Paving Slab Victim - Grey 850R manual - happy days :))

[martybelfastt5]

forgot about this lol great updates its not far off now!

[Shinsplintz 101]

Well spotted re:the engine bay - that's the bay of the donor bonnet car!! Can't find the latest one of the R so i'll have to take another at the weekend

[Shinsplintz 101]

Got the car tucked up on the drive whilst I wait for a few parts to arrive.

I did get the wheels done on Monday [Diamond wheels in Letchworth] Refurbed all four in Satin Chrome. Great sameday service, £50+VAT a corner, powder coated & sprayed & I'm really happy with the result. Cars booked in for a body work repair on the rear o/s arch that has a ding & the parts for the minor bits & bobs are arriving in dribs & drabs. Just had a nice big box of lights for the front end from PFV & RUFE will be sending me out a pretty hefty parcel by the end of the week. Just have to find the time then to put it all together!

I've been enjoying driving it around this week - put about 100 miles on it just pootling about & finding any old reason to go & pick something up, just to get out in the old beast - it's a really nice drive!! Pulls hard even though its standard, M59 gives a little extra grip through the twisties under load & all in all its a great driving car. Shown up a few cocky young fellas in their Jap Krap The problem I'm now going to have is parting with it once all the works done.

Onwards & upwards...

[Shinsplintz 101]

Fitted the new main & sidelights to the front this week.....thanks PFV, went in a treat.


I've refreshed the number plates & re-attached the rear spoiler - so no more irritating brake warning light every time I press the middle peddle!



Started a bit of paint correction yesterday as it was nice enough to work outside for a few hours, lots of tree sap & other bits of crud stuck to the lacquer. Didn't get much done as I was going easy on the old mop - concentrated on the boot lid as a sample area - but really pleased with the way the lustre came back. Roll on some nicer weather so I can attack the rest of the car....



Got a list of parts to confirm with RUFE this week...front & rear discs & pads are first on the list. Going to upgrade the fronts to 302's & get braided hoses all round plus a flush of the system with some nice new brake fluid Going to give a the full stage 0 tune up too, even though it has been very well maintained, just for peace of mind.

Cheers, Morgan

[martybelfastt5]

getting better and better

[AndysR]

Looking very good! Was only wondering the other day how things were going with this! Great to see progress being made, it's looking spot on, reminds me of mine when I first started attacking the paintwork! The shine and depth of colour is well worth the effort especially in the sun, you'll think the car is two different colours on a dull day compared to a bright day.

[Biff]

Looks really well Morgan.
For some reason I thought it was an 854 but now I see you have the best of both worlds!
Jealous!!

[Shinsplintz 101]

Its been good fun driving the grey, even standard the R's a lovely driving experience, done about 300 odd miles in it now trying to find issues as it sat for so long, but I'm pleased to report very few.

Missing the rawness of the red - waargghhhh, waaaggghhh....waaarrgggg...rattling through the gears desperately trying to keep traction. Happy days!

This cars definitely going once I've done the work, I've had quite a bit of interest already & all the funds will be ploughed back into making the Red a real weapon��

[T5frankie]

first refusal

[AndysR]

Selling up, that's a shame. Personally I think you should keep it.. Don't sell it to Frankie though... Lol

[Shinsplintz 101]

Selling up, that's a shame. Personally I think you should keep it.. Don't sell it to Frankie though... Lol

I'd quite like to keep it but the harsh reality is it would sit & gather dust as between my Van for work & the Red it'd never get driven - and to my mind these cars need a good thrashing on a regular basis to keep them healthy. Would prefer someone else to get some enjoyment out of it - even Frankie!!

Cheers, morgan

[Shinsplintz 101]

Bit more work done on the old beast this week.

I've put nearly 500 miles on it in the last fortnight to try & iron out any issues - the only things to come up are a dodgy thermostat [now replaced with OE Volvo part] & a small blow on the centre coupling on the exhaust [rotten clamp - to be done]. Its running really well mechanically which has allowed me a chance to get on with some cosmetic work.....



So I've done a bit more tidying up in the engine bay, re-coloured the drivers seat as well as cleaning & feeding the entire interior with gliptone [amazing smell to this stuff, last of the mildew odour well & truly gone now ]

I,ve mopped & polished the whole car, not a full correction by any means, but certainly a good start

Before: you can see how cloudy the lacquer is & the layers of tree sap welded on!



After: Clay bar, cut, polish & Quick detailer [no wax yet as I want to do a bit more correction before I seal it up]



I've treated all the plastics & rubbers also, door handles etc...and its given the car a nice crisp look again. I've tried a few of the weird & wonderful dyes/treatments but so far I've fount the autoglym bumper/trim gel to give the best results & last longest.

Not a bad week really, fitted in around work & very irritating cold that has dragged on for ever....

Next step is the full stage zero - booked in with mr Williams later this month/early april - & the bodyshop to repair the o/s rear arch booked for the end of april.

I've had a few offers on the car already, just got to decide if I'm going to let it go before I complete my planned work or see it through o the bitter end before passing it on to a lucky new owner.

Cheers, Morgan

[t5 pete]

Looking awesome

[Shinsplintz 101]

Cheers fella, I'm bringing it up to Grantham in a couple of weeks so you'll get to see it properly then.

[Ettienne]

Cheers fella, I'm bringing it up to Grantham in a couple of weeks so you'll get to see it properly then.

Not too bad a run for you straight up the a1. Looking good btw

[Shinsplintz 101]

Yeah, it's a quick blast up for me. Thought I'd take the grey along to the Grantham meet for a bit of constructive feedback from the community & some ideas on what I should prioritise. Plus show it off a bit - I'm really pretty chuffed with how well it's coming up

[hemihusky]

been reading back through it. amazing transformation youve done. id love a 850R saloon myself im missing the saloon fun. the estate is practical yes but i dunno. just something special to me about the saloon 850's

[AndysR]

Yeah, it's a quick blast up for me. Thought I'd take the grey along to the Grantham meet for a bit of constructive feedback from the community & some ideas on what I should prioritise. Plus show it off a bit - I'm really pretty chuffed with how well it's coming up

Looking very smart and the work you've put in has brought the car along leaps and bounds, when's the Grantham meet? It's not too bad a run for me from here might pop along for a nosey..

[ajc106]

Hi i would like to know what you used on the drivers seat as it looks a very good job thanks

[jdavis]

Looking great!