Ownership Verified: Cpt.70's NotAHonda - 1983 Triumph Acclaim L

Fortunately their shitty website doesn't load the paywall for second or so most of the time, so I was able to quickly scroll through with OBS recording and get the entire article before it blocked me, then stitch it together from the frames. Hence the cursor appearing in several places, sorry about that.

AcclaimArticle.jpg
 
1645293088790.png


1645293148217.png


:p
 
Paywalled, sadly.
I know. Torygraph bastards...
Fortunately their shitty website doesn't load the paywall for second or so most of the time, so I was able to quickly scroll through with OBS recording and get the entire article before it blocked me, then stitch it together from the frames. Hence the cursor appearing in several places, sorry about that.
Doing God's work. (y) I had a transcript of the text but cool to see the other pictures.
dozens_of_us_arrested_development.gif
 
This continues to be my most reliable car.

277422616_566077721148027_554570394542224827_n.jpg


It keeps losing it's idle and the rad is still fucked and with warmer weather looming the heater has to be constantly maxed to stop it cooking itself.

Honestly I don't drive more than 50 miles most weeks, with Springtime drawing in I should probably sort the carbs and fit another rad...

It's function as a Volvo jump starting machine is unrivalled.

20220305_094012_copy_1152x864.jpg.e0e1f45a5728a2c584958859b122bc43.jpg

277077084_1415031822274845_2706742965564875328_n.jpg
 
This became UNRELIABLE recently.

316626677_503151631782786_7933642432363358618_n.jpg


By which I mean I left basic maintenance tasks unchecked until the car was unusable. Namely the radiator. It'd been leaking forever and with replacements NLA I'd been half arsedly looking at replacing it with something from another car and some custom plumbing while motoring around with the heater on full blast all summer to stop it from overheating. My frequent need to top up the coolant meant it was about 99% water so I needed to swap it for proper coolant before winter, and I didn't want to waste it on a shit cooling system.

I eventually accepted I'd never be bothered properly fitting another car's rad, so found a place in Edinburgh that'd recore the original for £180.

316625413_892740045062316_6269364266291155708_n.jpg


317139587_1204195976842209_1473972596158237950_n.jpg


Well, I got my money's worth out of that. Not a single fin wasn't rotten.

A week or so later it was ready for collection:

312800823_709106070391343_182293979225714783_n.jpg


It had also started running quite rough and seeming down on power. Much like it had done before I changed the timing belt, when it was a tooth or two out on the belt...

285391965_1359139401247201_6797220438732854029_n.jpg

285488395_1175272146645481_7357490705845703652_n.jpg


Bastard! Those lines on the pulley are supposed to be parallel with the surface of the head. The belt was quite slack too. So either the tensioner has failed or the belt has stretched, no idea how old the stocks of these belts are... Either way, it's a tooth out on the timing again.

These are a non-interference engine so if it all goes tits up it's not a massive disaster. It's next in line for repairs after the Volvo so it's waiting it's turn as I'm trying to largely focus on one car at a time to actually get everything up to a higher standard.

It also has a dying battery, so I spend a lot of time parking on hills and push starting it these days...
 
Damn, never would have expected something like that with a timing belt... Good thing it's not *so* bad. Did you replace the thermostat with the radiator re-core?
 
Top