Mat's BX Blog

[mat_fenwick]

And i find the pressure washer doesn't knock it down either

One of these is going on the shopping list shortly!

[Vanny]

got one, still not that good at shifting the crap. amazing at finding leaks and stripping paint though. as for gutters, it just pushes crap up into the eves. Better to clear leaves by hand.

[Tim Leech]

Rob Moss now has a hoard of NEW filler necks, they are expensive at £90 each mind!

[MULLEY]

Sounds like someone is cashing in, that is an absolute rip off. Its just plastic!!

[mat_fenwick]

It's the metal filler neck they're selling - personally if they've got a batch made up then I think it's a fair price. Too much to buy one just in case, but I'd pay it if needs be to keep my BX on the road. Although in my case the filler neck seems OK!

They've also got some steering couplings made up by the original manufacturer, so I'm hoping they'll do the same with more obsolete parts in the future - e.g. drop links are now NFP and after my issue with a pattern one failing after a month I had to search round dealer stock to find a pair. They were £90 each but I haggled them down to half that I don't think any of us as individuals have the means to approach a manufacturer and pay to get a batch of parts made up, taking the risk that you may not recoup your outlay for years, if at all.

In other news, it's bloody cold out! Just been sorting out wiring for outside lights, and although it's only -2 degrees C it feels a lot colder than that. I couldn't wear gloves, so my fingers took a bit of thawing out. Still, it hasn't rained for nearly a week now, which is the driest period for almost a year So I'm not complaining!

[citsncycles]

Although he's not the cheapest supplier out there if Rob Moss is getting into BX's like he has with GS's it can only be a good thing as far as I'm concerned.

While I generally use him as a last resort, I know that if there is nothing available for the GS anywhere else, he'll have some stock at least. He spent a lot of time building up a load of NOS items by buying up dealer stock, both here and abroad, and he'll get made anything the he either cannot find or isn't happy with the quality of. I've bought several items he's had made for the GS and they're all good quality items, built to a standard, not a price. It can even be argued that the parts availability for GS's is currently better than the CX!

[Tim Leech]

They are new old stock Citroen I think?

[Tim Leech]

Rob Moss is after all in it to make a living, but hes a good bloke, a Citroen enthusiast so a useful guy to have on side and hes now getting into BX's so thats fine by me. He did some work on my TZi at a fair price.

[Defender110]

All very good news for those of us in it for the longhaul.

[mat_fenwick]

Agreed, and he may be going over to France to try and obtain some panels - might be a bit late for me, but more good news for the future.

After a quick bit of tinkering on Dollywobbler's BX today, I put a roof (corrugated PVC) onto the pergola/porch/you name it I've just built. If you can contain your excitement I'll put a photo up tomorrow; it was dark when I finished. The I turned my attention to the hole I'd started.drilling this morning - got most of the way through the wall (about 3 feet) when the drill bit snapped and jammed.



My SDS drill doesn't have a reverse, and i couldn't turn it by hand. The only thing I could think to do was to weld something onto it so I could twist it out:



After much heaving and swearing I finally got it out, and it turned out the bit had snapped off somewhere in the wall. I had to use a 1" drill bit (the only one I had left that was long enough) to get through. My arms are like jelly now...

[mds141]

Trying to escape Mat?

[Paul296]

Oh I see! - Mat got a chisel stuck in the wall? I thought I was watching The Blair Witch Project!

[Defender110]

There's gold in them there hills!

[mat_fenwick]

Indeed - there are a few old gold mines a few miles south of me, and people still come to pan in the streams - one of them being an old retired guy who works from dawn 'till dusk in the summer, and averages about £100 a week.

This is the reason for the hole - some 'mood lighting'...



Although 1500 watts to light up an area 21' x 6' might be slight overkill!



My plan was always to fit it with a heating element rather than a bulb, which I will do as soon as it arrives in the post. The rest of the structure is pretty much finished, although just needs some trim to neaten up the edge of the roof. I'm reluctant to cut the sheets to the final size right now, as the temperature is hovering around freezing and the plastic is very brittle.

[mat_fenwick]

More lights again, but this time pretty lights!



Back to car related stuff, am wondering what to do about the Focus. I've done about 7k trouble free miles in it, and it's not unpleasant to drive. But I want to get the BX on the road within the next month. My initial plan was to keep the Focus as winter wheels for next year, and look out for some cheap snow tyres for it in the spring to replace the very thin ditchfinders on it currently. However, I'm not sure I can squeeze another month out of them safely, even if just about legal.

And I'm wondering whether for little extra overall outlay, I can keep the Focus on the road for the summer 'just in case', and insure the BX on a cheap classic policy? In which case do I really want winter tyres? The BX will need a set of tyres too before too long, so by spreading the mileage I can delay shelling out another £300. Hmmm, decisions!