Austin 245F

getting back on track - my exhaust points rearward stopping under the truck in front of the diff. with the spare tyre, underbody hoist etc there was no room to go back. Also if you do go over the diff make sure it rises well up into the chassis area in case you do put a load on it and hit a bump otherwise the exhaust will be flattened - I have seen it happen to others

Thanks for the input bparo, but everything is well and truly clear of the axle, even before adding another 10cm rise to clear a cross-member I missed towards the back of the tray :blush:. If the axle ever makes contact with the exhaust pipe now I'm in MAJOR overload!!
No underbody hoist back there so the pipe now runs between the chassis and tray, way above the spare wheel carrier. All it needs now is one clamp and another Toyota muffler support rubber thingo for the rear muffler, similar to the one used on the front humungous muffler.
It was quiet with just the front muffler, now it is exceptionally quiet - without being Rolls-Royce quiet. :lol: :whistle:
Original, somewhat perforated, muffler

Humungous new (2nd hand new) front muffler

Up and over the axle showing the extra 10cm

And down to the rear muffler

About 3/4" clearance above and below the pipe on the tight bit just before the rear muffler. Down below is tow-bar extension and even further down the spare wheel carrier.

At last, after fixing the choke cable that allows a controlled idle of sorts (not a pleasant loping idle I might add - more like a slow galloping idle!?) the truck has moved once again under its own power. :silly: :woohoo:

Not very far maybe, and certainly not very fast, but it's a milestone and a half so far as I'm concerned. Clutch, gearbox, and rear end all seem okay, so after 12 months of sweat and frustration I can move on to tidying things up a bit. :dry:
Earlier I said this was intended to be a budget build and, despite having to change to 20" wheels to accommodate the replacement brakes it still owes me less than $500 to date.
I appreciate that tidying it up some will escalate the cost proportionally but at this time, as the poms might say, "I'm well pleased."

Meanwhile back to the wife's Herald Coupe (spare roof and a few other bits on the tray of the truck at the moment).

Iz Th@ a PT Cruiser
eye spy with my luvley lil eye

Jist Looks 2 B a Plumb Color PT

deff not ley a Prowler

WotSezU?

Cya
§

Yes it's a 2001 PT Cruiser - another wrecking yard refugee I redeemed and that has seen me contemplate slashing my wrists at times. Two engine changes (wife overheated the first replacement because of a leaking water pump and a "dropped" radiator cap - it drove for approximately 25 kilometres before the engine quit!!!) and way too many times changing the alternator (anyone who has done this will tell you that it is NOT a fun job).
Can you believe she went out and bought a Holden Cruze before I found/fitted a replacement engine!? Has sat, waiting, collecting dust, for about eighteen months + and is decidedly surplus to requirements.
Anyone need one? This one's available, unregistered, for $2000. Limited Edition, auto, cruise control, CD/radio, etc, etc, even including the fading paint on the top of the rear lift up door.

Anyone? Please . . . :whistle:

What a piece of shit, shit when new, shittier now, I hope you get what you're asking but its worth closer to $20. You dont even see them in wrecking yards, they just crush them.
Good luck with the Austin, its great to hear you have spent so little to end up with essentially a running, driving machine.

PT Cruiser: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder; many rubbish them but very few of these critics have actually driven one. I used to own a 1939 Oldsmobile and it had the same style cues, but a substantially more powerful engine. As a commuter they are fine, as a long distance economical set of wheels they are fine, as a carry-all they are fine too (seats come out super easily and load capacity is equivalent to a 6 x 4 trailer almost - in mine I fitted two trestle tables plus a heap of parts for a swap meet and many, many buyers commented on the amount of stuff I had for sale that had fitted into the car :lol: ), and as a vehicle that is virtually ageless it still looks okay! Pity they are such awkward shits to work on. Personally I don't care if it sells or not, it is simply there and ready to roll if and when I need it.
Austin: Thanks, I don't expect much from it, and will probably only drive it a few times each year, when (if?) I even get around to registering it??? In a nutshell it is basically BASIC :lol: thus spending too much on it isn't really warranted and I guess only time will tell what happens next?

I had the same idea with my Dodge, however the rust has caught up with the old girl and due to a pending move from WA to SA and the necessary inspection I think it might be curtains for the old girl unfortunately, that or find another cab and give her a rebirth.

Surely a replacement cab is not THAT hard? If'n the running gear runs a rebody would seem to be the way to go? (With something, anything, even a PT Cruiser maybe? :whistle:)

PS On a sidenote, them afore-mentioned thingamajigs don't seem to have any troubles with rust either . . . Hmmmm?

I would like to put a cab on the old girl but it will have to wait until after the big move, I'm just hoping to find an inexpensive way of getting her to SA.
The automotive gods are cruel beasts, the good stuff rusts away before your eyes while the garbage just seems to linger on forever and ever and......