Davie's french attraction.

[daviemck2006]

I'm away to do what Gabby is for. It will also be a big test for me, the kind of mileage that would have been a walk in the park a few years ago. Time for a run from Macduff to Edinburgh, that's about 170 miles, pitch up some stuff and straight home again. I'm leaving it a couple of hours before I leave, the head and body are not fully awake yet. If bigpug had been working it would have gone, for the cruise control, so Gabby it has to be. It's the most comfortable anyway. There's no way I would halve agreed to do it if it was whitebug. That I would need about a month to recover from, with Gabby I may get off with a couple of days, but got nothing I have to do until Friday so will be ok. Her fuel leak is not fixed yet, but it's actually so little I'm not worried and if if does break (unlikely) I do have recovery lol

[CitroJim]

All the best for a good trip Davie and here's to a rapid recovery at the end...

Gabby is surely an excellent choice of car for the job...

Let us know how it goes...

[daviemck2006]

Gabby performed as she should on the way down, time to leave for home now. Got a bonus AA box too, photographic proof to come later!

[daviemck2006]

Photographic proof of another AA box duly posted in the appropriate place. If you have 365 miles to cover in a day and a xantia with decent seats to do it in its a highly recommended combination. Gabby ran perfectly, with quite a load of stuff in it on the way home, sat at 70mph up hill, down hill, the whole day with no issues at all. My decrepit back and legs don't even feel too bad just now, but will see what tomorrow brings. She's a grand old car the old xantia. It needs keeping going for as long as I can keep it.

[CitroJim]

Excellent to hear Gabby is still doing a fine job Davie

How's the diesel leak now?

[daviemck2006]

There was a while she was leaving a trail of fuel behind her, could see it on the road outside the house but doesnt seem to be any now. Nothing has been changed, only been poked at with fingers on the leak off pipes. I'm beginning to wonder if it was one of them dripping and a poke of it has sealed it again. She had done over 130 miles on the full tank when I left yesterday, so now done about 500 miles on the tank and still the gauge is about 1/4 so it's excellent economy and surely not throwingbfuel all over the road. I'm running two parts new veg to 1 part diesel just now and she isn't smelling like a used bbq so that's kink of suggesting the fuel leak has stopped or almost stopped. I have new pipe to make new run off pipes, I have new injector seals, and have new pump seals, but if the leak has stopped I ain't touching it! I have woken op too early for me after only 4&1/2 hours sleep, wide awake but still knackered and very uncomfortable. Hope I fall asleep again or it won't be a good day

[CitroJim]

Sounds like Gabby has found a way of fixing herself Davie

Good idea to not fix it if it's not broken... Art least if you need to you have the bits in stock...

Hope you get some more sleep and a good day...

[andy5]

My Xantia HDI developed an apparently fairly sudden fuel leak a few years ago. I arrived at Eurotunnel towing an open framed trailer, and the security blokes by check-in spotted the trailer and back of the car were slightly wet, and said they wouldn't let me travel as it was a fire risk. They called a breakdown bloke who works there, who arrived in about two minutes, and he rummaged under the bonnet and found a union next to the injection pump slightly loose. Two of us tightened it up with three or four spanners (also supporting a short pipe further along against twisting), I travelled only half an hour later than booked, and it's been ok ever since. He refused any payment, and when I said it was both surprising and useful he was there to help free, he said they employ him in case they need to get broken down vehicles off the trains.

So your tinker in there may have already fixed it, but maybe it's worth just checking some joints.

[daviemck2006]

Gabby hadn't been touched from that run to Edinburgh and back 12 days ago when I decided to go for a jaunt today. Two preheat like I always do for the first start, and she started immediately. Did near 150miles today just aimlessly driving into the highlands a bit and just happened to find the last remaining Scottish AA box. The A97 from that box to Huntly is an awesome driving road, full of twists and turns, and marvellous scenery. It is a road I loved taking the activa to. If I'm honest, Gabby with her poverty spec suspension and 1.9 xud turbo really is not as far behind the activa on such a road. Now I suppose if I had been in convoy with a well driven activa it would have pulled away from me, but I still enjoyed pushing Gabby hard on the windy bits. It's the first time I have really pushed it. Just goes to show that you don't have to spend a fortune to have an enjoyable drive. She has an engine mount on the way out, a bit jerky coming on and off the throttle, but apart from that running perfectly.

Lilpug not been out of the lock up, bigpug still forgotten up the side of the house and whitebug just starts when asked, moves when asked and stops when asked. Just exactly what I expect of her. She is returning 45mpg and that's an accurate fuel log over 3000 miles plus. It's not that great for a 107, but it's fine considering most of its mileage is stop/start stuff.

I know nothing about my son or his cars or even where he is 99% of the time. He and I have had a serious fall out and I think he is avoiding me. It is possibly just as well at the moment.

[CitroJim]

Delighted Gabby continues to be excellent Davie

[daviemck2006]

I’m sitting outside work looking at Gabby just now. She got a bath earlier just using my normal Tesco wash and wax, and left to drip dry. The bits of her that still have lacquer have a real good shine yet. It’s a pity really that the tops of the wings have lost their lacquer, had they been ok a proper respray of bonnet, roof and bootlid and she would have been great, instead or the plan I have of doing the whole car. I’m going what we used to do to old school buses, tekaloid coach enamel applied with a foam roller then a wet sand with 2400 grit then a polish. Used to get a not bad finish doing that on 20 year old school buses so it should be good enough for a 20 year old xantia! (I hope lol)

[CitroJim]

I await the result with interest Davie

[Zelandeth]

That can work surprisingly well, especially if you buff the living daylights out of it. I remember being startled at how many layers we took off a few of the coaches we were restoring at John's place despite the finish that was there looking perfectly decent!

You always knew it was going to be an interesting one when you realised that the panel was riveted to the frame, but you couldn't *see* any rivets on the outer surface...

[Michel]

My grandmother once painted my Grandad's Morris Minor with green gloss and a 1" paintbrush. She was a perfectionist and I'm told it looked better than new.

[daviemck2006]

As in any painting it’s the preparation that makes the biggest difference. I would like to source an undamaged rear left door as there’s a crease the whole length of it which I doubt if I will get it right but it won’t be the end of the world if the crease stays there