2015 New Years Resolutions - How did it turn out at the end

[bstardchild]

So what do you have planned for 2015

Apologies for non retro and 2 wheeled content but I did it elsewhere and thought it would work well here

(some pictures so you don't have to read all the text)

Looks like I have a task or two required (These are definitely in no particular order)

I need to finish the work on this PITA



Getting it back on the road (after too many years off) and to the Le Mans Classic for 2014 was the a target I achieved but it still needs some finishing before I can sell it later this year

Downside is now is back in one piece and 99% rust free is unfortunately it needs dry storage to keep it that way



As a result it takes up 50% of my workshop space so other projects have to wait until the weather improves and it can live outside for a while. Yes I know it looks complete but it's not "perfect" yet. (actually it'll never be perfect they weren't perfect new but it'll be 100% sorted mechanically with a small number of paintwork challenges)

Slightly off topic - the other 50% of the workspace is taken by this



Hey it looks better now than when I got it



But nothing like it used to look like



So for 2015 I'll be mainly collecting parts for it as it's my retirement project.......

And trying not to buy things like this to keep my motivation going (I didn't buy it but it was tempting)



So the BMW 740 is in need of some suspension work - putting the 18's back on has revealed the dreaded "shimmey" (Not present running 16's)



So I've bought every single arm and bush required to overhaul it all - (in the boot currently)
It has a slight leak on the rocker cover seal (drivers side) and it needs a new ignition switch

So get all that done by April and then put it up for sale just in time to buy an A8 V8 from another local PH'r (oooh look a deadline driven activity - I'm really good with those.....)

The SLK 230



Continues it's role as a daily driver and is a paragon of reliability as well as a versatile load lugger - fridge, oven, one ton builders bag of garden rubbish and countless other stuff has been carried around in the boot and continue to do so and it just needs some paint to tidy the arches and I must change the oil on the supercharger this year (probably time this for the arrival of A8 V8 goodness)

Brings me on to the track car



They aren't reflections they are dents - sticking it upside down on track wasn't my finest moment and I've sort of retired it despite the fact that it clearly still goes and stops even after I ran out of talent (picture above was later that year).

Full story here if you are bored

So what to do with it - well finding rot free Monza shells is not so easy - clearly the existing shell is "kippered" so I have waiting in the wings another car which I "saved" from the crusher a while back (a long while back......)



I've owned it for several years but I haven't really had a need to do much with it as lets just say here it was either

* the Monza lasted longer than I had expected
* I didn't run out of talent as quickly as I expected
* I was luckier that I expected

multiple choice answer pick what you like

It's not like it's been on the road recently (a long while)



I have had a little bit done to it over the last few years - put some steel back where there wasn't any at all.....



Plan for this year is take the best bits from both "kippered" and "saved" and make a new track car

So not much to do really.......

Oh Motorcycle wise and I need to replace the fork seals and put a new battery on this so I can sell it....



I accidentally spent my Mongrel 3.7 litre engine rebuild fund buying it's bigger brother



Oh and I suppose I'd better mention that I'll be doing nothing with this in 2015



(it's the other retirement project)

Happy new year........

[HoTWire]

Well I can't even come close to that level of work rate or volume of cars.

My plans for my car are to get it back and get the wheels/ride height sorted :



This is as it stands at the moment, the engine is in, a dodgy Maf sensor caused all kinds of crazy hard to track down issues and made it fail the MOT on emissions. That has now been fixed so I expect a slight water leak that is the only other issue to be found and it to be fixed and MOT'd next week. Then it is back to The Dungeon for a little bit whilst I sort wheels, tyres, ride height and probably door bottoms.

I've got a deadline of April for that is when I'll be doing the first round of Classic & Retro Time Attack, which is super exciting. I should probably get a track day in before that.

I'm hoping not to plow all the money I'll ever get into it, but we'll see.


Other than that for 2015 I've been inspired by former regular and occasional lurker Racer86 with his newly purchased Porsche 911. He was focused, worked hard, saved and managed to get his dream car. I realise that if I want my dream car(s) I'll need to be similarly disciplined... first step is drawing up a list of dream cars that I actually want, next step is working out how to get them. Although if anyone wants to swap a fully functioning and active forum for an early DeTomaso Pantera, just PM me


This is somewhat stymied by the fact I also want to build a number of custom cars for my dream car list and they have a very variable price tag... obviously the first up on that list is a minitruck, what with 2015 being the year of the minitruck.

[bstardchild]

Jan 1, 2015 12:59:40 GMT HoTWire said:

Well I can't even come close to that level of work rate or volume of cars.

In my defense - it's a target to aim at

I'm really good with deadlines (not)

Don't most new years resolutions get broken!!!

[Mercdan68]

My plans? Buy the xj8 or s type I've always wanted, and get to a few shows this year maybe

[MR TIKI]

my resolution for this year is to stop throwing money at this tired old lump and invest in a recon or sport engine to end my current frustration with reliability.

[Vintage75]

Well I can't compete on the amount of work that Ian is planning but I do have a few things to do to the old Barge.




I now have all the things I need to lower the Monza,

my wife bought me the GAZ adjustable front shocks for Christmas.(already have the rears)
i got a pair of rear Mantzel lowering springs off of ELK late 2014.(currently being cleaned and painted)
As for the fronts springs they will be getting a visit from the angle grinder fairy.
other jobs are fit a engine oil cooler (pipe work is already there I just need to fit and connect the cooler)
Fit a larger more powerful radiator fan from REVOTEC .
i also have a big valve head that I picked up from Hotfuzz last year that needs building back up, so that might happen much later as I want to get the Monza back on the road early this year and enjoy it as much as possible.

[joem83]

Put my 18 inch BBS LM reps on my Golf plus, sell the CRV and replace it with something with LPG.

[`state]

Sadly no pic`s as everything`s up at the workshop. First up i need to finish my vespa 100 project,shouldnt take too long. Then dig my mk1 astra estate out of the back of the workshop,get the engine bay stripped of underseal and stich welded. Then the v6 fitted. Oh and then painted.
Found a pic from when we moved across the yard.

Hopefully have the vespa on a trailer pulled by the astra at the retro cars show.

[stealthstylz]

First in line is a Vitara Fatboy ive ended up owning. Plan is to slam it, fit some silly lowrider esque wheels and fill it full of audio gear and use it as a daily. Main project is the Cinquecento, not really touched it yet apart from pulling the engine out. Oh and something very silly for the gathering.

[jabbo]

I actually started to formulate a 2015 car plan last night.

Step 1) Sell the L300. I bought this last year with big plans for camping trips etc, but then massive health problems made me rethink my plans and I don't see me using it nearly as much as it should be used, so it's up for grabs.


Step 2) Either start using or sell the DiBlasi. Another thing just not getting the use it should.


Step 3) Use the money from Step 1 (and 2 if I decide to sell) to rebuild the driveway. At the moment the front of the drive isn't very 'lowered car friendly' so I'd like to adjust the gradient to sort it.

Step 4) With step 3 complete it gives me free reign to lower the Estafette, so it fits in the garage easier (at present I have to load it up with stuff in the back to weigh it down so it clears the beams. I'd also like to build an interior for it, and sort out the bodywork ready for paint in 2016.

[camper damper]

I'm going to sort out my daily car engine with a bit from every car I can think of killing for bits the list so far is a 1.6L Silvertop 4A-GE engine from a Levin a 5 speed LSD gearbox and drive shafts from a GTZ Levin the supercharger from Previa and a turbo from a Impreza should be fun and if I have any money left I may sort out some nicer wheels

[DWDarkWheels]

A serious collection with serious plans, bstardchild!

For me, finish this...



...so I can tidy up and sell this (well the camper in the bottom foreground),



then finish this (mostly interior trimming left to do) in time to get some use from it in 2015, possibly use it for a family wedding in August.



The rest is non-retro, so feel free to skip if you wish

I'm also tempted to replace our main daily driver



which isn't our own one, but one just like it. And that's the point, it's so like so many other Fiestas. It does everything a car should, and does it well, so I'm a bit embarrassed to consider changing it so soon. I'm tempted to change to



because it does everything a car should, but should be more entertaining to drive and give me the option to overtake

And as Hotwire prompted it, I'm increasingly drawn to bucket-list cars. For me the list is very short. Top of it was always the 911, but the current Cayman is just gorgeous and compact enough for my wife to use too. However, I've dared to be different with British GRP cars for 20 years, so to remain true how could I not...

[theheap]

1- Zetec my mk4 escort which is my daily.
2- mot, tax, insure, fit new fuel pump and four new tyres to
My st200.







Oh and a new engine for my moped. Not difficult. Just being tight ha ha

[Steve]

Aims for 2015

1- Get stuff finished for once!

2- Visit more shows...in at least one "finished" car

3- Become a millionaire so as to make 1 & 2 much easier

[duncanmartin]

My primary new years resolution is to drive this a lot more:
DSC_0612 by duncancmartin, on Flickr
The secondary one is to sort the engine so that it makes the best use of the intercooler and gets close to 200bhp with standard boost (and then maybe turn it up a bit ).
If I get a chance, tidying up the interior is next on the list...
I have other, non-vehicular resolutions, but that's for a different list.

[gurnersimps1963]

I have got to look after the old bus more this year,it had new arches and a repaint a few years back but it needs touching up now,we use it as our camper at various car shows throughout the year and I use it for work.
Here is a pic of it just after it was painted a few years back

it's an old 2.5 Di so pretty bulletproof,I put a thread about it over on the Transit Forum when I bought it all those years ago and it turned out that a chap on the forum used to own it,small world eh?
This is it as it is at the moment,not bad but best to catch the rust before it takes hold,just need some fine weather now because I can't get it into the garage!

Here it is at The Imp Nationals last year


The Imp is SORN'd,I hope to tidy up the Interior,new seats maybe and recover the dash as it has split in a few places and is looking a bit shabby.

MOT and Tax up on the Lexus end of January so have to get that sorted,it's still going well so hopefully we can keep it for another year.

Nice thread Bud.
Got my work cut out then.....

[richp]

Get this road legal again in time for the gathering and fit the large pile of parts I've manage to build up!

[fordperv]

to get this old girl painted so i can put the finishing touches on and enjoy, shes been off the road too long now



then i can start on my capri

[richy246]

Will try to get this finished LOL

[retrolegends]

I think Mr Bstardchild you must have a year with 36 months in it!

My aims -



Get this a little less rusty, sitting at a decent ride height on white walls and slap a roof rack and surf board on it!



And get this home so I can actually work on it!

Happy New Year!