The old girls 21

[The_Laird]

Originally Posted by ainarssems

Driveway is plenty for belts, that's what I am using these days. In the past I did not have even a driveway and have changed gearbox+clutch (for Rover 414) parked on the side of the street.

Or you could make use of my large double garage in Helensburgh one weekend. It even has free tea and coffee and a sandwich at lunch time! I'd be interested in seeing the job done.

[David's8]

But you are something else Ainars,

And you live in the southeast where it is a bit dryer than the north west. Even an oil change up here leads to trying to screw oil filters on whilst lying in a free flowing stream (at least on my driveway). If I went into the road i would be in a pond where the drain cant take the rain away fast enough. You'd need a snorkel!

Thats why I use The Laird's facilities on occasion

[tc4332]

Here comes the Boring Old Fahrt.
Once upon a foggy evening many years ago, 53 approximately, I had an Opel Record whilst stationed in Arborfield near Reading. The gearbox was starting to play up but I was lucky enough to locate one in a scrap yard somewhere in Essex, sorry can't remember where.
Whilst on the way there the gearbox gave up the ghost, I phoned the yard, who said that they lived there and would be happy to do the deal anytime but if I took the old one they would discount the price.
I crawled under the beast at the side of the road, dropped the box, found an old newspaper, wrapped it and via two buses completed my journey to the scrapyard. Did the deal, think it was £20 and caught two buses back to the car. Installed the box and started the journey back to barracks.
By this time the fog had become a real pea souper so it was second gear along strange roads and took about three hours.
That box lasted me long enough to get me back to Germany about a year later where I trade the car in for an Opel Caravan (estate car).

Nobody supplied me with sustenance, and the guy at the scrapyard could have offered me a ride back to my car.

[The_Laird]

Brilliant!

I used to carry a spare head and gasket in the boot of my 1952 Austin Somerset, as it blew the gasket between cylinders 2 and 3 quite regularly. Got a dab hand at swapping them at the road side, but that seems trivial compared to your gearbox story!

[MikkiJayne]

Haha thats proper hardcore

[47p2]

Clutch control rod on my Scania 38T artic broke, it took 3 days to get a new one. I became an expert at pulling away in first gear and changing up through all 16 gears in the box without a clutch by the time the new part arrived. My father changed a gearbox in the middle of London Bridge in the 1950s on his Seddon...try doing that today.

[tc4332]

Snapped a propshaft on a Volvo Van Hool Coach in Edinburgh as I left the hotel fully loaded. Another coach took my pax home and came back with a propshaft and a spanner. Unfortunately the other driver was too large to fit either underneath or through the floor hatch so I had to do the swap myself.
Then drove the bloody thing back to Wigan.
As for clutchless driving, 1st gear use the starter to roll and the engine fires and away you go. Dead easy even with 57 pax and luggage on board.
Another time luckily empty on the M6 dropped the propshaft and left it dead centre of lane two. Had 8 cars hit the thing and cost our insurance a packet. Luckily only wheel & tyre damage.

[sporran]

More troubles.. about a week or so ago the 8 would not start, got all ignition lights including key code, turn key and I hear the relays clicking under passenger foot well but not even a click from under the bonnet, put a volt meter on the battery and no drop in volts, mate picked it up from house and bench tested the starter and its ok, and he also said there was no fault codes, which I find hard to believe as it's never had a fault code reader connected to it in all the time I've had it, anyone any idea's

Stevie

[David's8]

Earth lead point behind front offside wheel arch cover?

[sporran]

Earth lead point behind front offside wheel arch cover?

Thanks I'll have a look come Monday and let you know how I get on

Stevie