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May 26, 2021 21:20:26 GMT
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Since I currently live near Coventry, that would be a bit too easy, so thought I'd see what was made near where I grew up just outside of Ipswich (Kesgrave for anyone who might be Suffolk enough to know where that is ) Oddly for a part of the country that now isn't particularly a hotbed of industry, a few cars seem to have been made in the similarly small town of Woodbridge, a stones throw from where I grew up. Ginetta were originally based in Woodbridge from 1958 to 1962 according to the internet and made the Ginetta G2, powered by a Ford sidevalve engine and looks a bit like a Lotus that's been told some shocking news The next one is also a car that I didn't know existed. Peel based on the Isle of Man and of P50 fame, had a design for a mini based car called the Viking Sport, they don't appear to have made many before selling the design to a Woodbridge based company which renamed it the Viking Minisport and made a handful of cars around the late 60s, ending in 1970 Viking then seems to become Trident cars, again based in Woodbridge at first before moving into Ipswich. They bought the rights to the prototype TVR Trident, re made the bodywork in fibreglass and ran it on a chassis similar to the Austin Healey 3000 and called it the Trident Clipper, powered by a Ford V8 Followed by a couple other variants with different engines Nuts! I live in Kesgrave and was going to use Trident. How dare you steal my thunder! I didn't know about Viking being in Woodbridge (and me being a Mini guy!) and I definitely didn't realise Ginetta were there as well - you learn something new every day! There's a guy who usually shows his car at the Ipswich to Felixstowe run who has a Trident - gorgeous thing - think it's a V6 though. I would love one!
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May 24, 2021 21:37:55 GMT
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If I am being honest, although I really liked cars from about the age of 3, when it came to modified vehicles, it was all Big Raymond's fault. I should point out that Raymond wasn't particularly big - it's just that I knew 2 Raymonds at school, and Little Raymond was very small, so the other one, naturally, became known as "Big" Raymond. We loved The Dukes of Hazzard, The Professionals, Cannonball Run etc and even our wooden box-cart was called The General! When he was first able to drive, Raymond went through cars like nobody's business, and almost always had something different on his drive by doing services and brake jobs for friends of friends. He got his first car in 1989, a little red Mini 850, which was once white (door shuts weren't painted!). This was instantly modified with Weller 8-spoke 10" wheels, a tiny steering wheel, a cut down gear lever, Fiat 132 seats, a Peco back box and a furry dashboard (not too sure about that one to be honest...). I loved that car. It probably didn't help that Raymond drove it like a lunatic but we had SO much fun in it. It was slow being an 850, but it sounded lovely and cornered like it was on rails. Eventually he sold it after giving me first refusal (I hadn't passed my test so had to decline). The guy he sold it to rolled it within 2 weeks of buying it trying to do a J-turn and clipping a kerb. They then cut the roof off and welded up the doors to make a Speedster, which looked kind of cool but in all honesty probably wasn't. Raymond went through many other cars including a VW Caddy pick-up with a 1.8 litre engine on twin Webers (I cannot confirm or deny being in the pick up bed hanging on to the roll bar at 60+ mph at one point), a Rover SD1 with a blowing exhaust and a dodgy choke (went through a fiver's worth of petrol in 5 minutes back in 1990) and a BMW 528i. I had also started reading Street Machine in about 1988, and was constantly loving all the articles about the Rover V8 Championships with Steve Green, Trevor Langfield and our very own flyingphil of this parish featuring as well as the numerous feature cars of all shapes, sizes and various states of bonkers-ness. Raymond found me my first car through a bloke he worked with - a 1979 Mini I called Huey, which had a rear exhaust box made from a reversed front pipe from a flat-four Subaru. This then gained a different speedo from a Cooper, Cooper S Disc brakes, 3 different types of wide wheels and better shocks. Tinworm killed it. I was into my Minis by this time though, and I replaced Huey with Bruce, my 1275GT. This was bought from a mate and had a 1330cc engine with a 286 Kent Cam that was apparently built by a bloke known as "Iffy" It was no surprise it wasn't the most reliable, but it had lowered suspension and Huntmaster Bucket seats that were really comfortable once you were in. It was just difficult to get back out again... Bruce was sold after I blew up the diff - it' remains the only car I wish I had never sold. I've always wanted to have numerous interesting cars but never been in the position to afford them - even my Midas was VERY cheap! But I still have a like for almost anything interesting or unusual. Huey in 1994 (you can just about see the unusual exhaust) And Bruce the GT.
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No luck catching them swans then?? It's just the one swan, actually 😃
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May 16, 2021 15:48:19 GMT
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Today I have mostly been lying on my back in a confined space and swearing. That said, I have finally got a couple of awkward jobs DONE on the car I've been meaning to do for AGES. Item 1: The front to rear brake pipe had a flare on the rear section that I was distinctly unhappy with. It was one I had done myself with a budget flaring tool, and it just didn't look "right". Having followed some advice on one of the many forums I am on, I bought a better tool. This involved the brake pipe going into a block and a specific die being tightened into said block. It's a much better built bit of kit than the cheap one I have so that one's going off to pastures new. Due to the car only being up in the air on one side it was a very tight squeeze to get under there and work "comfortably", but eventually I got the tool in the right spot, tightened it all up and the pipe now has flares good enough to get into the 70s Disco. Item 2: The tunnel and other parts of the car where the exhaust was close to would need protection from the heat. I got hold of some self-adhesive high-temperature resistant fabric from Demon Tweeks and once I'd cut patches to size I had a whole barrel of laughs making sure it was straight enough to be stuck on and rolled into place. I had enough left over to also do the tank and the "hump" in the boot area. If any of the fibreglass on this car is getting scorched, it won't be because of the exhaust. Hated jobs done: 2. Happy me. I will chuck the exhaust on properly next time... maybe. This little so and so caused a significant amount of displeasure this afternoon. But it's now done. Whoop! Tunnel is now covered in silver heat-resistant stuff. (Don't look too closely - some of it might not be 100% straight...) And there's some on the hump and tank too.
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May 14, 2021 23:00:09 GMT
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People love the mainstream Ferraris and usually go for a Daytona or a 308, but mine is really specific after seeing a picture in a book. The mid-60s 275 GTS is an absolute stunner and it is my Euromillions win car, especially as they're £500k + for a good one... That rear end screams beauty, elegance and is classy with just a little bit of Italian menace about it. Love it.
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Last Edit: May 14, 2021 23:01:38 GMT by mrbounce
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May 14, 2021 22:51:09 GMT
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Well all I can say is Mary Quant should stick to clothes.... my eyes 🙈 Horrible looking things, those seats. But I feel the Ritz ones are worse, probably due to the REALLY cheap velour fabric which would start to disintegrate almost as quickly as the silver-painted body. Ritzs and Mini 25s were the worst hit for rust of Minis in the 80s - I believe it was something to do with the paint. I had a 25 in the mid-90s, so I know just how rotten they could be!!
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May 14, 2021 22:47:53 GMT
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Nice work. As the guy in the A-Team said "I love it when a plan comes together!"
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May 14, 2021 19:41:06 GMT
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80s and 90s Minis were the kings and queens of Special Editions. Particularly weird ones were the Advantage, a tennis-themed car with tennis balls on the seats and tennis net graphics on the lower part of the doors and sides. They were only ever sold in white, and they were to be called "Wimbledon" but Austin Rover could not licence the name from the All England Lawn Tennis Association. The Ritz was a jazzed-up City with, silver paint and flat alloy wheels (whose centre are like poor quality wobbly children's play pony poop these days) plus the ugliest seats ever fitted to a car. They also (confusingly) released a Flame (in red) and a Racing (British Racing Green) in January 1989, then re-released slightly different versions of both called the Flame Red and Racing Green in the April of the same year which had alloys as opposed to steels with trims and a different final drive. The later ones could also be ordered with a Rover-approved John Cooper performance upgrade. The Designer was again a flashy Mini City, available in black or white and with a black and white interior designed by Mary Quant. But the one that takes the biscuit (chocolate) is the France/Spain/Portugal only "After Eight".
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Love it
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Just a very brief update today. I didn't get much time to get in the garage but I made use of what time I did have. I was able to put the back box and rear pipe in place and measure up for a modified hanger. There is precious little clearance between the fuel tank and the back box so the rear hanger has to be significantly longer and the exhaust hangs a bit lower than expected as a result. I made the hanger by grabbing a piece of steel and cutting the end of a normal RC40 hanger off then welding the two bits together. This has been painted to stop it rusting, so I am waiting for that to dry before setting about tweaking the exhaust hangers to make it fit a bit better. I also need to get some more heatproof barrier material so I can cover the tunnel and the part of the fuel tank the exhaust runs under, just in case. I'd rather not chance scorching my fibreglass when the car eventually starts running again! Bracket created, now in paint. Initial positioning looks very low, but the pipe cannot go higher due to the tank's position. Still, there is tweaking to be done - this is by no means a finished article.
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If you can find one that's not rusty, I'd go for a Mk3 Golf. Very solid, pleasant enough to drive and uncomplicated enough for things to not constantly break down. I loved my GTi below, even if it was "only" an 8-valve engine.
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The first car I ever drove (aside from an aborted attempt of my mate Graham's Allegro) was on my first driving lesson with a local driving school in 1991 - their car? A 1987 Ford Fiesta XR2. I didn't gel with the instructor though, so I went with a recommendation from a work colleague and had lessons with a lovely lady called Steph. She was proper old school and a bit gruff at times. She also had a habit of shouting out of the window at impatient drivers trying to get past. She was awesome! I passed my test in her H-reg Golf 1.3 - it was only a 4-speed. The first car I drove after passing was my mate Graham's then girlfriend's knackered Renault 5TL. We took it round his local housing estate. I thought it was a bit ropey, and only a couple of weeks later it was scrapped due to catastrophic rust! Aside from then driving Graham's Citroen BX 16TRS, I wasn't able to afford my own car until I got my Mini 1000 just over a year later. Note - I do NOT look like this now!!
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That Ascona is tasty. ^^^ It's a conversion from a 1.6 according to the DVLA Tax Checker but it looks the nuts!
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I've been collecting a few more bits over the past couple of weeks. I've managed to get my hands on 3 more US plates at very reasonable prices. That's Montana, Mississippi and Florida all now ticked off the list. Plus I bought something a little bit silly. I've always wanted one, but never thought I would get one at a reasonable price; I did one of those "chuck a silly bid in on a Sunday night and see what happens" moments, and the following Tuesday I found out that I had unexpectedly won the auction for a flashing blue light. Or should I say bucket? It's quite big - about 9 -10 inches tall. I have tested it and it does work (I plugged it into the 12v socket in the SLK - on the drive!) but I am not going to set up an entire YouTube account to show it off - at least for now. I might figure out a way to permanently plug it into the mains. Shouldn't be too difficult, even for someone as hopeless with electrics as me... Mississippi Plate (Private / Light Goods?) - also "Don't Tell 'Em, Pike"... Really like the design of this Montana plate, plus the fact there is obviously some history with it - of course I will never know the circumstances but I find it really interesting. Love the patina on this Florida plate - it clearly has seen some miles and also a few years in a shed! All 3 up with their companions. And finally, my little bit of silly. Wiring and a switch will follow.
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Last Edit: May 7, 2021 22:33:46 GMT by mrbounce
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Last tested 2016. No registered scrap date and no owner changes since mot. Maybe tucked away somewhere B435MLO doesn't go in Good to know the red one is still out there somewhere. Thank you so much for your assistance Last time I saw the B-reg one it was sitting on someone's front garden with no engine or front subframe waiting to be raced apparently - the guy at the local car accessories shop had bought it to do just that.
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My Dad had a huge flat-blade screwdriver with a wooden handle that he inherited from his Dad who was an engineer with Castrol in the 40s. It was always referred to as the "F" screwdriver because it was "f-ing big". My brother now has it.
I once found a not quite-so-large flat-blade in a lay-by with a green plastic handle. This became "Baby F" but the handle was destroyed when I hit it with a club hammer - to be fair I wasn't using it for its intended purpose. I was removing a knackered exhaust at the time...
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I always thought that these were cracking cars well ahead of their time. Following with interest.
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Can you have a check on a couple of my old Minis? C401GWC & B435MLO I am pretty certain the B reg one ending up being raced in Ministox but who knows these days. The other one I often wonder what's happened to it... Thanks
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I have no need for a de-nailing gun and don't have a compressor, but one of those looks like a right laugh.
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I probably shouldn't have given that I still have stitches in, but I wanted to get under the car and have a look at the exhaust and see where it would hang. To cut a long story short I popped on the Y-piece and attached it to the downpipes of the LCB. It fits fine, and there's more than enough clearance around the gear selector - enough to get my sausage fingers through the gap anyway. I propped the pipe up with a handy piece of wood and pushed the second section on. This is a curved pipe (30 degrees I believe) and it's the straight bit before the curve that the exhaust will hang from. That said, the hangers I had (RC40 fitting kit hangers hammered flat) were too long. Last thing I wanted to do would be to rip it off once I go for a drive (one day...) so using an idea from a very helpful chap on the Midas Facebook page (cheers Simon!), I have cut a piece of flat steel to size, drilled it and welded it to the clamp part of the U-clamp. This will then hang from a standard exhaust bobbin on the rear beam. Sadly, just as I was gearing up to have a look at fitting the rear box and establishing where the rear hanger should be, the battery ran out on my workshop LED lamp. This displeased me, but I did not want to split stitches etc (done that once already, VERY messy), so I have left it for the time being and will come back to it at a later time. I did notice that the front to rear brake pipe does get fairly close to the Y-piece - I shall construct a small aluminium shield just to make sure nothing gets too hot. I also need to line the tunnel further down. I am much happier. Fitted to LCB (fairly loosely) Plenty of clearance around the selector. Excellent. And 1st part of the rear pipe. Modified bracketry has been created - ignore what's there in the photo.
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