It's a Hi! from Essex...!

[Lina]

Morning folks!  Well, again BIG thank you to dajwid for the bits!

Managed to get those bushes onto the gear selector rod yesterday, with, of course, everything turning out to be much more complicated and awkward to do!! 

Anyway, although it's made wonderful improvements in changing gear, it's not solved the problem - still popping out of first.  I still have maybe 2mm left to adjustment by the gear lever, but I'm now suspecting the gate in the g/box...  So I'm going to move this topic over to the mechanical troubleshooting thread so it's findable by anyone else with the same problem.  Hoping to get some nuggets of wise advice and tips for dropping the g/box and launching an investigation!

This also means I'm still no further on the 'fun' bit of stereo install!  I'll see how I get on today after I've messed around a bit more with the gear things and getting a much better wheel on where my bald spare is!

Have a good day!

Lina

[markymarc]

Did you get the car from Mistley? As I live there & own 2 but never saw this car until it was on e-bay for sale!! Hope u enjoy it?! Drive safe x

[Lina]

Hi Marc!

Sorry for the late reply!

Yes, it was in Mistley - she had apparently had it only about a year (well, a couple of months less than a year judging by it's MOT readiness, but that's a long story that I'm not too chuffed about!).

I saw that you posted about a turquoise one and another with surfer type stickers you'd seen about, wondering if it was this one?

If I can get the guts up to drive it with its limping gearbox, I will do my best to make it to the 8ball this Thurs coming, if you're still planning to go?

Lina

[markymarc]

I will admit from the pictures your car didn't seem loved (no offense) I was tempted to have a look but already have two and no more room, but did feel it needed some TLC.
 
Lets hope it gets plenty of love from you and any problems don't get to you like with my lil BIS!!

I even looked at it and thought I had checked it over well enough but one wheel had the wrong studs in and had stripped the threads, the carb had been bodged together, this car came with afresh MOT!!!! 

But I fell in love and had to have it, when those bills start mounting up you may start to doubt what you have done? Don't be beaten as you will get more smiles per miles than any normal every day driver!!

Enjoy..... why stickers only on one side?

marc

btw im am hoping to get to thursdays 8-ball but may not get back from work so may do fridays Italian eve!!

[Lina]

No offence taken!  Yes, it wasn't loved, but I had no idea how little it was loved until way after I got it, having never even seen a 126 up close before!  Okay, so the gearbox problem might not have been known as a real issue - wasn't even mentioned on the ebay listing!  But there are things wrong with it that really make me think it's had some quite recent mistreatment, like the damage at the front.  The previous owner got her through an MOT, but with the damage at the front, one headlight points up, the other points to the ground, would never have passed!  And the level of rust where the paint came away does not correlate to before the MOT in October last year.... Oh, I could go on!

Yes, I'm having repeated moments of 'what have I done?', particularly as I sold just about everything I had of value to buy her, but like you, I couldn't help it, as it was love at first sight.  She was MY car and it was just a matter of logistics (selling, begging, borrowing, stealing!) to make it official!

I'm trying not to think of the bills... The way I'm trying to think of it now is that even if she's off the road getting work done, she only costs £11 a month in insurance, and what with my other backup car being cheaper too, having both cars costs me the same as my previous one to run!  And if I do the work myself, I'll save money AND build my confidence to fix her AND feel enormously proud when I do get her working again!!  Money can't buy that!

The stickers are there to cover up a rather large dent and dodgy repair...  Really should sort some for the other side, just to even the look up!

Thanks though, for the kind words... there is a horrible sinking feeling when it begins to dawn on you that you may have more of a jalopy than the diamond you thought you did.  Now the gutting feeling has died down and I think I might have something slightly more than halfway to 'diamond' simply because of that 'smiles per miles' you mentioned!

Anyway, I'm going to try to get to the 8ball on Thurs in the 126, despite the first gear limp.  At least if it gets dark on the way home, I'll be able to see the chrome bumper with one light and hopefully the road with the other lol  Won't be able to do the Friday though.

Lina