For those interested in old cars.

[Kickstart]

A lot of modern cars are optimised for the fuel consumption and emissions testing regulations. Those not quite so optimised suffer badly. Eg, I have an MX5 , and the 6 speed gearbox ones have marginally higher official fuel consumption, resulting in higher road tax; in real world driving the 6 speed gearbox ones use less fuel

 

As to cars being scrapped early. Labour costs for repairs are a major factor. And in the uk it seems people have become more fashion conscious over cars.

 

All the best

 

Katy

[Kickstart]

3 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

The availability of otherwise prohibitively expensive parts has partly been parts unwittingly solved by vehicle recyclers, where it is possible to get ECU,s etc. for relatively reasonable prices. Reverting to MGB's there are several go to sources where items that are not otherwise available can be found.

Unfortunately not always true. Some makers code the units together to prevent easy replacement. A colleague was caught out by this with an Audi .

 

All the best

 

Katy

[MrWolf]

I have worked for several manafacturers in a consultancy capacity, I also know people who have been employed by manufacturers and their main dealers. What generally happens once a certain model is superseded, is that common components are kept in stock, model specific components are divided up and a percentage is sent out to main dealers to comply with maintaining a supply of parts for a given length of time before being marked NLS (no longer serviced) in the parts manuals. These parts remain nominally the property of the manufacturer or supplied FOC. The rest is scrapped either on site or on a contract basis. After a certain period, an edict is issued by the manufacturer to dispose of said parts. I remember a man I worked with had worked for a Ford main dealer and he recounted spending a Saturday morning in the 70s smashing up panels and trim for the old Corsair and Classic range. He also smuggled a few bits out and showed me a set of spinner hubcaps and 2000E badges.

Another had worked for GM and had used his privilege to buy a lot of Bedford CA panels before the remainder were shredded.

[Oldddudders]

3 hours ago, Northmoor said:

This is very true, there always a disproportionate number of the luxury/hot versions of common cars survive.

And layouts support this, encouraged by model vehicle manufacturers. How many Lotus Cortinas do you see on model layouts, compared with 4-door cooking versions? The Lotus was wonderful value for its performance, but within the budget of the average family man it was not. 

[Jol Wilkinson]

7 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

And layouts support this, encouraged by model vehicle manufacturers. How many Lotus Cortinas do you see on model layouts, compared with 4-door cooking versions? The Lotus was wonderful value for its performance, but within the budget of the average family man it was not. 

Although I never owned one, I had great fun driving Lotus Cortinas and Twin Cam Escorts when I worked at FMC. Getting Escorts sideways in second gear on roundabouts in the rain could be great fun. My own Cortina Mk2 GT didn't have quite the same amount of grunt to do that so easily.

[boxbrownie]

3 minutes ago, Jol Wilkinson said:

Although I never owned one, I had great fun driving Lotus Cortinas and Twin Cam Escorts when I worked at FMC. Getting Escorts sideways in second gear on roundabouts in the rain could be great fun. My own Cortina Mk2 GT didn't have quite the same amount of grunt to do that so easily.

I was lucky in as much working at Dunton and being involved with SVE a lot of the time we got to play with not only our own vehicles development and otherwise but also the “competitor fleet” which SVE managed to wangle on the budget.....Rod Mansfield was the master at putting forward a case to buy the most expensive vehicles from other manufacturers.......it doesn’t happen any more!

[MrWolf]

I remember a Saturday lunchtime back in 1985, not many weeks after passing my test, my vintage Austin nut neighbor had just resurrected a MK2 Lotus Corrina. At that time they were a poor relation and only the MK1 was collectable, but Roy had an eye for such things. 

I helped bleed the brakes and he said take it round the village, see if that front brake is freed off and while you're at it, grab us some chips.

I set off gingerly, but the car seemed fine. Arriving at the other end of the village, I saw the local poser, a lad a couple of years older than me, sat outside the chip shop in his tarted up old 1600E. (Complete with Dukes of Hazzard air horn where the radiator grille should have been) I pulled in behind him and went straight in the chippy. Got my order, gave the showoff a nod, climbed in the Lotus and roared off. 

Silly grin for quite a while afterwards!

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, Kickstart said:

Unfortunately not always true. Some makers code the units together to prevent easy replacement. A colleague was caught out by this with an Audi .

 

All the best

 

Katy

Not a problem if it was the indicators.

[w124bob]

From two horses to one donkey , as an ex owner (2CV not donkeys!) I love this.

Edited October 31, 2020 by w124bob

[PhilJ W]

I recall back in the 80's Fords had a warehouse facility at Aveley (and may still do). It was reputed that if you knew where to look and what you were looking for you could find the parts to build a complete brand new Model T.

[w124bob]

21 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

I recall back in the 80's Fords had a warehouse facility at Aveley (and may still do). It was reputed that if you knew where to look and what you were looking for you could find the parts to build a complete brand new Model T.

And at Longbridge half the work force had enough bits in their sheds to build an Allagro, mind you that's probably a penance!

[peanuts]

used to infrequently visit the now saddly closed williamsons shop just at the far end of the viaduct at Mumps bridge in Oldham .This place was a veritable alladins cave of rare old and unusual tools fixstures and fittings in all shapes sizes capacitys from bsw socket sets to 5/16th pipe collars . one of the things we found whilst routing around for some large stilsons was a large cardboard box containing a large amount of metal tins stamped with the legend "Ford model T tool kit ". the two elderly gentleman running the place had no idea they were there 

 

Edited October 31, 2020 by peanuts

[PhilJ W]

That reminds me of an object that was found in a scrap yard many years ago. It was the size and shape of a one gallon can but with a plain top, a door on the front and inside a shelf with a tube running beneath it at the bottom, the tube was open at both ends so that something could pass through without entering the body of the container. The door was stamped with the Ford logo. It turned out to be an oven! It was designed for the Model T to fit in the exhaust system close to the manifold using the heat of the exhaust to cook the contents. I don't think it was very successful as it would be impossible to regulate the heat.

[w124bob]

29 minutes ago, peanuts said:

used to infrequently visit the now saddly closed williamsons shop just at the far end of the viaduct at Mumps bridge in Oldham .This place was a veritable alladins cave of rare old and unusual tools fixstures and fittings in all shapes sizes capacitys from bsw socket sets to 5/16th pipe collars . one of the things we found whilst routing around for some large stilsons was a large cardboard box containing a large amount of metal tins stamped with the legend "Ford model T tool kit ". the two elderly gentleman running the place had no idea they were there 

 

The first model T's built in the UK came out of a factory at Old Trafford, so maybe not that much of a surprise to find tool kits fairly close by.

[MJI]

My car has many parts still available, but many aftermarket.

 

I have found that even the cams are still available (and were ground by BMW), heads are still being produced in Spain.

 

Only front bumper is NLA

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, peanuts said:

used to infrequently visit the now saddly closed williamsons shop just at the far end of the viaduct at Mumps bridge in Oldham .This place was a veritable alladins cave of rare old and unusual tools fixstures and fittings in all shapes sizes capacitys from bsw socket sets to 5/16th pipe collars . one of the things we found whilst routing around for some large stilsons was a large cardboard box containing a large amount of metal tins stamped with the legend "Ford model T tool kit ". the two elderly gentleman running the place had no idea they were there 

 

 

1 hour ago, w124bob said:

The first model T's built in the UK came out of a factory at Old Trafford, so maybe not that much of a surprise to find tool kits fairly close by.

Back in the day motorists had to be self sufficient. In the Edwardian era garages were few and far between. Not only a comprehensive set of tools but spares as well were carried. 

[MrWolf]

BMW and Mercedes Benz are two of only e few that are happy to source parts if they can for obsolete models. Ford and Vauxhall have their heritage departments who can usually put you in touch with someone who can help, I have certainly found they are keen to keep their cars from the thirties to the sixties running.

[MrWolf]

10 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

 

Back in the day motorists had to be self sufficient. In the Edwardian era garages were few and far between. Not only a comprehensive set of tools but spares as well were carried. 

 

In the boot of my other half's Herald is a small box containing tools, points, condenser, rotor, cap, leads, plugs, fanbelt, hoses, water pump, thermostat and sundry jubilee clips. It's not been needed in the two years she's been driving, but it's there. Trouble is, if she breaks down, she may have to do as I did a few years back and say to the breakdown guy. Hold the torch and lend me your screwdriver and I will show you how to change a burnt out set of points.

We don't expect the patrols to carry parts for a car that went out of proportion in 1971.

 

 

Edited November 1, 2020 by MrWolf
Stupid autocorrect

[PhilJ W]

Russian cars used to come with a comprehensive tool kit.

 

[MrWolf]

The jack and spanners from the old Moskvitch 1500 will probably be found in perfectly good order by archaeologists 1000 years from now.

"It must be a ritual object..."

"No, it's a starting handle from a Volga..."

[PatB]

2 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

Russian cars used to come with a comprehensive tool kit.

 

Their motorcycles still do. When we bought MrsB's Ural in 2008 it came with everything needed to do pretty much all servicing and most repairs, including patching tyres, tensioning spokes and touching up paint. There was even the first replacement oil filter in there. Unfortunately the quality was a bit variable. The pliers were very flimsy (made in Italy, ironically enough) and bent with little provocation, and the stirrup pump broke the first time I tried to use it. Nonetheless, I completed the 1000 km and 2500 km services at the side of the road, using only the bike's own toolkit, as I rode it from Newcastle to Perth over the course of a week. 

[sandwich station]

8 minutes ago, PatB said:

Their motorcycles still do. When we bought MrsB's Ural in 2008 it came with everything needed to do pretty much all servicing and most repairs, including patching tyres, tensioning spokes and touching up paint. There was even the first replacement oil filter in there. Unfortunately the quality was a bit variable. The pliers were very flimsy (made in Italy, ironically enough) and bent with little provocation, and the stirrup pump broke the first time I tried to use it. Nonetheless, I completed the 1000 km and 2500 km services at the side of the road, using only the bike's own toolkit, as I rode it from Newcastle to Perth over the course of a week. 

 

A lot of bikes used to come with a tool kit but they are not made of the best materials (as you found out), so are not that much use in the long run.

[Oldddudders]

6 hours ago, MrWolf said:

The jack and spanners from the old Moskvitch 1500 will probably be found in perfectly good order by archaeologists 1000 years from now.

"It must be a ritual object..."

"No, it's a starting handle from a Volga..."

Do I not recall that Tony Lanfranchi drove a Moskvich in the saloon car series in 1972? With considerable success? My mate - who had some years before written off a Mk2 Twin Cam Cortina - would occasionally give me a lift in his father's Moskvich van, which seemed wonderfully agricultural, even after its A35 predecessors!

[Enterprisingwestern]

4 hours ago, PatB said:

I rode it from Newcastle to Perth over the course of a week. 

 

Must have been a rubbish bike if it took you a week to do 169 miles, was the A1 blocked?!!

 

Mike.

[MJI]

I tend to carry tools. Once lost coolant while towing. LPG T piece burst on a heater hose.

 

So parked up bonnet up plenum off replacement fitted to hot engine. Aluminium ones ordered when got home. While repairing a few litres of water were offered to refill.

 

Even with 40minute break not my slowest trip home.

 

I still miss that car.