Just got a message from Marty (thank you) about this site.

Can't say I'm sorry to join. RR.net is good, but I do get pissed off about the condescending attitudes sometimes. Mind, I also get the same about those that won't find things out for themselves!

If you don't know, and some probably will, I run an early 4.6 HSE (January 31st 1995) here in the Philippines with zero dealer support, all parts have to be shipped from the UK and the nearest good independent LR place is about 70kms away. As a consequence, it's me or nothing! Still, after two and bit years of ownership, she's now a reliable daily when I need her.

Let's hope we - sorry, you - can make this site a) a success and b) a bit of fun as well.

Regards,

George.

Got to say though that I'll have to revisit the 'other' site now and again, just to read the nowty bugger's replies.

I am still on there and dropping the odd PM to people telling them about this site too. What annoys me most is that when someone who has been around for a while asks a stupid question, then I can understand the unhelpful replies (it's all in RAVE, try a search, etc) but when you get a new owner who has no idea what he has and has just joined, it isn't exactly welcoming.

As you have obviously now found, there's not much you can't do on a P38 yourself. They may seem complex initially but once you get stuck in, they're pretty simple machines really. My father, who always worked on his own cars when he was younger, called round while I was doing the head gaskets on my SE and thought it looked complicated until I pointed out that it's only a pair of nice simple 4 cylinder pushrod engines no different to the old Fords he used to pull apart without a second thought years ago.

We'll accept anyone on here and the more stupid the question the better. We'll just take the piss out of them mercilessly if they ask about converting to coils or fitting an L322 front end......

Good to see you here George!

I too, am still on the 'other' site a lot, as even though it has it's issues with some of the 'management' shall we say... there are still a lot of normal people who are after help - and I figure that if some people can't be bothered to give them the time of day, then I'll at least try to help where I can (and start pointing them here aswell!!) to hopefully show people that not everyone on there is an ass - and probably partly because it was started by a Kiwi, and we have to stick together!!!

I've given up caring if people want to put coils on their vehicles - I will always tell them that EAS is better, and can be reliably fixed for less than a coil conversion... .but at the end of their day, it's their perogative. Just don't come crying back when the ride is shit!!

Though I have to say ONE thing for coils... I was working on the one in our workshop today to get the RH exhaust header off, and the fact it's on coils (bought like that... and I can't be arsed to change it back as no doubt whoever buys it eventually won't appreciate the EAS!) meant that I had a lot better access to the bolts behind where the top of the air spring would be... That being said, looking at it - if I had to do the job on mine with EAS, I think I'd just deflate that air bag and remove it whilst doing the job.

Anyway... back to the other site to answer some PM's and see how many other people can't find RAVE....

Welcome!

How's going?

Aloha George,
Pull up a comfy chair!
Like you, I have been keeping my fleet (Now just my 02) going totally solo in Hawaii as there is no dealer on the Big Island, (and driving to Honolulu get's the rugs wet every time!)
Gotta ask though.....Is it really less expensive or easier to get parts from UK as opposed to sourcing them somewhere stateside?

SpiggyTopes wrote:

Welcome!

How's going?

All good thanks Spiggy. How's Portugal?

Bolt wrote:

Aloha George,
Pull up a comfy chair!
Like you, I have been keeping my fleet (Now just my 02) going totally solo in Hawaii as there is no dealer on the Big Island, (and driving to Honolulu get's the rugs wet every time!)
Gotta ask though.....Is it really less expensive or easier to get parts from UK as opposed to sourcing them somewhere stateside?

Kamusta.

The chair is pulled!

I originally tried to use US suppliers but they all seem to think that the Philippines is either part of the States, or just the other side of Mars. Their websites all demand a ZIP code and state, no matter that the country selected was Phils. In addition, several enquiring e-mails about this to various suppliers met with a 100% zero response. I did once order some stuff from the US, but that was last April and I'm still waiting!

With UK suppliers, it's order and three days later, get the parts. And if I have a question, I get pretty damn good responses.

So in the end it comes down to service, usability and availability, rather than price.

Portugal is fabulous ... best kept secret in Europe.

But we feel the cold after Dubai!

Good job you're not in England then, it's bloody freezing over here at the moment.....

Although Gordon would probably call me a southern softie because it's probably a lot colder where he is.

But, you have central heating!

Very true. Problem I have at the moment is that it switches off at 8:30 because I would normally go to work at around 9:00 but I'm working from home today.....

Doesn't work when I've got two cars outside that have things I want to do on them, it's down to about 3 degrees and the front of my house faces North so doesn't even get any sun on it. Doing fiddly things in woolly gloves is a bit difficult.

Gilbertd wrote:

Good job you're not in England then, it's bloody freezing over here at the moment.....

Although Gordon would probably call me a southern softie because it's probably a lot colder where he is.

You can call me an equatorial softie then. The very idea of cold, after nearly 12 years in these parts, makes my teeth hurt. I even get someone else to get my beer from the fridge!

It's a bit cold here in Swindon too... only about -2/3 but it's all the moisture in the air here that makes it feel colder than it is...

Was in Oslo a couple of weeks ago and it was -14.. Still it was a crisp cold, and didn't feel as bad as it does here! Still no snow here yet so I can't go playing :(

Martyuk wrote:

It's a bit cold here in Swindon too... only about -2/3 but it's all the moisture in the air here that makes it feel colder than it is...

Was in Oslo a couple of weeks ago and it was -14.. Still it was a crisp cold, and didn't feel as bad as it does here! Still no snow here yet so I can't go playing :(

Did 2.5 years in Copenhagen and whilst I loved the summers, the winters were a pig. The wind came over the Baltic and just cut through you, even with the top cold-weather gear we were issued. Sod that!

You occasionally get some good snow in Swindon. When I still lived oop north, I worked down there during the week for a while and stayed in the Rose and Crown in Ashbury (when it was a proper pub, before it got all tarted up) and there were a couple of times it was, "the hell with it, I'll stay sipping a pint in front of a large fire" rather than bother with the 200-odd mile run home on a Friday.

Now?

UK version:
"The North wind doth blow,
And we shall have snow..."

Manila version:
"The North wind doth blow,
Oh, is it 30 degrees again?"