Citrojim's Saxo and Cycling Tales

[Xaccers]

Yeah give yourself a rest Jim to recharge the batteries.

Trouble is, I'm suffering withdrawal symptoms I NEED another project and quick. I'm bored already looking at a clean, tidy but empty garage

Well, you could pop to Leighton Buzzard and do a bit of work on Jenny, then swap Cassy's fuel pump out... if you're bored

[CitroJim]

Leighton Buzzard????

What are you doing there Xac

[Xaccers]

Leighton Buzzard????

What are you doing there Xac

That's where we moved Jenny to (my parents' drive).
All she needs is a new tyre on the front, one of her steering gaters fixed in place, and a bulb for her rear number plate and she'll sail through the MoT.
I want to swap her bumper over with one from the scrappy as her current one is slightly cracked.

As for Cassy, there's the fuel pump swap to do with the old LX's one, then sell the LX's engine.
Oh and her rear window heater isn't working again, the switch isn't working so I've got to hunt the relay and check it out.
Ooo and I want to swap exhausts with the one from the LX as it's not got a CAT

With work though I just haven't had the time to do any of it

[CitroJim]

Ahh! it all makes sense now

Right, when we both have a bit of time and the weather is nice, we'd better sat a bit of time aside to get cracking on those jobs.

Be good to see you and catch up on news. Seems a time since we have. Work must be keeping you well busy

[Xaccers]

Sounds good to me Jim!

I've done 2 weeks solid in London (although I've enjoyed it more than the usual office work at Northampton) including a week's worth of hours at the weekend.

Need to also talk to you about Juliet's roll controller too

[CitroJim]

Need to also talk to you about Juliet's roll controller too

No worries Xac Sorry for the long delay in replying. Been a bit restful (car-wise) just recently

After the hectic past few weeks, I've been taking it a bit easy on the car front. Tuesday and Wednesday I went down with a touch of 'flu. Felt dreadful all day Tuesday and Wednesday and then on Thursday woke up absolutely perfect I lost two day at work and then had to work like mad to make those up That's done and last evening I had a good relax in the garage tidying up, reassembling my spares gearbox (not that there's much any good in it now!) and making one more special tool for working on gearboxes. I made up a diff seal protector and now I have just about all I need to be able to do these 'boxes without the official special tools I just need to make a TC retainer and all will be complete.

After the hecticness of work and the brain-mashing job I do, I find it good to work in the garage as a form of relaxation.

This afternoon the Christmas lights go on in town and the girls will be performing majorette routines. Before that Robyn and I are off to look at some potential cars for her. We may have found one out near Bedford as Milton Keynes seems to be a complete washout.

Next big job is a real sortout of my garage and a stock-take of spares. Some may be on offer (ones that are surplus to my needs) so watch this space!

Last weekend I bid on eBay for a mint MK1 V6 Xantia Brochure. This was the first brochure for the V6 and is quite rare now. I just missed winning it but later, I was offered a second-chance on it as the original winner must have pulled out. It's mine and it really is mint

I also won an Activa Ram on eBay. It came wrapped in a black bin bag When I went to the post office to collect it the staff asked me what on earth it was....

My luck was really in this week! Apart for the eBay stuff, I was awarded a quite substantial cash bonus at work I just hope that luck holds for finding a good car for Robyn today...

[CitroJim]

Bingo We managed to get Robyn a very tidy little 1.4LX Peugeot 206 today, complete with sunroof in-lieu of aircon

It's an early one on a T plate but all in all, very clean and well cared for. She likes it...

First job is a new cambelt and water pump as it has scant service history.

Looked also at a V plate Clio and found rust holes in the boot

[Xaccers]

Congratulations Xantia would have been better

[CitroJim]

Xantia would have been better

Never worry Xac. she'll come round to a Xantia as soon as she drives one of mine

[KP]

Good work Jim

if i had known your were bidding on that RAM i wouldn't have bid on it so it would have been a bit cheaper

She will come round when the fuel bills and so forth start to come her way...

If you come across some spare time oop north jim i'd love a lexia session and a Jim going over my activa lol

Glad to see some bonus's are still being given out at some places and that are taking things a little easier though hope you don't get too bored though with the new slug coming to your driveway the initial prep work on it should be a good week for you to sort over

Clios are truly atrocious of that generation as some are very leaky from past experience of rentals and friends owned ones. Oh and i think the bonnets pop-up of their own will don't they??

[CitroJim]

Good work Jim

if i had known your were bidding on that RAM i wouldn't have bid on it so it would have been a bit cheaper

So it was you then Will Still a good price and it looks a good 'un

If you come across some spare time oop north jim i'd love a lexia session and a Jim going over my activa lol

I'll have to check that my visa for Yorkshire is still valid Will. Yes, I'd love to and it seems a long time since I've been up your way. It's good to Lexiate an Activa every now and again, if only to clear hydractive faults..

Today has been quite a day I've just finished for the evening and it's been a busy old day. I'm bushed but happy.

I began last evening the mammoth task of clearing space in my garage to make space for rather a lot of V6 salvage from the silver one Mike and I are busy breaking. I am such a hoarder of rubbish

Mike arrive at the break of dawn this morning to get cracking and found me in the midst of still sorting out the garage and loading my own V6 up to the gunwales with stuff destined for the tip. I never knew a Xantia could hold so much Don't worry, Mike will vouch that all that has gone for scrap is pure rubbish and good for nothing. Upshot is that I have loads of lovely space to stash away a lot of treasure the dead car is giving up.

Most dead is the gearbox. It squeals like a good 'un and to cap it all, it is full of Dexron Remarkably it still drives.

I went off and left Mike busy to collect the Pug 206 I bought Robyn for her 17th birthday. An early 1.4 LX on a T plate with an ultra-rare full-width electric sunroof. Never seen another sporting one of these.

I've really fallen for the 206 It is a great little car! I drove a friend's V*****ll C***a to pick up the 206 and to be perfectly honest, a 206 is the better car by an order of several magnitudes. I've always thought the 205 was the best of breed but the 206 beats even that. Shame Robyn's insurance cover costs more than the car!!! I've extended my Admiral Multi-car policy to cover Robyn and discovered their call-centre switches to Halifax, Nova Scotia when the Taffy one closes for the day. I ended up nattering to a Canadian petrol-head in the call centre for ages and ages and Robyn's insurance was dealt with almost as an afterthought! I rate Admiral and their customer service. Whether Canadian or Welsh, it's second to none.

Progress on breaking the V6 is going very well. Next weekend should see the engine lifted I broke my duck with driveshaft intermediate bearings and finally had one that yielded relativity easily My elation was short lived though, the LH lower swivel joint really put up a fight and ended up bending my balljoint splitter

We ran the car for the final time to get the suspension up on high and Mike suggested it would be a good time to crack the rear corner spheres. I agreed but then forgot. By the time I got round to it, the car was a long way from ever running again and despite some pressure still being in the hydraulics they were not going to play. In the end I devised a "method" to hold the rear cylinders to crack the spheres. It worked but I'd not specifically recommend it

Rain finally stopped play this evening but not before the physiological milestone (for me at least) of removing the driveshafts was completed.

Final job this evening was stashing away a lot of bits already removed and tidying up.

MY Activa has gone into temporary winter storage, sadly not under cover but tucked up nicely at the end of a friend's drive. I'll be taking her out on fine winter days but not when there is any salt about. My V6 continues to do what a V6 does well and touch-wood has been as good as gold although she gets a rest now for a couple of weeks as I'll be using the 206 on a daily basis to make she's good before handing her over to her young custodian...

[DickieG]

I find it quite therapeutic stripping parts from a car and I know from the silver estate we stripped at my place you also rather enjoy the experience the trouble for me now is that for some reason I have a mental picture in my mind of seeing you rushing to and fro from the car to your garage with these parts just like a squirrel at this time of year

[CitroJim]

It is very therapeutic indeed Richard

Yes, I do squirrel away stuff and just like a squirrel I forget where quite often.

Sorting out the garage was like a voyage of discovery I had a lot of stuff I had forgotten I had

[XantiaMan]

[CitroJim]

Must be an old photo of me Gareth,

I've been banned from drinking Red Bull for some time now