peranaman

The one thing I can't quite get my head round is this. We buy Zeds for their design and stunning appearance. Then we try to change everything we fell in love with. Sounds like a married mans story here, better shut up.

Watch out. Don't get to excited. What this means is that the source of many good parts for classic and near classic cars will dry up. Classics rely almost in their entirity on donor cars. When they're scrapped - it's all over. You get nowt for nowt with this or any European Govt. Ask the guys in USA, Oz, South Africa what they think. They are dreading this taking off coz it'll sound the death-knell for us classic lovers. And I speak as one who has a 40 year old Classic Ford.

Just don't tell Clarkson about this stretch or it'll be ruined!!

Having fitted the re-painted bumpers, washed the car and the sun coming out - went for a spin across the Black Mountains to Llandovery (Bikers Cafe) to meet up with an old friend. Almost forgotten how good it feels to straighten out all the twisty bits that Satan builds into the de-restricted sections of the Queens Highway!! It was awesome. On the downwards slope I happened across a Clio that was poodling along - til he saw the Zed filling his mirrrors. He then adopted the usual 'I'll show you stance' and was making a Dogs Breakfast of many bends - at one point he slowed and waved me past - but I didn't want to pass - it was too entertaining watching him trying to copy my lines, when it was obviously too late coz I was behind him! Eventually, couldn't resist, so on a safe straight I blipped and he was gone - tooting in deference to the Mother Ship. Then a nice sedate brekkie and home again - same route. It was the 'Italian Job' - Japanese style IYKWIM. (No bull-dozer waiting for me at the end of the road thank goodness.................) Some pics that don't do justice. BTW Araf is Welsh for 'Don't go too Slow'...............:D

Here's the before and after shots - you decide. First 3 shots are the old uns. Last lot are new but taken in a rush so maybe not as high res as I'd like.

Caramac bar - nearest thing to it.

Anyone know the size and types of the screws, nuts etc that fit the spats back on the rear bumpers? Mine are all seized up. ta

Like I said - tastes awesome!!

Had new bumpers painted, smoothed etc, looking good and waiting to re-fit the spats (mud flaps) on the rear. Problem - the worlds strongest most stubborn double sisded tape stuck all over the rubber spats. Tried:- 1. Petrol - no. 2. Thinners - no. 3. Evo Stick adhesive remover - no. 4. heat gun and scraper - no. 5. Stanley knife blade and 3 fingers - don't ask! 6. really angry stare - no. then I went to my local paint factor with tales of woe - Ding! he showed me this wheel that smells like fudge toffee (tastes a bit like it too - don't ask!) Got it back - sort of held the rubber spats in place and went to town with my variable speed drill - no faster than 3500 rpm - several minutes later - loads of smelly yellow dust - smooth spats and new double sided tape fitted - ready to go. Now all I have to do is ease the screws and fittings out of the old bumper and fit them on.

sorry another long one...................... Little Brother is far scarier than Big Brother - he just creeps along at the pace of a glacier and before you know it - your done! Don't forget that when the government (we elected these people to represent us didn't we?) force us to fit the 'Black Box' in our vehicles they won't be just for charging for every mile. The box based on Sat Nav technology will record each road you travel along, your actual speed, average speed and whether you stop on yellow lines, overtake on white lines, stop on zig-zags etc etc. By the end of a single journey you could be faced with several speeding fines, road charging, tolls, Congestion Charging, breach of yellow lines and so on. Think I'm making it up? THE SPY IN YOUR CAR (But at least all the fines will go straight out on your Direct Debit that you'll have to voluntarily set-up for the Government coffers - thus gaining a discount for prompt payment!) Costs of up to £1.34 per mile are suggested. Plus to deter us from using certain roads on Public Holidays or at big events - well the price per mile will just be increased hugely for that day - so you either don't travel or you pay again, and again.............. Not true I hear you say. Wasn't the London Congestion charge initially set to be £5?, then it went up to £8 - now KL wants £25 for Gas Guzzlers (that includes anything with emissions over say 190 not just the Chelsea Tractor) and the Green Party want it at £50 to force you off the road. Once the means of charging us is fitted and working - watch for relentless and exponential increases in the levy. The plans for all this are hatched in Brussels (by the un elected) and being swallowed hook, line and sinker by our elected government. And don't think for a moment that you can anonymously drive from A to B and home again. If there's an RTA or any incident that occurred on your route the data transmitted to Government HQ will immediately show you were there or passing (or involved! not a bad thing) - so expect a knock at your door for interview. No use denying it they can put you within 3 feet of any incident anywhere in the UK and Europe. Now that's OK for an RTA or similar but when there is an incident involving assaults or worse in the vicinity of where you were driving - you will be pulled as a witness or for elimination purposes - but either way your details will be on file regarding the case - and all you were doing was driving back from Tesco's................ That trip to your 'Lodge', Club, church, Mosque or 'certain' hotel etc will be nicely logged and so will the details of every other car that was at the same place as you............................ Of course no-one is suggesting that the information will be interpreted by people in offices with tinted glass windows, I mean surely no-one is interested in where you go and who with are they? No, this scheme is obviously just for our 'benefit and to ease congestion around the country - and could be cheaper than current road tax'.................... Phew! that's OK then - isn't it? Boy, if I only lived in a Democracy......................................... Anyway, in the meantime sleep well, don't have nightmares will you - remember that the instance of state crimes against the motorist are still quite small despite what you've seen on Crime Watch UK tonight........................... ONLINE POLL - Well the protest from the British public was just over 1.8 million against the Spy in Your Car. Blair and his cohorts dismissed our protest as 'ill-informed' and 'based on myths'. You know the Govt is desperate to tax us more when the largest petition in British history is dismissed with the swipe of a greasy, sticky hand. Blair said when pressed on the spy and stealth tax issue 'It's definitely not" which rather tells me it definitely IS. You just know that once the Spy is in your car it will be a 'point of no return'. Your every move and every mile and your average speed will be logged to cripple your motoring enjoyment. Yes it is still enjoyable. The car is not just about getting to work is it? If that was the case I couldn't care about pay by the mile. I use my cars for 90% social domestic and pleasure. I don't want the government robbing me of my money each time we go out for a spin or to a Show etc etc. The Govt says it will only charge to ease Congestion! Most of the Congestion I see is always around roadworks, LA controlled Traffic Light systems and Bus Lanes. Each time the traffic lights are switched off at our numerous roundabouts locally, the traffic flow immediately speeds up and there are no tailbacks.......... Did you know that ACPO - The Assoc of Chief Police Officers have already applied to be able to 'kill the engines' of vehicles that they want stopped? So what does that tell you about this system? Far from being a passive money grubbing system, it will have the potential to:- 1. clock every mile you go and logged the route. 2. record your actual and average speed. 3. control your engine management system for the police in the first instance - then for the DVLA, then for Local Authorities, then for the Wheel Clampers and then, and then...................... ergo - if you have an unpaid fine, or your car is untaxed (yeah they still want your VEL money) or the police think you were involved in something - POP goes your engine and you will have no car to use. 4. Brussels wants to control your brakes from their super computer also. But it's just to 'ease congestion' and you know how everyone is up in arms about, er, congestion? Didn't you know it's worse than AIDS and H5N1? - Well it must be given the frenzy to get a tax on our every last inch of free movement in the UK - and for UK read Europe - bang goes your drive to the Continent because you love to cruise down the Mosel and Rhine Valley or through Northern France on the way to Spain - that would cost you about £5,000 just for you weeks holiday. Still let's be honest if you were a grey suited, chinless non-elected wonder could you come up with a better idea to take people's disposable income, monitor their every move, issue penalties by the bucket load AND get the mugs to pay for it themselves - a stroke of Orwellian genius yes? You just know they will spout the good old Noble Cause and Fear Factor to steam-roller over your wishes - i.e. ID cards to combat Global Terror and Green Taxes because Global Warming (yeah right) then it'll be Spy Money Grubber devices to 'ease congestion'. They always need Noble Cause to drive something through Parliament and to get the Greenies, Lefties and Liberals voting for it. Remember the "Speed Kills!" moral blackmail adverts? Well we all know that Speed per se doesn't kill or else every F1 driver, MotoGP rider and Superbike rider would of course be dead. That seems to suggest that 'inappropriate speed might kill' but not that Speed Kills. There must be an element of speed in any RTA otherwise no-one would be moving, thus, speed is involved - but to bolster their flimsy argument they scream 'SPEED KILLS! See Noble Cause to justify GATSO, Laser, SPECS, and next will be the Cats Eye Camera's - all in the name of safety you understand. The bottom line is all governments are running up such huge debts and overspending on dubious and ill-thoughout projects that they will do anything to bleed us dry of more disposable income. This is a cracking way to go about it. Be honest. The two last bastions of freedom are 1. Cash and 2. travel. They are out to slowly but surely kill off cash (cash is your ability to deal in the market place without your information being made known to numerous government and non-government organisations). This will happen through increased use of FDPOS (Financial Debit at Point Of Sale). Also internet banking and of course the good old Card and Chip. Don't get me started on micro-chip implants......... Next will be the total surveillance of your movements and charging us for the privilege by use of Spy in Cab devices. Once these are in place your freedom as such will just be a memory. The Govt this week said that 'we have nothing to fear and it's all about reducing congestion and it's not another stealth tax'. If you believe that you'll have ignore the 66 extra taxes that have been levied on us in the past few years. And when they renege on that statement you will have absolutely no recourse - you will just pay up and moan down the pub. When your freedom 'is gone - it's gone' - as they say down the street markets. And I would rather trust Del Boy with my motoring future. Please don't take my word - use your own research and watch what is happening daily. You'd be really alarmed if you knew what they were planning that they haven't leaked yet!! In the meantime enjoy what's left of your motoring freedoms.................

Have you noticed that this is another infringement of our freedoms? Stalin and Lenin brought in their regimes by use of:- 1. Restriction of movement 2. ID cards 3. Curfews. NuLabour has done more to 'surveil' this nation than any other European country. It wants to track every person on every journey 24/7. It will try to do it by stealth, i.e. under the guise of Road Safety (erm, targetting speeding as the main cause of all the ills on the road) and WE pay for the whole shooting match by way of penalties - you couldn't make it up. They must have got this idea from Starbucks who get you to virtually make your own drink then clean up the whole shop before you leave!!

Gtr

That's the new 'ASBO' Kit from Japan - must see where he got it from. Those narrow wheels, chrome arches, B&Q coving on the sills, Mmmm........................

of course, most of the time she won't be, NCP city!!

Not yet. still got the mud flaps to put on and the black tape that fits in the bumper grooves. I've had the bumpers smoothed. Looks OK Piccies next week.

Just swapped my old cracked bumpers for newly painted ones today. Bit of trepidation due to long and detailed idiots guides that I've read. However, it all went well. The rear took longer due to the boot being dismantled to get all the nuts. One thing - after the car was bolted back together - we found a piece of moulded polystyrene that fell out of the old front bumper - we left it out. It looked like it was shaped for a reason but couldn't work out it's usefulness so it stayed out!! Any obs?

http://aaaf123.multiply.com/video/item/34 don't sit on a dry chair.

I see you're from Brunstrom country - condolances! I think no other cars should be out when Zeds are on the road. Let's have bhp zones and times? Anyway, back to the point - NuLabour couldn't touch the national speed limit if all motorists properly protested and actually let this ramshackle bunch of misfits know that the public are in favour of appropraite limits, which means higher in some places and lower only at the most vulnerable sites. ps do you have any records by Girls Allowed?

Nearly crashed with laughter again today - just heard on Radio 2 news that Gordon Brown has congratualted Comic Relief for raising 57 million. This imprudent novice has been overseeing the destruction of the British economy for 12 years and now he and 'Captain' Darling are at the G20 discussing how to improve the world balance sheets. At the same time masses of people with plastic red noses on just raised 57 mil in a day. Seems like lessons can be learned here. Get rid of the 'experts' and put a load of clowns in charge of the economy, Ah, too late we already did that.............

I'm afraid they're at it again, only worse this time. This unbelievable Government is throwing yet another huge blanket at a problem that is caused by a tiny percent of bad drivers. I refer of course to the National Speed Limit being reduced from 60mph, to 50mph. What will this achieve? Well, it is bound to increase RTA's. Most accidents are caused by poor, aggressive or inattentive drivers. They are not caused by speeding drivers per se. Not even this ludicrous Government and it's pitiful array of Transport Ministers will argue that point. (see my Articles and News page) As an Ex Traffic Cop and Road Safety Officer and Traffic Management Consultant, I can safely say that trying to reduce still further, inappropriately low speed limits will make the situation worse. Drivers caught in and endlessly winding mobile traffic jam by someone doing 40-44mph along rural roads will be frustrated when they see open roads reduced to a crawl. Result? Normally courteous and conservative drivers will now seek out the slightest passing opportunity and therefore increase risk of conflict. Overtaking will be seen as Anti-social. Plus, we all know that over-taking on double white lines, on bends, approaching cross roads, junctions etc are the real causes of serious RTA's - including the drugged and drunken drivers. In 1981,82 and 83 when I was Road Safety Officer there were between 3,100 and 3,400 deaths on the roads of Britain each year - nothing the Government did reduced that figure. Since we now have much better cars, clearer all-round vision, ABS brakes, better tyres and suspension, coupled with road-humps, more road signs, traffic lights and more Speed Cameras than you can count - what is the result? The same number of deaths - perhaps even more so. Everything the Govt. does to slow us down has a net effect of more congestion, more frustration, even more public alienation (if that ere possible given this bunch!) The real fact is Speed alone is no problem. Every RTA involves speed i.e. if you travel faster than 0mph you are travelling at speed. Nu Labour have made Speed a swear word. In my experience, poor, aggressive and dangerous driving is the problem. However there is no revenue raising technology to detect that is there? Ah hem, do we smell a rat here? Tony BLiar said in 1999 that Labour would "not interfere with the current speed limits as they were appropriate" - OK stop laughing will you. There is a serious case for raising limits on dual carriageways and Motorways. Even raising it on rural roads in a lot of areas. The latest ruse is to achieve the stealth technology SPECCS etc, to get the infrastructure in place to monitor and charge you for every mile you drive. All average speed cameras have ANPR technology that can ID your car and Registered Keeper. Always look for the Trojan Horse - nothing is what it seems. They say it's for Road Safety but as we all know even with 6000 fixed speed cameras out there, fatal RTAs keep occurring - thus proof that Speed Does Not Kill - INAPPROPRIATE Speed and bad driving kills. Quite why the British drivers, the voting public allow these non-driving, hidden agenda, stealth taxation people to keep crushing the spirit of the motorists in the UK I will never understand. In 5 years time I'll update this blog (which will be archived on my Articles and News page shortly) and I can be pretty confident that the net effect of NuLabours (and probably the copycat Tories if they go along with this scam) ridiculous draconian policy on speed, will be - yup more drivers disqualified, more RTAs bourne out of frustration and the casualty figures will be the same or worse. Doomsday merchant? Me? No not a bit. I have seen what goes on behind closed doors. Faceless wonders in Europe throw down a dictat to the puppy dog UK about RTA figures. NuLabour sit up and beg - and create unachievable targets to please the un elected 'hero's' in Brussels. They did this in 1997 when they set out to reduce Child fatalities by 50% and Adult fatalities by 40% - both targets missed completely because they used a big Hammer called the Speed Camera and every nail they hit just picked out the errant, and day to day drivers and hardly reduced a casualty. The Government approach to Road Safety is like the Government approach to Airport Security - 'don't profile and target the real perpetrators and hit them hard, just blanket frisk everyone and lasergun everything that moves.' For 30 years I saw how targetting crooks and rogue drivers really worked. For the last 12 years I've seen how a One Size Fits All approach by NuLabour has caused grief, alienation, frustration amongst the driving public. Also it has ruined the one last bastion of freedom in this nation the freedom to take a drive as a past-time and for Social, Domestic and Pleasure purposes. Remember those quaint words? SD&P. I am so surprised that NuLabour hasn't officially replaced those words with Anti-Social, UnDesirable and Pleasureless driving. Well they've done that in all but name anyhow. You see some of us don't NEED a car to get back and for to work - some of us enjoy a trip out and we drive appropriately. All we can look forward to now, despite increased technology - better roads etc is a much lower average speed, increase in stress levels and more man made obstructions on our journey. So much for progress. Motto - "if you cannot set realistic targets - just keep throwing a bigger and heavier blanket over the situation until you get a result". Nu Labour 21st Century. Ed's note: Yes I'm afraid I belong to the most persecuted and discriminated against group in Britain. White, male, married, Small Business owning, Christian believing, heterosexual, tax-paying motorist, er, with savings................ In many years of Internet useage I've never, ever had such cause to give vent to spleen as I have since 1997 - go figure. Just popping out in the old TwinTurbo for a blatt - Oh no, Carbon Footprint, global warming, climate change, coast errosion, depletion of the natterjack toad...................... ps just read about the Traffic Cop in Merseyside who stopped a driver last week for, wait for it, 'Laughing too much at the wheel'. The driver was on handsfree phone and laughing at a friends conversation - I did tell you there would be an offence of Grinning with Intent didn't I? Trouble is I was joking. Beam Me Up! (seems it was a Tunnel Police Person - not a real bobby) pps - before anyone rushes to judgement over this - after 15 years of Traffic Patrol I have probably dealt with more RTAs and fatalities than most people visiting my website - so I reckon I know the real causes of collisions and it ain't just speeding, Oh no...........

Neither a day nor a date can have the slightest effect on the outcome of events -( maybe with the exception of pay day, when of course you can put fuel in the Zed.) If you fear a date on the calendar you can obviously have a self fulfilling prophecy of misery and depression, otherwise, ignore the date and just truck on............

some things to raise a larf without watching such drivel:- What's the capital of Iceland? - About £3.50 How do you define optimism? A banker who irons five shirts on a Sunday Why have estate agents stopped looking out of the window in the morning? Because otherwise they'd have nothing to do in the afternoon What's the difference between an investment banker and a large pizza? The pizza can still feed a family of four. As a surprise, a chief exec's wife pops by his office. She finds him in an unorthodox position, with his secretary sitting in his lap. Without hesitation, he starts dictating: '. . . and in conclusion, gentlemen, credit crunch or no credit crunch, I cannot continue to operate this office with just one chair What's the difference between an investment banker and a pigeon? The pigeon is still capable of leaving a deposit on a new Ferrari. A lobbyist on his way home from Parliament is stuck in traffic. Noticing a police officer, he winds down his window and asks: 'What's the hold-up?' The policeman replies: 'The Prime Minister is so depressed he's stopped his motorcade and is threatening to douse himself with petrol and set himself on fire. 'He says no one believes he can get us through the credit crunch. So we're taking up a collection for him' The lobbyist asks: 'How much have you got so far?' The officer replies: 'About 40 gallons, but a lot of people are still siphoning.' The credit crunch has helped me get back on my feet. The car's been repossessed. Latest news: The Isle of Dogs bank has collapsed. They've called in the retrievers. What do you say to a hedge fund manager who can't sell anything? A Quarter-pounder with fries, please. Bradford & Bingley employees are concerned they were given no notice of the takeover by Santander Bank. A Government spokesman said: 'No one expected the Spanish acquisition.' You know it's a credit crunch when... * The cashpoint asks if you can spare any change. * There's a 'buy one, get one free' offer - on banks. * The Inland Revenue is offering a 25 per cent discount for cash-payers. * Gordon Brown has stopped chewing his nails and started sucking his thumb. * Your builder asks to be paid in Zimbabwean dollars rather than sterling. * Highgrove has been repossessed. * Victoria Beckham is pictured shopping in Primark. * Alistair Darling's eyebrows have turned white. Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling and Peter Mandelson are flying to a world economic summit. Peter looks at Alistair and chuckles: 'You know, I could throw a £50 note out of the window right now and make one person very happy.' Alistair shrugs his shoulders and says: 'Well, I could throw five £10 notes out of the window and make five people very happy.' Gordon says: 'Of course, but I could throw ten £5 notes out of the window and make ten people very happy.' The pilot rolls his eyes, looks at all of them, and says: 'I could throw all of you out of the window and make the whole country happy.'

Not wishing to put the dampers on this but as all A and B roads will be 50mph due to Nu snivelling Labour's latest revenue raising scam - it almost makes any sort of handling on twisty bits irrelevant. I can exceed nearly every limit in 1st gear alone...................

Those chip fat converters are a no-no I suppose?

All cars? The Capri 2.8i Cologne engine was made up til end of 1986 and did not have the hard exhaust valve seats. Don't know how this applies to Jap stuff though?