My 1980 345 DL

[Hzaidner]

This 345 is great !
Enjoy it

Can you please share its color code?
Thx

[S10NPH]

Thanks!

Of course, the colour code is 132 - Marine Blue.

[S10NPH]

So out of all these early ones.... which is your favourite? I think I prefer your 345... it's a great colour.

Hmm, that's a hard question Steve. I think my favourite is also the 345 (I call it PGH due to its numberplate), because it's a more early 80s 340, and those are what I remember from when I was growing up. My mum and my uncle also had 5-door 340s, so I'm more used to them. PGH is also the best to drive out of all my cars, with sharp and precise controls and excellent brakes. It's also the most original, still with its original paint (complete with many dents) and very low mileage engine.

Coming close second has to be the 1977. However, I think if it was RHD, it would come first.

If you resize your piccies to something a bit smaller than original before uploading they shouldn't get...

I know, but this is 2014, and 1024x768 is SOOO last decade! Plus, in the olden days, the forum used to automatically resize pics to fit, but meant that people could still click and see the full resolution.

I will have a play with the spare heater matrix I have just sourced and see what I can find out.

[S10NPH]

Another small update. One of the rear seat belts was not original, and was of the type fitted to later 340s. It had a manufacture date of 1987, shock horror.

So I have finally managed to source a correct belt, and fitted it today. What a pig of a job! I thought it would only take about 30 minutes, but took nearly two hours all in all, trying to get the c-pillar plastic panels to line up properly, and removing the rear seat back to get proper access. Also the hole in the c-pillar is slightly smaller than the buckle that has the thread though it. Anyway, all done now, and I am pleased. Originality is restored





One thing though, I was very surprised to see how rubbish the mechanism anchoring the rear seat back is. It's just a small plastic clip on both sides with a screw. Does the mechanism improve for later cars?

[trabitom99]

I agree with you completely about the "underseal look" - as ropey as hell, I don't know why garages do it To save a tenner for a can of spray paint probably ...

The heat problem could be a sticky cable, but it's more likely to be the heater valve itself. I've had to replace them on all but one of my 300's. In your car it's down in the footwell.

viewtopic.php?f=57&t=15240&p=180463&hil ... ve#p180463

Cheers

Tom