden among another 20 identical silver toggle switches. Not too bad once you've found it the first time, but finding it when it suddenly starts raining and you haven't got anywhere to pull over is a bit of a pest!

C: You can't block-change gears on the semi-auto. i.e. if you've come to rest in 4th, you can't just slip it into 2nd and go from there, you have to go via 3rd. Makes sense to be honest, and isn't something I would consider doing in a vehicle like that when actually moving. Caused a few moments of flailing though when I'd had to stop in a hurry until I figured it out!

Actually a really nice driving thing though to be honest, just really needed another gear so it could do 50! Power is there for it, just runs out of revs.

If you were stuck behind this today, I apologise.

Image

2. Was briefly a passenger in a 1930 Albion bus which caused even more drivers to be annoyed, given that 30mph in that is only really on the cards on a reeeeaally long downhill section with a good tailwind. Realistically though, with about 30 odd bhp to work with, and very, very widely spaced gear ratios (and a crash box just to add to the fun) and nearly no brakes, it's not likely to see that speed often. It's the one vehicle that lives in the preservation centre that I flat out refuse to drive (even off the road) because I am mortally afraid of it! ...Not to mention how much it would cost to put right if I bumped it! To be honest I don't think any of the guys there would trust me with it anyhow. Thankfully.

3. Went to the dentist for some remedial work. I currently feel like I was run over by the Atlantean I was driving earlier.
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GvidoR
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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by GvidoR » Thu Aug 08, 2013 12:27 pm

You want to get a job as a bus driver?

...and if it starts raining, all passengers sitting on top of the bus run downstairs?
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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Stui01 » Thu Aug 08, 2013 3:54 pm

Today I mostly.... Re- built the bottom of my boot lid

Cut the bottom off, fab up some new stuff, spent ages spot welding and grinding, and now im waiting for the filler to set.

Even unfinished it looks better than it did. Before it had all the strength of a Richtea biscuit ...!!

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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by GvidoR » Thu Aug 08, 2013 4:31 pm

Shoulda tried it with a cuppa tetley.
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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Zelandeth » Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:28 pm

GvidoR wrote:You want to get a job as a bus driver?

...and if it starts raining, all passengers sitting on top of the bus run downstairs?
Possibly part time in the future, honestly don't know. Probably would prefer more long distance or tour related really to local service where you're just perpetually trundling around the same five miles of traffic jam over and over again. Being honest though, full time on local service work I think the hours would just kill me.

At the moment it's just very relevant to my job given that as one of my functions, I'm basically the interface between the road safety team and the local bus operators - so knowing the ins and outs of actually driving the things is damn useful and helps eliminate some of the "us and them" mentality which there can be across the table at some meetings.

Also would be a real godsend for the guys who look after the heritage collection as the one thing they are really struggling for is people who can actually drive the buses there! Worst thing for any vehicle is to just sit around and never getting used, having a willing pair of hands to take things out for an occasional run would probably be a big help. At least within the site I can help now (and they do have a short test track on the grounds), which is better than nothing. Would still be really handy though to be able to take stuff out without needing an experienced driver and set of L plates on hand!

Not to mention that I figure that having a cat D licence really can't be a bad thing to stick on my CV anyhow if I have the opportunity to learn!

Fact of the matter is as well, that I love driving things like that.

As far as this particular vehicle goes, she's in the heritage fleet now and was converted to an open top for city tour type operations a good number of years ago. Realistically if the weather was rubbish on any given day another vehicle would get put in service. The half cab there actually makes the top deck a lot nicer place to be than many open toppers, as it really does help limit the buffeting that you often get from the wind and helps stop you ending up with bugs in your teeth.
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happiness stan
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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by happiness stan » Sat Aug 10, 2013 9:47 am

Been looking on ebay for a roofbox, second hand ones are going for over £50 round here, so we looked on Gumtree. Found one slightly smaller with a broken lock for a tenner but with the bonus of being in the same town. Just phoned the bloke up and it's the house opposite me?????????how weird. I'm off to the cash machine.

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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by GvidoR » Sat Aug 10, 2013 10:01 am

Hahah, unbelievable. :D
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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by happiness stan » Sat Aug 10, 2013 10:27 am

it is now in my garden, I just need to pop to Halfords to get some brackets for £25 and I have saved at least £30 plus petrol and journey time.

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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by happiness stan » Sat Aug 10, 2013 12:50 pm

:P Just come back from a weeks camping at the HesFes and the lady in the tent next to ours had one of those concertina style gazebo's which promptly snapped in three places. 6 tent peg splints and a lot of duct tape later and the thing stayed up all week, magic stuff.

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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by Hannesb » Sat Aug 10, 2013 3:18 pm

...failed my MOT. It was so bad it failed before the test even started.

Stopped at the test center and all the oil fell out of the engine. Still, saved me the £30 test fee...
:cry:
1979 Leyland 998 Automatic Mini. Don't ask...

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Re: Today I mostly .....

Post by happiness stan » Sat Aug 10, 2013 4:43 pm

My dad found out that we are doing a car boot sale tomorrow so I have ended up with a lot of his junk, I accepted two "Freewheels complete portable winch kits" (never be stuck in the mud again!!). These consist of two rods which bolt into two of your wheel nut holes and a metal disc which bolts on the other end. A length of rope (supplied) is attached to the disc and the other end around the imovable object of your choice, get back in the car and hey presto! pulled out of the mud.
Now my question to all you off roaders is - Are these as rubbish as they sound?
If anyone would like to try one out you can have one for the price of postage
I also accepted an anglepoise lamp that I stole off a previous employer back in the day and had forgotten about which needs rewiring
a bunch of old glass bottles
Pop up pirate
but I beat him round the head with one of those stair upright posts before he could put it in my car.

I'm serious about the (supposed) winch kits, if anyone whats one let me know.

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