Well what a story I have for you guys and girls (less of the later lol)
I decided as nobody was around to take me down the best thing for me to do would be to collect the car on a car trailer, so I called my mate Andy and he brought his down for me.
Next day (now yesterday or saturday) I set off in the morning at 7am in the 855 towards Stevenage... no problem make good progess and car ran beautifully.
Arrived at Robs house (guy selling the car) and proceeded to have a thorough look around the car. Found everything to be well in order and interior and exterior mint. She's done 198k and not a spec of blue smoke to be seen even after 15 minutes idle on pull of.... good news! Took her for a quick spin and the car handled really well, far better than mine and the brakes with the 302 conversion coupled with vented discs and Ferrodo DS25000 pads were excellent. Got back and we dealt with the money. After a little bartering got her for little over a grand, not bad I thought.
Ok so the time to test... will it fit on the trailer? Well yes but only in reverse as the front would not clear a guard bar on the trailer. Ok I thought ill manage its only 70 miles.
Loading the car was a pain too, I managed to snap two scaffold planks supported by bricks reversing her on and nearly had half a sump. Anywaya fter we loaded her up and I scratched an alloy slightly as there was 1 cm each side clearance we discovered a flat tyre on the trailer. Ok a bit of air I thought after all most the weight was resting on it. So I pumped it up to 35psi and set off slowly from Stevenage towards Cambridge on the A10.
Well... the trailer towed terrible with the weight at the back and snaked wildly accross two lanes doing anything above 40mph, ok a slow journey home it is then! This is when it all started to go wrong
I was just over the roundabout that connects the A10 to the A505 when all of a sudden I feel a shudder then a bang followed by billowing smoke. I had to pull over. So, I got out to look and the rear of the two tyres on the left axle had completely disintergrated. Excuse my french but for **** sake I thought.
Marvelous, I got on the phone to call my mate I borrowed the trailer from for advice, he was so far away he couldnt help and I didnt have a jack. At this point it was 11.20am, I called the AA. I explained the situation to the lady and she said no problem a driver will be with you within the hour. Two hours later no AA... so I call again and he is apparently another two hours away and his plan is to tow me with trailer to a local garage to have the tyre replaced. Nearly four hours later and jus gone 3pm he arrived with a flatbed. We then clog the A10 trying to load a car on a trailer onto a flatbed lorry with a tyre missing. It took the best part of an hour.
After this he called all the local garages and the cheapest tyre was £65 and they couldnt change it whilst a car was still on the trailer and as earlier I snapped the ramps it wasnt possible as the spares were 70 miles away.
Well it all ended in a £140 bill for the AA to transport the car on the trailer home whilst I followed in the tow car.
Worked out a rather expensive and very long day... take it from me 4 hours at the side of the A10 with nothing but a sausage roll to keep you company is no fun!
She is home now though and just need to tax her.
Pictures to follow tomorrow when it is light
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