Your most eventful journey...

Most of us no how russells journeys always turn into disasters. Well now its time to share yours.

Good or bad we would love to hear them.

Ill start with which is maybe quite a lot of our most eventful. The french national in Salbris. Where 6 cars went. Our first big european meeting without the parentals really. Cars were ready to roll and so were we.

Off the ferry. Probably been driving an hour? And louise' car was having issues which in the end was her fan exploding. Which then resulted in russ reversing back down the motorway to see what the problem was. And unwound his gearbox. Idiot.

While all this was going on i had not realised of the breakdowns so pulled in a services and watched the motorway. With no mobile or CB noone could get hold of my car. In the end i got there but managed to get dragged into versailles and get lost.

The other guys managed to sort out russ. But left him with 4th gear only meaning harry had to tow him up hills as he had no other gears.

We got to the meeting. Had a blast fixed russ' car and then left. all was going well until russ thought it would be a good idea to be silly and drive in the hard shoulder. This was until he flicked a massive stone into my car and smashed the front window. Idiot.
We then cleared the window and drove back with no front window all the way to norwich from paris. in the rain. Bad times. Im sure russ can beat that.

Max.

That's nothing, I have more issues than that on my way to work nowadays.

Harry only towed it up one Hill, it did the rest of the journey under it's own steam, still has the same clutch and gearbox now!

Not a single journey, but here's whats gone tits-up since I've had the Bamboo:

*Front suspension arm bent (new arm)
*Front wings replaced (new wings)
*Steering rod bent (replaced)
*Headlamp bar assembly Bent (replaced)
*Oil feed pipe burst (replaced with braided PTFE hoses)
*Clutch splines mangled by previous owners botched clutch change (clutch replaced)
*Crossbox smashed (changed)
*Shock mount plate and shocker bent (both replaced)
*Steering rack slide plate jammed in rack (rack replaced)
*Both front suspension arms replaced with corrected ones
*Swan neck broken (replaced)
*Wiring loom caught fire (spliced new wire in, and insulated)
*Gearbox unwound (rewound, now lost 3rd gear synchro)
*Gearlever snapped (stolen another from my dads 400.
*Crossbox broken for a second time this evening.

Wonder what tommorow will hold....

Imagine if that was one journey. On the phone to recovery.

That must be some kind of record. They usually last years!

not for russ.

o gosh.....

and to think when we got my Lil, she'd been sat under a car port for almost 8 years, and for an mot all she needed was:

- rear brake pipes
- new rear tyre... only cos the original had a thorn and slow puncture.....

i feel kinda lucky atm.... just wondering whats in store over the next couple of years!

You wait joe, you just wait. and it will be when you least expect it too.

Well shes got a "gentle" oil leak, still cant find it, and theres a flippin vetra on the ramp with no head cos its got noooo compression.... pffft modern cars! cba to get the wing off till its on the ramp, its nothing serious atm and shes still got plenty of oil.. maybe abit too much! think abit more went in that what came out when we did the change n filter!

i am still waiting for something to just give or blow as im hurtling down the motorway though!!!!

Most eventful journey? Hmmm, let me think. Aha, I remember.

Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.

Our most eventful journey had to be in our old H van going to the H van camp in 2002.

We planned to head down there on the Tuesday but on the Sunday before, I was still finishing welding the roof corners, refitting the interior and the small matter of finishing the engine change too!

By about half 11 on the Monday night, I'd finished. Or so I thought..................

We left for Dorset at about 8 in the morning with 2CV on the A frame and hit the M42. For 16 miles! We made it to junction 4 (from j9) before the brakes seized on and he overheated.

After waiting 2 hours for the AA to come along and tell me exactly what I'd already told them, we unhitched the 2CV and headed back home and waited for the AA to deliver "Ivan" back home.

Many calls were made to various H van people and eventually I traced some wheel cylinders to Graeme Seed in Wigan so of I trundled oop North.

Wednesday saw me fitting new wheel cylinders to him ready for a 2nd atempt on the Thursday.

Off we trundled again, this time making it to junction 2 of the M42. We stopped at Hopwood Services for fuel and then he wouldn't start. I don't carry tools with me when I'm on holiday so the AA were called again and they changed the condensor and we were off again. For 3 miles before he boiled in traffic on the M42/M5 interchange!!

The AA turned up again and relayed him to Strensham (on a nice big truck) where they'd got a Transit type beavertail waiting-another truck was sent for.

We watched him loaded onto the next truck and headed on ahead in the 2CV deciding that moving at AA speed was too much to bear.

In the end, he was delivered at Melplash Cricket Club at half 10 on the Thursday night, thankfully.

That was just the journey down, we had to get back home too...............................