What have YOU being doing or are you planning to do with your Vette?

antijam

CCCUK Member
It's not as bad as it looks James. Almost all the centre dash wiring terminates in different multi-pole connectors and these are impossible (unless you try really hard) to connect incorrectly. The odd lamp connections are easily identified from the cable colours. The real trick is remembering to re-connect everything - as well as the instrument wiring there are the air vent control cables, the heater control vacuum connections, the cigar lighter, the heater control and cigar lighter lamp bulbs, on my car the front and rear fibre-optics and the oil pressure gauge line - forgetting this could be very messy!
 

James Vette

CCCUK Member
It's not as bad as it looks James. Almost all the centre dash wiring terminates in different multi-pole connectors and these are impossible (unless you try really hard) to connect incorrectly. The odd lamp connections are easily identified from the cable colours. The real trick is remembering to re-connect everything - as well as the instrument wiring there are the air vent control cables, the heater control vacuum connections, the cigar lighter, the heater control and cigar lighter lamp bulbs, on my car the front and rear fibre-optics and the oil pressure gauge line - forgetting this could be very messy!
Thank god we aren't colour blind though.
 

Letank

CCCUK Member
I've stripped down the shifter console on my '71, then disassembled, cleaned and repainted the console plate and heater control mechanism.......

View attachment 13670

The neat trick is going to be getting it back together again so that it works. :unsure:
I meant to ask, what paint did you use for the shifter plate? It looks like a slightly better match than the satin black I used on my 73. Also, did you mask off the silver edges or remove the paint afterwards?
 

antijam

CCCUK Member
I meant to ask, what paint did you use for the shifter plate? It looks like a slightly better match than the satin black I used on my 73. Also, did you mask off the silver edges or remove the paint afterwards?
The finish is Simoniz Satin Black Tough Paint, applied in two coats. First I chemically stripped off all the original paint and thoroughly cleaned the surface with Isopropanol. Masking the chrome highlights would have been tricky at best and near impossible on the shift pattern so I didn't try it. Chrome is a difficult surface to paint with rattle cans so I gave the whole plate a light coat of upol Acid 8 etch primer after which I quickly removed as much as possible from the highlights with a rag dipped in solvent wrapped round the end of a lolly stick. After giving the primer time to cure I applied the Satin Black to the whole surface. When the paint had cured I removed as much as possible from the chrome highlights with a plastic scraper (and my thumbnail! ) before finally buffing up the surfaces with a rag lightly charged with Autoglym Super Resin Polish (less aggressive than metal polish) wrapped round a flat piece of wood, lastly washing off any excess polish with soapy water. I'm quite pleased with the result. :)
 

CaptainK

CCCUK Member
My replacement rear licence plate bezel turned up on Saturday - whilst I was out all day, and Hermes decided to leave it on my doorstep right next to the footpath to the park whilst it was chucking it down with rain. They even nicely sent me an email saying they left it in my porch and here is a photo of it. I don't have a porch.......

Thankfully it was still there and didn't get too wet. I'll fit that at some point.
 

Chuffer

CCCUK regional rep
My replacement rear licence plate bezel turned up on Saturday - whilst I was out all day, and Hermes decided to leave it on my doorstep right next to the footpath to the park whilst it was chucking it down with rain. They even nicely sent me an email saying they left it in my porch and here is a photo of it. I don't have a porch.......

Thankfully it was still there and didn't get too wet. I'll fit that at some point.
That`s Herpes for you ! Throw your package anywhere they like and bugger off asap ! :mad:
 

Nassau65

CCCUK Member
My replacement rear licence plate bezel turned up on Saturday - whilst I was out all day, and Hermes decided to leave it on my doorstep right next to the footpath to the park whilst it was chucking it down with rain. They even nicely sent me an email saying they left it in my porch and here is a photo of it. I don't have a porch.......

Thankfully it was still there and didn't get too wet. I'll fit that at some point.
At least it was still there for when you got back home. Many a parcel has been lost by the time the owner got back in.
 

Chuffer

CCCUK regional rep
Been out for good long blast in the Vette around north Northants and south Leicestershire in glorious autumn sunshine . The B664 from Market Harborough to Uppingham is a real hoot with undulating starights , swwping bends and tight hairpins . Popular with the Barmy Biker Brigade and had a pack on my tail for a few miles . Gave a run for the money . :ROFLMAO: Ended up passing under the amazing Welland Valley railway viaduct where the country roads thread through it three times . At 3/4 mile long and 83 arches it`s the longest brick built viaduct in the UK with 30 million bricks !!! I did`nt have time to count them all . :LOL:DSCF2757 (3).JPG
 

CaptainK

CCCUK Member
I took my vet out for its usual "regular" trip - to go to the vets to pick up my cat's medication. Its a few villages over from mine, about 15 mile round trip I guess.

And yes, I do find it amusing that I take my Vette to the Vet. :ROFLMAO: (alas, no one else has made that connection yet)
 

Chuffer

CCCUK regional rep
I took my vet out for its usual "regular" trip - to go to the vets to pick up my cat's medication. Its a few villages over from mine, about 15 mile round trip I guess.

And yes, I do find it amusing that I take my Vette to the Vet. :ROFLMAO: (alas, no one else has made that connection yet)
Only just spotted this CaptainK as just got home from taking the Vette back to its renta home . Love the idea of a Vette to the vets , did the medication cure the problem with your catalytic converter ? I thought Redex additive was the best thing for clearing out cats !! :ROFLMAO:
 

James Vette

CCCUK Member
I took my vet out for its usual "regular" trip - to go to the vets to pick up my cat's medication. Its a few villages over from mine, about 15 mile round trip I guess.

And yes, I do find it amusing that I take my Vette to the Vet. :ROFLMAO: (alas, no one else has made that connection yet)
Any excuse! :cool:
 

CaptainK

CCCUK Member
Only just spotted this CaptainK as just got home from taking the Vette back to its renta home . Love the idea of a Vette to the vets , did the medication cure the problem with your catalytic converter ? I thought Redex additive was the best thing for clearing out cats !! :ROFLMAO:
My cat is diabetic. I inject him twice a day with insulin. Hence I constantly need supplies.... and I wait for a sunny day so I can do the Vette to the Vets trip.

Before anyone asks - the cat is very friendly and really doesn't care at all about being injected. He seems to know it is good for him and on the odd occasion that I forget to jab him, he comes and meows at me until I jab him. He's very good with it. His brother (actual biological brother) lives with my ex partner and he too is diabetic, and is also very good with his jabs (though he doesn't come and find you to remind you).
 

Chuffer

CCCUK regional rep
My cat is diabetic. I inject him twice a day with insulin. Hence I constantly need supplies.... and I wait for a sunny day so I can do the Vette to the Vets trip.

Before anyone asks - the cat is very friendly and really doesn't care at all about being injected. He seems to know it is good for him and on the odd occasion that I forget to jab him, he comes and meows at me until I jab him. He's very good with it. His brother (actual biological brother) lives with my ex partner and he too is diabetic, and is also very good with his jabs (though he doesn't come and find you to remind you).
Cats are amazing creatures , wouldn`t be without ours . Never heard of a diabetic cat though ! The only cat I have ever got rid of was the one off the C3 , I didn`t like the way it purred , I preferred a growl . :LOL:
 

CaptainK

CCCUK Member
Cats are amazing creatures , wouldn`t be without ours . Never heard of a diabetic cat though ! The only cat I have ever got rid of was the one off the C3 , I didn`t like the way it purred , I preferred a growl . :LOL:
I don't think anyone knows cats could be diabetic until it happens to you / someone you know. I didn't have a clue at all until mine was diagnosed. His brother was diagnosed a year or so later, as my ex and I are still friends and I gave her the heads up as this thing can be hereditary. Everyone I mention it too are also just as amazed that cats can be diabetic.

I also removed my CAT from my FTO back in the day, as the MOT rules allowed me too - its a Jap import so it is not officially on the MOT system, so from 1993 (when UK insisted on CATs) until 1995 they had a grace period for cars that they weren't sure about because it wasn't on the system. Mine is a 1994 model, so fitted into it. Alas now I'm trying to get it back on the road after 4-5 years it turns out the system has changed and if it is after 1992/1993 and was built with a CAT then it must have a cat. Bugger.
 

theseoldcars

CCCUK Member
I had a fantastic day out on Monday with the Straightliners at Elvington. I've long wanted to get my '89 up there so I could establish a standing mile benchmark before I carry out more significant modifications; aside from some minor tweaks and its different wheels, the only real performance upgrades it has at the moment are a set of long-tube headers and a high-flow centre cat – so now's a good time to get some figures in.

Originally, when shiny and new, it would have topped out at some 153mph (as far as I'm aware), presumably after a few miles. I was consequently hoping it would do about 130mph in the standing mile but it ultimately clocked a best of 144.239mph, which I was very happy with. It also did ~144mph three times in a row – 143mph was the final pass, hence the sign – so it's also consistent!

At the end of the day, I'd racked up six passes and ~260 miles on the road, with no issues. I couldn't have asked for more, especially given that it's recently endured a 450-mile trip to Castle Combe and four sessions on track.

A big thanks to the Straightliners crew as well, as they couldn't have been more welcoming or helpful. Highly recommended, across the board.

Right, time to start shopping for more speed parts...

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