Elmas Xantia V6 and Musical Stuff

[elma]

I'd quite like a 666 in my numberplate.
DVC at the end is Devil Car in my head so it would suit it nicely.
STA380R looks like STABBER to me, did it have a suspicious past?

[CitroJim]

James, I like the idea of making a USB charger out of the coin holders

Zel, you have given the proof of why 666 in a plate is not a good idea!

[Zelandeth]

I'd quite like a 666 in my numberplate.
DVC at the end is Devil Car in my head so it would suit it nicely.
STA380R looks like STABBER to me, did it have a suspicious past?

Imagine Star had quite a few stories to tell from her past...well north of 1M KM on the clock before she was finally retired in 2002 I think. Did look downright evil in the rear window in traffic though - the Duple Dominant II coach body is quite unusual in having quad square headlights - right at car rear windscreen level. Lashings of chrome also added to the "the mob would order these" Impression in dark body colours... especially if the privacy glass was specified...

Great when your mate driving it has snuck up behind you in one and gives main beam a flick to get your attention - suddenly the whole world lights up as though you're in the midst of some alien abduction.

...that was before he managed to track down a horn that had formerly lived on a US locomotive.

[elma]

Stars my kind if coach, wouldve made a nice motor mansion from the sound of her.

My dream car horn is a u boat dive alarm or an air raid siren. I'd be headed straight to Llandudno with it to see the effects. Cruel I know but its only a thought.

[CitroJim]

Great when your mate driving it has snuck up behind you in one and gives main beam a flick to get your attention - suddenly the whole world lights up as though you're in the midst of some alien abduction.

...that was before he managed to track down a horn that had formerly lived on a US locomotive.

Made me giggle

[Zelandeth]

I giggled too...after I'd climbed off the roof four stories up I landed on following my first encounter with the horn.

My response to that - after I'd decided the world wasn't in fact ending - was to march over to the coach, climb on board, pretty much bodily drag him out of the driver's seat and declare that as penance for his nonsense that he'd lost his driving privileges for the next hour.

I should point out that the coach in question is privately owned and aside from the first two rows of seats is a large motorhome, so no passengers were inconvenienced by these antics. It was also prior to the DVLA having mucked around with the 30 year historic PCV rule, so I was perfectly legal to drive it.

My co-workers were slightly baffled by my choice of vehicle when I arrived at the site meeting - emphasis on the slightly!

[elma]

Do you have any pictures of it Zel?
It's right up my street.
If I left the caravam thats exactly what I'd like.
I can't take all the hassle that houses bring along.

[elma]

Didn't manage the fans, didn't want to really.
I'm not interested anymore, the cars finding a new owner or being squished.
I can replace it for much less than I can repair it for.

[elma]

Calm elma now, I wasn't doing to well after a long boring day in the Sun. I did sit down and make a spreadsheet of everything that needs doing. I think its fair to say its not worth the cost which is about 17.7% of my annual income plus tools and consumables.

I'm considering options. I will fix the car but weather I'll find something cheaper and sell it or keep it is very much up in the air. I don't really want it if I'm only able to do the bare minimum to keep it on the road. It deserves a lot better.

Kelvs got an ear infection as well which means another £100 at the vets tomorrow. This rolls an extra week and a bit onto the car fixing. I can put about £80 a week towards it if it's a vet free week.

[Zelandeth]

Do you have any pictures of it Zel?
It's right up my street.
If I left the caravam thats exactly what I'd like.
I can't take all the hassle that houses bring along.

Sadly not - I did have a couple, but they were victims to The Great Crash of 2007. Shudder to think what it must have cost to do and how many thousands of hours were involved. He'd done all the work himself, and it was absolutely exquisitely done. Not just in terms of looking *good* but in looking like one single product that was intended to be that way - even down to having used the same switches by the doors for the lights as Duple used for the main bank of switches on the dash - and anything labelled having the same colour and text as was used on anything originally part of the coach. Attention to detail, that's what it's all about. Quite how he managed to make it look simultaneously like it was all designed and built in 1976 with the coach, yet also bright and modern I've never quite figured out.

Would love to have something like that as a project. Fantastic base for it too...got room for good sized water tanks, generator and proper power hook up, ridiculous amounts of storage etc in the luggage bag (usually it runs pretty much the full size of the passenger saloon)...and once you've shifted most of the seats there's a lot of room to work with. Just don't underestimate the degree of work involved in insulating a coach - or even more so a bus - to a decent standard. Especially if you're talking about something from the 70s or earlier as it very probably won't be double glazed. By the 80s *most* coaches were usually being specced with double glazing though which helps...also expect to have to basically strip it back to bare metal inside to track down everywhere water is getting in. Trying to get the thing weatherproof is probably the single most frustrating step, especially with so many bolted, riveted and/or bonded together panels. Can make trying to trace water ingress an absolute pain.

That's usually about the point you discover that the framework under the metal skin is utterly rotten around the rear window aperture and under the step of you've bought a Duple bodied one as well, probably under that huge chrome strip down the sides too...have fun getting that off without damaging it. Plaxtons rust too...but usually in slightly less awkward to fix areas as a rule.

Not sure what I'd suggest as a good more modern base...probably mid-late 90s Volvo B10M based Plaxton Premiere. Double glazed (bonded as well rather than the old school rubber seals, so less prone to leaks), solid power train, and reasonably common to see with the cracking 6-speed manual ZF box. Most of the rot I've seen in them usually seems to have been around the boot closures and the frame below the windows - these were both examples which had lived on the coast their whole lives though!

For a non coach example, a late 90s B10M with an Alexander PS is the obvious choice hands down. They're built like tanks, and have a lot of room in for a city bus. Just see my earlier comments about waterproofing and insulation - have never seen a PS with double glazing. Same body, but also available with a rear engined Scandia K.113 chassis... probably better for these purposes as the floor is flatter thanks to being rear engined...just don't look at the fuel gauge. They go like a bat out of Hell compared to most buses...but the one I dropped off managed about 5mpg on the run...usually you can expect somewhere between 10 and 12mpg.

Both of these buses are relatively easy to find for not a huge amount of money as they've been rendered essentially unusable relatively recently due to changes to the DDA regs. Not even being rolled on to schools only work so much now as more and more councils are slapping lower maximum vehicle age restrictions into their contracts and requiring fully accessible vehicles across the board.

I'd not really want to touch anything made this side of 2000. Firstly the construction seems to get infinitely more flimsy with each passing year in the drive to reduce weight to improve economy and emissions... that's going to bite you eventually with a vehicle like that. Also means that more and more fancy composite materials and such are being used, which are a pig to repair - and as such are often found bodged.

The main one though? Multiplexed electronics. You thought that 2005 Citroen C5 had gremlins? You ain't seen nothing till you've played hunt the gremlin on a fully multiplexed coach! Dead fuel gauge, indicators (left side only) and the cab lights refusing to go out...hmm... that'll be a shredded wire to the offside rear ABS sensor then...

I've made that specific one up, but I kid you not that this is the level of weirdness that the symptoms can show - and let's not even mention intermittent faults...or when water gets into places it doesn't belong. Without the right diagnostic systems (which are way harder to find than their car related siblings) I don't know where you'd start.

For me though, late 70s era Bedford YNT with a Duple Dominant II body please. In black, because it picks out the ridiculous amount of brightwork so nicely. Seriously, even the windscreen wiper arms are chromed. Wouldn't complain if I could only find it on a late Volvo B58 chassis either...or even a very early Volvo B10M (that would go well I'll bet...think 1.9TD engine in a ZX sized car sort of situation)...though I'd have to find a B58 steering wheel then as it's not the same without the bakelite steering wheel!

Consumables for this sort of vehicle are dear - but infrequently needed at domestic mileages once you've got things sorted. Only really grumble is likely to be that your oil change needs 15 litres rather than 3! Also... it's a 30+ year old vehicle with probably north of 750K miles under the wheels, so be prepared for the odd curve ball and make sure you have the appropriate breakdown cover!

Will add a couple of photos of my ideal choices tomorrow, just because it's fun to share, and also to see what people start thinking they could do to make it theirs.

[CitroJim]

James, I am sorry to hear your V6 ownership is turning a bit sour

Please, if there is anything I can do to help then please do let me know... Within my very severe limitations I'm happy to help wherever and however I can...

[Stickyfinger]

Would a day session here help James/ Jim............. You, Me, James at it in one go with the ramps available ? (and we may have back up from up the hill like a big press/tools etc) ?

You could stay over, have a nice bike ride in the morning and make a gentle journey home if needed...(I know how you are atm, so say no if not a good idea, nobody will be upset by that....your own health is more important than any piece of metal)

[CitroJim]

Would a day session here help James/ Jim............. You, Me, James at it in one go with the ramps available ? (and we may have back up from up the hill like a big press/tools etc) ?

You could stay over, have a nice bike ride in the morning and make a gentle journey home if needed...(I know how you are atm, so say no if not a good idea, nobody will be upset by that....your own health is more important than any piece of metal)

Alasdair, that's a great idea and I'm well up for it as soon as my health is back to normal...

Let's go fair it. I can be fairly flexible on dates...

[Stickyfinger]

Up to you James...the offer is there if you can/need.

[elma]

Thanks guys and sorry, I had a very bad day yesterday. Usually I stay off the forum when I feel like that but for some reason yesterday I just kept posting and posting.

Jim, you do more than enough to help already. Your advice, friendship and guidance are invaluable and massively appreciated. Seeing you on your holiday will cheer me up no end. I have no social life here because of the long hours and everyone I know living over 100miles away.

Alasdair that's an amazing and kind offer. I would love to accept but with the oil dripping onto the exhaust I think I have to tackle this here to prevent fire.

The car is getting to me because it's going to take a lot of time to buy all the parts I need to repair it. Even though I have the van based here it is a pool vehicle and can be taken for any length of time at any time if required. This is freaking me out right now as potentially I can lose my ability to go shopping and visit the vets. Potentially my boss will lend me the cash and deduct £100 a week. I'm not keen though as I have £7k debts and I don't want that to ever increase.

The distress has been compounded over the last fortnight by some work events which I cannot divulge. I've had my tantrum now, onwards and upwards.