For those interested in old cars.

[russ p]

That's one hell of a vintage bus garage, how many buses live in there?

[Horsetan]

That's one hell of a vintage bus garage, how many buses live in there?

 

I think the short answer is "loads".

[vitalspark]

I think there were 102 at the last count…room for more though!

 

D.

[vitalspark]

Its a large and well equipped garage catering for commercial restorations with facilities for cutting sheet materials and several pits plus wheels free jacks for double deckers.

 

There are many long term projects behind the scenes and the residents change with some departing and others arriving.

 

Gasgow corporation collection

 

 

Smell of nostalgia!

 

 

In a corner of the workshop

 

 

Dave.

[Joseph_Pestell]

Outside our local Vintage bus garage..

 

IMG00430-20120401-1417.jpeg

 

..and inside

 

IMG_6847-2.jpeg

 

Dave.

Amazing.

 

I was thinking only this morning (after looking at the Rapido bus scan thread) that we should have a thread for old buses on RMWeb.

[brianusa]

A long time ago hen we were very young and were train spotters, in order to satisfy our craving for more numbers it was decided to write down the numbers on buses in our exercise books!  It was OK out on the streets but it took many a trip to the local bus garage to satisfy ensure we had them all.  This was very much like shed bashing, complete with the irate foreman!  But it didn't last, buses weren't trains and so the fad died and was left to the genuine aficionados to carry on, apparently to this day.  Whether there is enough support for its own section is open to conjecture, but a few words on Wheel Tappers should bring results

 

Brian.

[MJI]

I woudn't entirely agree with you there as I have owned both.

 

I don't know if you have direct experience of these units but I have heard many tales of woe from those who have only 'heard' about such things and not actually owned themselves.

 

I had the 5 cylinder TD5 engine replaced under warranty by LR at just under 4 years old and 35000 miles due to the head shifting on the block..a design fault and known on early models.

 

Car had been supplied and serviced by main dealers and with an extended warranty which was just as well.

 

After that the 5 cylinder unit was reliable enough but the transfer box continually leaked at the seal contaminating the handbrake drum on the transmission.

 

The air suspension was next to give issues and after couple of airbags admittedly easy to change at 15 mins in the path and under £100 the ACE hydraulics gave up when corroded pipes at the valve block failed.

 

Long story but resulted in coil conversion as many end up.

 

Throw in two electric sunroofs replaced under warranty due to leaks ..and yes it was a great car!

 

In comparison the L322 4.4 BMW petrol admittedly not diesel was reliable to a fault as was the rest of the car with only costs being age related and servicing.

 

The know weak spot on the L322 is the gearboxes which can be problematical and costly so an eye needs to be kept on them.

 

They are supposedly 'sealed for life' as far as transmission fluid is concerned but thats utter rubbish and a fluid change at 50k miles results in a super smooth box again that you had probably not noticed was going off a bit.

 

Sump change at same time because these things corrode and would mean fluids again which is costly plus the gearbox cooler pipes need checking for corrosion..I changed both as preventative measures.

 

They are both complex cars and need specialist servicing and preventative maintenance but on the whole the 322 was definitely better.

 

I owned the TD5 for 4 years and the L322 for 5 years so do have a fair bit of experience with them.

 

On the L322 diesel of the same age (2004) it was the same unit that was fitted to the BMW 530d which is a strong engine however turbo failure is not unknown and economy is poorer than the 5 cylinder LR unit so yes I would agree the homegrown unit as long as its post

 

2002 is the better choice..however the car thats built around it is definitely inferior and more problematical.

 

I still have LRs.. daughter has one and I have a Sport with a twin turbo SDV6 unit so glutton for punishment.

 

With the need for a strong tow vehicle I have had LRs since the early 3.5 V8s and spent more hours under them in the past than building models but thankfully they are not like that now plus I'm getting too old for it.

 

Happy motoring.

 

Dave.

 

Very interesting

 

Late model TD5 Discovery,12 years old, had nearly 4.

 

My ACE system is leaking, but that is just age and is easy to repair, I have a converted valve block and some nive new hydraulic pipes to go on.

 

Also I prefer BMW petrol to Diesel, not that they are bad, but their petrol are very good.

 

[MJI]

Ivan,

 

they were designed to make a large profit.

 

The driving bit is entirely coincidental, especially nowadays when driving a BMW is secondary to impressing people.

 

Like their move to front drive after adverts taking the mickey out of it

Yes, the auction market has gone a bit mad over the last few months, and this is filtering down into the private sales too. Good clean standard 635s are now regularly being offered for ten grand-plus.

 

Coys sold a 1986 M635CSi here a few weeks ago, a two-owner car which had only covered 15,300 miles since new (bit of a waste, really, as they were designed to be driven); it went for just over £100,000.

 

This is the one I used to have:

 

DSCF0015.JPG

 

I owned and ran this one - VIN no.8185515, one of the first RHD cars to be built with the then new 4-speed ZF auto 'box at the tail end of 1982 - for 18 years. A lot of money was poured into its partial refurbishment in 2002, which permitted things like projector headlamps (the originals were never much good), brand new front wings (£400 + VAT per side at the time! You can buy GRP wings now which are indistinguishable from steel ones but which don't rust) and new bumper chrome.

 

Over the years I also converted the exterior lighting to all LED, and replaced the very expensive original metric wheels and tyres to imperial alloys cannibalised from an E34 M5 (8x17, with much cheaper 235/45/17 tyres). The life-expired standard suspension was replaced by Bilsteins and springs taken from the M635CSi, with half-a-degree negative camber, so it travelled about 20mm lower and a lot harder! I also replaced the steering wheel with one from the M6.

 

The chrome electric door mirrors were a pain because they were no longer produced, and I went through about five o/s mirrors from scrapped cars until I found one that actually worked properly.

 

What finally did for me was rust! The 6-Series bodyshells were built by Karmann and were not particularly well-rustproofed, so they can rot from the inside out. Virtually all of the surviving RHD cars have standard factory sunroofs which make them even more vulnerable because internal drainage tubes fail.

 

As happens to most of us, I sold the car not long before average values went up!

 

My dad used to service these, lovely cars

[Horsetan]

....My dad used to service these, lovely cars

I went to a lot of shows in it.

[vitalspark]

Very interesting

 

Late model TD5 Discovery,12 years old, had nearly 4.

 

My ACE system is leaking, but that is just age and is easy to repair, I have a converted valve block and some nive new hydraulic pipes to go on.

 

Also I prefer BMW petrol to Diesel, not that they are bad, but their petrol are very good.

 

 

 

Yes the petrol 4.4 is a peach and without a turbo instant response.

 

Theres nothing like a normally aspirated unit and there's no substitute for CCs..lots of them.

 

Good luck with the valve block ..I was driven to9 distraction truing unsuccessfully to repair the leaking pipes.

 

As you will know they don't thread in but are held in place by a system of plastic olives and clamps.

 

A crazy set up ..why dont they just use hydraulic type unions?

 

The pipes for the system are installed on the chassis before the body goes on so purchasing shaped originals..very expensive..is oily possible if you can route the pipes ok.

 

If the leak is on the pipe and back far enough from the valve block you can cut the pipe and join with high pressure brass compression fittings but if its close to the block you risk disturbing the thing and end up with more leaks.

 

To work on this it requires scrupulous cleanliness as one speck of dirt in the system can bu**er the whole thing up and its very difficult to satisfy these conditions under an ageing Disco.

 

I eventually abandoned all hope of repairs and fitted coils and isolated the ACE pump and replaced with an idler..its a LR component as non ACE equipped cars have this in place of the pump.

 

I didn't replace the anti roll bars though as suggested and it was fine.

 

I had a load of the plastic clips that connect the swaged ends to the block but haven't seen them for a while now or you would have been welcome to them.

 

I might still have a  pair of new ride height sensors though. 

 

Good luck!

 

Dave.

[vitalspark]

My old Disco passed on to my daughter who passed it on to her collie.

 

He loves it.

 

 

Dave.

[Wolseley]

Seeing as how there seems to be quite a bit of interest in old buses, here are a few photos I took in Aberdeen in the 1970s:

 

 

 

 

[Wolseley]

I never noticed before how many Ford Escorts are in those photos....

[Jol Wilkinson]

Lotus Cortinas too.

[Horsetan]

...and what appears to be a very early Mercedes W116 S-class

[vitalspark]

...and what appears to be a very early Mercedes W116 S-class

 

 

The only non British car in al of the pics.

 

Great images and note its always sunny in Eberdeeen….(For those conversant with the Doric..Furry boots nae needed)

Edited May 10, 2017 by vitalspark

[Horsetan]

The only non British car in all of the pics....

Looks like the owner/driver was a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists (see badge on grille) and wealthy enough to realise that a British luxury saloon just wouldn't cut it anymore!

[PatB]

Tell me about BMW parts - having had 3 BMW bikes.  Still looking for the gold plating.  Still, they don't often do wrong but the price of replacement discs (there weren't aftermarket ones available then - are now) was terrifying.  IIRC almost £300 for one, something like 25 years ago.  The current (1993) one doesn't seem to wear discs the way the older ones did. 

 

A replacement seat for my new Honda was obviously on a copied seat base, with the brand logo ground off!  Much more comfortable than Mr H's attempt though.

Funnily enough I've generally found BMW bits to be comparable to the Japanese equivalent, with the added advantage that they're generally on the shelf rather than on the slow boat from Asia. To be fair, though, some bits (which I haven't yet needed) look a bit hair raising so it seems to be variable and not especially predictable. I am, for instance, quite grateful that I never needed to replace a brake disc on my ABS equipped R1100RS.

 

Mind you, I've never bought anything from an official BMW dealership, preferring instead the independent specialists. Indeed the only time I've ever set foot in a dealership was to view the mortal remains of said R11 after it got hit hard enough from behind (at speed too) to shorten the wheelbase by several inches. It also helps to enjoy spending time trawling catalogue references (or, these days, the internet) to find what non-BMW parts can be used. For example, K100 ignition pick-up assembly from BMW $Squillions; Compatible replacement Hall effect sensors from local electronic store $40 the pair.

 

And, when purchasing a lathe, I did make sure I got one big enough to swing something the size of a K100 brake disc .

[MJI]

Yes the petrol 4.4 is a peach and without a turbo instant response.

 

Theres nothing like a normally aspirated unit and there's no substitute for CCs..lots of them.

 

Good luck with the valve block ..I was driven to9 distraction truing unsuccessfully to repair the leaking pipes.

 

As you will know they don't thread in but are held in place by a system of plastic olives and clamps.

 

A crazy set up ..why dont they just use hydraulic type unions?

 

The pipes for the system are installed on the chassis before the body goes on so purchasing shaped originals..very expensive..is oily possible if you can route the pipes ok.

 

If the leak is on the pipe and back far enough from the valve block you can cut the pipe and join with high pressure brass compression fittings but if its close to the block you risk disturbing the thing and end up with more leaks.

 

To work on this it requires scrupulous cleanliness as one speck of dirt in the system can bu**er the whole thing up and its very difficult to satisfy these conditions under an ageing Disco.

 

I eventually abandoned all hope of repairs and fitted coils and isolated the ACE pump and replaced with an idler..its a LR component as non ACE equipped cars have this in place of the pump.

 

I didn't replace the anti roll bars though as suggested and it was fine.

 

I had a load of the plastic clips that connect the swaged ends to the block but haven't seen them for a while now or you would have been welcome to them.

 

I might still have a  pair of new ride height sensors though. 

 

Good luck!

 

Dave.

 

Here it is with hydraulic fittings

[New Haven Neil]

Funnily enough I've generally found BMW bits to be comparable to the Japanese equivalent, with the added advantage that they're generally on the shelf rather than on the slow boat from Asia. To be fair, though, some bits (which I haven't yet needed) look a bit hair raising so it seems to be variable and not especially predictable. I am, for instance, quite grateful that I never needed to replace a brake disc on my ABS equipped R1100RS.

 

Mind you, I've never bought anything from an official BMW dealership, preferring instead the independent specialists. Indeed the only time I've ever set foot in a dealership was to view the mortal remains of said R11 after it got hit hard enough from behind (at speed too) to shorten the wheelbase by several inches. It also helps to enjoy spending time trawling catalogue references (or, these days, the internet) to find what non-BMW parts can be used. For example, K100 ignition pick-up assembly from BMW $Squillions; Compatible replacement Hall effect sensors from local electronic store $40 the pair.

 

And, when purchasing a lathe, I did make sure I got one big enough to swing something the size of a K100 brake disc .

 

The disc was for an R80ST, and as it has an odd offset wasn't then (1990ish) available from 'works or 'bins.  More recently after two failed Valeo starter motors, and finding the one from a scrapyard Peugeot went the wrong way, I bought the kit from 'works that fits a Toyota 2.4L diesel pickup truck starter motor.  Now the bike revolves around the starter!  R80 monolever by the way.  I also had an R80/7 with an RS fairing but my hip issues saw that go off to pastures new.

 

K100? Yeuch....vibrate terribly.

[Joseph_Pestell]

My old Disco passed on to my daughter who passed it on to her collie.

 

He loves it.

 

383530_10152851957045162_506633548_n - Version 3_2.jpg

 

Dave.

Is he doing dog agility?

[PatB]

K100? Yeuch....vibrate terribly.

 

So I've been told, but I never really noticed it, finding mine no worse than any other straight-4 I've ridden (they've all had a bit of a secondary tingle). Maybe my perception was warped by the fact that, immediately prior, I'd been riding MrsB's (real) T100 and Commando, the former shaking quite fiercely when thrashed and the latter, though smooth once rolling, appearing to be one of those old stereoscopic images at idle .

[New Haven Neil]

So I've been told, but I never really noticed it, finding mine no worse than any other straight-4 I've ridden (they've all had a bit of a secondary tingle). Maybe my perception was warped by the fact that, immediately prior, I'd been riding MrsB's (real) T100 and Commando, the former shaking quite fiercely when thrashed and the latter, though smooth once rolling, appearing to be one of those old stereoscopic images at idle .

 

Perspective, of course.  Getting off an R80 twin onto a K100 I intended to buy immediately changed my mind! The 4's we have had from Japan have never been as bad though, but that's Honda for you.  A K75 was smooth, but didn't have enough more urge to make it worth the bother.

[PatB]

Perspective, of course.  Getting off an R80 twin onto a K100 I intended to buy immediately changed my mind! The 4's we have had from Japan have never been as bad though, but that's Honda for you.  A K75 was smooth, but didn't have enough more urge to make it worth the bother.

Funny how these things work. When I first rode the R11, obtained sight unseen as a repairable write-off as a more recent replacement for the K, I was quite disappointed with it. It seemed to shake all over, had a horrible gearbox and an enormous amount of backlash in the driveline and suffered from quite spectacular torque reaction when blipped at a standstill. I got used to it fairly quickly, and it had the redeeming feature of that  fantastic paralever/telelever suspension. I was genuinely sad when it was shunted out from under me one night. However, I still think it was a less good bike for its time than the earlier K was (if you see what I mean), having seemingly gone backwards in some areas, like the transmission. To be fair, a mate's  R1100S, with its K derived gearbox was much better.

[Horsetan]

An acquaintance of mine was a big fan of ex-police bikes - his last one was a K1100 LT. He was forever trying to get me to ride pillion on it, but I'm just not that trusting.....!