Can't wait till tomorrow - the trek begins to return her to Joe's at FCSS for a full suspension refresh

These last 3 and a half years of Belgian-motorway standard roads (sorry Klass, you provided the proof of that ) have really pushed the decision on this one and I'm looking forward to the drive home on a magic carpet.

It's nice for CC also to see his project again after I whisked it away from Sam who being somewhat more local would drop round occasionally. Also to meet up in person with the ever-helpful voice on the phone plus associates

She's a good 17 years old now apart from the stripping down to a rolling shell around 5 years ago so it'll be unnerving to think what Joe might find with his diagnostic torch I'd like to keep her for as long as Mrs Ed. can be persuaded (not always a scoosh case )

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for "spotting" threads material....

A safe journey Ed, your nearly coming down as far as me.
Will be interested to see what CC finds.
Personally I am too frightened to take mine there just now, as I would find the list of work required too demoralising!!!

This has got to be my favourite paint job on a coupe to date and I wished I had brought it off of Sam when it was forsale.

Brilly a list is a list mate so just get it checked out you'll be surprised how much you can do yourself in a weekend and the jobs that will need paying for will make sure your coupe will be good for another 10 odd years of life.

Remember people holding off will just make the spend bigger in the end

Quite right Knighty, I am busy trying to save up!

Drive safe, Simon. I look forward to the update. Don't forget your passport for getting back home though.

Don't drink the water either!

Good luck!

The water? I believe this is Malvern Hills locality so can be that bad unless I suddenly start talking in an English accent

The falling-down water is one I remember (I think) as being particularly tasty from when I lived in Cheltenham for a while

I should also add that this is not just my play-run, Mrs Ed and I will be culture vultures at one or two local NT houses/estates as well as Crowels Ash Park

It's the first long run since I started to fill up with super unleaded so the mpg will be well under scrutiny. The days of sillier speeds are now gone so it should have a positive effect!

Incidentally has anyone done this journey from the north?
I'd like to know whether it's recommended to stick with M6/Birmingham/M5 etc or turn off M6 somewhere and come down via Shrewsbury and Ludlow..

The Shrewsbury/Ludlow route is a nice drive if the weather is good but not so when wet as lots of lorries and agricultural traffic mean it is slow going.
If the M6 traffic reports are heavy, then I would take the detour as the M6/M5 area can be horrid, but this usually depends on the time of day.

If I stick mine on a trailer, can you take mine too.
Should be nae bother to you, with all your driving experience

M6 M5 is the only sane option, I think, Simon. Turn right off the M5 for south Worcester.

Tonight BumbleBee sleeps in the hive

If it wasn't for Mrs Ed's quick thinking I'd have come off at Worcester north
Trouble is, I says to her, Neil's always bloody right



Ah now this is why folk make the pilgrimage from far-off lands, as amongst the greatest array of coupes that must be assembled in this country there is a sorcerer and his apprentice (sorry Dan I couldn't resist, but you were actually already mentally repairing bits while Joe was shining his light sabre up at it ) whose knowledge (amongst one or two others it has to be said) of the coupe is unsurpassed.

So indeed it slumbereth ready to emerge from its cocoon the morron's morn. I was lucky to have a hurl in a 20v which had decent suspension and Mrs. Ed said right away how much better the ride was, so looking forward to driving north!

This time it's losing the 30mm lowering springs which will help the 17" Momo's to clear the wheel arch linings, already nobbled with wear.

Also some incipient seal corrosion underneath which is being treated, along with a solution to the "tinny" noise when moving off, traced to a knackered cat in about 5 seconds.

Service includes updates well into the evening between forkfuls of curry and cobra beer not to mention the FCSS brew on site during the tour of Piggy and co Ain't it sweet some of the coops have names

Final thanks to both for making Mrs Ed feel at home in the office chair with a clean FCCUK T-shirt spread over it

Yes it definitely needed that edit Simon
Very funny.

Hmmm may pop up to fcss to collect my wheels.....and in no way shape or form dribble over the bee, nop, not at all

Mine's due to follow the Bumble bee to Bromyard at the end of the month.
Could be make or break!!!!

Bloody hell, all *I* get on the chair is a pile of used rubber gloves!



An ex-boss once concluded a yearly assessment with 'Neil knows many things. Some of them are useful.'

Morning Sam, there's a fair chance I'll be picking her up at close of play today so if you liaise with Joe I might see you there

Good luck and don't forget Belgium for the ultimate SHAKE down.

Are you and the bee back home yet?

Itching to know what your suspension refresh feels like!
LE Coop is going to Motormech next week for similar treatment.

Home at last! Didn't see a single coupe all the way there or back

With a complete suspension refresh:

Wishbones and droplinks
Top mounts and front ARBs
Front shocks
FCSS front springs
Rear shocks
FCSS rear springs
Track rod and track rod ends
Steering rod gaiters

the Bee is definitely tighter and handles really well especially when being put through fast cornering (surprise), and best news of all was the final 2 miles of moon terrain (main road into city from Edinburgh bypass) which to date has shaken all occupants to bits.

These few days have been a learning experience in that one can't expect a car to perform exactly the same way if you make adjustments which upset the original balance. Whilst there is of course a big improvement in ride, it is still firm and a section of the generally excellent smooth surface of the wide A75 last night proved that it's not a standard model. There were odd, regular ridges, dips even in the sections of road surface which weren't absorbed so easily as a standard spec. would, but then the setup is different. It doesn't crash around the windscreen as before and as above the most reassuring improvement was felt on the home stretch.

So my lesson is I can't have everything but I do like the spirited kick, even at a lowly 258 horses, of the Bee when it's asked to overtake quickly and therefore more safely, not to be thrashed but to be there when needed. 17" rims and 225x45 tyres change the feel and Joe suggested I adjust the pressures down to 32 psi in front and 30 in the rear to help combat the firmness. It handled just as well in both dry and torrential rain tonight.

As you'd expect Joe not only spotted a few things due for replacement:

P/S Aux belt cracked - phew!
New rear discs and pads, service calipers
Knackered cat replaced
Supplied missing spigot ring

and others incipient corrosion issues which I'll need to sort before too long, but also chucked in some freebies to boot, mainly for exhaust system and a replacement brake cable, a clean, treatment and seal of sill and floor sections.

This was followed up with courtesy calls the following day to see how it had performed.

Great to meet both Joe and Dan, and thanks to Dan for suggesting Berrington Hall near Leominster as a place to visit, it really helped to make the trip more palatable for Mrs Ed

Great result Simon!

I was looking through the photos on the FCSS facebook page, I have to say the cars looking as great as ever, alot more yellow under the bonnet than I remember, or maybe thats just me? Either way, she looks really good


I'm glad your happy with it, that's all that matters at the end of the day. I don't think there's any such thing as the "perfect" setup for all types of roads, there are great alternatives to the standard set up, but like you say you can't have everything. I don't think you'll ever have a firm great handling car, without it being slightly crashy on certain types of roads, just like you'll never a comfortable setup that absorbs all dips and bumps, yet handles like it's on rails, all you can do is find a good compromise of the two, and it sounds like you have.

Obviously another great service by joe and dan, always great to hear good reviews and of specialists going the extra mile, and finding/preventing other problems, and at least now after a thorough inspection, you know what your up against.

I'm dreading to think what I may find when my chassis gets stripped down over the course of this winter

Looking forwards to seing you soon at the xmas meet

I'd be careful of dropping the pressure so far on the front. That's nearly a quarter down on the factory recommended. You run the risk of the tyres overheating at higher speeds. Best thing you can do is balance the pressures left and right.

How do you find the speedometer with bigger tyres; is it still accurate?

Sounds well done Simon!

Looks like you had a lot done Simon, presumably you went with a list?
I'll have to check out the Facebook pics.