OK. Now the home renos are done I can get back to the cars. I changed the fuel filter on the Merc and took it up for it's blue slip. Failed due to an oil leak. I just degreased underneath and took it back and it passed. Got it registered. It's a lovely car to drive as you'd expect from a Merc that cost the same as a house back in the day. I'm undecided how far to take the restoration. Needs a respray desperately but I think I'll wait and see how reliable it is. I think it's a cool car just to use as a daily as is. Wait and see.


Anyway there's been an unpleasant development. I think the ignition barrel is shot. The key won't turn. I've ordered a new key but that's a longshot. It's a hassle big time.

Got the new key today and tried it. JACKPOT!! It doesn't work. It looks like I'll have to do it the hard way. If it would just turn far enough for the dash lights to come on you can stick a sharpened coathanger thingy in the face of the lock and it releases the barrel. Unfortunately it doesn't turn that far. Option 2 is to cut the surround away with a dremel and remove a plate and then it will turn. It sounds like a nightmare job. I haven't got a dremel either so that's more money. I read on the net that at the first sign of trouble you should replace the ignition barrel before it becomes a problem. Hindsight!

I put the lower dash back on and reconnected the handbrake. I'm not too bothered about the ignition now it works. Other jobs take priority. Gave the brake fluid a flush today it must be at least three years old but likely to be even older than that. Put some paint on the rear suspension as well while I was there.

The ute up on the ramps getting it's 5k oil change.

Under the battery tray was getting a bit rusty so hit that with por-15 as well.

Bluey and Jessie came over at Easter. Here they all enjoy a pig's ear.

I gave the VW Golf to my daughter who within a month had a prang. She drove into a parked car when blinded by 7am sunshine. I took it to a couple of smash repairers who weren't too keen on fixing it or tried to dissuade me by saying it would cost thousands. I don't know what's wrong with tradies these days. So fxck it I'll do it myself. Bought a bumper and front guard from a wreckers and a new aftermarket headlamp. It still needs a bonnet but it's not too bad at all.

Since I bought the Merc I've always heard this annoying scraping sound from the rear brake callipers or the handbrake. This is quite common in cars that have sat idle for long periods and I was hoping it would go away now the car is being used but unfortunately no. The rotors looked pretty sh1t so I ordered some new ones off ebay along with some new brake pads. These things are cheap as these days.

The following photos show the process. Jack up the car and remove the wheels. Remove the brake callipers and then the rotors. Grease up the new pads. Put it all back together. Sounds easy and it is but still takes an amateur like me most of a day. There's always something hard. One calliper bolt took about a half hour to get off for example. Stuff like that. I'd do it in half the time tomorrow but that's not gonna happen.

I like this thread....and the passion in it...

I have spent so long replacing the heater tap on the red Jag. It's gotta be the most fiddly job I've ever done. It's on the centre of the firewall and the heater hoses go on it. Access to it is terrible. It's been so frustrating I feel like screaming and crying. It's hard to believe how long it's taken me. Anyway it's done now and I've replaced the coolant with lovely new stuff so I'm relieved. I won't be doing much more to the red Jag in the short term. I'll be concentrating on putting the yellow one back together.

Here is a pic of the heater tap. Old and new.

I was tooling around on the web the other day when I saw an ad for some Jaguar Kent wheels that were an option for the series 2 XJ Jags. They're nothing special especially by today's standards but I like them and they were cheap. So I headed over to check 'em out. The dude lives at Centennial Park a fairly nice suburb. Reminded me of playing Rugby against Sydney Boys High in Centennial Park back in the day. SBH I don't think are in the comp anymore. Anyway. Young bloke had the wheels. He also had a love XJC coupe. Straight 6 4.2. They're usually V12s. Lovely car going up in value. Here is a video of one.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TMgIkx40tI.

He also had an E-type. Not in great nick but he was restoring it. I wish I had one.

Anyway here is a pic of the Kent wheels.

There is a car segment on the radio I heard the other day. The bloke said a brake job on a Mercedes 'you're talking big dollars'. The job I did as described earlier cost me $140.

what is this new avatar drinking machine ? it looks disturbingly like a phallic symbol to these old eyes
ps: got some cobs from the local iga and i wouldn't say they were old but the cooking instructions were ... steep in llama milk before serving: Product of the incan community machu picchu.

tasted like a Southwark i'm guessing ??

I had to drive it home without ever having driven it before. I had no idea if the brakes worked. Luckily they do. What didn't work was the fuel pumps which meant that every time I was on a hill and pressed the accelerator nothing happened. In fact it would often stall. A fairly stressful 30 min drive home.

Anyway since then I got from ebay two fuel pumps and fitted them. I hate getting under a car on my back and working but it had to be done. Put some new spark plugs in as well. Fired it up and well...disappointing. Took a long time to kick over. Idle is very low feels like it will stall. Got on google and checked it out. So I cleaned the idle control valve and then looked at the over voltage protection relay. On the top is a 10amp fuse that was blown. Got one off another car. Tried to fire it up again and YES!! Not too bad. One more problem though is the accelerator pedal. Feels very soft and just wrong. I'm sure it's part of the problem. So with the air filter housing out of the way I check it out. Bloody Hell it's barely connected!! No wonder it's soft. I check out the coupe to see how it's meant to be and it's dead easy fix. Fire it up and BOOM!! It's perfect. Nice few hours work.

There is one problem though. While fitting the fuel pump I must have moved the hose from the bottom of the fuel tank a bit too much (remember this rubber hose must be 27 years old) and put a crack somewhere because there's a small leak. Oh well. Life wasn't meant to be easy.

I was watching Wheeler Dealers the other day and Ed China was explaining the fuel injection

system of a 70s BMW when something suddenly struck me. Only a man could invent something

like that. Now I realise women are very intelligent. My sister,for example,makes me look

about as smart as a Fox Terrier. But I just can't see women ever having the inclination

to come up with a fuel injection system for a 70s BMW. I bet hardly any women ever watch

Wheeler Dealers. It just seems to me some men get obsessed with things out in their back

sheds that women find ridiculous and all of a sudden a bloke like Edison has invented

the electric light bulb.



Btw my sister couldn't drive a greasy stick up a bull's arse.

The front seat had a tear in it so I found a 300SEL at the wreckers. It's a similar car. Bought a seat for $30. Fxcked around for a while trying to figure out how to do the swap. Finally decided to take the seat cushion and cover off and sawp it over.