The Fleet (SFW)

[tig]

Helga, the 2010 Audi Q7 and Deiselgate victim, continues to be amazing at 105k miles. Just drove her round trip from SLC to Jackson Hole. Here she is all cleaned up afterward.

[muleskinner]

and people wonder where that huge kidney grill on new bimmers came from.

[tig]

Uglina time!

She's back from the shop. Again.

I'm happy with the paint now. My ceramic guy (Dusty at Envision Detail) has offered to re-coat the door and fender and I'm grateful for that.




While it was there I had them install a Kioto headlight kit.



We figured out part of the defogger problem: The hose connecting the heater box to the vent was FUBARed. With that fixed, we thought all would be good. However, the amount of hot air the blows out the top is about the amount you'd expect a baby butterfly to generate. I know these things were never great, but there should be more air. In Vent, there's tons of flow but almost none in Heat or Def. The output of the fan seems strong. I suspect it is either the fan or the resistor pack at this point. Any insight?

We also discovered the hoses from the heater to the dash are pre-78 and don't have connections for the side window vents! Are those parts still available somewhere as I'd really like to have those vents work?

Hit a nice "mile"stone driving around today:


But, best of all, I got some more great snow pics and *had* to put her in 4H





Love.

Still to do:

• I've not played out winch and re-wound it yet (you are supposed to this according to the manual).
• Re-do door seals (I put gaskets in 2006-7 and didn't do a great job and a few are loose).
• I think one of the speakers' cones is bad as I get distortion sometimes.
• Fix Alternator/AC belt whine

[maybeillbuyit]

This constant posting of pics of that FJ40 is going to cost me money. A friend of mine who is from Brasil and spends time there, imports Land Rover Defenders and can get cheap probably clapped out FJ40s and the like. These pics are pushing me to make a grave mistake in my pursuit of more rusty stuff I don't need. More please!

[tig]

Hmmm... Didn't quite line it up right. Will try again tomorrow.

[gray635]

I just stumbled up on this CEK car porn post. What cars!!! Well done, sir! Three beauties. And what great photography - even if it is a bit of photoshop magic. This doesn't look like middle GA to me.

[e28Sean]

I cannot get over how well the E28 wears that color.

[tig]

I'll use this thread to post an update on life.

The last 16 months have been pretty life-altering for me. The upshot is I am now:

1) Single
2) Homeless
3) Unemployed

All but the first was what I wanted. But now that it's true, I'm completely embracing it. I'm currently on what I call my "new life walkabout" which means I'm away from my cars. Except for Minerva and the Tacoma, the whole fleet-and-kaboodle, including all my tools, are in storage near Seattle. The Tacoma is being useful to my kids and friends in Seattle, and is what I've used for getting around Seattle while there. Minerva is at Carbahn in Northern CA...why is a long story that I'll tell once I know for sure how it is going to end; let's just say for now that I'm getting free storage.

Just to put some flavor on my walkabout, here's where I've been since early Sept 2021:

- Montana (pheasant hunting)
- Reno (I drove Minerva from Seattle to play with a bunch of dudes I met on the Internet)
- Portugal
- Houston (again to thang with a bunch of dudes I met on the Internet)
- Across the US SW in my daughter's sprinter van (NV, CO, NM).
- Belize/Costa Rica/Columbia
- Tucson (quail hunting)
- Across Colorado skiing (Steamboat, Vail, Aspen, Purgatory, Silverton, Wolf Creek)

Now in Europe... and the reason I'm posting in THIS thread:

After many years of lust, I finally added a Defender D110 to my fleet. His name is Mario - named Ivo's 4 year-old son.

I've been planning a long European ski trip this Winter and a driving trip through Southern Europe in the summer. Plus there's a potential I will be working/living in the Netherlands (I'm nominally from the Seattle area). Instead of renting an SUV for this epic ski trip, I decided to go big and just buy a used Defender. I considered a 25+-year-old D110 that could come back to the US with me, but I realized I really wanted the creature comforts of a later model (2007+). If I end up living in Europe then I'll keep it. If not, then after my European travels are over later this year I'll sell it.

I found my dream rig on an online sales site in NL and Ivo graciously did the inspection and purchased it for me. Last week I landed at AMS and hung with Ivo and Tim and Francis and Ingrid and did a stereo upgrade, ate stroopwafles, and drank Dutch bier. I also had Ivo's mom's home-cooked meat and potatoes. I've been driving around Holland for the past week getting used to Mario and having a blast. It's everything I hoped it would be.

Details:

2009 Land Rover Defender D110
Tamar Blue (code 817)
Trim: T (anyone know what this means?)
Originally sold in Italy and imported to NL last year.
95k km on the clock (I've put almost 1500 km more on it in the past week!)

Pr0n:




















Cheers to all of you and sorry I've been AWOL. I am planning on going to The Vintage in May...

[knunger]

Why does NONE of the above surprise me?

I've known you to be a different breed of cat since the day I met you. We'll miss you at StPaddys day next month. Hopefully our paths will cross again...

Good Luck and God Bless!

[tig]

Thanks Kim.

Guess who I just ran into at the Hamsterdam Airport? @motronic!

[vinceg101]

Rock on, Charlie.
See you on the flip side and don't be a stranger.

[lizard]

As an older gent. Embrace single-hood and go out there and meet women (or your preference; not judging). Lots of them! I’ve been divorced for awhile and have met so many wonderful women.

[RoyW]

Great thread Charlie.... terrific pics of an awesome fleet!!

-RoyW

[muleskinner]

Speaking of @cek, where's Charlie?

[vinceg101]

Last I heard he was in Kiwi-land contemplating switching over to Volvo's.

[tig]

Back in the USA!

On my way to Princeton NJ right now... and to see @ahab!

Vlad says hi. When a homeless guy needs to quickly detail his car before a hot date, he does it in an auto parts store parking lot. LOL.

[

[vinceg101]

Hey, my wife's old stomping ground (and sometimes mine when I was living in Pennington).

There are some nice drives up and down the Delaware on both sides of the river (on either Rte.32 or 29) above Washington's Crossing up through Milford.
I'm sure ahab knows a few also.

[tig]

The fleet (sans Minerva which is still in CA; free storage , and the Datsun Roadsters which are still with @ahab), is on its way to Durango.

I am also on my way; at Denver airport now waiting for my flight to Durango.

Fleet is supposed to arrive tomorrow, so that's groovy.

I drove Maytag up to my storage facility in Cle Elum, WA where the transport was meeting me. It's about 90 miles on I-90. Lovely day, and the car was brilliant (as usual) at 90+mph. When I pulled into storage property it stalled. Wouldn't start. Typical. With the help of @ahab, @kohler, etc... I got it started again. No idea what I fixed. But something ain't right. But all's well that ends well.









I have found a temporary 15x50 storage unit (14' high door) in Durango. It will serve as a place to keep the cars that I'm not driving around Durango and all my parts/tools until I can figure out my new shop situation there.

[tig]

The fleet has arrived in Durango...



The storage is going to work out fine. But I really, really, really need to find my own storage/workshop space. Anyone in the Durango area reading this with a line on a honkin big shop/storage space for rent/sale please let me know. Ideally, I find something ~5000sq feet nearish to Durango proper.



Home is where you hang your hat. And park your Cruiser.



It's also where you go to Cars & Coffee and meet cool new car peeps.











AND, it's also where you go wheeling (up by Lemon Rez):









See video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdvFPkK70Xg

She performed like a champ. The Walbro fuel pump must go; insanely noisy. I still have some fuel smell. Not sure the Sniper tune is right still; power seems lacking.

Had to be in 4L most of the time given my 373 gearing and big tires. But that's no biggie.

[Karl Grau]

That's great the fleet made it safely to the new home. I wish you all the best on this new chapter!

[tig]

Uglina's top is off for the first time since 2013!



And, I was able to get TEQ in Colorado!



Vlad will be getting either "VLAD" or "ZINNO". "E28" is either already taken or can't be had in CO (like Utah).

[sprouting]

So glad to see an update, and that your doing well.
I may not know you or even live in the same country (England) but just from reading all the running reports I feel like I do and was sorry to see you'd disappeared from the forum for a time. Not had an E28 since the 90's but it was the same light green as the e12 in the last post. Not had an e34 since 2010 and miss all the old time BMW's from this era. Currently in a 2004 X5 which is as old as I could get away with to keep the wife happy
Good luck with the future, have you secured a new job.

[tig]

So glad to see an update, and that your doing well.
I may not know you or even live in the same country (England) but just from reading all the running reports I feel like I do and was sorry to see you'd disappeared from the forum for a time. Not had an E28 since the 90's but it was the same light green as the e12 in the last post. Not had an e34 since 2010 and miss all the old time BMW's from this era. Currently in a 2004 X5 which is as old as I could get away with to keep the wife happy
Good luck with the future, have you secured a new job.

Thank you for your support. This community is amazing and I am grateful to be a part of it.

[Ordnator]

Colour Matched body and plate

Best regards,

Mick

[tig]

A few teasers of what's next for a workshop/storage here in Durango....

1) Note the sq foot label on this thread now (it *was* 1way less than 1200sq ft)
2) Search the interwebs for the definition of the word "Gruntled"
3) A draft drawing: