CurtisRider

Still haven't heard back from the guy about the Halfords stuff, grr! Cheers for all of your input though, I nearly made the bad decision of buying a budget cabinet before. I just can't justify Snap On prices, they may be nice but that's a substantial amount I could be spending on tooling that will help me actually earn money rather than making my life a little easier and neater. I will keep an eye out for 'damaged' units, I don't care about a few battle scars or dents, as long as it functions and looks reasonably neat. I may have to pause on the rolling cab purchase as I've been offered the chance to buy a complete wood workshop outfit, I've got first dibs so I need to work out costs and see what I can sell of mine to aid the investment! I may just buy a few machines and leave the rest, it is hard to know where to stop....

Yeah that's a good plan, like I said we have one of their units at school and i'd be more than content with that! I've been offered a nearly new Halfords setup the same as below for £180 which seems pretty good? At the very least I could get my money back later on it

Not really interested in having more hand tools, I seem to have most of that Teng stuff anyway! I was offered that same kit after my workshop was broken into by a Teng dealer for £1800... probably should of found the money for it! What exactly is the difference between a Halfords one and a Snap On? I don't intend on using it as a workbench so I won't be smacking big lump hammers on it, it'll simply be for ease of bringing commonly used tools around the workshop. My other option is to get shaping some steel and make my own, but that's effort

I'd quite like a rolling cabinet with a top box, I've looked at budget ones but they are made of really thin steel and are quite small anyway, I can't afford to go as far as getting a Snap On setup as they are just far too much. We have some of the Halfords Professional stuff at school which seems nice, so I would consider those but ideally i'd spend less if possible! They seem to pop up secondhand but command a high price still so I'm guessing this is because they are really that good? Are there many other good alternatives? Any secretly good cheap ones out there?

Love that car, when are you hoping to have it back up and running? Quite chuffed, 3 door Astra front grills command a premium over 5 doors (between £50 and £70) but I managed to get one for £15 locally to replace mine that was stolen. The car now looks a bit tidier Porsche is up and running a treat, done a few miles in it and it feels so much tighter now after its steering overhaul. I need to get a few bulbs fitted in the dash and wire up the radio but it's pretty much there now

Mr brothers A4 B6 saloons boot won't open but makes a solenoid noise suggesting it's a mechanical fault. Funny thing is he doesn't have fold down seats... so far the only way I have found to access it is by removing the seats and cutting out the big steel sheet behind! Alternatively destroy the boot instead. Any other ideas?

Ford people I need help! My girlfriend has a Street KA and the front bushes are shot. It appears that standard KA arms are too short as the Street KA has a widened track. Can standard KA bushes be fitted to the original arms? Also one of the rear springs is broken. It appears the Street KA has shortened springs over standard, are these going to be Ford only? I can't seem to find any online which are actually for the Sport model!

A year old and the correct type for the newer fuels, not impressed!

More information needed on this bread trick... WTF?

I would but not yet, I need to finish my hydraulic one first! I'll keep you posted

It's part of the reason i'm leaving education, the system makes no sense and there's nothing done for those who aren't that academic but are really good with their hands. Schools are wasteful and it's too much effort to sell things as nobody has the time because the job is so demanding. I'll make a donation when I leave, but it won't be money, it'll be resources. I can't wait to get sorting out my workshop space, I'll be kitted out to make some pretty cool stuff

It was all destined for the tip! It's stuff the kids don't/can't use anymore in school so I said I'd remove it for free, they even offered to pay for the van rental... Hopefully be getting a CNC mill too

Yeah both work fine, realised I left the handle for the stand in the guys garage though! After a few van loads I have the following stuff: Gabro Sheet metal folder Floor standing polisher that I have converted to single phase Lathe that I have converted to single phase (just need to make a panel for the switch, came with loooooads of accessories) Axminster mortiser Anvil+loads of shaping tools Flat steel bender (can do up to 10mm) Record tube bender Gabro metal shear (has a stand too) Axminster Roller/brake press Then loads of hardwoods, loads of 3M lengths of steel of varying profiles, racking and some workbenches All for the cost of 2 days van hire There is loads more, I just didn't photograph it...

I'll post up my freebies later, I was a little bit chuffed...

That looks like a little bit of fun Adam! Picked up a horizontal bandsaw and engine stand for £40 this evening, this means my current band saw (same model ) can be made into a vertical one for sheet steel. Quick clean and some paint in areas and it should look decent! Engine stand will come in useful too, the one I built doesn't have any wheels...

Hate it when that happens! Some people are just thoughtless and rude Jolfa, I have researched further and the really cheap ones aren't worth the hassle it seems I've been ordering lots of little pieces for my Porsche, I can't wait to get the old thing back together! The steering will hopefully be a bit smoother and lighter after its rebuild and hopefully the cabin will look that little bit tidier now that all the wiring isn't hanging about everywhere!

As a teacher I'll give some words of precaution, even being seen as trying to intimidate the bullies can cause issues in school further down the line if it continues. The parents/family members that get involved and scare kids end up causing more problems and making it worse for the victim. She simply needs to go and report it to her head of year, then it can be dealt with properly.

I changed my Astras fuel filter the other day, on the way back from work I noticed a diesel smell and it turns out rather a lot of diesel was coming out of the housing. The o ring supplied with the filter was thinner than the previous one and therefore wasn't sealing. Quick swap back to the old one and it is all good. Has anybody had any experience with those cheap (often £15-20) bluetooth headunits on eBay? I want to minimise the wires on my dash and I like the idea of not having to plug anything in however I'm reluctant to spend much as it doesn't bother me enough to pay £100 for a branded one. My current one also keeps telling me i'm a 'failure' and flashes it on the screen repeatedly...

I work at one of the schools in Stapenhill, I live in Nottingham though so shifting myself over to Derby wouldn't be an issue. Is it mainly modern stuff at the meets or are old things acceptable?

What are the meets like out Burton way? I work there but wasn't aware of much of a scene

Cheers Jolfa, Figured I was over worrying but I just waned to be sure

In May my Porsche will be doing 2x15 minute track sessions at Silverstone, I'm assuming not one straight after the other. Apart from ensuring everything is mechanically sorted what else should I be looking to do? Should I change the engine oil and filter? If so do I do it before or after? It's not due a service until the end of summer but I'm happy to change the oil sooner if it keeps the engine going as I already have a filter and oil ready to go. How much abuse will my tyres realistically get? I have about 3mm left front and rear, I did wonder if I should bring a spare pair with me but perhaps I'm over worrying? The cooling system is spot on as are the brakes. I'm having an alignment done once I refurbish my steering column and steering rack as I know it is not set up correctly and certainly won't be any better after I pull it all apart!

I wanted to get my steering column out so that I could change the firewall bearing, unfortunately the bolts that hold it on are blind headed and really hard to remove without the dash being out. An hour of swearing at rusted screws and I revealed this nightmare..... It's a mess and mostly self induced due to poor access and lazyness. Although it's going to be no fun tidying it, at least I can make it all safe and neat with reasonable ease whilst the dash isn't in. Ideally I would refurbish the dash but I haven't really got the time or money to be doing cosmetic stuff right now, that'll be a job for the winter. It may not be clear from the photos but I have been tidying the wiring, some bits I have trimmed to length and joined with chocolate blocks until I get my soldering iron back to join them neatly. I have some conduit that i'll whack over the remote central locking loom to cover it up and keep it all neat.

I respect your obsurdity

Yeah solid will feel horrible! My exhaust is constantly falling apart, pants stainless