MicraSheds Machine

[MicraShed]

The ex-Clive / ex-Carl SWB rumbles on. Filled it up this morning and added a couple of shots of Millers EcoMax cetane booster, I'll run it at double strength for a while and see what difference it makes to the MPG and power. First tank has given me roughly 28mpg.

The MOT is up in July rather than November that I had thought so Im pressing on with some checks before dropping it off with my tame(ish) MOT bloke in a barn over Hoghton way. Replaced all the wiper blades today..

Which at least is cheap and easy enough to do, I now have clear windows rather than a streak where the rubber missed.

Crawling about underneath and it seems to be in reasonable shape, nothing screamingly obvious that I can see, a small oil leak from the front transfer area and the bottom of the drivers B pillar is starting to go crispy but not bad by any stretch of the imagination (and resilient to the MOT hammer test). The rear of the OS sill looked fine untill prodded, not even by the knockometer, but hey, I was expecting to do a little bit of tickling with the MIG

The rear of the NS sill is also crispy, but resisted shattering when belted with a hammer so may pass this years test I suspect the large clod of mud and birds nest havent helped this during its lay up.. Discovered the rear section of the side step is fabricated from wood whilst under the car! Made me want to bin them all the more really as I find myself climbing over them to get in / out of the car.

There is some evidence of rust round the OS rear seatbelt anchorage point, but again belting with a hammer has failed to make holes so this has been KuRusted and painted up this evening. Discovered that Im missing the wheel brace/jack bar twizzy round thing so will improvise with a generic brace and mole grips.

Moved the number plate. OK, its not to everyones taste and it despite being correctly reflective the old one will go back for the MOT.

And I had to fit this:

Im going to paint the Ford badge Orange (actually Im going to get a replacement one and paint that orange to match the Tonka sticker as the one on the boot lid has rather tired plastic).

Replaced the reversing lamp with a 12v Cree LED which is quite a lot brighter. The 12S socket should provide a pick up point for the external 12v spot which will be wired into the reversing lamp circuit also - very handy when trying to couple up in the dark.

Other things I want to sort out are the interior lights (on or off, but not with the doors it seems). There is power to them so rather than muck about fault finding a broken earth wire somewhere I may just put a remote switch in to control them from the dash on the drivers side. I'll have a look at the door switches first in case its something simple but if its not that then stuff it.

 

[spinna]

:thumb2. Like the Tonka sticker

 

[jims-terrano]

About average for one of these trucks really. The oil leak may well be the diesel leak off pipes under the intercooler.

 

[AlexD333]

Looking good sir! Keep up the good work! :thumb2

 

[Sweety]

28MPG is about normal, I used to get 27 from my old SWB but it did have a roof rack & lights plus I drove it like i'd just stole it:lol this one I often get between 31-33MPG on a long run. Never tried Millers EcoMax cetane booster but did used to add redex but it never seemed to do much at all these days i'm just adding 2 stroke oil into the fuel tank & the engine has become a lot quieter & the truck isn't kicking out black smoke any more when reved hard not sure if MPG has went up any yet as not checked it

 

[AlexD333]

I must admit, I chuck in however much redex I feel like along with however much 2 stroke oil.. Doesn't seem to make the slightest bit of difference apart from smoother and quieter :nenau :lol

I always thought over doing it with redex was a no no.

 

[MicraShed]

Elderly but perfectly working Comtron UK 40 (tweaked to 7W output) Ive had this for donkeys years, I got it from Tigers Cage CB sometime roundabout 1988 - it did used to run a midband board but that died and I have never found the correct mod chip again (LC7131), though I expect anything from a Cybernet configured CB would work with some fiddling. If I could BA to fiddle, which I CBA.

 

[Banshee]

Elderly but perfectly working Comtron UK 40 (tweaked to 7W output) Ive had this for donkeys years, I got it from Tigers Cage CB sometime roundabout 1988 - it did used to run a midband board but that died and I have never found the correct mod chip again (LC7131), though I expect anything from a Cybernet configured CB would work with some fiddling. If I could BA to fiddle, which I CBA.

Thats where my Intek and 12v 3 way gang live :thumbs2 I push 4w and then another 80w from the naughty little burner I've got hidden under the drivers seat shhhhhhh

 

[MicraShed]

I push 4w and then another 80w from the naughty little burner I've got hidden under the drivers seat shhhhhhh

]

I used to run a 50W burner pretty much all the time, but it threw the SWR out so much and ruined one of my sets. I then took to only using it to try DX work which was a bit mixed - I hit Germany once, the IoM quite regular as well as Dublin and other coastal areas of Eire - Heysham seemed to be a weird focal radio hotspot - there were times with just a Moonraker, Amstrad 901 and the burner where I could hit the moon from Heysham. Weird. Yet I'd traipse up Beacon Fell to get some height and struggle to hit Preston.

Happy days of CB. I used to chat with the NW Breakers regular (Ch 7 Muppets from 6pm) by god Brian Camper could talk (and smoke) for England.

 

[Banshee]

]

I used to run a 50W burner pretty much all the time, but it threw the SWR out so much and ruined one of my sets. I then took to only using it to try DX work which was a bit mixed - I hit Germany once, the IoM quite regular as well as Dublin and other coastal areas of Eire - Heysham seemed to be a weird focal radio hotspot - there were times with just a Moonraker, Amstrad 901 and the burner where I could hit the moon from Heysham. Weird. Yet I'd traipse up Beacon Fell to get some height and struggle to hit Preston.

Happy days of CB. I used to chat with the NW Breakers regular (Ch 7 Muppets from 6pm) by god Brian Camper could talk (and smoke) for England.

I always leave a SWR in line, it doesn't really sap much power and with the burner in line it wouldn't really matter anyway

Yeah I need to invest in a decent sideband setup at home, Isle of Man would be awesome I can imagine especially when the TT and Grand Prix is on .

Do you ever get out to anyone in Iceland?

 

[Fez_uk]

Spoke all over the world on a CB. Some of the furthest places were Kuwait, america, Russia. No point keeping the swr meter inline, Cb will reduce power to protect itself if swr gets bad.

 

[MicraShed]

Do you ever get out to anyone in Iceland?

Nah, fraid not I did once chat to someone in Asda though:augie.

Germany was as far as I ever got when the skip was running. IoM was easy for me from Heysham though, even with a standard set up. Just the location I suppose. There were a couple of spots around the Fylde that seemed to have magic radio properties.

I know Brian camper ran a boggo Grandstand home base (in fablon wood effect) from his house in Kirkham pushing maybe 6W, no more through a silver rod and he could reach the moon. He was just in a sweet spot for the radio.

Hmmm, I might have to get a better twig and maybe a burner again, though if I go down that road it will be a slippery slope back to running a banded out Stalker 9 again or even a flashed President Jackson....

 

[MicraShed]

Mrs Micrashed got to grips with it today, but says she found it "sluggish" compared to her car and "agricultural". I kept telling her its a towing tool and plaything not a ruddy sports car.

It may be a bit slower than her 2 litre but at least this one will be able to pull the skin off a rice pudding, and quite likely the rice pudding factory along with it too.

Popped my 2m strap on the front, just really because I like the look of it - I have a 7 tonne rated 3.5m long one inside the car which I get from the bloke that makes them in Morecambe, they are very robust and well made.

Ive discovered how to fool the NATS into not arming the immobiliser wired into the alarm system as though the siren has been disabled its thrown a wobbler on a couple of occasions and refused to start without having to muck about locking and unlocking it again and also got the rear boot area light working on the door switches again - result Nearly got a puncture too today thanks to the council - the drain trap in the bottom right of the picture isnt a drain trap its an access point to an underground stream which is used as a storm drain run off, the elderly steel rods in the top are rusted and had been used to lift it this week and broken! leaving a sharp rusted bit of steel just where the front tyre is. Fortunately missed now belted flat again with a large hammer.

 

[AlexD333]

Suggest you have a tug of war contest with your terrano and her car :augie

 

[Sweety]

Sluggish your Mrs should test drive some other 4x4's which were built at the same time like a disco 300TDI or a shogun as a Terrano/Maverick will leave them standing:thumb2:thumb2 TBH you just need to learn to drive one as once you've mastered it they can be rather quick motors:augie

 

[spinna]

Sluggish your Mrs should test drive some other 4x4's which were built at the same time like a disco 300TDI or a shogun as a Terrano/Maverick will leave them standing:thumb2:thumb2 TBH you just need to learn to drive one as once you've mastered it they can be rather quick motors:augie

She could try our Astra Eco 4 that wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding, a Terrano would feel like a formula 1 car in comparison:lol

 

[bry]

She could try our Astra Eco 4 that wouldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding, a Terrano would feel like a formula 1 car in comparison.

You do have a way with words..

 

[MicraShed]

Its fine, Ive already had some interesting spirited sideways action on the J1 M65 roundabout with it. I agree that it isn't as quick off the mark as her HDi, but also that in a tugging contest her HDi would lose out big time despite being reasonably equally matched for weight.

Im happy with it, shes just a typical woman who thinks "its a phase" Im going through.
I feel the ride is rougher / bouncier than it should be and this may be down to tired shocks or bushes and it has other foibles of a typical 18 year old car with things not working as they should (blinking alarm/NATS being one) but as I say Im quite happy with it.
The plan is live with it over winter, tow the van with it and then quite probably look for a 7 seat version with the 2.7 to replace it with sometime next year as yesterday 5 up it was snug - we struggled getting the kids into the back ( one of them cant do the belt up without assistance, which was a bit of a faff and fiddle and the lap belt only just fitted the teen and he isnt anywhere near as fat a knacker as I am). We need at least one 7/8 seater in the family, but it doesnt have to be the 4x4, so Im still keeping my options open at this point.

That said for the number of times I would be 5 up with it I may be able to live with a shorty and certainly for off road fun a shorty would be better (IMHO)

The other advantage of this particular beast is the lack of Euro emissions gubbins and as someone who has owned a Euro 5 compliant Zafira you cant imagine how relieved I am at this.
The Euro EC legislation is killing off diesel cars. 22 breakdowns with the (New) Zafira in 18 months of ownership. All Euro 5 related, and I know Im not alone here in experiencing this. When I replaced the Zafira I specifically hunted down a non DPF machine, even then I had to muck about deleting the EGR. Im still left with a family car that I feel is a lot frailer reliability wise than the older XU9D engined car it ultimately replaced.


Overall Im very happy with this one and its enabled me to dip my toe into the Maverano/Terranic world with very little outlay. It needs some tickling with the MIG stick for its MOT but how many 18 year old examples dont? Certainly its a hell of a lot less crusty underneath than that 52 plate one I went to see recently. I expect looking at it its probably got about two to three years life in the body tub / chassis before repairs become more trouble than the car is worth, though I may be wrong I suppose it depends how dedicated you are. My mate Bob recently restored this:

from this:

and is now working on these:

As a footnote I should emphasise that the 2.0 Fronterra SWB I tried really wouldnt have pulled the skin off a rice pudding and i would have had serioud doubts as to its claimed 2400kg towing weight.

 

[firebobby]

Nice, is it a Morris 8 ??

 

[MicraShed]

Nice, is it a Morris 8 ??

The cream one is a 1937 Morris 8, the yellow and black one is a 1933 Ten-Four ( the donor bodyshell is a 1934). Both cars have been previously owned by Bob in the 1950's.