Practically Classics Forum

Dick wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 22, 2021 9:07 pm

Luxobarge wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 22, 2021 1:27 pm

Yes, very much enjoying the Anglia thread, and this one too - love a good blog!

Me too...
Zel, in your experience would you consider the 6 cyl jag easier to work on than the v12 you had or are they equally awkward???

I've never really done anything on a six cylinder XJ-S, but I imagine the engine bay would be far more user friendly. The V12 really does fill the engine bay even *before* you add all of the other associated bits. The V12 really needed the front of the car to be about 8" larger in every direction.

The rest of the car though would be just as much of a nightmare... there's hardly a cubic centimetre of volume anywhere that isn't packed full of wiring, relays, pipes, ducts, Bowden cables, and mysterious silver boxes with Lucas part numbers stamped on them. I've never known a car like it for just the sheer amount of stuff that's crammed into it.

3xpendable wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 22, 2021 12:52 pm

@Zel, Does the Merc have to be sold before you can bring the new project home?

Ideally... though this really is about the worst time to try to sell a car...so may just have to take it on the chin and have another bash at selling the Merc in the new year.

Oh, except for being short a parking space!

Had an opportunity to activate test out the SLS setup on the S123 yesterday when we did a run to the recycling centre. Prior to startup she was sitting like this after loading.



Then 30 seconds or so after the engine was started.



Yep, that works then.

Don't want to know how much weight I had crammed in there...Was quite a lot of heavy metal stuff like old brake discs, the knackered old cylinder head and four old car batteries.

I could have gone up further, but I knew if I had much more in there I'd never get everything out in the 15 minute slot they give you. I barely managed as it was.

This evening I discovered a job for tomorrow while I was out running some errands.



At least it's only a 30 second job on this car.

To be fair I usually change the headlight lamps when I get a car, never did that on this one.

Been very little going on, hence little to report.

I can confirm that as of this evening a deal has been agreed and that a new vehicle will be joining the fleet shortly. We collect it from down by Exeter on Monday.

Not fast, not exciting but will be supremely useful I hope, and I think will be quite interesting in its own way.

Sounds like a nice sort of state for me too, nothing that needs urgent attention but a good number of smaller jobs that will want doing which will add up to making it a lot nicer to live with long term.

Will only be the second vehicle I've ever bought with a post 2001 registration, first being the Peugeot 107 which I bought new in 2009 and kept for nearly ten years.

Oohh new toys !!! Can't wait to see it

Dick wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 31, 2021 11:25 am

Oohh new toys !!! Can't wait to see it

Bit of an unusual one for me (aside from being a good ten years newer than my usual target area) by virtue of being one I've definitely targeted with my head rather than my heart. Which I think might well be no bad thing...I need at least one thing on fleet which has at least some degree of sensibility attached!

Zelandeth wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 31, 2021 9:36 pm

Dick wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 31, 2021 11:25 am

Oohh new toys !!! Can't wait to see it

Bit of an unusual one for me (aside from being a good ten years newer than my usual target area) by virtue of being one I've definitely targeted with my head rather than my heart. Which I think might well be no bad thing...I need at least one thing on fleet which has at least some degree of sensibility attached!

Humvee?

Dick wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 02, 2022 8:45 am

Zelandeth wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 31, 2021 9:36 pm

Dick wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 31, 2021 11:25 am

Oohh new toys !!! Can't wait to see it

Bit of an unusual one for me (aside from being a good ten years newer than my usual target area) by virtue of being one I've definitely targeted with my head rather than my heart. Which I think might well be no bad thing...I need at least one thing on fleet which has at least some degree of sensibility attached!

Humvee?

Tempting...though probably not best suited to life in MK!

-- -- --

New car collection preparation checklist:

[] Money transferred, check.

[] Insurance, sorted. Bit more expensive than the Merc, but I expected that.

[] Address confirmed for collection.

[] Collection vehicle fuelled up, check.

...Would have had the actual owner transfer done if it weren't for the amazing automated computer system the DVLA has which only keeps office hours, so that and the tax will have to be done in the morning.

We aim to be on the road by 0900 tomorrow, about a 3.5 hour drive there...Wish me luck with the motorway traffic gods...

I do love a good road trip to buy a car! Hope this goes well, you should be nicely on the way just now.
I would try to "guess" what you're buying but Autoshite failed to provide a clue.
Is it a Saab of some sort? Mmm, Saab,

Remembered the things I usually forget.



Shouldn't need the power bank but it's nice to not have to worry.

Well on our way now, ETA just before 1300 so far.



Not another Saab sadly, less exciting than that.

Full report tomorrow. Right now I've got a grade 8.2 out of 10 headache that's threatening to turn into a migraine so am going to go hide somewhere cool, dark and horizontal until it subsides.

Can't really give a tour just now as it's pitch dark outside. However thanks to the magic of this camera, here's a brief intro.







Initial observations though are that it drives really incredibly well.

The SDi seems to have a reputation for being slower than a wet week, however it seems absolutely fine to me. It's not a fast car, no. Equally though it doesn't feel even remotely sluggish. Didn't have any issue at all holding 70 on the motorway without needing to drop a gear or anything.