Ian Cushway’s VW Transporter T5 and Rob Marshalls’ fleet overhaul.
Since CM experimented with running cheap bangers earlier this year, a certain amount of reorganisation of my fleet was necessary. You could view my everyday ‘modern’ as a twist on the entire ‘banger’ concept, because I bought it for £7500 as a 28,000-mile, three-year-old former management car from a Citroën UK auction. Almost 10 years later, the mileage on my C5 has crept to 110,000 and its value has plunged to virtually zero. Yet, stomaching £750 per year in depreciation is not too bad, considering that the car’s only major mechanical work has been a new clutch and flywheel last year.
Even so, the arrival of CM’S 2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser – and the becoming troublesome 2005 Hyundai Coupé (more on this in a forthcoming issue) – meant that the venerable diesel C5 spent much of 2019 unused. This sabbatical gave me time to trace an increasingly vocal droning sound to a tired nearside rear wheelbearing, which was a delightfully simple task to change. With some very long trips scheduled during the summer, the economical C5 was pressed back into use.
Showtime!
Time does, indeed, fly by and cars that are parked out of harm’s way can soon be forgotten. For example, in 2010, I was gifted a 1976 Triumph Toledo that was bound for the scrapyard. I spent most of 2011 restoring the bodywork, prior to laying the car up in 2013. Five years later, I vowed to get it running again but, obviously, I had to get my hands dirty outside of the expected basic maintenance items. An almost complete replacement of the braking system coincided with an axle swap, because the original differential’s bearings were so worn that the ensuing din eclipsed that of the engine at any speed above 40mph. The propshaft had also seized, due to its sliding and universal joints not being lubricated regularly, although I entrusted this job to a specialist with the appropriate balancing equipment. After this work was completed, the car was placed back on the road in late 2018 and displayed on the Triumph Dolomite stand at the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show and again at 2019’s Mg/triumph show at Stoneleigh. It has also seen regular use throughout the summer and, aside from another oil change and a tweak to the manually-adjustable rear drum brakes, has required no special attention.
Later in the year, my 1993 Volvo 480ES was called upon to demonstrate common repair tasks at the Volvo Enthusiasts Club stand at the Practical
Classics Restoration Show in March. Getting it ready posed a few challenges, especially as the car had not been used for five months. While I decided to repair some minor rust to the rear wheelarches and the bottoms of the doors, including painting them at the NEC, welding the holes that appeared between the boot floor and inner rear wheelarches had to be done beforehand, which necessitated dismantling most of the interior.
The Volvo made it to the show and, while the various paintwork repairs were drying, additional demonstrations involved trying to eradicate the common water leaks that plague the rear of the car. I took great care not to damage the rear lights that I bought new in 2012, not only because they are now obsolete, but also even good secondhand ones are eyewateringly expensive. Therefore, instead of gluing them into place with sealant, I used a thick butyl tape between the brittle plastic and the bodywork, instead. This approach appears to have worked.
Prior to the show, I draped a running hosepipe along the rear windows – sure enough, water was finding its way in. Luckily, the glazing is not bonded to the bodywork, meaning that lying down in the back and popping them out with a wellplaced rubber-soled boot provided NEC visitors with an interesting spectacle. Sealing them with sticky windscreen sealer prior to refitting them with a piece of string (yes, really!) worked well, but I remain sceptical that the rear of my 480 is water-tight. I’m not that lucky…
Volvo swap
Post-restoration show, I managed to reassemble the 480’s interior, but the car was laid up again so that I could press my 1990 460 Turbo back into service, therefore utilising the last few months of remaining MOT. Longer-term readers may recall that this rare saloon was treated to a minor restoration during 2017/18 and was taken off the road last winter. There is nothing special to report, because it covered around 1500 miles during the spring and early summer without any problems. I have noticed a faint occasional whiff of antifreeze permeating the cabin, leading me to suspect that the heater matrix might have developed a small leak, but I have postponed this nasty little job for another time. After the MOT lapsed, the car was prepped for a term in storage.
This meant that the 480 could resume duties again. Before then, it needed a fresh MOT. The only issue that I could find was intermittent brake lights, which was traced to the pedal switch. Removing the part and spraying it with electrical contact cleaner restored operation for long enough to pass the MOT, but the problem recurred several months later. Due to not being a particularly easy part to access, I ordered a good quality replacement made by Hella, which includes not only the switch but also the friction-fit collar into which it locates.
Servicing the 480 in July threw up several niggles, but the warm weather provided sufficient opportunity to refresh the underseal on the rear wheelarches, to help protect both the original metal and the repairs that were welded in earlier in the year.
With both the 480 and Toledo in use, I can give Mrs M’s Citroën C5 2.0 petrol some long overdue attention, which will form the basis of a future update.