AnnoyingPentium's 2006 Fabia 1.2 12v Ambiente-ish: I Honestly Think I've Lost the Plot...

[AnnoyingPentium]

Tidied the Fab up in prep for going away a few trips over the coming weeks. It's looking quite good for a nearly 17 year old car.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, and also, big thank you to @vRS19TD for providing yours truly with the correct switchpack. I just need to wire in the rear windows now, but I've got this in and controlling the front windows from it fine.

 

[petrolcan]

I'm showing these pics to my OH as she thinks my car is untidy 🤣

[AnnoyingPentium]

18 hours ago, petrolcan said:

I'm showing these pics to my OH as she thinks my car is untidy 🤣

 

It's full of stuff, including some emergency kit (McCoys Salt & Vinegar crisps, of course) and suchlike.

 

Plus enough tapes to travel the world with a soundtrack lol.

[softscoop]

Looking nice and tidy.

 

Good luck with the electric rear windows. I looked into doing it on my Fab years ago but decided it wasn't worth the hassle

[AnnoyingPentium]

5 minutes ago, softscoop said:

Looking nice and tidy.

 

Good luck with the electric rear windows. I looked into doing it on my Fab years ago but decided it wasn't worth the hassle

 

Cheers.

 

Shouldn't be too bad since I'm merely assisting and providing money to a mate who has retrofitted them before (and is an automotive electrician). Next moves will be heated seats (arsewarmers for the less posh folk) and cruise control, methinks. 

 

The 1.2 12v base engine? Not sure what I'll do with it yet. Would like to 1.4 16v swap this, but I'd be waiting until the 1.2 does the inevitable thing and the timing chain leaves the chat.

[softscoop]

Now heated seats and cruise control I did bother doing and were well worth it. 

[AnnoyingPentium]

Compact disc changer has been installed. It works, but is senile. Sometimes forgets that there is discs in certain bits. Can resolve that later. It does work if you spam the buttons on the stereo anyway.

 

Contact has been made with painter man ("painter man, who would be a painter man"... well bugger me I need help) about them there Stranglers spec car doors. I'll let that last joke settle in a bit there.

 

Oh yeah, bushes are having a fun time, I think. A decent amount of toe out at the moment (to the point where it's visible to my appalling eyesight) so will have to see to that before I scrub the tyres clean.

[Lofty]

On 03/07/2023 at 22:31, AnnoyingPentium said:

It works, but is senile.

 

You been talking to my other half Ryan? About me?

 

I love the ongoing progress on this, it's evolving at a great pace and is a credit to you.

 

Edited 12 July, 2023 by Lofty

[AnnoyingPentium]

6 hours ago, Lofty said:

 

I love the ongoing progress on this, it's evolving at a great pace and is a credit to you.

 

 

Thanks Matt, it's been a long time coming as I first uttered stuff about rear electric windows and all that stuff a while back.

 

It's been a matter of trying to find the stuff I need, which hasn't been that easy at times. I've got a list of some more things I'd like to do, such as heated seats and possibly an AUB 1.4 16v, as the 8v MPI doesn't offer much over the HTP as it is, bar an extra cylinder.

[Lofty]

You need a full on 1.8t conversion, make a real difference to the car. Just a thought?

[AnnoyingPentium]

3 hours ago, Lofty said:

You need a full on 1.8t conversion, make a real difference to the car. Just a thought?

 

That much is true. But I'm 19 and I'll probably get shafted for insurance on the 1.4 16v never mind a 1.8 20vT... can insure a 2.3T Saab for almost the same as a 2.0 MPI Fabia as well. None of this makes sense!

[AnnoyingPentium]

Welcome back, oh wearied reader, to yet another instalment of absolute dribblings. On that note let us get into things.

 

So yeah, we all know what I did to it in Wales.

 

Since then, I have replaced the wishbone and the shock absorber, both of which were bent. The boomerang shaped track rod was subjected to much fire, much swearing, and much hammer to straighten it back out somewhat. It's straight *enough* and is no doubt participating with the console bushes in scrubbing my tyres smoother than a Harry Hill's scalp, although it looks just as straight as before (and it wasn't). However, that'll get dealt with when finances allow, as I've not got two shillings to rub together thanks to renewing insurance and other "fun" things. A new track rod is next month's problem. Along with the bushes. It'll go for both at the once.

 

Anyways, what else have I done since then? Well it's done 380 miles since the repairs, handling it like a champion. Even showing up a Golf GTI somehow. (no Mustang Slayer here ). Fitted a footrest too, will add photographs later. And have just been driving it, and hoping it doesn't blow up.

 

Fine an' dandy.

Edited 6 August, 2023 by AnnoyingPentium

[AnnoyingPentium]

Oh yeahhhh, photographs!

 

The car is also running Alpine speakers in the front now. Much better response than the Pioneers I had fitted previously, especially on the MS502 which can seriously drive out the power.

 

So I've done nearly 1,000 miles with this car since it was returned to the road. Mileage is going up steadily as I'm helping out a bit with my best mate moving and other errands since his Mum passed. As a thank you for not imploding, I have given the car a wash.

 

 

Even removed the "tat" from the inside somewhat so I can properly clean it before adding back all the essentials. The bodywork close up is getting really poor on the car, given my mostly fast A-road, dual-carriageway/motorway mileage it's acquired stone chips and other foibles that let the paintwork down. Think a fella I know will be breaking a fairly clean Mk1 in Flamenco Red like this one, so hoping I can get some panels to improve the state of mine somewhat. That's a job for future me, however. In the meantime I need a new boot floor as the other has warped. So going to get some of the early black boot carpeting for my car. Anyways, here's the clean-ish interior, which I'm aiming to get the black carpet for as well.

 

 

 

Oh yeah, and my footrest, in a photo that was taken prior to washing the car.

 

 

So yeah, I think that's everything. But as a "rolling project/resto" this car is doing pretty well considering I'm launching the mileage at it. In the meantime enjoy a photo from Skodafest that had come up on my Facebook courtesy of my mate Ryan.

 

Edited 16 August, 2023 by AnnoyingPentium

[Gaz]

3 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

..... as I'm helping out a bit with my best mate moving and other errands since his Mum passed.

 

Good man 👍

 

Gaz

 

[TMB]

10 hours ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Mileage is going up steadily as I'm helping out a bit with my best mate moving and other errands since his Mum passed.

 

Poor chap, sorry to hear that.

[AnnoyingPentium]

Nearly on 84,000 miles now. Holy hell.

 

So, where has life led me so far since my last post?

 

Done lots of trips with friends and suchlike. Oh! And I procured myself some new alloy wheels!

 

 

That Swift belongs to my friend, at the moment the plan is to get some alloys for it too. You know, to smarten it up. The alloys I went for previously came off a pre-facelift Elegance, and suit the car very well. The 15s I decided to ditch as I found them too crashy over the 14s, and these alloys feel a lot nicer.

 

 

Again, the car had got rather grubby, so a wash was in order...

 

 

 

The other night, I received a phone call from my best mate, asking if I'd like to go to B&Q to collect some wood for building a small boat (because why not... it's not for people, don't worry). So, we procured wood, asked the man in the shop if he'd cut the planks in half so they'd fit in the trailer, and were told no. Oh dear.

 

Uhhhhh, so we bought a saw for a fiver and cut the wood ourselves in the B&Q car park...

 

 

Job's a good 'un.

[TMB]

7 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Uhhhhh, so we bought a saw for a fiver and cut the wood ourselves in the B&Q car park...

 

Where there's a will, there's a way 😁

[AnnoyingPentium]

2 minutes ago, TMB said:

 

Where there's a will, there's a way 😁

 

Fiver off when you take out a club caird. So aye...

 

I'm a B&Q club member and I got a free* saw...

[TMB]

I just bought one of these, Ryan. It's great for getting your alloys back on the hub as it holds the wheel whilst you get a bolt in. I found it awkward trying to hold the heavy wheel with one hand and trying to get a bolt in with the other....

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234467937068

[skomaz]

10 minutes ago, TMB said:

I found it awkward trying to hold the heavy wheel with one hand and trying to get a bolt in with the other....

 

That's what your knees are for...   One each side of the wheel once you've lifted it onto the hub leaves two hands free for other stuff 😁

[TMB]

Just now, skomaz said:

 

That's what your knees are for...   One each side of the wheel once you've lifted it onto the hub leaves two hands free for other stuff 😁

 

Yeah but I'm old and decrepit 😄

[skomaz]

Just now, TMB said:

 

Yeah but I'm old and decrepit 😄

That makes two of us then 🤣

[petrolcan]

2 hours ago, TMB said:

I just bought one of these, Ryan. It's great for getting your alloys back on the hub as it holds the wheel whilst you get a bolt in. I found it awkward trying to hold the heavy wheel with one hand and trying to get a bolt in with the other....

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234467937068

 

I might buy one now I know I can change my brake dicks

[skomaz]

7 minutes ago, petrolcan said:

 

I might buy one now I know I can change my brake dicks

 

Steady...   Brake dicks????? 

[petrolcan]

2 minutes ago, skomaz said:

 

Steady...   Brake dicks?????