Ownership Verified: My Brooklands Green sports saloon...

Used half a litre of oil in 60 miles. There is now white smoke from the exhaust and signs of mayo forming in the oil cap, no bubbling in the expansion tank this time but it looks like the head gasket has gone again and that either the head is probably warped or uneven in some way.



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All symptoms of HGF vanished the following day. I'm now putting it down to being a shitty, humid and rainy day making the ignition system inefficient.

Took to over to Aberdeen on Saturday to go to the cinema, bombed around the city in it today and then took it home at night. A total of around 120 miles and with some foot to the floor action entering the Aberdeen ring road into 70mph traffic and sitting at 65mph. The only time I came close to not completing the journey was after I had I passed the last open petrol station for 70 miles (at midnight) and the gauge took a sudden dive for the empty marker, I drove the last 30 miles home never going past 45mph and the car is now in the garage with the gauge reading empty. :lol:

Also got 380 miles to this tank of petrol, so I'm looking at 35mpg at least despite the large amount of urban driving and heavy right foot. Although this is negated by the hilarious thirst for oil it has.

Oh, and one of the chrome wheel trim rings came loose on a sharp junction and got squashed before I could retrieve it,which was slightly irritating, although I have a spare one.
 
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Any news from the dolly?
 
It's still on the road, as far as I'm aware although the Cap has a different DD now.
In addition to the Yaris and the Dolly? Sadly, I haven't seen the captain around here for quite some time...
 
Yaris has gone, Dolly is still around.
I'd love to know about his new dd - maybe one of the facebook users can lure him back over here. I am not on facebook and I never will be.
 
I'd love to know about his new dd - maybe one of the facebook users can lure him back over here. I am not on facebook and I never will be.

I'd tell you, but I don't want to ruin the surprise of a chance comeback. I'll ask him.
 
I'd tell you, but I don't want to ruin the surprise of a chance comeback. I'll ask him.

You say surprise, you really mean shock though don't you? :p
 
I'd tell you, but I don't want to ruin the surprise of a chance comeback. I'll ask him.
Do so, and if he says he does not want to return, tell us.
 
Daisy the Disastrous Dolomite is still on the go*, in fact since the start of August it's done nearly 800 miles including a 100 mile round trip to Grantown On Spey for a show.

Currently spits all of it's oil out of the exhaust on the overrun due to buggered valve guides, I've cured this by dipping the clutch while slowing and coasting down hills in neutral, essentially eliminating most situations where I'm moving in gear with no throttle. Downsides being that there is no engine braking so the pads will wear out, re-entering gear at 55mph requires careful rev matching/clutch control and should the worst happen I have no means of applying power, slightly risky in a rwd car... Thankfully it's been dry, I'm careful with corners and it's hard to go fast enough to cause any trouble.

Last three petrol fill ups have yielded at least 35mpg, which is good as the car has been my daily driver for the past week because I bought a car with alloys and low profile tyres and, naturally, managed to bash a hole in one of my wheels within two weeks... (More on that later).

*Yes, my car is now named, looks like it's a keeper

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Good to see she's going well. Regarding your new car, alloy wheels and low profile tyres? :think:

For some reason I'm thinking Rover.
 
I like the name, I probably would have gone with: Dolly best be Parton her out. :lol:

I kid of course. I love that thing. Saw a few of them at the annual british car meet this year.
 
UPDATE MOTHERFUCKERS!

BREAKDOWN MONTAGE:

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NON BREAKDOWN MONTAGE:

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Sit rep: The car is now my daily driver and has been for quite some time, I sold the Corsa and ran the 1850 for a month or so but then the MOT rolled around and I threw it at the garage expecting the usual headlight alignment and handbrake adjustment and was then handed an A4 sheet of stuff that was buggered. So, the 1850 was taken off the road for a full brake rebuild, welding, exhaust re-hanging and electrical tinkering among other things and the 1300 became my only road legal car.

She clocks 50 miles a day although performance is best described as "leisurely", 45-50mph is preferable although driving to work in the morning 50-55mph is more the average. Oil use is still very heavy, oil pressure and compression are very low and it sounds what classic car enthusiasts call "a bit bottom endy". I'll have this engine apart and on the workbench this winter if it kills me... Honest.

Problems are largely electrical, the car only has two fuses for the whole car so one short fucks up everything, usually cleaning connectors solves everything. The only other issue was the exhaust snapping in half at 70mph on the dual carriageway just south of Aberdeen. I bought a new exhaust downpipe for a well known supplier which didn't come anywhere close to fitting and are now trying to return it and get my money back while ordering a new stainless one from my local fitters, very annoying and costly. To add to problems the manifold studs where the downpipe attaches fell apart so the car hasn't had any form of exhaust since last Friday.
On the bodywork side of things she is getting quite crusty after several Scottish winters. The front wing tips, valance and "eyebrow" panel all need sanding back and re-painting as do the door bottoms and the rear arches are buggered. It appears somebody has taken wheelarch repair panels and riveted them on top of the originals causing masses of rusting from the inside out.

Life in the slow lane has turned out to be fairly pleasant, going fast isn't a concern when it's not possible and it's much more fun to throw the car around on some country lanes at 40mph than going down an A road at 65mph anyway. Main problem being is I know this engine is near the end of it's life so the race is on to get the 1850 repaired but I've spent a week just trying to free off the seized front brake caliper bolts in-between the pissing rain and me being constantly ill with no success... I don't think they've been off in 20+ years!
 
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