Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD - Back on the road

Tell us about life with your BX, or indeed life in general!
Dollywobbler
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by Dollywobbler »

1000 miles now covered since The Green Tiger came back to me. Last tank came in at 50mpg. Noice.

Steering now behaving but the knocking from the front end is getting worse. I'm hoping it isn't as a result of me undoing balljoints, though that means that the wishbone bushes are the next culprit I think. Is a pretty serious knock on bumps (driver's side only) rather than the almost rattley clonk an ARB link normally gives.
Dollywobbler
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by Dollywobbler »

55mpg on this tank, largely due to the number of dawdling fugg-wits and caravans that conspired to ruin today's journey to Redditch and back. With the steering sorted and the suspension knock gone, she's a peaceful joy to drive. One area I'm struggling with is steering feel though. I know I used to love punting this car through the bends but for some reason, she just feels a bit vague and not at all inspiring. She's not skidding around at all, but I am struggling to feel 100% happy with it. Not really sure what's wrong. It's like I've never driven a car with PAS before and have just stepped into it. Checked the tyre pressures earlier and they're at 31psi at the front, which is where I always tend to have them.

Perhaps between this and the Mk1, I'd just got too used to fighting the rather intermittent nature of the power assistance. Now it's there all the time as it should be, it feels wrong!
Dollywobbler
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by Dollywobbler »

The miles keep clocking up but sadly the intermittent PAS issue seems to have resurfaced. Guess a full drain and refill of the LHM is in order as the filters were filthy when I cleaned them out 1000 miles or so ago. Just need to try and find time to do it. Not much spare time currently!
Dollywobbler
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by Dollywobbler »

PAS working fine at the moment, but I'm pondering the long term future of this car. The clutch is definitely on the way out (not slipping yet, but not exactly fierce in its engagement) and the cambelt is about due (changed 40,000 miles ago). But the car is pretty rotten in places. Do I throw money at the bodywork and get a new belt/clutch fitted or spend nothing on it and see what breaks first?

Was it worth getting it back at all? Well, yes. I've done about 2000 miles in it and I didn't have anything else on the fleet that would have done those miles so comfortably and peacefully. It'll probably be doing the ICCCR as well.
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mat_fenwick
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by mat_fenwick »

It may be considered sacrilegious to some, but might it be useful as a spares car? It has a known good engine (cambelt & clutch change are a lot easier with the engine out ;) ) and swapping over hydraulic parts might solve some of the Mk1's issues.
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Dollywobbler
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by Dollywobbler »

That has been on my mind Mat. I have no problem with breaking a truly rotten car to save others, though we are now at the stage that breaking any BX is becoming a difficult choice. The Mk1 has a weak engine and a duff gearbox, so swapsies would make a lot of sense! Maybe I should sell them as a pair and just get one, good BX. Like that cheap TZD...
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Tim Leech
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by Tim Leech »

RXBX has a good early 65bhp engine from a Mk1 19RD afaik (aswell as a TD, and other XU engines...)
Lots of Motors, mostly semi broken....
Dollywobbler
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by Dollywobbler »

He does Tim. It has been offered.

I may chat to my MOT station. A chap there has started doing bodywork so it might be possible to salvage the TGD for not too much outlay. At the moment, I'd rather hurl money at the TGD than the Mk1. I really have lost my love (again!) for the Mk1. All this stress just because of a rotating speedometer! The TGD drives really well (clutch aside - gets juddery on a long run sometimes) and is far from rotten in some key areas (A posts, B posts and C posts are all quite good really). Perhaps its time to offer up the Mk1 at a more reasonable price. I can't keep on top of all the jobs of the current 5 car fleet!
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mat_fenwick
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by mat_fenwick »

:idea: Or sell the Mk1 and put your spare dash in the TGD?

I'm actually semi serious - if that is the one you're more willing to spend time/money on, then it makes sense to stick with that. I think that with old bangers/emerging classics (depending on your point of view) you really have to like the vehicle or have deep pockets to spend a sizeable part or more than the value of the car on repairs.
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1993 1.9 TZD Turbo Estate
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Dollywobbler
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by Dollywobbler »

I think you're spot on Mat - though as it happens, I think I've fallen back in love with the Mk2 dash. I nipped in to my test station today, but the bloke who does the welding is on holiday. I'm going to get him to see what he reckons about getting it more solid. If that's not too scary, then I can consider doing the clutch and cambelt - not expensive jobs if I DIY, but fairly involved. (the clutch job scares me a bit, but probably unecessarily so).
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citsncycles
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by citsncycles »

I think that with old bangers/emerging classics (depending on your point of view) you really have to like the vehicle or have deep pockets to spend a sizeable part or more than the value of the car on repairs.
..that_

I've spent several times the purchase price of the GS getting it as far as I have, and that's doing almost all of it myself. I'll probably end up spending upwards of twice its final value by the time I finally have it somewhere close to how I want it, but then I don't ever plan to sell it so it doesn't matter. I dread to think how much it would have cost if I god it all done professionally :shock:
Mike Sims
BX 19RD Estate Mk1 - Timex!
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Dollywobbler
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by Dollywobbler »

Well, I was like that from the start with this car. It got a service, then the BXagon, then I decided I really liked it and spent hundreds of pounds on it, despite only paying £266 for it in the first place. When the alternator went, I bought a new recon one. I had the cambelt replaced. I binned the crap Michelins and fitted brand new Hankooks (transformed the handling!). It had a rear arm bearing, two recon struts and a full hydraflush, and was serviced every 6000 miles. I was an absolute fool to sell it.

Despite it being thoroughly neglected for the 30,000 miles between ownerships, I'm still feeling the benefit of that care - though the recon alternator packed up after 40,000 miles.
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citsncycles
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by citsncycles »

the recon alternator packed up after 40,000 miles.
That doesn't surprise me :roll: When I used to run a Bedford CF it was reckoned that a new alternator (Lucas or Delco) had a life of between 40-60k miles, but that a recon would often pack up before reaching half that mileage. Oh, and if you've heard all the Lucas 'Prince of Darkness' jokes, the Delco kit was even worse!
Mike Sims
BX 19RD Estate Mk1 - Timex!
BX 4X4 Estate - Oh god, I've done it again!
BX 17RD MK1 - it called to me!
BX14 TGE, - SOLD
XM Turbo SD,GS Club Estate,Visa 17D Leader,HY Pickup,Dyane Nomad,Dyane 6,2CV AZL,Falcon S,Trabant P50,3x Land Rovers (88" series 1,109" series 2a FFR,series 2a Marshall ambulance),DKW F7, Lambretta LD150 x 1.5,Mobylette SP93,Ural Cossack,Ural M63,CZ 250 Sport,Honda Varadero 125,lots of bicycles & tricycles including (but not only) Sunbeams,Higgins & Bates!
Dollywobbler
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by Dollywobbler »

Oh dear. Went seeking quotes for welding repairs today. Not good news as the place refused to quote! If rear wings and crossmembers were available, it might be a different thing, but both are utterly, utterly rotten - and seams are starting to blow in other places around the back too. If I had endless funds, then maybe. But I don't.

Now seems to make most sense to pull the mechanicals out and lob them (slightly incorrect for year as they are) into the Mk1. Though at the moment, what I favour more is getting rid of the Mk1 and getting something else - using the Mk2 as a parts donor and flogging any bits I don't think I'll need (or flogging it AS a parts donor).
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mat_fenwick
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Re: Team Green Tiger - BX19TGD

Post by mat_fenwick »

Hmm. Do you know anybody reasonably local who runs a BX estate who might be interested in a parts car?
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1993 1.9 TZD Turbo Estate
1996 3.9 V8 Discovery
1993 VW LT35 campervan
1985 Hyundai Stellar V8
2016 Hyundai iLoad