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Showing content with the highest reputation on 23/06/21 in all areas
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MOT day today so went down to Wantage MOT Centre as usual. When I got there, I was able to park next to a lovely R reg (1976/1977) Lotus Elan +2S in beautiful original condition. The interior is particularly gorgeous with oatmeal leather, burr walnut dash, lots of proper round instruments - I know, I'm going on, now!. I have broached the subject with Mrs Marks who has forbidden me to even think of having another car! Trevor's comment at the garage was "I thought the Elan was low!"8 points
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28% fatality rate is barely any higher than normal risk of death (17%) for being 85. And that's AT 85, not any ages over, where clearly the chance of dying increases year on year. The 28% stat is 'over 85' - of course a 95 year old is going to pop their clogs if they get Covid, but then again they probably would if they got a heavy cold, or walked up the stairs too quickly, or... As Steve says, there are no stats for people who have died specifically because of Covid, we don't know the truth. I have some other very pragmatic (unpopular!) thoughts about this subject I'll keep to myself 😄2 points
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Car now SOLD😲 After much soul searching I think it's time to sell - other than a road 7-800 mile road trip last year I have barely used my car other than just a quick blat every now and again and to be honest I have lost my mojo for track days after having done so many and that was primarily was my main interest. Ok so the car is a Westfield Duratec Sport 2000 in chrome yellow - it's been over serviced like so many cars with much more frequent oil changes than required - I have done this myself. The car benefits from a recently reconditioned engine with new crankshaft (span a shell at Rockingham 3-4 years or so ago) and the car has not been used much since (no track days) and just road mileage including last years road trip as mentioned above. Mileage: just over 27 but may increase Upgrades... Northampton Motorsport cam upgrade and swirl pot to prevent fuel sytarvation on track (not been on rolling road but estimated 210bhp) - see invoice in the pictures for £3000 Brake bias valve fitted by NMS at the same time as above When I span a shell at Rockingham I had the engine reconditioned including a new crank and some head work to help with air flow - Oil cooler kit also fitted at this point as a worthwhile preventative measure to help stop future issues - £3400 Raceline sump Huge Simpson race can and manifold which is a real work of art and quiet £1400 Playskool full cage with welded in side bars £900 JK fibreglass seats with pads and carbon fibre inserts including bases on runners - i think these were £600 Carbon mods aero screen £120 Carbon fibre front cycle wings - got these used but paid £150 Willwood front brake calipers and drilled / grooved disks - from memory £500 Quick release steering wheel (245mm steering wheel £120 - it's a bit small to be honest but its been on the car for years) - steering column was sent to Westfield for them to weld the lug - RTQ2 lug £120 plus Westfield to do their bit Three sets of wheels - Minilite type replicas with nearly new 888's which are currently on the car (please note CXR are now on the car) (they only have the road trip mileage and a little bit of extra road mileage on them) Selling with the car but £400 - then a nice set of Compomotive CRX wheels with tyres which look to be about road legal but plenty left for track days £500 - then a crappy set of Alleycats with some very and I mean very old Nankang tyres on £200 - the wheels are rough and the tyres need destroying unless you are doing a drift day V8 bonnet fitted to car and a spare standard bonnet included £200 Carbon fibre dash now fitted - £130 Viscous slippy diff Gell battery fitted in the nosecone £120 My famous towing modification Curved rear view mirror on cage - SPA mirrors central and side £180 Lowered floor - I am 6 foot 2 and fit in just fine Carbon fibre side screens - I think I paid £250 Procomp adjustable shocks/springs and front anti roll bar (not the Westfield one that has been known to damage the chassis / car fully setup and corner weighted by Procomp £1000 Comes complete with windscreen, side screens, wiper motor and washer bottle and can be converted fairly easy for road use - see further down the post for more detail and pictures Racelidz 4 point harness - they are five point but only fitted 4 and I have the groin belts to include in sale - seats have the holes for the 5th belt High level cage mounted brake light A quick tot up shows over £13000 of spend - excluding all the sets of tyres and general servicing costs Private plate not included and is now on retention so new v5 with age related plate should be be with me in 3-5 days (started process on the 23rd). The chassis does not have any signs of any cracks - I check it over thoroughly every now and again - the car has never been involved in any accident so is as straight as you would expect and I don’t crash heavily over curbs on track days Sure there's loads of stuff I have missed. Car has always been covered in ACF50 underneath so is in good condition and I have renewed the metallastic suspension bushes in the past. Car owned by me since 2009 (I think) and I purchased it from a guy who purchased it as an unfinished kit direct from Westfield (the car was on display at Bristol Airport if I remember correctly). The car has been mainly a track car in later years of my ownership but presents reasonably well - but there are various cracks in fibreglass - the scuttle I had wrapped a few years ago as I had added and removed the windscreen so there was an assortment of holes to cover up - the wrap is looking a bit tired now. Mechanically the car is great - it's the body work that's not up to show car standard but has to be said when cleaned it does look very smart - but it's not a show car It’s pretty handy on track in the right hands (not mine) and has more than enough go to keep up with seriously quick road cars - handles really well both on and off track with its Procomp spring/shock setup - doesn’t shake your eyeballs out like some cars I have been in Price: 15.5k which includes spare wheels, tyres and all the other parts you can see in the pictures - if you don’t want those parts make me an sensible offer1 point
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1992 Narrow SE unbuilt kit. Never been used, raced or on the road in any form. Asking £4,000 for entire complete project there is a lot of stuff, I've tried to list below everything. Or £3,000 without engine and custom bellhousing. I've spent nearer £6k as is the way with some projects. I got this last year after a friend found it as a project barn find from an estate sale. Due to other commitments I'm unlikely to be able to finish so realistic option is sell. Giving it priority on here for couple of weeks. No plans to split, the whole package goes as a lot. There is a lot of stuff, so needs trailer or van and maybe a couple of runs? Fills most of my shed now (see last pic) plus the chassis! Happy to work with a forum member on handing over knowledge of project and 4AGE installs. Also if needed I can strip more parts off to get chassis transportable in back of a large van or have it rolling on wheels ready for a trailer etc with body clamped down. What you get:- All Westfield tags and paperwork/invoices of sale from 1992, all matching numbers tags on chassis. Huge folder of receipts from 92 until now. Unbuilt Narrow live axle chassis painted black with all wishbones recently powder coasted black. Suspension and axle assembled along with fuel/brake lines and the ali panels sikaflexed and riveted on. New bushes used and new bolts, new ball joints etc. Full set of body work including boot box cycle wings -used. 4AGE engine removed from running driving Mk1 MR2 with donor car v5 in my name(to be passed on) and vin plates ready for proof of engine age at IVA - all matched for IVA reg as 1987 emissions standard. Plan was put this on F plate or Q plate. 4AGE flyhweel and pinto AP racing clutch and Spigot bearing ready for type 9. Engine is ready to drop in with custom engine mounts made already, that was my planned next job. ECU, standard inlet and engine loom for 4AGE, full car loom also included from donor MK1 MR2. Westfield full loom never fitted just labelled up. 3.5 English new gaskets and hub seals in modified axle case. Avo rear shocks. Injection narrow fuel tank with return and tank straps. Type 9 gearbox refurbed and painted with new oils ready to go in. Custom RWD motorsport 4AGE to type 9 bell housing, 3 gear levers for type 9 inc quick shift kit New old stock RS2000 clutch fork Handbrake and cables Rear drums new shoes All fuel and brake pipe done and fitted to chassis to IVA spec. Brake master cyl 2 x steering columns allegro and mk2 escort style Refurb mk2 steering rack. New steering rack mounts and poly bush Mountney wheel and boss Custom prop shaft type9 to English axle Caterham seats and Caterham 4 point seat belts 4AGE custom equal length 4into 1 exhaust manifold Stainless Westfield silencer Westfield front shocks Cycle wing brackets Cortina front uprights, refurbed with new bearings, discs/pads etc. Front cycle wings Headlamps and Headlamp brackets Side repeaters, brake lights indicator clusters. Several sets of indicators Washer bottle Westfield dash Full set of VDO instruments speedo reads 900 miles. Surface rust on faces only. All switches and warning lights Whole bunch of xflow engine mounts and coils and xflow spares. Polo rad and rad fan Carpets full set Hood Screen glass & frame powder coated black & Frame uprights powder coated black. Alloy side panels (as option instead of GRP tub) and alloy interior closing panels and alloy under tray panels for engine and boot under fuel tank. 2 x roll bars with back stays (RAC style) Wiper motor & wipers Windscreen fillet strips Boxes and boxes of odds/sods and bolts/nuts/washers/rubber seals/gears/handbrakes/bushes etc. Build stands included but engine stand not included. Set of 14" rough alloy wheels to get it rolling. More little bits, serious buyers come take a look. Located in Milton Keynes. To finish needs built up (I believe almost everything is here to finish) and a paint/wrap. I think less than £1k and time would see it all finished to a good standard ready for IVA. For serious buyers I have 30 + pictures of box contents and close ups I can email across.1 point
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Yes Dave is still about driving his Locost, not seen him for a while but still on the mailing list Steve1 point
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love the workspace, quite jealous, lol... car looking great.1 point
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Just filled in an entry and it appears to have been accepted, jobs a good en.1 point
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I took my head lights off because they got broken twice.. so i ran with duct tape over them anyway so thought might as well take them off..saves weight too! My indicator glass is smashed on one so they are taped over too Until this year I normally get it MOT'd and probably do 100 miles a year on the road however normally to test ready for the track... but MOT tester said I don't need the head lights to pass, just that if they are on then they have to work.. I need to ask him about the indicators.. maybe same applies... probably could have done with the lights on Monday in the dark and rain.. just so the ones with poor mirror usage could see me coming!! As we discussed Andrew.. I don't think my tyres will need changing for a while.. they seem to have reached a comfortable wear level where each time they are heat cycled they get harder.. and then wear less!!1 point
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Started going over the car to see what the latest breakage is.. I knew both rear light lenses were cracked, but have also found the right side headlight was virtually holding on by the wiring! Bracket was badly cracked, and is now snapped. So, do I order a new bracket from WF, (not in stock, couple of weeks lead time) weld up the broken bracket, or go lightless? Less frontal area = a bit more straight line speed? Hmmmmm1 point
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I’ve got an Minno Max too @CosKev, but I don’t know how big his garage is 😄1 point
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Got a feeling it will, as I've got a Minno Max and the wheel rack I've just had off BJT states it's for the A series1 point
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the key word in the question for me is the attainable bit steve, i kind of have that already but you say i cant have a westy, so this a quite hard for me. i am really into cars from say pre 1990, big scope there but with the prices of older cars rising as they are, the cars i want are no longer within reach. had the word attainable not been there i would have said series 1 e type and or healy 3000, but they are off the table. i think then it has to be a car from the 60's or 70's which is where my love of cars started really. i have a chance to buy a mk2 cortina, but its in boxes , i rebuilt the engine some years ago but the owner died in the middle of a resto, the cash wanted for this is within my budget, but not sure aged 56 i want to get underneath a rusty car anymore, besides which health issues will make it a very long rebuild. taken me ages to write this as i cant think what i would have, so going to say , spitfire, classic mini or if i sold some body parts a decent rover p5b.1 point
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Well when you have a big heavy American beast you need something to handle it1 point
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Well, more restrictions if we were to see a surge in severe infections, hospital admissions and/or deaths. I definitely didn't and wouldn't support lockdowns or restrictions "just to see". How do we move forwards? There's no right answer to that. Me personally, I am content to place significant trust in the medical profession, a bit less in how government interprets it for delivery and none in how the media report it. I can answer how I will move forwards though. Right here right now, if restrictions were lifted I think I would still wear a mask in the shops and try to keep people further away that spitting distance. I don't find either of those things to be any sort of hardship. But I'd visit friends, mix in groups of people etc, although I think I'd avoid capacity events at venues and stadiums for a while longer. A different girl every night is bound to increase risk so I'm sticking to just two a week with a vaccine cert and a lateral flow test before things get interesting...1 point
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28% of our over 85s is 450,000 people, 5% of our 70 to 85s is 550,000 people, a million in total, just saying. We do know how many people have died because of Covid, it is the published 'excess deaths' figure, it is people that have died earlier than they otherwise would have, because of Covid. As it happens, if my guess is correct it is highly likely that I agree with your 'pragmatic and unpopular' thoughts. The issue is not just the number of deaths, as I have said before, if that many extra people die in a little over a year, it is the manner of those deaths, the lack of treatment for those that might have survived, the lack of care for those that do succumb to it. It is families watching loved ones drown in the fluid in their own lungs, with no care available. All of that while almost all other treatments are suspended due to lack of resources. Sorry - just painting pictures again. Anyway, let us leave it there, we may have exceeded our non Westfield discussion quota.1 point
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Same here for my Westfield, spoke to Hawk, very pleasant experience. Thank you.1 point
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Indeed. There are stats to support the biggest nutter views and the views of the most risk averse if you look hard enough. One stat I would be actually intrigued to see (but impossible) is how many people have actually been killed by covid as the primary cause. I know that probably sounds morbid but anyone who dies of a heart attack but happens to have tested positive for covid 3 weeks earlier is recorded as a "covid" death. Which in my view gives a false impression. (I know this seems to be the accepted standard, but I fail to believe that all countries have reported on a level playing field)1 point
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As has already been adequately explained, this upturn in global average temperatures is clearly and unequivocally attributed to the decline in the population of Pirates in square rigged ships. Just look at how the dates line up, it’s obvious….. Or perhaps it might just be related to the point in time were we starting burning fossil fuel on a global scale.1 point
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Pay per mile. Hence why they are investing so heavily on SMART motorways etc and increased nanny state electronics in all new cars so that it's going to be easier to implement!1 point
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That's a small price to pay 🤣1 point
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I’m entered hopefully the engine will be back in and a trip to Daytuner before hand 😬1 point
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This is still pretty raw for me, we had to make the decision 12 weeks ago .. the first time. Our 10 year old Jack Russell was not well.. what made things worse is that she was eating and drinking, peeing and pooing... as dogs owners know they are the key things... but I was at home recovering from Covid and my partner Carol was in hospital with covid and I noticed that Poppy had an insatiable appetite. For a start i thought it was just because I was looking after her and was under feeding her.. Then luckily Carol recovered and she agreed that her eating was not normal but excessive. I took her to the vets and there was a locum vet on.. his first comments were his concern for sedating her because of her heart condition... that was the first time we had heard about this, despite using the same vet for the ten years.. I was shocked and upset.. So we took her to a different practice and they confirmed Poppy's heart condition and said they needed to do a scan. Poppy hated the vets and her terrier instinct took over and she would try and attack them, therefore she had to be sedated for the heart scan.. which of course was a concern because of her heart, but it was a risk we had to take.. The scan showed that she had a heart condition and it would need treatment... I won't go on.. but we had some really difficult things and more vets visits but still her insatiable hunger continued, plus she started showing signs of dementia.. things like standing behind a door when trying to open it... standing and shaking.. but the hardest thing was she was not playing with her toys or wagging her tail.. she was just not happy... plus she kept looking at us asking for food.. I got the vet to come to the house and see her... and we talked things through and the diagnosis was that she most likely had a brain tumour that was getting worse, despite her young age.. The vet explained that she would have to go to a veterinary hospital for further scans and then if it was a tumour she would need an operation on her brain etc etc etc.. plus she had a weak heart.. I already knew before the vet came the action we had to take, but I needed Carol to come to the same conclusion for herself... as the vet left Carol said what I knew needed to happen.. So i arranged for the vet to come to our house the next day and put her to sleep in her garden...her favourite place. I think the decision I had to make was the hardest ever especially as she was so young plus I knew how much losing Poppy would affect Carol.. she is still her mess as she was Carol's little girl.. plus the house is empty without her.. We had her cremated which I think was the right thing and we still have her ashes.. In answer to your question and as others have said... think about the great life your dog has had and all the happy times.. but don't be selfish and keep them alive for your benefit, think of them and if they are suffering do the right thing, you will know when that time is.0 points
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Accepted a very competitive caravan quote from A Plan (Bromsgrove).0 points