What's made you smile today?

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What's made you smile today?

Well not so much smile as grimmace because I want it to be gone forever, but then burst out laughing...

The Seat Leon 1.4S 16v passed its 17th MOT today, no advisories. It drinks oil like it's got shares in BP, smokes and burps and farts its way about creaking grinding and knocking, but it still passes its mot its either 3 or four years since the sill was patched and then painted by me. Its got to be some of the cheapest moroting ever. Its all in cost is little over $450 a year includig all MOT's repairs and its original cost. Perhaps it deserves an oil change..... If it makes it back to Norfolk I will treat it. At least its emissions guffage is slight so theres a bit less to go wrong.
Reminds me of my old Saab, circa 2005 I bought a Saab 900 (p-reg) for £400, the rear brakes needed replacing for about £70 and then at one point a brake pipe burst, cost me £30 at the Saab main dealer on hall road in Norwich as they considered it a “classic Saab” and as a thank you for being loyal to the brand only charged me for parts. They even gave me a new 95 to play with while they did the work. I drove that car for about 3 years never broke down, never failed a single MOT, but needed a cheaper car to run as a 2.0l Saab was not very cheap on fuel so I got my 62mpg punto diesel And sold the Saab at auction for £500…. Other than fuel tax and mot, it cost me nothing
 
The Panda Virus

Welcome to Fiat Panda Club Netherlands​

We are a club for and by enthusiasts of the FIAT Panda and derivatives such as SEAT Panda and Marbella.

We bring enthusiasts together by organizing meetings and tours. All types and construction years are welcome. Extensive experiences and technical knowledge are exchanged through these meetings and our forum so that we can enjoy the Pandas on the country's roads for a long time to come.

Quickly click further on our site. But be careful! You've got the Panda virus in no time.
 
Some things went right yesterday and today.:oops:

I replaced the front rotor and wheel bearings on the Ural yesterday. The wear limit on the rotor was 4.5mm. I was at 4.2/4.3mm. Explains the sketchy braking the last couple of days. Actually, I replaced just the friction plate, not the entire rotor. Turns out some early Gixxers used the same plate. I picked up two a couple years ago for around ten bucks for the pair. A Brembo bobbin kit was about twenty five. So, new steel stopper up front for $30 instead of $270 plus P&P.

The bigger of the two E-ATVs started throwing its' drive chain. Although I have several feet of #25 chain, this thing has never been right. I had no adjustment left and the chain was still within limits, so I was going to make a chain tensioner out of Delrin. That idea died on the drawing board but I was able to go with a roller bearing as an idler roller instead and everything came out of various parts bins. So, free.

Lastly, an acquaintance in the state of Georgia sent me an adapter to convert an American bicycle bottom bracket to a normal bottom bracket.(y) That'll knock a few pounds off that DeSoto tricycle.
 
The never ending entertainment that is people's attempts at parking in the wee layby opposite my house continues. Saw this when I pulled the curtains this morning:

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N/S rear wheel well "beached" on the pavement!
 
Some smile, some not so smile today.
I installed the new bottom bracket adapter on the Desoto trike today. Because the trike is a bottom feeder in the quality department, it took a couple of attempts to get it right.
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Also found a couple of cranks in my stash that will allow for a good chain line. I'm leaning towards this one.
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Had time to break out the plasma cutter and cut out the slot for the drum brake reaction arm.
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This is where the fun ended and where I had to undo a halfassed repair that 'Jack On Drugs' did. American made trikes, back when we made trikes, had a 5/8" od rear axle. Everywhere else used 14.8mm. 'Jack On Drugs' used a 14.8mm axle as a replacement on this and every part with a 5/8" bore that the axle passed through was welded to the axle. Grrr! This may take a while to correct.
 
The only good thing I have ever found about an idiot bodging up something is that when it comes to me I can buy it at a good price ;). It does make you wonder who taught them!!!
 
Agreed. I abhor working on stuff other people have 'fixed'.

Finding a 5/8" axle may be a crapshoot. I found one on eBay with both the drive and freewheel hubs but eighty bucks is a hard pill to swallow for something I'm trying hard to do on the cheap. Other two options are to find another trashed American built trike that 'Jack On Drugs' hadn't touched or make a new axle. Either is doable but one results in more junk in my garage, temporarily, and the other would be much easier if I had a lathe and a mill.
 
Agreed. I abhor working on stuff other people have 'fixed'.

Finding a 5/8" axle may be a crapshoot. I found one on eBay with both the drive and freewheel hubs but eighty bucks is a hard pill to swallow for something I'm trying hard to do on the cheap. Other two options are to find another trashed American built trike that 'Jack On Drugs' hadn't touched or make a new axle. Either is doable but one results in more junk in my garage, temporarily, and the other would be much easier if I had a lathe and a mill.
I wish I had been given the chance of metalwork and lathes at school as my father had been a tool engineer, but my secondary school (good name) when the choice came , the question asked was "are you left handed or right handed" left handed did metalwork, as they could use a file in either hand. I kid you not!!!
 
I wish I had been given the chance of metalwork and lathes at school as my father had been a tool engineer, but my secondary school (good name) when the choice came , the question asked was "are you left handed or right handed" left handed did metalwork, as they could use a file in either hand. I kid you not!!!
:unsure: Never heard of that. To get into shop classes in my school in the early seventies, you just needed to have a pencil and paper to do the required math.
 
The never ending entertainment that is people's attempts at parking in the wee layby opposite my house continues. Saw this when I pulled the curtains this morning:

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N/S rear wheel well "beached" on the pavement!
Humbug! Near enough is good enough.

Dont worry about bashing your tyres up the kerb all the time! Probably a company car.
 
Well I just watched the British mens gymnastics team win the European gymnastics gold medal. It is just great to see such a well turned out group of fine young men. I cannot tell you how good it makes me feel. And to see them standing tall and proud paying respects to our flag and anthem make it feel ike there is still a great future for mankind. And, hats off and full repsect to all the other competitors from all the other nations who made this one hell of an enthralling watch. RESPECT!
 
Humbug! Near enough is good enough.

Dont worry about bashing your tyres up the kerb all the time! Probably a company car.
Some peoples driving is amazing to watch, I have told my daughters when I get like that, take my keys!
Some years ago as foreman of a garage I let the owner of a car drive me back to her house so we could work on her car, driving round blind bends with the white centre line of the road visible from my passenger window is not something I could easily forget!!!
 
Some peoples driving is amazing to watch, I have told my daughters when I get like that, take my keys!
Some years ago as foreman of a garage I let the owner of a car drive me back to her house so we could work on her car, driving round blind bends with the white centre line of the road visible from my passenger window is not something I could easily forget!!!
That would be all they needed to get the keys to my Panda and never give them back. Ill never instruct them, but expect them to do this when the time comes.
 
Some peoples driving is amazing to watch, I have told my daughters when I get like that, take my keys!
Some years ago as foreman of a garage I let the owner of a car drive me back to her house so we could work on her car, driving round blind bends with the white centre line of the road visible from my passenger window is not something I could easily forget!!!
May be it's just me but I seem to be meeting and following many more people straddling the white line on corners just of late.
 
May be it's just me but I seem to be meeting and following many more people straddling the white line on corners just of late.
Yes me too last was a transit van who found out that when I play chicken I dont't flinch! The result was amusing! Agressive driving or if Im being kind a moments inattention gave him a days work sorting out the back of his van which must have been well stirred.
 
White line straddlers with trailers are even worse. A while ago we nearly got taken out (side swiped) on a bend by a speeding vehicle with long trailer literally side drifting well in our side of the road. Worse still even if I was able to read the trailer number plate in my mirrors (after taking evasive action) there was no number plate.

Were I not towing at the time I may have turned around and chased the prick down but to be quite honest this was an "A" road, he/she was push 60mph so i would never have caught up with them anyway. Clearly by their driving they would have never noticed (their claim) or stopped had the trailer hit us.
 
White line straddlers with trailers are even worse. A while ago we nearly got taken out (side swiped) on a bend by a speeding vehicle with long trailer literally side drifting well in our side of the road. Worse still even if I was able to read the trailer number plate in my mirrors (after taking evasive action) there was no number plate.

Were I not towing at the time I may have turned around and chased the prick down but to be quite honest this was an "A" road, he/she was push 60mph so i would never have caught up with them anyway. Clearly by their driving they would have never noticed (their claim) or stopped had the trailer hit us.
I don't make any claim of good driving but I was taught you gave way to traffic coming up a hill and if the obstruction was on your side of the road, that and rightly or wrongly I indicate to overtake and again when pulling in. There is a road near me as I described and if someone is trying to force their way down and not pull in nine times out of ten the driver is female and proceeds to give you a mouthful of abuse for not climbing onto the pavement out of her way.:(
 
Im checking round all our bulbs and making sure they are all LED. Found 6 and replaced them all. Im now considering plaster boarding all the solid walls we have with the insulation backed plaster board now available. It may be a good time to save some heat going to waste. I also think it might just be the time to emigrate!
 
May be it's just me but I seem to be meeting and following many more people straddling the white line on corners just of late.
Last time I was driving around your neck of the woods I went from Edinburgh to Fort William and back, and it seemed every single person would straddle white lines even on blind bends as they over took me at 100+ mph so I’m not sure it’s a new thing
 
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