For those interested in old cars.

[doilum]

On 30/06/2013 at 18:38, edcayton said:

 

 

Recently changed to 1973

 

Ed

And 1975. No MOT either.

[Sidecar Racer]

4 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

Another dose of Americana...

 

 

 

One thing that strikes me seeing photos like these is that the modern American car driver ( not

truck ) is now to be seen in a smaller vehicle along the lines of Euro sizes , yet the modern American

is usually a lot bigger than those seen here .  

 

 

 

[BernardTPM]

3 hours ago, Sidecar Racer said:

 

One thing that strikes me seeing photos like these is that the modern American car driver ( not

truck ) is now to be seen in a smaller vehicle along the lines of Euro sizes , yet the modern American

is usually a lot bigger than those seen here . 

Ah, but our cars are now bigger, for example:

                          Length   Width    Height  Wheelbase

1968 Escort    159.25"    61.8"    58.5"        94.5"

2019 Fiesta     159" *      68.3"    58.4"        98.1"

* as hatchback. Though not sold here, the saloon version is 173.5" long.

[Porkscratching]

4 hours ago, BernardTPM said:

Ah, but our cars are now bigger, for example:

                          Length   Width    Height  Wheelbase

1968 Escort    159.25"    61.8"    58.5"        94.5"

2019 Fiesta     159" *      68.3"    58.4"        98.1"

* as hatchback. Though not sold here, the saloon version is 173.5" long.

Blimey the saloon is 173 ft 5ins long.....do you have to have a seperate brake van with that...?

[MJI]

The Fiesta is only 2" shorter wheelbase than my large off roader

[alastairq]

I always said...the time to be amazed was the day I discovered three headrests fitted to the rear seat of a Vauxhall Corsa.....What's that all about?  Is it the manufacturers' recognition of the fact Corsa users tend to be on the bloated side of slim?

 

If the city areas of our country actually placed a ban on vehicles over a certain width, we wouldn't have the pavement parking issues we see so often? Time to emulate the Japanese Kei system?

Oh dear, treading on the aspirations here? [ ''wouldn't be seen dead in one of those'' brigade?]

[peanuts]

On 14/05/2019 at 15:49, Sidecar Racer said:

 

One thing that strikes me seeing photos like these is that the modern American car driver ( not

truck ) is now to be seen in a smaller vehicle along the lines of Euro sizes , yet the modern American

is usually a lot bigger than those seen here .  

 

 

 

have you seen the size of the newest volvos they are huge regulaly go head to head with one most morning on my run through the village in my truck at least this guy is aware and will pull in instead if trying to squeeze past .something most of the local chelsea tractor owners need go learn to do instead of theyre usual foot down get out of my entitled way charge through the narrow villages 

[chriswright03]

On 14/05/2019 at 14:00, big jim said:

Despite my mini not being considered a ‘classic’ I’m certainly having to delve into my pocket like a classic car owner 

 

the red convertible is getting the planned work of brakes and shocks (and possibly wheel bearing) done this month but on top of that yesterday I discovered cooper has a blowing exhaust, the weld has gone on one of the seams on the rear pipe so I’m going to need a new exhaust, I’ve done a temporary fix with some gun gum paste and bandage which should see me through the next few weeks until payday then I’m going to get a stainless system for it 

 

ive also priced up having the wheels refurbished on Both cars and that will cost me £65 a wheel, acid stripped, rough bits welded and ground/blended in, powder coated and lacquered, just going to get one set done for now for the cooper (sprayed black) and run the convertible on its original 15’ rims until I can get the 2nd set sprayed white 

Nowhere in the title of this thread does it mention classic cars Jim.  Ignore those who seem to think your car isn't old enough to be of interest.  It is old enough to have been considered for the scrappage scheme when it was running so good enough.  Besides in comparison to the New Fat minis yours are far more desirable to look at.

[rodent279]

On 11/05/2019 at 06:09, peanuts said:

heres another old vauxhall the ubiquitos shuvit 

Don't see many of them around now. Still looks modern though. Probably rarer than a lot of what some see as "classics".

[big jim]

Got the spotlights wired up on the cooper, also changed the sidelights for LED type which gives it a lovely clean white look when the lights are on 

 

 

finished the stereo upgrade too, swapped the standard CD player for a DAB head unit  and switched the speakers for upgraded ones all round and added an amp and bass speaker in the boot

 

just needs a wash now! 

[steve1]

Query about LED sidelights. Are they technically legal? I only ask as on the Halfords website they say only for off-road or 'private' use. And they won't fit them even though they sell them.

 

Thanks.

 

steve

[polybear]

I'm always wary about swapping bulbs for other types:

 

https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/accessories-tyres/consumer-news/94753/dangers-of-illegal-hid-headlight-conversion-kits-explained

 

Insurance companies are wise, and any reason to walk away from a claim - especially a biggie where personal injury is involved - and they'll go for it.  At which point the injured 3rd party will start to look at other assets owned by the driver, such as houses...

[russ p]

I use the brighter conventional bulbs such as night breakers and never get flashed by other motorists and pass the MoT test with them.

LED bulbs for sidelights etc and for that matter headlights can trigger an bulb failure warning on vehicles fitted with canbus systems

[gr.king]

There are already far too many inconsiderate, unthinking drivers and vehicle owners whose cars are equipped with excessively bright, badly focussed or badly aimed lights. Equally inconsiderate, aggressive counter measures are fully justified when encountering these people. There's nothing cool or clever about driving around in a car with lights glowing like a welding arc, blinding oncoming drivers and casting a shadow of any car ahead of them for a hundred yards down the road.

[big jim]

Interesting about the LED bulbs, never, it’s only the sidelights below the main light that I’ve swapped over, the headlights, (full beam and dipped) are xenon type as standard and I’ve not touched them at all, I think the latest mini have LED sidelights (or driving/daytime lights) as standard, the bulbs I got are ‘no error’ canbus type and ive not had a bulb failure light come up 

 

obviously the spotlight only come on with full beam so those should be ok, I tried them after dark last night and they are really good, nice wide coverage 

 

Most cars nowadays have auto headlights which is pretty standard and has been for years but just recently I’ve been getting hire cars with auto ‘full beam’ which as it says puts the lights on maximum when it senses it can, it’s a damn good system and must work on ‘seeing’ other vehicles headlights or tail lights but it does have its flaws, on the motorway wagons coming the other way can be blinded as the the sensor doesn’t pick up the headlight behind the central reservation but the driver is obviously higher up and being blinded, also if something is coming out of a side street at an angle away from you the lights stay full beam on as the headlight of the other vehicle is not in view 

[royaloak]

1 hour ago, russ p said:

I use the brighter conventional bulbs such as night breakers and never get flashed by other motorists and pass the MoT test with them.

LED bulbs for sidelights etc and for that matter headlights can trigger an bulb failure warning on vehicles fitted with canbus systems

The laws were changed earlier this year so what passed last year might fail this year, saying that I dont think replacing normal headlight bulbs with brighter bulbs which will keep the same cut off pattern is an issue, just those stupid blinding LED or HID conversions.

[alastairq]

Indeed, automatic lights will have flaws...but probably fewer than a lot of drivers' brains?  [I guess everyone has been blinded in the past by someone who forgets to dip their headlights?] Indeed, I have been as guilty of that offence as anyone...nobody can be perfect....the point is, to 'learn' and avoid doing it again, for a few hours?

The point about drivers sitting higher up is a good one...often when approaching  a brow in the road, I get to see bright headlights a good few moments before those oncoming headlights see mine.

 

My issue with modern headlights ...when looking towards them....is the acute levels of contrast between bright, and dark.....makes the dark areas to one side even darker...making unlit, or dimly visible objects even harder to see. I have the same issues with flashing blue or amber lights....their halo makes a person stood alongside them, hard [impossible?] to see...if the gap is narrow, and my vehicle big.....who knows what my wheel nuts would have wiped out?

 

Regarding LED bulbs? I believe they are a benefit, if used in sidelights , rear lights, brakes, etc...on old [I mean, old] vehicles..whose charging systems may be somewhat marginal.  For example, something like an Austin Seven?  The LEDs do consume far less lecktrickery stuff than ordinary conventional bulbs.....meaning a night  drive less of a worry about flattening [eventually] the battery?

 

I have poked a couple of my oldies through the overblown thing called an MoT...just for the hell of it.....with LED side, tail and indyflators on LEDs...and nothing was mentioned [to my face, or otherwise]....in this regard. I retain the conventional bulbs in headlights....in the greater scheme of things, I don't need to see any further than I have been for the past 50 years....and, [as far as I have been aware] I haven't clouted anything in the dark....living or otherwise. [Nighttime forwards vision cannot be any worse than that  a bus driver endured, from the 1990's backwards...with interior lights reflections obscuring vision out of more than 3/4's of the whole windscreen....making the 'spotting' of dim bike riders, darkly-clothed pedestrians, and phantom intending passengers, so difficult to see after dark, out of street lights. Yet...for many many decades, nobody ever even as much as squeaked about issues of night time safety, etc....as they do these days.....? ]

[Hobby]

I did suggest setting up another thread to those who like reading/posting about newer cars rather than genuine old cars as the thread title suggests but no-one took the bait. So I've set up another thread for those who like "Modern Classics" such as Jim's MINI above which, as a car model which is still made and is less than 20 years old I cannot assimilate with the "old" bit! Hopefully this will allow those of us who like our motoring nostalgia trips to feature genuine old cars can carry on reading here and those who prefer more modern, though still interesting, stuff can post on the new thread... Personally I'll probably read both, but my interest is more here than the other thread I'll freely admit... Hopefully we can use it as it's intended and not get into a worthless discussion about what constitutes a "classic".

 

 

[stewartingram]

5 hours ago, steve1 said:

Query about LED sidelights. Are they technically legal? I only ask as on the Halfords website they say only for off-road or 'private' use. And they won't fit them even though they sell them.

 

Thanks.

 

steve

Technically (usually) no, they are not legal when retro fitted. All cars are type-approved for manufacture; if the original light housings (any of them) were approved for filament bulbs, that is what they should be.

Having said that, on my Rover 75 I have fitted led bulbs, in the front only, as the filament type often fail, and they are very awkward to change. Led type last a lot longer!

I have resisted from changing any others though, as the led type are directional, which means that the lamps (rear, brake, flasher etc) become brighter when viewed in the line of sight, but much dimmer when viewed at an angle; a common failing in modern car lighting.

[Rugd1022]

Something old from across the pond with its own period twist... in the late '60s some Plymouth models were available with flower power toppings (and matching interiors in some cases) to cash in on the hip young types with more money than taste, I've only ever seen one example in the flesh which was quite an eye opener really! These days you can get almost anything you want done on a car wit ha vinyl wrap but in 1968 / 69 this was very unusual...

 

 

 

[alastairq]

9 minutes ago, stewartingram said:

 

I have resisted from changing any others though, as the led type are directional, which means that the lamps (rear, brake, flasher etc) become brighter when viewed in the line of sight, but much dimmer when viewed at an angle; a common failing in modern car lighting.

 

I have seen various varieties of LED clusters [to replace solitary filament bulbs]....and there are many different 'shapes' available....some of which  put out light at the same 'angles' as the equivalent filament bulb....but there is a variance in prices as well. I have zero expertise in this area....those fitted to the rear of my Dellow [standard lucas light units]....seem to have the same angles of visibility as the filament bulbs they replaced...but with less current draw, and maybe a 'brighter' [ie, more visible?] output..better to attract the attention of today's following drivers......main saving grace is, they generate less heat than a filament bulb....[one problem using old, or original light units from the likes of Lucas is, the risk of heat distortion from the bulbs after prolonged use....]

[APOLLO]

Todays old cars were modern cars once !!!

 

 

Is my wife's faithfull 20 year old Ford Galaxy classed as a classic ?

 

Brit15

[royaloak]

26 minutes ago, alastairq said:

 

 LED ..those fitted to the rear of my Dellow [standard lucas light units]....seem to have the same angles of visibility as the filament bulbs they replaced...but with less current draw, and maybe a 'brighter' [ie, more visible or blinding?] output..better to attract the attention of today's blind  following drivers......main saving grace is, they generate less heat than a filament bulb....[one problem using old, or original light units from the likes of Lucas is, the risk of heat distortion from the bulbs after prolonged use....]

Why do people want their tail lights to resemble brake lights in their brightness?

And then sit at the lights with their foot on the brake pedal blinding the driver behind with their 10,000 lumen brake lights because its too much effort to pull the handbrake on!

[big jim]

53 minutes ago, Hobby said:

I did suggest setting up another thread to those who like reading/posting about newer cars rather than genuine old cars as the thread title suggests but no-one took the bait. So I've set up another thread for those who like "Modern Classics" such as Jim's MINI above which, as a car model which is still made and is less than 20 years old I cannot assimilate with the "old" bit! Hopefully this will allow those of us who like our motoring nostalgia trips to feature genuine old cars can carry on reading here and those who prefer more modern, though still interesting, stuff can post on the new thread... Personally I'll probably read both, but my interest is more here than the other thread I'll freely admit... Hopefully we can use it as it's intended and not get into a worthless discussion about what constitutes a "classic".

 

 

 

 

I know when I’m not wanted!

 

 

[Hobby]

Jim I never meant it that way, it's just I don't think your cars are old cars (they are still current production models!) hence I suggested you set up another thread to cater for your likes. As you haven't i have! Rest assured I'll be reading that thread as well, but at least it gives a better idea what to expect in it's content! Now stop moaning and go play!!