Eau eck, it's wet and bent!

Anything about BXs
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Alan Hitchcock
New Member
Posts: 14
Joined: Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:36 pm
Location: Faringdon, Oxon

Eau eck, it's wet and bent!

Post by Alan Hitchcock »

All projects are on hold due to illness - dry ground in late October being wasted and frustration kicking in!

The 'new' BX arrived last week. It is another TZD Saloon, J plate, in a sort of metalic anthracite grey and was in mint condition with about 80K miles up. I saw it last year at Aston - on the Specialists list - the day they put it out on the forecourt just down the road from one of my stashes and told my friend to buy it, which he did for a reasonable but not cheap £600. Unfortunately a month or so ago my mate chose to drive it through a watersplash on max suspension finding the far side had an undercut exit of over a foot high. Clearly the BX did not mount this but folded a wheel up against it and bent the suspension back on the near-side. For his sins said bud then had to change the useless wheel for the spare in the foot deep watersplash and then reverse out. The car still drives but with determined bias to turning left and a complaining driveshaft. The gearchange is slightly stiff. Oh dear!

On the amusing side the registration is EAU, French for water. It is the second BX to arrive here full of water! The red car arrived with blocked sunroof drains which had filled the rear seat and seat well. Chum did not bother to clean out the car. Clearly it was driven home and dumped in a fit of pique until I expressed interest. It was driven from Boston to Faringdon at no more than 50 mph as perhaps its last trip, still as it left the watersplash. So a binliner of soden effects, two complete sets of foot mats (!) and mouldering foodstuffs had to be removed and the car dried out with a dihumidifier shoved in and the electric lead shoved out the front window.

I bought the car as a source of prime spares for £150 plus a rail ticket to send bud home to the Fens. I need a good engine for the Estate I intend to put together as I suspect the one in is slightly Bugnered. Despite Doc's orders I have had a look under the car which suggests it maybe possible that it is only the subframe that has been damaged. So further checks are needed to qualify this and then decide if it is a job I want to do. It looks like a lot of work as being a subframe the front is attached to it in many ways. Not least 2/3rds of the pipework for the hydraulic system. I have yet to interogate the club site for info on subframe change but at the moment I am tempted if the bodyshell is actually true and not bent. Done it kind of changes the dynamic of BX to keep as it is otherwise a little cracker and I really do not need to go mad on doing up problem cars just for the hell of it. However the other two cars have plenty of potential left in them.

Pictures of the fleet well be coming available soon.

I also looked at the events thread. It seems there was an aborted attempt to put a date and place forward for a meeting. Not sure I see why there is a prob but I will look at a potential venue for an informal meeting. I might be able to get a seperate space at the British Heritage Collection, or whatever its latest name is, at Gaydon on the 30th of May 2010. The only prob is I will probobly be there in my Messerschmitt KR200 as it is British 2 Stroke Rally day but it is a prime venue which is central and easy to get to. Failing that we might get access to Kemble for a club stand/area which is something like the weekend 21-22 June, not got calender handy, as I know the guy who does the commentary and therefore has an in on the organiser. They have space and if it can be placed OK it should allow for movement over the day as folk come and go. Fortunately the BX's technical spec mean it can claim to be a modern classic so I think we can swing it.

For a more southern drive in day I can suggest taking in Popham an Mayday Bank Holday. There has been Citreon Club presence here already so not a difficult one. Trouble is I will probobly be on my way north to Orkney in my KR200 for a three week trip with bud in his similar car. Yep were nuts but someone has to do it! So I will not be the organiser of Popham.

I see the real prob being the cars spread of owners from the young modified Gti enthusiasts to old gits like me who have oilers partly because were tight and do not like throwing money about. Hopefully enough common ground is there to keep folk interested. The Matra lot have the same prob as they cater for wildly modified Murenas and Rancheros owned by socks and sandel man. Yet they manage it somehow.

Big Al
BX TZD turbo Saloon and Estate
Saab Bullnose 96
Borgward Isobella Van
Messerschmitts
Goggomobil Darts
Trials car
Tatra 603
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