Stu Thomas

I also had a great run through Snowdonia and got the first snow of the winter under my tyres.....not quite sure they're the right tyres for this weather though 😬😂

Had a great afternoon off heading up to Aber falls with Scrawn, and fair play, the old girl did well..... she'll sleep well tonight that's for sure 😊

Well, as I've already bought my Le Mans '26 tickets, and it's my 50th next year I'd best get this darned Camaro on the road and fit for an epic European jaunt...... she's still fighting me though, and slowly chipping away at my finances and sanity 🤣

Today's job....ball joints...yay! 😬

Oh man, there's so many parts I need from there..... it's a nightmare sourcing 3rd Gen parts over here in the UK 😫

😕

At least you had the pleasure of owning her and you've ensured her survival..... there's a lot to be proud of there mate 👍

First I've got to try and get the Mx5 drivable so that I can shift it from my mate Stu's garage.

But yeah, I think I may partake in a glass or two of Pinot Grigio tonight.....and sleep, lots of sleep 😴

Well that was a bit of a disaster...sorted the misfire, then whilst mapping it the temperature started to creep up....turns out the head gasket has gone 😕

Oh, and my mate decided to remove the radiator cap whilst it was still boiling and will be heading to A&E this afternoon 🤦

Despite coming close, I wasn't able to get the Mx5 ready for the rollers today, but at least my mate got his Beemer ready... unfortunately we've got a persistent misfire to try and cure.
We think it's got a blocked injector though 🙄

Don't you just love it when you buy a kit that you're assured works with the standard fuel rail.....yeah, right.

I'm not naive enough to expect it to just bolt up, but there's no way this is going to work without major modification to both the rail and the throttle linkage 🙄🤦

Now that sounds like a plan ☺️😁

I'm going to admit.....that feels a long way off at the moment.... I'm beyond shattered and in need of coffee 😫🤣🤣

The head's finally off, and considering she's been used hard in competition, the bores are looking good 😊

Time to clean her up and start bolting the shiny bits on 😁

Due to being shattered after a week of late nights, progress is going slowly...but at least it's progress.

Best get back to it 😁

So, I guess today's project is to put all those shiny new bits into the embarrassingly filthy Mx....I'm not expecting big power gains, but she's going to sound glorious ☺️

It does, doesn't it 🤔🤣

🤣🤣, yep, definitely that....😬🤣

It was my pleasure mate.....and yes, I am home already....😬😁

And she's not quite ready yet, but might well be after the weekend.
Heading over to see you was a great last run for the standard engine, that's for sure😉

After a successful radar change on Aberdyfi's lifeboat, I treated Scrawn, and myself, to a quick walk at one of my favourite places...the Torrent Walk near Brithdir 😊

New daily puzzles for #Twen25ive and #Hangram

Twen25ive 🔗 twod.net/25/

Hangram 🔗 twod.net/hangram/

Well then. Purchase of a new daily has been agreed. Seller is going to MOT it before I collect. Should be ready within 2 weeks.

So next week I’ll get a fresh MOT on Ruby before listing her for sale. If anyone is genuinely interested in taking on one of the UK’s rarest cars, drop me a DM.

After a nice lie-in and a lazy start to the day, I've got a wiring loom to finish fitting on the truck, then a bit of pre-MOT work to do on the Mx..... I'm already looking forward to this evening's wine and takeaway ☺️

Cheers mate....she's done a couple of road rallies and track days in the past, but I've decided I need to get back out there.

Hillclimb/Sprints seems like good fun, and despite not a lot of track time per event, it should be reasonably affordable and a lot more sociable than road rallies 😬🤣

Good progress towards getting the MX ready for Hillclimb and Sprint competition has been made today.

We've replaced the gearbox and got her ready for MOT next week, then I get to fit my shiny new ITB kit and the ported, polished and lumpy cammed head.

I cannot wait to give her a good thrashing 😁

I reckon that would have to be my 240.... I don't normally do car park photos but I was quite pleased with the old girl after getting her back on the road after a few months in storage 😊

That might explain why it's a changeover relay, if it's supposed to switch between the primary and secondary pumps.

Unfortunately, I've not used Vagcom regularly for years, though I have had issues in the past with a Conti GT not talking to it properly despite it also effectively being a Phaeton.

Oh heck, not the best terminated connectors either...😬

So what's the car, and what issues have you got, bar the random relay?

That was my first thought 😂

However, the Volvo is back on the road with a fresh MOT, so tow/camping IKEA run car duties are covered for now 😊

Oh, I really shouldn't like that....but....