Happyoldgit

IIRC The transfer box was / is mounted by two bolts into bushed brackets bolted to the floorpan, one each side of the transmission tunnel at what seemed like the point of balance of the box. The bushed brackets were shimmed and it was these that had a lot to do with transmission vibration. My first Niva [LHD] was initially quite harsh but messing about adding and subtracting shim plates of various thicknesses helped the manners a lot. I eventually fitted a set of aggressive 700x16 directional tyres which sang like a banshee on road but made the vehicle ace in the muck. The second Niva [RHD], in a strange fawn / beige colour, was much better adjusted from the off so I spent far less time faffing with that one.

There's no doubt about it that it is a bit of a worry. I'm currently feeling a bit abandoned care wise, after the last PET scan early last month I was declared free of cancer [was grade IV meaning it had spread from its initial site to various organs], I had a telephone consultation with the chap in charge of my care and treatment on the 19th of last month during which I reported a number of issues I still had and that I felt the same as I did when receiving chemo but as these are not rare [still painful and life changing though] he was not unduly concerned. I was then told the next time they would contact would be for another telephone consultation in September. The majority of people in the Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma cancer support group that have finished their chemo are or have been subject to regular blood tests wether in remission or not just to monitor what's going on. I was subject to daily bloods, sometimes several times a day and this continued during treatment as an outpatient. Strange how these things vary from consultant to consultant, hospital to hospital, trust to trust. Damn another long, totally off topic post about me. Sorry guys, I'm still pretty much shielding until I can take the antibody test in a week or two and I may have picked up a touch of cabin fever despite wearing a mask. I may have to complain to Da Management 😁

As you say it is a lottery. My GP diagnosed pulled stomach muscles based solely on what I'd said and advised rest and painkillers. Several days later, unable to keep any food or drink down and in acute pain I asked my wife to take me to A&E, good job she obliged.

I owned two Niva's in the dim and distant past. There were not many about in the UK back then, the first, complete with a wiring loom who's colour codes appeared to be hand painted , seemed to corrode and dissolve before your very eyes was a decent enough thing Offroad but pretty dire day to day onroad. The second was a much better drive all-round but still had trim that seemed to be vacuum formed out of recycled yoghurt pots. I think I still have the pukka hardcover Russian repair manual around somewhere.

Thank you for your thoughtful and kind words and wishes. I confess to invariably being being a bit embarrassed rereading my own posts recently as they tend to make me acutely aware that I have merely trodden the same path as millions before me and that sadly many more will follow. I recently heard or read somewhere that apparently one in two people will contract the B'stard Big C disease at some point in their lives, I never thought I'd be one of them - grrrrrr.

I have attempted to respond to the above on three separate occasions all have been rather too personal and rather too long. So all I shall say is what one person perceives as trivial is potentially going to be different to another. My initial diagnosis last year was terminal cancer with not much time left, three weeks or so later it changed to a different and potentially treatable cancer. There then followed discomfort, pain, tests, treatment, pretty unpleasant side effects etc Then, just just last month, and to my complete surprise, I was informed that I was in complete remission. All the aforementioned has changed my outlook concerning rather a lot of things. If I am able, and wish to spend some money on a new vehicle now you might understand why I might get a tad impatient having had some tough lessons on life being so short and hold on it so tenuous. As an aside a friend of mine passed away this week. He was a bit younger than me and diagnosed with the B'stard Big C after me. We all have our stories to tell, some of mine have impacted on the amount of patience I have for certain things ...which is why I posted what I did on Wednesday 🙂

After my recent, and rather unpleasant brush with the Big C I just hope I live long enough to be able to be able to perhaps buy one of these things because I grow bored of this seemingly endless drip, drip of promotional material and videos. I was a keen supporter of the idea of a pukka, well thought out, reasonably priced, capable utility 4x4 but time is relentlessly rolling by and the more it passes and the more videos I see I'm regrettably beginning to see more of a fat Santana PS-10 or Iveco Massif than I do any original overall body design features. My truck is overdue for replacement but I look around at what's available at sensible money and just shrug my shoulders and sigh due to complete and utter boredom.

I hope the antibiotics do the trick. Ticks are b@stards at this time of year.

Best advice. If I had not have walked into A&E suffering from severe stomach pains that my GP had put down to pulled stomach muscles I would not have been diagnosed with the Big C and most definately would not be gracing this forum, or anywhere other than heaven or hell with my presence now.

FFFlippin' heck Jeff. Sometimes it takes something like this to provide a bit of a wake up call that maybe we are not quite as invincible as years of being lucky have led us to believe. Post cancer and being left with a dodgy immune system, I now appreciate that seemingly minor stuff can quickly morph into real life changing events in an instant which is what happened when I got a tiny "oh it's nothing" scratch from a rusty paint scraper a few months ago while still receiving chemo. That one tiny scratch resulted in an arm like a kids entertainers balloon and a fever in no time at all which my oncology team took frighteningly seriously.

I had years of running older vehicles for day to day transport and other needs. Maintaining, repairing and modifying them myself saved a fortune on garage costs, I enjoyed it, it was a kind of hobby. What I did not enjoy were the panics that ensued when they went wrong, usually at the most inconvenient and time limited occasion. Working on a vehicle in the freezing wee hours of a Sunday night in order to have transport the following day was not fun, the same job on a hobby classic that I don't need back on the road next day would most likely be enjoyable. With the above in mind I would not consider managing my daily transport needs on that basis again. Back then I was younger, fitter but had less money, nowadays I am a damned sight older and less fit but fortunate enough to have somewhat happier finances. I hate throwing money away but will buy new and accept a degree of depreciation as a price I am prepared to pay for the manufacturers warranty that includes breakdown cover, repair / replace to manufacturers standards and a suitable, new or virtually new courtesy vehicle while work is carried out. My vehicle tinkering is still a hobby but not a daily necessity - as it sometimes turned out to be when I was a younger chap running older vehicles. Edited to add: I fully appreciate why some folks choose not to buy new [that used to be me] and that personal finances and circumstances mean some cannot afford to consider it [that used to be me too]. I'm still deliberating what my next day to day vehicle will be [see my earlier thread]. Things and outlooks have changed as a result of the period of ill health I suffered last year I'm still finding it hard to get enthused over current offerings in the same way I got enthused over ratty old Series clunkers back in the 70's. I didn't want my initial post to be misunderstood as an old f@rt boasting about buying shiny new stuff.

Hello Frank. Your round I believe 🤣

This is just vapour thinking at the moment but is there anyone up near Marple Road garage, Stockport who could potentially view a vehicle for me? Just thinking at the moment.

What the hell, I've given up holding back.... Damn there goes my gutter mind again 🤪

Agreed, I think the styling appeals more to some. I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist and argue the toss over it ad infinitum though. As I keep saying life is too short.

I know, I know. I just couldn't help myself - the sign of a misspent youth in the music halls. It's the way I tell 'em 😁

So who's got the wood then? ...I'll get me coat...

And for this week's carpentry project lads we are going to make a .........

Actually no, I have been quite happy with it. The screen is a bit bigger than the previous phone but not too big that it won't fit into a pocket and I soon got used to the additional weight - it seems like a well built but of kit. Signal strength is generally better too. Good buy IMHO. I bought a cheap digitiser and screen to replace the one that was destroyed on the previous phone. While not good enough to use regularly it enabled me to access the device and get off some data I needed.

NFU or LV. Was with NFU for years but switched after several price hikes. LV have been very good.

Perception is reality. Reputation starts at the dealership, vehicle experience and how swiftly issues are sorted under warranty. If problems arise with a vehicle still under warranty are handled quickly, efficiently, courteously, with the least inconvenience to the customer then the overall impression given is that the parent company and its franchised dealers cares for its customers. Sadly my experience of buying new JLR products has meant getting things fixed under warranty has meant dealing with a system with an attitude that almost begrudge repairing their products. Customers first have to convince warranty managers that there is an issue and then the manager has to convince JLR. Hassle creates frustration and ill feeling in the customer which is further aggravated when repairs are not effective long term. Most individuals who buy new don't want to fix their own vehicles.

So far so good with regards the S96. Once set up it's been pretty intuitive to use with no issues in areas that other phones have struggled to get a signal. It's heavy but really solidly built, but I like being able to feel and be aware of it in a pocket. I have used the phone a lot for photos, browsing and calls, the battery is currently on 25% and on its original charge. I like the fact that you can connect a lanyard [supplied] directly to the body. The audio via the rear speaker is good, not hi fi quality obviously but distortion free and clear when the volume is cranked up. All in all I'm still happy with it ...typing that has probably jinxed it!

VID_20210429_210949.mp4

Re the Doogee S96 that I ordered from Amazon late last night and was delivered this afternoon. I am still setting it up but am using it to post this. I paid £296 but noticed the price has now increased to £329.99! First impressions: it's solid, chunky, weighty and so far has been easy to setup. I have been playing with the night vision and it's good! Obviously the range of the small infra red led's is not going to illuminate a football pitch but they are fine in the average room and will illuminate surprisingly far outside. I also found some of the reviews are wrong when they state the night vision will only capture stills. By chance I discovered that by selecting the front camera the camera will capture video via night vision - bonus!

Sincere thanks to all who offered advice and suggestions. You wouldn't believe the amount of time I spent comparing makes and models, not made any easier due to the very real ongoing effects of the chemotherapy treatment, what's known as "chemo brain" I'm told. Whether I made the right choice - for me - I have no idea but the phone arrived this afternoon and is on a top up charge now. More in due course.