Unfortunately the CoC will not give you that breakdown between NOx and HC figures. The requirement to do so only came in on the Euro 3 standard. Euro 1 and 2 lumped the HC and NOx in together, Coupes being Euro 2 vehicles I doubt you will ever find the info short of getting it tested yourself (which no doubt they would accept even if it met the standard!!)

It's different for 16v and 20v models IIRC; the 16v goes a little further back when open.

Weather has been poor and roads filled with filed mud and run off already- so its gone in to early hybernation.

Intelligent trickle charger in place- which has been a god send in terms of fit and forget at winter.

Will run mine once a week, run the a/c. And on nice dry sunny cold days if no surface water- will take it out.

I try and do any small jobs on her over this period. Ready for her full service at Joes in spring next year!

Regards

MM

Absolutely Jim. Our new house has a smart meter and we've now become more aware of our energy spends. Nothing is left on standby except key appliances, dishwasher only used a couple of times per week, low energy clothes washes etc. I've calculated that our yearly savings will equate to 10 x tins of Scottish craft lager so a bit of a result

We are quite fortunate that the house is exclusively hot water under floor via LPG which in the current climate is cheap to run. The downside is my feet smell like the finest blue cheese ..

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My daily a wee 1.0 litre Corsa has started to blow in the exhaust, luckily it wasn’t picked up at MOT time, it would’ve cost a fortune. It’s blowing slightly from the rear, so it’s either a new rear box or a repair to the connection pipe. Not a big job but weather is not playing the game at the moment, it will even wait until next year if need be, hopefully a break in the weather will come.

Clarkson only looks 19 !

...unfortunately, I was 45

I highly recommend putting benches on wheels. Makes life much easier. I put two locking wheels on the front and it’s enough even when beating metal in the vice. No movement at all.

Thanks for organising Ashley, a very enjoyable lunch had by all!

Another eighteen months have passed and now that our project has been mercifully transferred to a lockup belonging to a friend of one of us amidst a tiny country hamlet, the opportunity to keep it dry and away from the elements has renewed enthusiasm, but more importantly the occasional Friday morning availability of yet another mate, a mobile mechanic, "G", has supplied us with the skills needed and the essential safety of moving the engine.

With the fortune of the only half-sunny morning in ages we turned up today hoping to get closer to our goal of diagnosing the cause of the half-power cylinder. Previous visits had gone a fair way with gradual dissembly, with parts bagged and marked; the head bolts had been loosened a quarter-turn too but the presence of G's ingenuity and 3-ton jack - he has owned a 16v coupé even - made short work of disconnecting everything else appropriate, and within 90 minutes off came the head

Of the three likely suspect problems, viz.

1. Leaky valve
2. Piston ring failure
3. Head gasket failure

no 3 was the least likely, it being a rare occurrence in coupés, and on removing the head it was immediately apparent from the dark patches around cylinder 5 that we were getting closer.

Filling pot 5 in the head with WD40, it almost immediately started to leak down and exit through the exhaust side. It was exciting and a great relief to think that the poor performance mystery over the years was hopefully now solved, the dismantling and proper view of the area revealing what is basically a straightforward mechanical fault.

G is taking away the head to attend to this along with general tlc, skimming etc. and new parts - head gasket set (including manifold gaskets and valve stem oil seals) and 12 "stretch" head bolts - being ordered.

We're now over 5 years into this project, surviving all sorts of setbacks - and then covid - but there is a glint in our eyes...

That’s the dipstick sorted then. The elephant in the room now! That is some story Annie, good to let go though. As a self confessed bletherer I know this.

November 2022

Catching a 6am train from Colchester, I was able to get a lift from Joe at the other end and got to his unit at 10am before hopping in the Coupé for a trip over to Hereford to pick up a set of arch liners and water meth tank that had been left at the roll cage fitter unit some months before. After heading back to Joe’s we set about refitting the Aquamist tank and making the car fit for the long drive home. I’d also arranged to collect a few items from Joe’s parts department, highlights including a complete dash an undertray and a cup holder, as well as boxes of all the old parts that had been removed during recent works. After a couple of near starts and a false start, I was able to get underway and spent the next 4 hours in a mixture of stop start traffic or motorway speed driving, neither of which was much fun in a car full of loose rattling parts and no sound deadening. The final list of work carried out at this latest major milestone then:

Fix vibrating EGT probe port
20v Turbo late model front water rail coolant T piece
FCSS custom 63mm stainless turbo to intercooler pipe
FCSS custom 75mm stainless charge pipe
NGK plugs (8s)
Nylon gear selector base and 2x roller bearings
Battery in the boot mod
2nd hand steering rack
Power steering fluid
Eye bolt mounts (for harness lap belts) welded to centre tunnel
Protection applied underneath seat mounts and eye bolt mounts
Replacement rear arch liners
Replace failed Vibra Technics rear gearbox mount with ‘competition’ version
Fit new 20vTurbo Facet thermostat (to address water temp gauge issue)
New wishbones and drop links
Supply new wishbone pinch bolts and ARB Nyloc nuts
FCSS tank straps
Re-wire dash lights
Aquamist system refitted

Parts / consumables collected for later:
Tin of Zinc spray (for roll cage welds)
Undertray (and spares to reinforce after cutting it to fit)
Rear brake bias spring
New dash
Millers CFS 10w60 oil
3D Printed cup holder
New centre console (I have plans to modify two of these in order to move the head unit position. More to come later)

I can confirm that initial impressions of the steering feel and handling post roll cage are that incredible gains have been made. However, due to inclement weather conditions becoming the norm rather than the exception now, I have taken the car off the road already and started work on the interior in earnest. There's also the small matter of it sounding like a WW2 battle tank with no interior or sound deadening to speak of. The interior rennovation work has now started and will be complete well in time for the spring when it will be released back into the wild. More on the progress of this to follow...