RobClubley

The Mini is a 320bhp tuned manual so likely a handful of fun. Travels! Clocked over 140,000 miles. I suspect the trigger part of the door handle has cracked, everything else looks good but it’s not quite pulling enough so the door is tricky to open. I have spares. Road trip things. About 900km covered this weekend. And around 10l/100km which is impressive for an old turbo nugget. Hoping the crack can be repaired it’s about 1cm across. The ride is so much nicer, bridge joins no longer loosen fillings and cause buttock clenching. Noticeably more body roll which is great fun in roundabouts. Less road noise. So hot in 33 degree summer heat! Removing the sun roof panel made a huge difference to comfort levels.

I like both but I can confirm 3 inches makes the ride quite different.

New old wheels! Back to the factory 15s. Powder coated Arctic White by Taranaki Powder coating. 205/55R15 Dunlop SP Sport FM800 tyres fitted by Tyre Torque New Plymouth. Very happy with the results.

This has been irritating me for a little while. The hardboard had started to deteriorate with age and the metal clips didn’t grip it properly. Tried a couple of things to strengthen and glue it together and painted the inside to stabilise the material. Also re fitted the clips on the window wiper seal. Much better.

Remember the issue I have with the random relay clicking when the car has been in hot sun? I tried changing the hazards switch - no joy, went to Supercheap and bought a $65 relay that didn't work - super fast flashing. Took that back, went to Repco cos I was passing this morning and bought a Narva ($45) relay that says it can cope with standard or LED bulbs (I have a mix). This one works perfectly, and is completely silent when flashing. I am going to change the front indicators back to incandescent bulbs though - have ordered some silvered ones so I don't get the fried-egg look on my white lenses. LEDs seemed like a good idea when in project mode but in reality they're just not as good.

Ahh they are a bit green

I don't understand the question?

Swapped the hazards switch. Turns out I had a spare. It has been clicking the indicator relay but only when hot from the sun and with the engine running. Hoping this sorts it. The other one didn’t light the red light so it has fixed something! Also took the opportunity to put felt tape around the dash cowl which I hope will cure some rattles.

This weeks's snaps

Can I breed them?

What is happening here?

Suspension started knocking again so I pulled the top mount. Bit loose but not super bad but as I carried on to get the strut out I realised the shock was wobbling. Thought I’d broken the shock but it was the silver nut that holds the insert in place. It’d started unscrewing itself, about 3-4 turns! Now done up to FT. Talked to a bodyshop about the cracks - estimate $1k for the roof, $500-1k per side for sills as "They might be a can of worms"

We can barely even see the neighbours! The bach and river access are next door on my sister in law’s property. It’s a stunning place and it’s still sinking in that we actually live here.

Of course!

Happy new year!! Recent photos catchup We've moved into our new home in Taranaki The Audi is now our daily driver Meri kirihimete By the river Dusty driveways And clean again Flash garage, or car parked in the lounge/office? Using the ur as a daily has been going well. It's driving nicely, and seems to be doing okay on fuel usage too. It's pretty practical especially since adding the roof rack. It has been very hot here over Christmas so the lack of aircon makes it a sometimes sweaty driving experience but it's kinda nice to go back to old-school windows-down driving. I've had no real issues but a few new trim rattles and squeaks have surfaced. I'm getting a slight suspension knock again so need to look at that. Warm starting can sometimes be a little tricky and it often catches then runs really lumpy for a few seconds as though one or two cylinders aren't firing. I'm on the hunt for some smaller wheels as I can't help feeling that on these country driveways and potholed roads that the 18s are shaking my car apart. I'd love a set of nice 16s but so far all I can find that are the correct fitment are coming in at 4-5 grand for a set and I just can's justify that right now with a newly built house to finish off. The cheapest, most sensible option is refurb the 15s and run wrongly-sized tyres so I'll pursue that when local businesses re-open after the break. Possibly related to this, possibly not is that I have developed cracks in my bodywork! This is very worrying and I will get it sorted ASAP. Sunroof on the driver side where it was cut for rust repairs Driver side, back of door sill

Sigh.

Such a cool car. Used for several Targa rallies. Rough paint but original. Holes in the carpet where the roll cage has recently been cut out. also has Murray Walker and Peter Brock’s signatures on the paint !

Changing the front strut bearing. Amazing how so little movement can sound like the wheel is about to fall off!! Massive thanks to Takas for bringing tools and parts and helping me change the bearing before my trip back to Taranaki on Saturday. Had to pop out and get a new tool to get the top nut off.

Strut top bearing failed on the way back to Wellington https://www.facebook.com/reel/693719995754699

Various daily drive photos. The Merc is sold so this is our only car for now. Been to Taranaki once more with the car loaded up.

Who needs a ute when you have a roof rack? 100kg of cement in the boot and passenger footwell as well as a bit of timber. The guys at Placemakers seemed a bit bemused by it all.

Back up to Taranaki today with a fully loaded car. I might have overdone the weight a bit, had a few occasions when the rear wheels caught on the arches when the suspension was compressed in dips. But man this car is fun now! Mid-range is smooth, the car pulls so well! It's really satisfying to drive, especially once you get onto the twistier roads and get into a rhythm with it. I rarely rev it right out but a couple of times doing third-gear overtakes up hills I was surprised at how it just kept pulling and pulling. The brakes feel a bit wooden at first but work really well when pressed hard. I usually tend to drive more with the gears than the brakes. It loves to be powered around corners, stay on the power and it just grips and goes. Grin-inducing every corner. It just eats up the distance the drive up from Wellington flew by.