Stu

[Shevans]

You'll be starting an auto-refurb business at this rate !!!

My 1996 Toyota Jam import “Bus” needs exactly what Stu is doing to both rear wheel arches, sadly my welding skills managed to just aboutbraze a bike handlebars on and that was the end of trying it ever again, I can see the thing going up in flames!

Been trying to get the front wheel alignment done and no matter where I go the modern alignment equipment does not have the setting stored and the garage won’t input the ones I have from Toyota - sigh..

Bus is so bloody reliable it would be a sad day to scrap it,

[karatestu]

You'll be starting an auto-refurb business at this rate !!!

No chance. By the time I have finished this I will be well sick of it. I've inhaled enough rust to last a lifetime. The aim is to keep this on the road for another 18 years when I will be ready to retire. Actually, my body says its time to retire now but two kids coming Into teenage years are very expensive.

[antonio66]

You'll be starting an auto-refurb business at this rate !!!

My 1996 Toyota Jam import “Bus” needs exactly what Stu is doing to both rear wheel arches, sadly my welding skills managed to just aboutbraze a bike handlebars on and that was the end of trying it ever again, I can see the thing going up in flames!

Been trying to get the front wheel alignment done and no matter where I go the modern alignment equipment does not have the setting stored and the garage won’t input the ones I have from Toyota - sigh..

Bus is so bloody reliable it would be a sad day to scrap it,

If it's a Toyota it's worth keeping going. Daihatsu are part of Toyota (or were back in the 90's). A Toyota hilux is the only other 4x4 i would consider. Our 90's vehicles are from the golden age before engine management systems, diesel particulate filters, sensors for just about everything you can think of.

Modern vehicle technicians are not real mechanics. They can't diagnose what is wrong unless they plug it in to something which tells them what is wrong. There is no such bollox on our cars. Mine will even run on 100% vegetable oil - only for the warmer 6 months of the year though. It tends to clog up in winter a bit and new diesel filters cancel out any savings. Saying that, veg oil these days is nearly as expensive as derv.

Keep the bugger going. Better the devil you know. Apart from the astronomical purchase price of cars these days they are designed to cost you much more over the course of ownership . Robbing barstewards.

[Shevans]

Hi Stu, I absolutely do intend to keep it running as long as physically possible, as you say it’s an easy fix and nothing complicated.

Veg oil - snap, when diesel was a silly price I topped up with a 20l drum of veg oil. Amazingly it ran smoother than on diesel, has seen all sorts going in including filtered oil from the chip shop. I popped a small amount of petrol into the chip oil to make it a bit thinner.

My only “issue” is that it has always eaten front tyres but going to try some stiff van tyres this time round. Factory tyre pressure is 33psi but at that level you get wear on both edges as it’s far too low and 38-40psi makes it bounce around but helps with mpg and feels like the power steering is actually working,

I cut the air con belt years ago as the compressor was noisy.

Gets a clean when the moss starts to grow

[antonio66]

There must be a specialist willing and able to sort the tracking out for you. Its not something I've ever messed about with.

I think once rust has taken hold it is only possible to slow it down, not stop it. Welding new steel in is the only way to get rid. I can't do the whole thing though.

There are areas of rust which hasn't progressed very deep (rot) and these parts I am treating with a rust converter and then a lanolin product extracted from sheep's wool. The lanolin is good stuff and takes little preparation before applying. No need to go mad with degreasing. A lot of the underbody paints etc do a good job of covering a multitude of sins but the rust returns and does its thing unnoticed until it is too late. Lanolin is clear and you can see what's going on (or not going on) underneath. It needs topping up every year but it's a quick DIY job and it makes you get involved with what's going on under your car.

[Shevans]

Going way of topic…. I have severe eczema and the only thing I can use is sheep’s fat wool soap (lanolin) , so if it’s good for the car it’s must be good for me!

[slinger]

What's the term used for somebody who wants to be different and goes out of their way to be so ? Freak or unique ?

One of the reasons I came to hfs and bought nva gear was because I wanted to be different from the rival flocks of sheep that I was encountering on my travels through Internet hifi land.

[slinger]

I bought NVA not to be different (although I was pleased with that as a side effect) but because I could actually chat with the guy who was building it and cut through the bollocks. I know little of tech-speak but I've got a pretty decent bullshit-meter, and Richard wasn't registering on it.

[karatestu]

I bought NVA not to be different (although I was pleased with that as a side effect) but because I could actually chat with the guy who was building it and cut through the bollocks. I know little of tech-speak but I've got a pretty decent bullshit-meter, and Richard wasn't registering on it.

Yes, they were other good reasons for choosing nva.

[slinger]

I've got your next project, Stu...