Well guys - its like this...
Would you rather be at work - or on holiday.?
I was lucky enough to find a business that still pays me while I'm out on the road, so I finally smartened up.
I have spoken to a few members of this forum about it - not everyone's cup of tea - but anyone can do it, and it allows you to claim a lot of tax deductions for your home expenses.
Its international, so the UK and 14 other countries to date, and I can operate my business in any one of them.
And did I mention travel to those countries now becomes a tax claim..?
That was a word from the sponsor.
As far as Marina madness goes....
a. No - I havn't replaced anything at all since the last trip.
b. I think the fuel pumps are not repairable. I have made every effort to file the mounting surfaces flat when they start leaking oil, but I have never been successful. The new pumps unfortunately require swapping the brake booster/vacuum advance attachments as they are bigger than the OEM unit - however - I have never yet had a replacement unit leak oil.!
Paul - I am talking O series here, so not sure if the B series suffers the same fate. I did replace my B series fuel pump quite early in the piece, and almost immediately, the pin holding the actuating arm came loose and the car stopped dead. Was easy to fix it by peening the edges of the alloy around the pin, but not a great start. Since then it has covered over 100,000k with no problems..
c. Any car can break down, so I have no hesitation whatsoever in taking my Marinas out on the highway. I did give the red thing an oil and filter change before we left - but only because it was 4000k overdue. I'm pretty slack about oil changes...
d. If your Marina SHOULD break down, it will be very easy to fix in most cases. Parts are not so readily available, but everyone seems to know where there is one sitting in a back yard...
e. In retrospect, I realise that the fuel pump was leaking before I left. I had a mystery few drops of oil under the car that I couldn't trace - but I kept looking underneath.! Now I have found that the oil from the pump runs back and down either side of the bellhousing, arriving where I discovered it first. A little can also reach the exhaust manifold, making a rather worrying stench after taking right hand bends at speed...
f. I love going on holiday in Marinas.! Especially with the wide wheels. They get lots of looks and comments, and other road users tend to be a little more respectful. Especially when I have passed them at speed... The best bit is when they ask what evil powerplant I have fitted, and I lift the bonnet to show them a seemingly stock Marina motor.! Hahahaha.
Yes - I'm a happy boy, and this is a great country to cruise around.
If any of you should choose to visit, I will loan you a Marina to travel in.
Hows that.?
Cheers,
Kilroy
