Ok let's get the excuses out of the way. I was a student. I was skint. I'd been carless for 6 months.
I had other things on my mind. Temporary insanity. Whatever, common sense and I had a trial separation
and during that time I bought this for £90 at a car auction.
I hardly ever drove it. Fixed it a lot though. You name it, I had it in bits all over the road.
Then this horrible whining started. At first I thought it was me complaining at the rate it was emptying
my wallet, but no, it WAS the car. Turned out to be the gearbox main bearing.
Down to the local "previously enjoyed spare parts emporium" aka "the scrappy". Mk 2 Cortina gearbox,
£30, with a "bring it back if it doesn't work" gruntee's guarantee.
Employ the best part of a Saturday fitting this gearbox, then all the other bits around it, then a trial
run. It jumps out of 3rd gear, and no amount of force on the gear lever can hold it in. After a brief
trip to A&E to get my broken wrist plastered, back home and take the gearbox out again.
Next day, back to Honest Abdul, proprietor. He says "tough". I point out the previous day's guarantee and
he replies along the lines of "I said "bring it back", I didn't say you'd get any money back." Further
negotiations are somewhat curtailed by the appearance of an alsatian the size of the Arnold Shwarzenegger
of Wolfdom, and an attitude like a bear with a sore head and mustard up its arse. As it playfully chomps
on its frisbee (a chrome metal hub cap) I make my excuses and leave.
We manage to strip the gearboxes and put the bearing from the "jumping out of gear" gearbox into the
other one. Although this takes the best part of a week, our perseverance is rewarded when it works!
Not very long after that, the engine started clattering very loudly. Very loudly. Terminally loud.
Coupled with a loss of oil pressure, the diagnosis is simple. Crankshaft bearings. Oh dear, we all agreed.
So I am presented with three choices:
1. Strip the engine and repair it. Big job (I've done it before on a car that was worth it), but on this
pile of doo-doos, I can't be bothered.
2. Get another engine (from a different emporium!). Again, can't be bothered.
3. Scrap it as it is, and get nothing for it. Not appealing.
In the end, I plumped for option 4. I would sell it to my mate Honest Abdul! And since he had taught
me the principle of worthless negotiations, I would leave my scruples safely at home where they could
do my wallet no harm.
Drain the engine oil. Replace with Hypoid 80 gearbox oil. Start engine, ignore initial clatter, listen
to clatter diminish as the oil fills the bearing gaps like porridge. Drive straight to HA's place at a
pace between "not too fast or the engine will explode" and "not too slow because this repair might not last.".
After an inspection, he agrees to give me £50 for it. I don't bother to haggle, he's left the engine running
and I want to be out of there before it goes bang. And I am.
...