Zel's Fleet Blog - BX, Jag XJ-S, Sinclair C5, Mercedes 208D & 230TE, AC Model 70.

[CitroJim]

Oh yes, I can definitely say that's a massive improvement Zel Are you going to take the old 'box apart and see what's worn in it?

[Zelandeth]

Oh yes, I can definitely say that's a massive improvement Zel Are you going to take the old 'box apart and see what's worn in it?

Definitely my intention. Guessing the answer is going to most likely be "everything."

One thing that is hard to convey in the video is how much less backlash there is in the drivetrain now. It's actually possible to smoothly put the power back on when coming off the freewheel, before there was always something of a jolt that was impossible to avoid.

The bearing set to rebuild it isn't expensive so if the gears themselves and the case aren't damaged I may well look to rebuild the box that came out. Either as a good spare or to pass on to someone else in need - though they don't fail particularly regularly so demand isn't huge!

[CitroJim]

Attending the Redborn Classic Car Show on Saturday...

[Zelandeth]

Attending the Redborn Classic Car Show on Saturday...

Not one I've seen before. I shudder to think what one must be like when lowered... they're bouncy enough at the best of times! Not as though you're going to gain anything in terms of handling either, they don't roll meaningfully anyway. Biggest improvement from stock is just a spacer above the inner semi trailing arm mounts which removes the significant amount of negative camber they had from the factory for some unknown reason. That can make them a bit twitchy, but otherwise they're very chuckable - as you'd expect for a tiny car that weighs 600kg.

Rather less scruffy than mine though. Not that I honestly care, it's a car which earns it's keep after all.

[CitroJim]

It wasn't sounding very healthy either Zel; It was smoking like a chimney when it drove out of the show...

[Zelandeth]

It wasn't sounding very healthy either Zel; It was smoking like a chimney when it drove out of the show...

Way too much oil then you'd tend to think...or it's never used properly so never gets to clear itself and the exhaust out.

You know what two strokes are like and how grumpy they get if not given a good pasting on a regular basis!

Or it's that classic case of a car that's been made to look very pretty but the underlying mechanical bits being largely overlooked. Which is a phenomenon I've never really understood... surely you'd want to make sure a car was reliably and comfortably usable before worrying about what it looked like. From what I've seen at shows it seems to be a very common situation though!

[moizeau]

Or it's that classic case of a car that's been made to look very pretty but the underlying mechanical bits being largely overlooked. Which is a phenomenon I've never really understood... surely you'd want to make sure a car was reliably and comfortably usable before worrying about what it looked like. From what I've seen at shows it seems to be a very common situation though!

I agree completely
Here is my 'Ugly Beast'.

Starts on the button, everything works, just looks a little rough.
Having said that, that this is her sister,

a little prettier but more importanty, everything works.

[Rp0thejester]

But still, the Trabant is a good looking lawnmower. I do agree that mechanical work is more important than bodywork otherwise you end up with a rather large paper weight.