steve1 Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 I could change an Avenger starter motor in 15 minutes. Not sure why they were so hard on them though... steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted October 21, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 21, 2013 Try changing the clutch on a Mini with the Engine in, and you'll know what "challenging" is I had a mini once, when I bought it had just been fitted with a new clutch. The problem was whoever had fitted the clutch forgot to install the lock washer. A couple of days later the inevitable happened, the entire clutch/flywheel assembly decided to leave the car, destroying the bell housing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartingram Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 But they can't be extinct! They're practically new . Any car with a suffix letter (ie ABC123A) to the number is a new car! Come to think of it I should have said any with an ABC123 format are really the new ones, proper cars were registered in the AB1234 format weren't they? Stewart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanuts Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 I have always been rather partial to the "big Vauxhalls" - it is just a shame that there are so few of them left. My ideal would be one of these... I remember seeing one in the showroom of our local Vauxhall/Opel dealer when my Dad took his car in for service - and it was love at first sight. The chances of laying my hands on one are negligible though. Only 400 were made to get them homologated, and there really can't be more than a few tens left. had the joy of following one of these beautys up the M6 tuther week sounded and looked glorious guy trailing it in a 16v astra was having to work damn hard to keep up .visualy prefer the HSR body kit on these the sight of Jimmy mcrea battling with Brookes & Arrikkala all in similar machines in the early eightys was awsome . got to compete against some of these in later as a co driver and they still performed well them against much newer more powerfull oponents 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Changing the starter motor on the HB/HC Vivas with the OHV engine was reckoned a pig of a job from what I recall driving them. Thankfully never had one die on me! Lucas electrics were often the real cause of problems I found... changing out with better quality items where possible improved matters greatly it was found. As for slant-four engines being harder to work on, yep they were, but with a bit of planning and work, the entire thing on the front subframe could be wheeled out from under the body, much easier! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 ....Lucas electrics were often the real cause of problems I found... Lucas wasn't nicknamed "Prince Of Darkness" for nothing. Apparently they were responsible for supplying the Aston Martin Lagonda's electronic / LED instrumentation.....which didn't work! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 Lucas wasn't nicknamed "Prince Of Darkness" for nothing. Apparently they were responsible for supplying the Aston Martin Lagonda's electronic / LED instrumentation.....which didn't work! No surprises there then lol. They supplied most of Leyland too, including Jaguar, hence the horrible wonky electrics in a lot of cars from the 70s/80s. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
alastairq Posted October 21, 2013 Share Posted October 21, 2013 One of the contractors to Lucas was PAL...who electrified rear-engined Skodas.....[or was it really the other way around?].....discovered all this when looking for electrical bits for one of my Skodas,and found that they were identical to many BL components, with Lucas badging.....probably explains a lot really........................ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 One of the contractors to Lucas was PAL...who electrified rear-engined Skodas.....[or was it really the other way around?].....discovered all this when looking for electrical bits for one of my Skodas,and found that they were identical to many BL components, with Lucas badging.....probably explains a lot really........................ I wonder if they were responsible for the electrics on CZ motorbikes too? It would stand to reason, given that they essentially came from the same factory. My father had one, and although it was mechanically bombproof, it was an electrical disaster. He said that having the lights suddenly go out when you were doing 60mph was quite disconcerting! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatB Posted October 22, 2013 Share Posted October 22, 2013 I wonder if they were responsible for the electrics on CZ motorbikes too? It would stand to reason, given that they essentially came from the same factory. My father had one, and although it was mechanically bombproof, it was an electrical disaster. He said that having the lights suddenly go out when you were doing 60mph was quite disconcerting! They were. The ones on my 250 Sport twin were anyway. The wiring insulation was made out of what appeared to be congealed chewing gum (no, I don't know if the pink was synthetic fruit flavour or the green was peppermint ), the bakelite type resin that made up much of the switchgear internals was soluble in WD40 and very little of any of it was effectively sealed from the elements. However, all the terminals were nice big screw-down jobs rather than fragile spade connectors, the handlebar switches could be stripped, cleaned and reassembled in about 5 minutes for both sides and the dynamo itself and the huge 6V battery never gave me trouble. The two main annoyances were the points plate which, if assembled and adjusted as per the manual, caused the engine to run backwards and the rear brake light switch which would, on rainy nights, switch on the brake light and run the battery flat just in time for me to discover it as I was leaving for work in the morning . The former was dealt with by developing a points adjustment procedure from first principles and the latter ceased to be a problem when the switch succumbed to applications of WD40, leaving the rather more reliable front brake switch to handle the task alone. All that said, I was never totally stranded by electrical faults and, on the bright side, the world with no headlamp is barely darker than the world as illuminated by 35 Czechoslovakian Watts and I still feel considerable affection for the Bouncing Czech. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peanuts Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 found this today may interest some http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1979-VAUXHALL-CHEVETTE-2300-HS-SILVER-/200980566313?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item2ecb601129 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
royaloak Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 Changing the starter motor on the HB/HC Vivas with the OHV engine was reckoned a pig of a job from what I recall driving them. They were okay once you turned them slightly so they went past the exhaust downpipes, it was either a question of technique, or like me brute force! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Captain Kernow Posted November 2, 2013 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 2, 2013 Seen in Newton Abbot town centre the other day... 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jjb1970 Posted November 2, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 2, 2013 I'd love an old Citroen DS19, a truly gorgeous car but I don't think I'd like the day to day effort of looking after an old classic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
40 058 Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 This is a great thread! I love old classics (bangers!) and own a few old Fords, amongst other things. I currently have: 1974 Ford Capri mk2 1.6L, was my first car and Id not be without it! Needs some welding now to the floors but its still on the road. 1984 Ford Transit mk2 2.0 LWB high top, totally original, never welded! ex BBC mobile radio studio with only 18K on the clock! Im converting this into a camper at the moment. 1985 Ford Granada mk2 2.8 ghia x estate, these are awsome cars and im surprised they arent more popular now they are getting rare. This one I saved from the banger racers and got back on the road again. Once I welded the inner wings back together and put a new outer wing on it was fine. Ive had no trouble with it really and its never let me down! 1987 Volvo 740GLE 2.3, bought cheap 8yrs ago, sorted a few minor issues and its been faultless since, not even failing an mot in that time. Not a classic yet but a great old barge to use in all weathers! Heres a few rubbish phone cam pics of them! Capri and Volvo. Granny. Transit, parked in a tight space and a bit hard to take a decent pic of it! As if all that isnt enough, I decided a couple of weeks ago I wanted to get a big yank tank! Ive always loved american cars but never been able to get one so a couple of weeks ago I rectified this problem! All a bit spur of the moment but if you think about things for too long rational thinking kicks in and ruins it! Its still in the US at the moment but its in the process of being collected and shipped over. 1973 Mercury Marquis Brougham 429ci ( 7.0 litre!) big block V8 full size monster! (Its the 4 door version of the car used in the film Uncle Buck!) I really cant wait for this to get here! Its cost me a lot so far, more than ive ever spent on a car before by some way but if your going to do something stupid, do it right! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 (edited) I still miss my old RX7-engined NSU Ro80, but a BMW 635CSi has its compensations, despite the rust. I'd love an old Citroen DS19, a truly gorgeous car but I don't think I'd like the day to day effort of looking after an old classic.The DS isn't that complex, but you'd do better with a DS21 or 23 (EFi Pallas, if you can find one). It's a car that doesn't depreciate, and looks like nothing else on the road. Those who were lucky enough to pick up the Chapron convertible version years ago are now laughing all the way to the bank. Edited November 2, 2013 by Horsetan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted November 2, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 2, 2013 I saw a convertible in Ambleside last week - I had never seen one before, lovely motor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewartingram Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 Seen in Newton Abbot town centre the other day... DSC04347.JPG I know people say the Police are slow in responding to calls nowadays, but that really takes the biscuit! Stewart Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 I saw a convertible in Ambleside last week - I had never seen one before, lovely motor. ....and worth the thick end of £100,000. It all went stratospheric for the DS Chaprons at auction some years back, and I've never quite understood why. By contrast, good solid DS saloons can be had for 10 to 15 grand. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platform 6 Posted November 2, 2013 Share Posted November 2, 2013 I currently have: 1985 Ford Granada mk2 2.8 ghia x estate, these are awsome cars and im surprised they arent more popular now they are getting rare. This one I saved from the banger racers and got back on the road again. Once I welded the inner wings back together and put a new outer wing on it was fine. Ive had no trouble with it really and its never let me down! Granny. That Granada takes me back - I had the exact same model and I loved it. A bit like turning corners in a motor-boat but my pride and joy until some nice person hit it and wrote it off. Great Mercury too - thanks for posting. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium skipepsi Posted November 3, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 3, 2013 A friend of mine had one with fuel injection he loved it but the manifold valve went and Ford wanted £700 for a new one..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platform 6 Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 A friend of mine had one with fuel injection he loved it but the manifold valve went and Ford wanted £700 for a new one..... I was lucky, Mick. No valve problem It just needed an £750 torque converter. And later I did have a fuel blowback once - set fire to my air filter, all the engine bay wiring and produced a wonderful cracked, crazy-paving effect on the top of the bonnet. The engine took about 10 gallons of water from the fire-brigade but ran fine 6 months later without a complete engine strip down! An ex-Vulcan Foundry English Electric engineer told me a 'bit of water' internally would be ok - and he was right. Got a few more years out of her. Saved me a big job but I'd already spent £15 on renting an engine hoist! Grrr! Yep - real lucky. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted November 3, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 3, 2013 ....and worth the thick end of £100,000. It all went stratospheric for the DS Chaprons at auction some years back, and I've never quite understood why. By contrast, good solid DS saloons can be had for 10 to 15 grand. Cough splutter! It was in a street with the top down....no one about! Wish I had thought to take a photo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted November 3, 2013 Share Posted November 3, 2013 (edited) Cough splutter! It was in a street with the top down....no one about! Wish I had thought to take a photo.The thing is, unless you're a DS aficionado, you'd never know the Chapron was worth that much. But the market for them went completely OTT some years back, and that first one to break the £100k barrier made about £135,000. Here's a more recent example, sold by Bonhams I'm surprised Jay Leno hasn't added one to that humongous collection of his yet. What's going to happen to it all when he dies? EDIT: the auction record for a DS Chapron is 337,000 Euros, set in 2009. That was for the sole DS23 EFi. All the other Chaprons in existence have carburettors. Edited November 4, 2013 by Horsetan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted November 3, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 3, 2013 Yeah, we stopped to look at it as we were so taken with it, but didn't really know what it exactly was... Mrs H considers it her perfect car, but less so since I just mentioned the value to her! Jay Leno - agree totally, awesome (correct use of the word for once) collection, but what will happen to it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now