So what have you done with your Aston today? (Vol. 2)
Discussion
Not today because of rubbish weather, but yesterday the DB4 got its MOT, deferred by 6 months "because COVID", 58 years old, 157000 miles, no advisories. Great to drive it but goodness the headlights are like glow worm's armpits! We'll be looking at installing modern alternatives while the car's off the road in the new year for a gearbox rebuild, needs new 2nd gear synchro and bearings, not done since 1994. Also looking at new hubs and discs all round, and which may need to be made for the car
DB4DM said:
Not today because of rubbish weather, but yesterday the DB4 got its MOT, deferred by 6 months "because COVID", 58 years old, 157000 miles, no advisories. Great to drive it but goodness the headlights are like glow worm's armpits! We'll be looking at installing modern alternatives while the car's off the road in the new year for a gearbox rebuild, needs new 2nd gear synchro and bearings, not done since 1994. Also looking at new hubs and discs all round, and which may need to be made for the car
Well maintained David, no advisories. What a wonderful car to own.
My Aston Martin also had a COVID-19 MoT extension to this month, but in view of the 'lockdown', it has just begun winter hibernation, so therefore no MoT until next spring.
What is all this about 2nd gear syncro and bearings wearing out, so soon after a 1994 rebuild? _
Made me think about one of my cars, a 1995 Vauxhall Cavalier. Still useful and surprisingly for such a mundane car, probably now has the best original bodywork of the few remaining. No paint bubbling (the red and white ones eventually go matt, I lucked in on green). These days, that car is only used for taking garden waste to the tip.
Nothing wrong with the gearbox though, still perfectly sweet. At the tip, there are frequent comments such as, "I used to have one of those".
Most peculiar that anyone should even want to talk about such a car.
Edited by Dewi 2 on Saturday 14th November 21:24
I had my graphite aluminium tread plates PPF´ed with XPEL “Stealth” (using their pre-cut templates) and the sill plaques with XPEL “Ultimate Plus” – hence preserving the original look as best as possible.
Screwing the sill plaques back in I felt like a Gaydon craftsman, lol. BUT: One of the two bolts supposed to be underneath the sill plaque on the left hand side had simply been absent! - “Hand B(b)uilt in England”, oh yes!
During hibernation the car also serves well as a stationary discotheque (... errm, for not too long despite the plugged in C-Tek): Stylish ambience, cool illumination & 80´s dance tunes.
Screwing the sill plaques back in I felt like a Gaydon craftsman, lol. BUT: One of the two bolts supposed to be underneath the sill plaque on the left hand side had simply been absent! - “Hand B(b)uilt in England”, oh yes!
During hibernation the car also serves well as a stationary discotheque (... errm, for not too long despite the plugged in C-Tek): Stylish ambience, cool illumination & 80´s dance tunes.
Edited by Emilio Largo on Sunday 15th November 01:27
DB4DM said:
Not today because of rubbish weather, but yesterday the DB4 got its MOT, deferred by 6 months "because COVID", 58 years old, 157000 miles, no advisories. Great to drive it but goodness the headlights are like glow worm's armpits! We'll be looking at installing modern alternatives while the car's off the road in the new year for a gearbox rebuild, needs new 2nd gear synchro and bearings, not done since 1994. Also looking at new hubs and discs all round, and which may need to be made for the car
You may well have a source David but I looked here for disks for my modern old boat after a friendly tip: https://www.wilwood.comMaybe you can get a Xenon HID bulb conversion kit - I did a Beemer once and it was very effective. Just don't get too high a colour temperature - tungsten glow worms are about 3000 Kelvin and the bluey whites shouldn't go much above 5000k or its unnatural. Mind you it doesn't have paraffin and wicks does it - if so convert it to petrol!
All the best.
Ken Figenus said:
You may well have a source David but I looked here for disks for my modern old boat after a friendly tip: https://www.wilwood.com
Maybe you can get a Xenon HID bulb conversion kit - I did a Beemer once and it was very effective. Just don't get too high a colour temperature - tungsten glow worms are about 3000 Kelvin and the bluey whites shouldn't go much above 5000k or its unnatural. Mind you it doesn't have paraffin and wicks does it - if so convert it to petrol!
All the best.
Ken, with all due respect, I think a xenon conversion on a vintage car is... off. I would try to invest in the best bulbs you can buy but in respect of the original wiring. I am a fan of keeping things period-correct, while trying to improve of course and if possible. Maybe you can get a Xenon HID bulb conversion kit - I did a Beemer once and it was very effective. Just don't get too high a colour temperature - tungsten glow worms are about 3000 Kelvin and the bluey whites shouldn't go much above 5000k or its unnatural. Mind you it doesn't have paraffin and wicks does it - if so convert it to petrol!
All the best.
Fair points guys Closest I've had to a classic was a Mk1 Ford Escort 30 years ago ;-) That had 100w Cibies in addition to original 'glow worm armpit candles'
Does it have the more modern H1 or H2 etc type fitting David or are they milled from solid glass in a Burano glass blowers house by a septuagenarian wearing gold half moon glasses? {I'm such a modern heathen}
Does it have the more modern H1 or H2 etc type fitting David or are they milled from solid glass in a Burano glass blowers house by a septuagenarian wearing gold half moon glasses? {I'm such a modern heathen}
cornershop said:
The corrosion was in between the two layers of the bonnet - no real way of guaranteeing a fix.
Believe me, they have no real way of guaranteeing a fix anyway. I've had one bit of mine re-done twice . It was the bit by the mirror arm on the driver's door. Last time they did talk about maybe putting a new door on it as it had happened three times but they decided not to in the end. Not holding my breath ........Buster73 said:
Fitted a smaller front number plate , then took it out to get a thorough thrashing , called in the get my Sunday papers .
Stupid questions. How does the smaller plate attach? I still have the plinth on my V8V and I thought (without removing to check) that there were fixings in the body to attach the plinth to. And do these smaller plates comply with the regs on letter/number size and placement and just reduce the borders around the number? Or are the numbers "shrunk" in font size and potentially open to a challenge from John Law.As an aside I shall drive mine until the first road salting. And, even then, I'll drive it if the salt is washed off by a spell of good weather - I'll just slowly drag a garden sprinkler underneath to rinse off the undersides
Edited by LTP on Monday 23 November 08:49
LTP said:
Stupid questions. How does the smaller plate attach? I still have the plinth on my V8V and I thought (without removing to check) that there were fixings in the body to attach the plinth to. And do these smaller plates comply with the regs on letter/number size and placement and just reduce the borders around the number? Or are the numbers "shrunk" in font size and potentially open to a challenge from John Law.
Behind the plinth are 2 holes that can then be used to attach the number plate to, or can be covered up with a self adhesive attached plate of any size. As for the legality of the 'new' plate that's entirely up to you, you could fit a fully 'legal' plate or one as butchered as you like. If you have a shorter number of characters on your plate than the 'standard' 7 you can still be legal with a shorter plate as long as the font and spacing is ok, and it has the makers postcode.
LTP said:
Buster73 said:
Fitted a smaller front number plate , then took it out to get a thorough thrashing , called in the get my Sunday papers .
Stupid questions. How does the smaller plate attach? I still have the plinth on my V8V and I thought (without removing to check) that there were fixings in the body to attach the plinth to. And do these smaller plates comply with the regs on letter/number size and placement and just reduce the borders around the number? Or are the numbers "shrunk" in font size and potentially open to a challenge from John Law.As an aside I shall drive mine until the first road salting. And, even then, I'll drive it if the salt is washed off by a spell of good weather - I'll just slowly drag a garden sprinkler underneath to rinse off the undersides
Edited by LTP on Monday 23 November 08:49
I’d fixed the full size one with double sided foam pads , I must have spent an hour getting the plate then the residue off before sticking the new one on.
I’ve put the old front plate in the boot incase I ever get stopped by Spike from the interceptors
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