The classic vehicles thread....

[Nebogipfel]

"Well I'm having non of it."

Somehow I knew you wouldn't Lawrence

I'm with you 100% on just about all modern vehicles anonymous, soul-less, gimmicky, throwaway rubbish. That said, they are often efficient and easy to drive and fine until something (usually superfluous electronics) goes wrong.

Landrover enthusiasts are an odd bunch .....Shine on you crazy diamond

[pwdrive]

"Landrover enthusiasts are an odd bunch"

We are, open the bonnet and you can see wot's wot, new vehicles are a nightmare for the untrained, which includes me, what is worrying is that I have no interest in finding out wot's wot either.

Wish You Were Here, a great album.

Troutmask Replica. not so good.

Lawrence.

[Nebogipfel]

I have no interest in finding out wot's wot either.
Lawrence.

I have much the same attitude. If I don't see a distributor and plug leads I'm lost.

I like cars you can fix on the side of the road

[boiss]

Back in the late 60s my M8 tourer (1938) ran an end shortly after leaving Bristol.
I got underneath, took off the sump, Removed the offending end cap, rod and piston. fitted a screw into the oil hole on the journal. Put it all back together again, removed the plug lead and drove slowly back to Chelmsford.
Same in the Snow, when it all got too much for the wiper, put the hood down and folded the screen down on the bonnet.
I wished that it could have a heater that time though.
Mike

[Kalee20]

If I don't see a distributor and plug leads I'm lost.

I like cars you can fix on the side of the road

No good on a classic diesel then!

[Retired]

Hi,

Lets go for a drive in a car similar to one I used to own in the early seventies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqVjxik1618

Mine was right hand drive and was immaculate in red with chrome wire wheels just as in the video. No bonnet louvers though. It came with 5 brand new Cinturato tyres; spare brand new chrome bumpers and a brand new spare alloy front shroud together with other spares. The hood and tonneau cover were unmarked. The overdrive was very smooth. The seller was a top man at a tyre company.

Registration number EEB 88. With it's big bore exhaust it used to make the hair at the back of my neck stand on end it sounded so gorgeous. All for £150 cash.

£150 sounds cheap but in those days I paid the going price and had lots of choices when it came to such cars.

I've owned many motorcycles and cars but I'll always remember with affection my time with the big Healey.

Anyone interested in owning a nice example there's one on eBay at a cool £52,500.

Kind regards, Col.

[camallison]

Around the same time, I had one of the first MGB GT V8s to come off the production line. The engine was a 3.5ltr lump that I think came off the Rover production line. To really try it out, with permission, I took it on the main runway at East Midlands airport (not very busy in the early 70s) and opened it right up. That was a surprise, because with the first ones, the chassis wasn't stiff enough and with the torque generated, one of the back wheels would lift off! Scary!!!!! MG quickly modified it with a stiffer chassis on later production.

Shortly afterwards, our first child was born and SWMBO made me sell it and buy a boring Ford Cortina Estate.

I have promised myself that one day I will find one and, just for the fun of it, open it up on a runway again. First time, I topped 130mph when MG said it couldn't be done.

Colin

[Retired]

Hi,

Around 1974 I traded in my year old BMW R75/5 750cc motorcycle for an almost new MGB Roadster; the MG was a huge disappointment performance wise compared to the bike and I only owned it a short while. Your MGB though Colin with a 3.5 engine installed would have been totally different and I can understand you being loathe to part with it. I always like to see chrome wire wheels on a sports car.

I've also owned two Jags; a MK9 and a 3.8S. One interesting vehicle I owned was an Austin Champ with the Rolls Royce engine; Everything on this appeared to be armour plated including the plug leads. Filling up with petrol meant turning the engine off or it would never fill up; it sure had a liking for petrol.

I think all three around the same time cost in the region of £30 each; the MK9 I remember cost £34 taxed. A wiring loom for the big Healey will now cost something like £350?

Good old days but I was always broke no doubt due to filling these cars with petrol but I had a lot of fun.

Kind regards, Col.

[camallison]

Wasn't the Champ originally meant for the armed forces? Something in the back of my mind suggests so.

Colin

[camallison]

Having the Rolls Royce engine, yours will have been a military version according to this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Champ

Colin