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Alex SBY

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Posts posted by Alex SBY

  5. Posted · Report reply

    Well, this car has been with Vard a while now and appears to be providing faithful and reliable service. When I last saw it (about two weeks ago) I did a few odds and ends to it, namely swapping over the headlining and pillar trims from the scrap L reg Vitesse, sorting out the rattling rear seats (the insulation on the catches had disintegrated) and swapped over the headlights and sorted the wiring. Whilst at it I fixed the horn (one had packed up) and relocated the air con relay pack from underneath to inside the engine bay, as per later cars. Whilst at it we also swapped over the wheels for the Roversports that were on the old Vitesse.

     

    Now the cat has been removed, it's apparent that this car smokes, and under wellie it's quite noticeable. Still, at this mileage who can complain :LOL:

     

    We've decided that in the light of the clutch being quite high, the fact there is some tapping (minor) and the smoking to tackle an engine swap. Rather than fit another MK2 827 engine however we have decided to make things more interesting and install a Pre-cat MK1 high compression unit, with the MK1 setup (not legally requiring any cat).

     

    It was originally intended to use the engine from my old limo, but when Chris on the 800 forum told me he has a spare mk1 827 lump with a manual box attached (with just 50k under its belt) it seems less hassle to drop that straight in. No mucking about with changing engine wiring looms then...

     

    The plan is therefore the following:

     

    1. Fetch engine and box from Chris.

    2. Extricate old engine from car.

    3. Replace cambelt, water pump and clutch, and swap over aircon pump onto new engine.

    4. Before refitting engine, replace steering rack (already sourced) and at that time replace balljoints and track rod ends.

    5. Using parts for my limo, install mk1 ecu and wire in the gadget that sits in the fuse box area.I might try and graft in the entire interior PGMFI loom from the limo but I think that's unnecessary from what's been said to me.

    6. Install new engine/box and connect up.

    7. Once that's working, get AC regassed.

    8. Replace fuel filler neck (yep, that's done the usual)

    9. Replace rear hubs. Originals must be tired after that mileage and they do get noisy after a while of use.

    10. After saving anything of use, send out the old engine in style by converting it into a coffee table...

     

    It sounds easy here, but in reality there is a lot of work. Unlike the BM project however we know these cars and have a lot more knowledge.

     

    It's intended to get the engine from Chris in over a week, and get cracking on this shortly after. The short term plan is for Vard to use it until he gets another car. The medium term plan is then to take it on this years rally to Naples. The long term plan is to restore. Once it's back from the rally, using bits from Vards scrap L reg (arch sections, rear bumper, doors) any rally "battlescars" can be swiftly sorted.

     

    So that's the plan. I'm looking forward to cracking on, and ensuring this car lives to well over 300k miles!

  12. Posted · Report reply

    Well, I've decided to sell the Vitesse and use this thing more. I just LOVE it.

     

    Other than use it and polish it I've not really done much else to it. But in the next month or so I'll start making progress on the bits that need doing. I really must get a load cover though. It's a royal pain in the arse having to cover everything in the boot with a Tartan traveling rug. Yes. I know. And don't say a word. Ta. :$

  22. Posted · Report reply

    To to put into context what a complete fool I am car-wise, I thought it an idea to show what I have owned since I started driving at age 17 in 1996... This thread originally started on another forum, and the whole purpose was not to brag (far from it, seeing the shite I've owned!) or boast, but mainly to see if I could do it.

     

    Here we go, I am sure the chronology is a bit out (as this is not an actual "order" (as I owned a number of the cars concurrently)). The ones in bold are cars I still own.

     

    Here goes:

     

    1996 - 1997

     

    1. 83 VW Polo Coupe 1.1 (wonderful little car)

    2. 93 Rover 820 SLi Auto (Ghastly car - had head trouble and was moved on fast)

    3. 92 Rover 827 Sterling Auto (R17)

    4. 95 Renault Laguna 2.0 RT Auto (yes it broke a lot)

     

    1998-1999

     

    5. 86 Ford Granada 2.8i Ghia Auto

    6. 85 Ford Granada Scorpio 2.8 Auto (really early B reg car)

    7. 91 Rover 827 Sterling Auto (R17)

     

    1999

     

    8. 91 Ford Granada Scorpio 2.9 Auto

    9. 82 Ford Granada 2.8 Ghia Estate Auto (AN SHED but I loved it)

    10. 89 Daimler 3.6 XJ40 Auto (Ownership period 1)

    11. 87 Vauxhall Carlton 2.0 CD Auto (GHASTLY car, sold it after three weeks).

    12. 78 Leyland Cars Princess 2200 HLS Auto (Ownership period 1)

     

    2000

     

    13. 92 Daimler 4.0 XJ40 Auto

    14. 89 Ford Sierra Sapphire 2.0i GLS

    15. 90 Ford Granada 2.0i DOHC Ghia Auto (Ghastly car)

    16. 85 Ford Granada 2.8i Ghia X Estate Auto

    17. 79 Austin-Morris Princess 2 2200 HL Auto

    18. 85 Ford Granada 2.8 Ghia X Executive Auto (Mk 2 Granny Saloon with leather)

    19. 82 Austin Ambassador 1.7 HL Auto (given to me FREE).

    20. 92 Renault 21 Savanna 2.0 Auto (singularly the worst car I have ever onwed).

     

    2001

     

    21. 83 Austin Ambassador 2.0 VDP Auto (Silver Leaf)

    22. 85 Ford Granada 2.8i Ghia X Estate Auto (C Reg - one of the last)

    23. 75 Wolseley 18-22 2200 "Wedge" (One of six left on the road (and after owning it I now know why) bought as restoration project and sold in April 2011 to a Swiss collector)

     

    2002

     

    24. 83 Ford Granada 2.8i Ghia X Saloon Auto

    25. 81 Austin-Morris Princess 2 2.0 HL Auto

    26. 94 Rover 827 Sterling Auto

    27. 90 Ford Granada 2.0 Ghia (Ghastly pile of shit example of a car bought on impulse and sold quickly after)

    28. 75 Wolseley 2200 "Wedge" Auto. (Yes. Another one. At one point I had one third of the number of these left).

    29. 83 Ford Granada 2.8i Ghia X Estate Auto

    30. 86 Jaguar Sovereign XJ40 3.6 Auto

    31. 83 Daimler "S3" XJ6 4.2 Auto

     

    2003

     

    32. 86 Daimler XJ40 3.6 Auto (bad bad car that one)

    33. 83 Austin Ambassador VDP 2.0 Auto ('84 Spec with wood)

    34. 93 Rover 827 Coupe Auto

    35. 72 Daimler "S1" XJ6 4.2 Auto

    36. 90 Jaguar Sovereign XJ40 4.0 Auto (very very bad car sold after two weeks)

    37. 92 Daimler XJ40 4.0 Auto

    38. 89 Daimler XJ40 3.6 Auto (Ownership period 2 - car sold in 2000 and bought back in 2003, owned for a short period)

    39. 95 Jaguar Sovereign X300 4.0 Auto (Ownership period 1)

    40. 97 Rover 825 Sterling Auto (yes you guessed what happened to that!)

     

    2004

     

    41. 91 Jaguar XJ6 XJ40 3.2 Auto (The Black One - bought from Dad)

    42. 95 Jaguar XJ12 X305 Auto (breathtaking)

    43. 99 Jaguar S-Type 3.0SE Auto (an utter disappointment of a car)

    44. 84 Ford Granada 2.8i Ghia X Estate Auto (bought as a load lugger).

    45. 78 Leyland Cars Princess 2200 HLS Auto (Ownership period two - was sold in 2003 to a friend, I bought back and sold it again in 2007).

     

    2005

     

    46. 85 Ford Granada 2.8i Ghia X Estate Auto (replaced the one bought the in 2004)

    47. 85 Ford Granada 2.8i Ghia X Estate Auto (my concours blue one - sold this year)

    48. 83 Ford Granada 2.8 Ghia X Estate Auto (rescued from near certain banger racing death)

    49. 97 BMW 740iL Auto (it was SPLENDID that is all I will say, when it worked).

     

    2006

     

    50. 98 Daimler X308 4.0 Super V8 Auto

    51. 90 Daimler XJ40 4.0 Auto (bought as a runaround hack with 198k on the clock)

    52. 88 Rover 827 Sterling Auto

    53. 92 Rover 216 Cabriolet

    54. 92 Rover 216 Cabriolet with leather (awful car, interior swapped with the other one and sold on asap)

    55. 01 Rover 75 Connoisseur SE Auto (bought off the folks).

     

    2007

     

    56. 88 Jaguar Sovereign XJ40 3.6 Auto

     

    Was a quiet year for me that.

     

    2008

     

    57. 98 Ford Mondeo 2.0 GLX

    58. 95 Jaguar Sovereign X300 4.0 Auto (Ownership period two - sold in 2006 to a friend, instantly regretted and when it was up for sale again I had to have it back).

    59. 98 Ford Mondeo 2.0 Ghia X Estate

    60. 98 Rover 825 Sterling Coupe Auto (it worried me too much - had to go).

     

    2009

     

    61. 97 Rover 825 Sterling Coupe Manual

    62. 97 Rover 820 Vitesse Sport

    63. 89 Rover 827 Vitesse Auto

    64. 95 Rover 827 Sterling Auto Fastback

    65. 91 Rover 827 Sterling Auto XX

    66. 90 Rover 827 Sterling Auto (Known as "DIL")

    67. 90 Rover 827 Sterling Auto (Known as the "other" one)

    68. 99 Rover 827 SLi Auto (Known as "XX17" as it was an R17 with a Mk1 bonnet and grille...)

    69. 93 Rover 827 Sterling Auto

    70. 98 Rover 218 VVC Coupe

    71. 81 Austin-Morris Princess 2 1700HL

     

    2010

     

    72. 91 Rover 827Si Limo ("XXL")

    73. 78 Rover 3500 SD1 Auto

    74. 88 Mercedes 260E Auto W124 (bought for next to nothing on a chance, taken for an MOT and failed miserably on many aspects - uneconomical to repair so scrapped)

    75. 93 Rover 416 SLi (the roughest ever R8 in the history of motoring; sold after a month for the purposes of banger racing after the clutch died and windscreen terminally broke)

    76. 91 Rover 216 GTi TC 3 door.

    77. 90 Rover 416 GSi (a fantastic little car)

    78. 97 Jaguar Sovereign 4.0 LWB X308 Auto (bought from Dad).

    79. 90 Mercedes 300TE-24 Estate Auto (W124) Overrated tosh IMO and sold as soon as I could!.

     

    2011

     

    80. 93 Rover 827 Sterling - Ex Buckingham Palace

    81. 90 Rover 827 Si Auto. (Immaculate 29k miler example that I bought on whim one morning on ebay and never used, sold to a friend).

    82. 90 Rover Montego 1.6 LX (AKA MONGO). This was half owned with a friend and was used to do the RatRod Rally2Romania last year. The poor old car died in Nuremberg.

    83. 93 Rover 820 Vitesse - Sold to Vard.

    84. 91 Rover 216 SLi (AKA "SLEGTi" as it had the interior from an SEi, the engine from a GTi and the rest was an SLi). Bought when MONGO died on the rally to get us home.

    85. 92 Rover 216 GTi. Vard told me about it, bought last October, never used so sold a few weeks ago.

    86. 91 Rover 820 "RAT". Another ex-R2R car that's currently awaiting its fate MOT dependent. If it fails epically, it goes. If it needs a few bits, it gets rallied this year. And maybe a turbo conversion.

    87. 93 BMW 530i Touring. Needs no introduction really.

    88. 98 Rover 820 Vitesse Coupé. Bought as winter wheels when the BMW blew up. Still providing fun service.

     

    2012

     

    89. 93 Rover 827 Sterling Manual - Bought as a banger rally car (it has 287k on the clock) but currently providing faithful service to Vard for as long as he needs it.

    90. 99 Rover 75 Connoisseur Auto - well not mine yet, but will be in a few weeks.

     

    So there you have it. I have probably forgotten one or two, but when the 75 arrives, we are on 90 cars.

     

    Not bad for a 15 year motoring career is it...?! :LOL:

     

    Feel free to mock/deride/pity (delete as appropriate!)

     

    I don't even want to think about the money I've pissed up the wall on this little lot. I should probably have done what most normal people did; get a nearly new car, run it for a few years and change it. But as those who know me will testify, I don't do normal.

     

    Thanks for looking. Now go easy. :)

  25. Posted · Report reply

    Will do. The 75 I am getting is a V6 2.5 car. The amount of BMW style features it has is amazing (although FWD, it is pretty much a three series in drag IMO), so it will go well with the 540 and the rest of the fleet.

     

    I cannot deny though that I am still having thoughts about getting an E38 750iL. That seed has been sown in my mind and I cannot seem to erase the thought...

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