Still going

It's still going! I have brought it in again today, after a week of idleness due to May's April showers. Typically there are still lots of problems, ie, the centre console lid fell off this morning! I will need to do another "To Do List" soon. I may even try to get out of Kidderminster before the MOT runs out in September!

This post was actually a couple of weeks ago, but I have just edited it and now the date stamp has changed! Anyway, assuming I get back in one peice from picking Moo up from Guides, I shall be taking it in tomorrow too! Still not gone outside the Kidderminster town barriers yet ...

Toyota Celica - Pah!

Why would I want one of them Japanese pretend classics when I have a fully working [well sort of] v8 Beast?! 

It would appear that the distributor was 180 degrees out. And with the assistance of Simon and Ed's timing strobe, the Beast spluttered into life and is now running the best it ever has in the last 3 years. Much also say thanks to a chap named John in Aberdeen with whom I have been conversing via email and a v8 forum.

That distributor is the dogs! We timed it to about 8 dibbles past TDC. Although it is now driveable, it "front fires" from I presume the carbs/filters as opposed to backfiring from the tailpipe. I have taken it to work for the last 2 days and can (sometimes) floor it without any frontfires and now get the great v8 roar. 

I have since spoken to John again, who has set his distributor at 10 dibbles before TDC. He reckons that the frontfiring is because the timing is not quite right, and suggests I try it at 10 dibbles.

The overheating thing has still not gone away though. Could it be the timing? The gauge?

March and April

Pre new Distributor

I have been driving around Offmore every other Sunday for about 5 mins before putting it back again as it was spluttering and backfiring and overheating. I was a little brave the one day though and sat in the car port with the temp guage at 3/4 waiting for it to blow up. It didn't. Looks like 3/4 might be the running temperature?

Post new Distributor
It doesn't start any more!

Toyota Celica

I am about to spend another £100 on this hateful and useless lump of scrap metal which has cost me probably about £2500 so far. And then to highlight my idiocy, a bloke at work spends £760.25 on this:

It's Japanese so will probably not go wrong, certainly not as much. It's not 70's BL and thus will not go rusty. Bits won't fall off the trim. It'll have a stereo in it. I'll be able to drive more than 50 miles a year for probably the same amount of yearly insurance. Oh how very very tempting ...

New Distributor

... will be ordered this week. The Beast started first time today and spluttered around the block and back a couple of times before going back to bed. If a new dis doesn't sort it then it's bye-bye time. And Paul, if you are still reading this crap, sorry for taking the piss with the temp loan of yours, it will be returned very soon!

Oops!

The Beast drove around to the new house without any problems (other than the usual reverse lights and overheating and spluttering). They tend to start and move a little better when the petrol is pumped from the tank to the carbs ...

Happy New Fcuking Year

I am moving house in a matter of days. I had to move the useless sack of crap out of the garage on to the drive so as to fill the garage full of assorted crap ready for the mover man. And surprise surprise, it didn't start. At all. Not a sausage. It was pushed on to the drive and now will have to be towed to the new pad. Great. The new neighbours are going to love me! Useless sack of crap. I hate this fcuking car.