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Post by Peter on Jun 14, 2022 10:03:53 GMT
The deal is done and Ukhozi is sold, being collected later this week. Electrics were - are the sticking point in getting it ready to go as I don't want Jose Miguel to have a nervous breakdown, little things like the soldered joint branching off to power the reverse light switch was dry so took a while to find it and repair, now reverse camera works too but digi-dash doesn't so back to that today, tomorrow morning, early is wife's Corsa in for em missions and rear bearings for MoT (ITV. Wheels back on as brakes and clutch now OK and speedo pick up cable secured. Door catches are just a hole as I left that for Jose to sort out but I fear I will be getting a lot of calls and for 6K€ I don't mind too much. So by the weekend and after 28 years I will be Eagle SS-less. Harley Davidson 883 custom in a couple of weeks. Gona be great cruising with the son-in -law. Not to much 'mid-life crisis but a late in life crisis. And what the hell!
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Post by Peter on Jun 14, 2022 9:47:15 GMT
Possible, (if you live abroad).
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Post by Peter on Jun 11, 2022 10:18:58 GMT
1 set of two small and one large per window. Kinda rough, new trackball gets a bit of getting used to,
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Post by Peter on Jun 10, 2022 10:29:38 GMT
I dont suppose original SS side windows are available any-more. I managed to smash one of mine because I put it in a careless place when storing it. Anybody had new side windows made? Im tempted to put plastic in there now or just leave them without glass. Ugh! Doesn't the printer stink the place out? my missus would go mad at that, I keep forgetting who it is but there is a forum member with a pair of MkII/III side windows spare. Got the same problem but I went to a glazier and for about 50 quid they will cut, drill and toughen a copy of the good one I have, The only problem I have is 'grommets', can't seem to get them anywhere, can you 'print' some in rubber? I tried 4mm poly carbon windows but still too flexible and prone to scratching. They 'should' be marked as well. I even made a 'custom' case to take a pair but the postage cost now is stupid expensive plus duty admin and tax doubles the cost, F*** Brexit. Like the switch panel too, looks very OEM, my effort was using NASA guards made by the same guy who makes them for NASA actually,
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Post by Peter on Jun 8, 2022 14:32:26 GMT
Have my fingers crossed your sale goes smoothly, but will be a bit sad to miss your progress updates and all your eagle knowledge. Hopefully you will still be visiting the forum. I intend on getting a move on with my build as I have just got done with the house jobs. The thing that scares the hell out of me is how bloody fast I got to this age (76) from 55,
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Post by Peter on Jun 7, 2022 12:53:03 GMT
I need to get the electrical connections redone on the dash to console using 6.3mm spade blocks as the small pins on the military connector were to small and the wheels back on fast. why? well it seems I have SOLD THE SS.
At 76 and following a trip to the cardiologist yesterday and with at least a year to go before I could even conceder going through the very stressful procedure of getting it Spanish and legally on the road I have to call it a day.
Good news is you lot will be seeing little of me as I will be in the background more but I will be keeping an eye on a couple to see if they actually do get on the road.
The other half of the Spanish Eagle owners club has offered to buy it (subject to wife's approval) rather than break it for the VW parts so I can repair my Mercedes A170 and pay back tax of 2,200€ or buy a newer car than the 1988 Honda Civic I am driving. He has agreed to 6,000€ and it is his. At least it is a runner.
Actually rather fancy a Harley Davidson 883 instead of my old 1999 Suzuki Bergman 400.
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Post by Peter on Jun 1, 2022 11:04:52 GMT
Retirement
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Post by Peter on Jun 1, 2022 11:01:08 GMT
I wasnt aware we had to request a space on the pitch as ive always just rocked up and hoped i wasnt the only eagle to turn up again. If we get the vehicle list updated we can enquire about vehicle condition and "encourage" all those with vehicles that "will be ready next year" AGAIN to get them to the next show! ;-) Perhaps my trailer tent is club headquaters AGAIN? Getting ANY formulation from owners is like pulling teeth. I can only ask, maybe if I was in the dreary UK and could afford the fuel I would visit as many as I could and see what the state of the cars are but I am not so I can only ASK.
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Post by Peter on May 27, 2022 12:42:39 GMT
I don't know what happened to the "history page" but it is back on. I will do an edit soon as a little new stuff has come to light in the last two years.
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Post by Peter on May 27, 2022 12:40:11 GMT
Recovery
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Post by Peter on May 27, 2022 12:36:31 GMT
And that is why there is no MkIV and Tim Naylor lost his shirt, (all we got after spending a fortune at Stoneleigh was stupid remarks about the concept car not being symmetrical, (wasn't meant to be, it had options for comments, left and right being different, and having a flimsy chassis, when it was not a chassis, just kept the engine and front subframe in place) and the Malaysian Moon GT died (at $16,000 for basic body and glass, plus seats, trim, running gear, shipping ($1,200)) and why attendance at shows is dwindling, it is just too darn expensive to have a car based hobby these days, much less one that is a money pit and takes up a lot of time and space and people are struggling to make ends meet as society demands the latest, biggest, phone, car, house, etc.
Would anyone today pay AT LEAST 16,000 for a updated SS for Japanese sports car gear? I think not and that is proven by the lack of sales by Poly-Creations in Belgium who have body, bonnet, boot and door moulds for the SS and complete Novas, amongst others.
A LOT of owners are in the " Liked it, bought it, built/restored it, drove it, lost interest and sold/broke/dumped it" or family and life in general got in the way categories and many are just rotting in sheds and back yards. Very sad.
Remember when life was fun and one didn't sit glued to rubbish on the TV 6 hours a night?
400 is a bit steep for something rotting under weeds in the back yard and will not sell for that, 200 maybe-
Anyone with a RV roof and a bit of time could make a mould for 100 and I have been trying to get someone to do that for YEARS, doors too and when someone actually does come up with the goods after a dozen owner/builders cry out for parts like screens from Pilkington or door seals, handles, etc, the take up is zero.
Rant over
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Post by Peter on May 27, 2022 11:47:40 GMT
I have to commiserate with those who have traditionally used the club area with none Eagle items but things have changed and maybe not for the better, smaller sites and stricter rules that have to be observed. are a sign of the shrinking attraction of kit cars thanks to government restrictions and the nanny state which have resulted in smaller shows as the organisers balance attendance with costs. We just have to make the effort and show up IN OUR EAGLES. Juan Miguel and I that make up the Spanish branch do have a slight disadvantage though.
There at least a dozen Eagles that could be on the road and driven there but really important stuff like doing the weekly shopping or having to hang the new curtains or mowing the lawn seem to take precedence. Having to work is a crap excuse, everyone is entitled to a day off, even when I was self employed and mega busy I made time for a show at least once a year.
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Post by Peter on May 25, 2022 11:20:07 GMT
As many have fond out, not everyone can actually fit in one.I certainly wouldn't.
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Post by Peter on May 23, 2022 10:41:00 GMT
If only the club had the space and funds to 'rescue' such items.
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Post by Peter on May 20, 2022 13:01:20 GMT
Going back over stuff done a decade or two ago, now got the clutch working but too much play, brake pedal too far back and throttle too far forward so changing from throttle to brake isn't a smooth slide across. Gear-shift lever needs to be adjusted forward an inch or so. Seat belt mountings on outside needs to be redone as too far forward so I will mount into the side of the body with ample reinforcement. Some of the dash wiring has a mind of its own so need to pull the console again to check. might switch from the military connector which is a bit big and go to a Molex 11 way.
Right door catches on the roof so that needs adjusting, again and still need to fix side pods to centre of dash/console. Then after tea!! At least the brakes all work now.
The blind spot cameras are having to wait, I have them working using a spare screen but the 4.3" monitors have gone missing, I found the bag I think they were in and no screens so someone has them and is wondering what they are for. I was thinking of using the 'front camera' input on the radio and a on/off/on switch to select left or right but that rather losses the reason for having them.
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Post by Peter on May 17, 2022 11:26:17 GMT
A very interesting video and some points that I am sure are news to many people.
Of course a lot of the stuff about seals and keeping the heat separated within the confined space of the Beetles engine compartment is not relevant to our cars where the engine is more or less open to the air around it and lots of room for heat to disperse.
I am in favour of rear vents in valances (I have the mesh to do just that below the bumper as soon as I get time) and as hot air rises, in engine lids to aid air flow and the more the merrier and deflectors under the rear of the floor pan to guide air flow up around the gearbox and under the engine is a good idea.
FYI The 'tins' I use are all alloy and have a centre mounted alternator with internal deflectors and the cylinder covers extend well below the normal to past the headers with T4 deflectors under the barrels (Over the tubes), which vastly improves the cooling plus a duct from the right scoop to the fan area of the louvred bulkhead and another from the left scoop to the oil cooler in the rear deck as suggested with a vent in the rear of the lid. All of which will be of little interest to the average Nova or SS builder if they are running a stock VW engine and tins but trying to seal off the whole engine bay of a Nova/SS would be a huge job and due to the very much larger area around the engine, unnecessary as we have scoops to get the air flow needed that the beetle does not, so concentrate you efforts in ducted air flow and heat dispersal relevant to the design of the Nova/SS.
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Post by Peter on May 12, 2022 11:09:04 GMT
Despite making a sealed cap for the 3 way reservoir and forcing air into it there was still no flow out of the clutch slave so I removed the flexible pipe and lo and behold both ends were blocked, solid with rubber from dissolved pipe so I made a solid copper one for now and it all works again. I will buy a brake line as soon as I find one that fits as there is a little movement when the clutch operates and I don't want a fracture on the solid pipe happening.
Slow work on the door cards, just getting the look I want without major fibre glass work or buying more material (against wife's rule) is difficult.
LOST! 2 x 4.3" monitors for the blind spot 'mirrors', cannot find the darn things anywhere so may just scrap the idea and fill in the holes.
Likewise the VW Golf door latch for the left door, missing, the right one with it's solenoid is there but the left, gone!
Amazing how stuff carefully put in a safe place can get lost so easily.
'New' battery has failed. I keep a trickle charge on it when in the 'shed' but it doesn't have the power it used to have and will not charge over 12,3 volts, tried "repair mode" on the new charger but still not up to 13v+. that makes 3 batteries in 8 years and still not had a long run, just a few start ups.
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Post by Peter on May 12, 2022 10:00:04 GMT
Very true and I spent a lot of time and money replacing the fuel lines in the BMW E30 although BMW said it would be OK. Also modern brake fluid seems to be very bad for rubber, my recent problems with the hydraulic clutch on the SS was due to clogged fittings from the flexible section, now replaced by solid copper. Fragola Premium Black Nylon Race Hose is one of the very few AN style hoses that are ethanol safe.
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Post by Peter on May 7, 2022 10:45:01 GMT
Thank you Graham for a timely and concise report. I had nightmares of you and Terry sitting the nice new tent, alone. I am pleased to hear the exercise at the show helped your back, I suffered for a long time following a motorcycle accident when I fractured my sacrum and couldn't walk for a month, the recuperation took ages. Funny story, (not so funny). The morning after the late night accident I checked myself over and didn't see or feel any problems, so I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up and hit the floor like a sack of spuds, legs not working, caused a panic with the nurses and scared the shite out of me. I remember when I attended the 2006 show I had just had my left knee replaced and walking was a pain but with a cane and some grit I got around and was still able to drive (an automatic) back to Birmingham airport on the Tuesday . I felt a lot better after the ache had gone. Keep taking the pills, (I am on 7 a day).
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Post by Peter on May 5, 2022 14:47:37 GMT
Well it is mostly there and although it looks rough it is not too bad front arches need tacking on again but sound. It would be a shame if it goes the way of so many for it's Ford parts. A RV WILL pass the IVA if the space between bumper and mudguard are filled in.
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Post by Peter on May 1, 2022 12:54:45 GMT
SORE
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Post by Peter on May 1, 2022 12:47:03 GMT
I hope you are all having or have had a great weekend at Stoneleigh this year, I am only I couldn't be there myself so please post as many photos as you can, I would really like to build a nice page for the EOC web. For those who have not done so before, most of us use www.vgy.me since Photobucket got ****. details on how to use it are in the forum. attachments are OK if only a couple and reduced in size as it eats up our capacity on ProBoards. In case you all missed it there is a link at the top of the page."Recommended photo hosting".
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Post by Peter on Apr 30, 2022 10:33:00 GMT
Weird tariff you have there Graham, doesn't cost me anything on my Vodafone to send emails, data, web sites etc.
Hope you have a great weekend and take lots of photos.
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Post by Peter on Apr 29, 2022 17:29:37 GMT
get some steel or brass tubes and cut poles in half
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Post by Peter on Apr 29, 2022 12:52:38 GMT
I hope everyone who can possibly be there will make the effort. Graham has put a lot of time and dosh into this weekend and the club re-boot I would hate to see him and terry standing in the club tent like a air of spare parts so please, please go. I sincerely hope some of the 100 plus cars that COULD make it turn up, after all you have had 3 years to get it ready. remember, 'use it or loose it'. All the best guys and have a great show.
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Post by Peter on Apr 29, 2022 11:06:44 GMT
I can vouch for the cold, One year (can't remember which year) I stayed in Jon's 10 man army tent and even with the tent full of snoring, belching and farting people it was so cold I got into the car and drove around at 6 in the morning with the heater on full blast until about 08:00. I was a lovely sunny day from then on.
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Post by Peter on Apr 29, 2022 10:49:56 GMT
I can vouch for the cold, in 2006 I stayed in Jon's 10 man army tent and even with the tent full of snoring, belching and farting people it was so cold I got into the car and drove around at 6 in the morning with the heater on full blast until about 08:00. I was a lovely sunny day from then on.
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Post by Peter on Apr 28, 2022 13:14:01 GMT
Final part of the interior trim apart from door cards. The hand brake cover. I tried to reflect the front part and I think it isn't too bad , not as good or detailed as I would wish but I am lowering my standards a tad to get things done.
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Post by Peter on Apr 25, 2022 10:00:19 GMT
Just a couple of things to do and it will be there.
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Post by Peter on Apr 18, 2022 10:40:38 GMT
Horse
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