Joey spud

Computer says no...

Eynsford Ford also known as cell 55's (RAC) favourite puddle. I pulled a few dead ones out of there over the years.

I would have absolutely no problems using this as my daily ride. SJ413 / Morris.

The final floor to step/sill panel can now be fitted. It's a bit of a faff as it needs to plug welded to the inner step above it and the outter step panel beside it. As designs go a Ford or Vauxhall of the sixties is far simpler. But it went in ok with abit of help from the Toyota jack and a chunk of wood. Standing back and looking at where I am now at I can't help thinking that It might of made more sense to replace all four floor pans (£120.00 for a set) rather than join all the new panels to the scruffy original floors. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184015078587?epid=20045598612&hash=item2ad82744bb:g:uxsAAOSwIRhdtczd&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAsJMucRdexgYPaYdAbVfzDR3CZUOq%2FqGlJCMb5eP0W%2BwwMxA3z0yKooqwpiffGnml%2FZ0ksCW0w7ug5Fdj%2BSdOgwP3DyVVJ9mSA1HsjE0sP8HivtdlFAUwK13P8TsGfIEz3eIRe4TM5bJMRc27AqB9kYSyotfHT9wfesb4rZlLWMJcmQZSZdHl5Hw0t%2BcFSErX%2F8EXQ5R7QX59kIwf1j3%2FWlef0O1%2BkdYkj9iWUeQrw4Ju|tkp%3ABk9SR7qA5OvEYQ Still too late now Boris is going to show off his original floors and added panels with pride. I just need to rejoin the front and rear floor where the cross member was replaced and finish off a few tacked together seams and I can remove the rest of the bed frame leaving me just the rear inner wing/floor rot and fitting the lower quarter panel and that'll be the welding done.

Quick update time. The old spring mount/floor panel was loosely cut out revealing previous repairs to the box section above that the rear seat sits on and it's plenty good enough to go again but the box section that runs the length of the car was a bit thin here so I just trimmed it back and welded in some nice thick L section instead as it'll be out of sight. The new mount/floor was trimmed so there was just a slight overlap and fitted to the spring then the jack was released allowing it to find it's 'happy place'. My rather lax measurements taken before I started were still good so I got to with welding it in place. I guess skilled restorers would carefully trim their panels and seamlessly butt weld them together for invisible joins but alas upsidedown in February under a scruffy Minor well that's never going to happen. I do trim them tight as possible and seam weld both sides though. This boxing panel then goes in to hide and strengthen the mounting area.

Oh that is one handsome beast. In my book what it needs if i was lucky enough to own it and to add to its already rakish charm is slightly wider wheels painted red (no chrome trims) to match its flanks and maybe a single slightly scruffy period spot lamp on the bumper. And if it doesn't alrerady have a purposfull exhaust burble then i would tinker around there too.

I have got a soft spot for this moggy found on a 1275cc owners group. The bumpers painted body colour and pulled in tight to the body (Dave Kindig / Bitchin' Rides trick) kicks the usual District Nurse vibe into the weeds. Not quite sure on the 15" rims maybe 14" with a bit more sidewall showing is more my thing. Actually if I run my Minor with bumpers then I will leave them badly chromed or painted silver and the rear lamps will need their mounting plinths trimmed back to tighten everything up much like this clever internet guy is doing here. As for steering wheels the skinny spindly ones do feel a bit alien and look a bit sad these days. A nice chunky period one always raises the interior of an old car as long as it's not too small otherwise it makes steering a bit of a chore at parking time. In my youth I put a chunky 10" one on my 850 Mini and it looked great but i had to concede that the car drove way nicer with the skinny big wheel back on so I wrapped its rim with many rolls of electrical tape and then stretched two steering wheel covers over it.

A RAC publicity shot from the early eighties hence the much hated Frank Spencer Beret being worn. Back then if you was seen by a superintendent not wearing it you would get a right bollocking. An ex colleague who was much older than me claimed he glued his Beret to the top of the dash of his Sherpa van (diesel with sliding doors no less) to keep his fags and tip money in.

Thermal underwear is the future I tell you. Its 'kin cold but nice and bright today so I pulled the n/s front suspension off for a clean,regrease and poly bushing as required. And as the torsion bar was off getting titivated the n/s cross member that it mounted to could be replaced too. Much better. Now its time to replace the leaf spring front mount/floor panel. To be fair it's not too bad but has been replaced before and is a bit wonky. I cut most of it off but some careful trimming and alignment is required and I wanted to get done and down the pub for the football so called it a day. OK laugh at me if you want but I have this idea in my head that I want this Minor to look like it has been sitting forgotten in a dry barn since the mid nineties after giving 35 years faithful service and has then been given the bare minimum attention before rejoining the party in 2023. With this image in mind I acquired an old 1995 tax disc that it may have been wearing when it was locked away,like I say total bollocks but it's how I tick...

Mod patrol looking for Greasers.

A23 Handcross.

Simpler times...

I got the serial number off the cat and checked up and it wasn't worth anywhere near as much as the internet tells you. I think its value with a fresh mot was only around £600 to £700 so add in an the MOT, getting the tyres to seal on the rims and going through and cleaning/ freeing the brakes etc then there's not much profit to be had. And just selling it for scrap removes the grief of dealing with the Ass holes that seem to currently thrive in these parts. I did think about offering it here but the last time i tried to sell on here the opinion was i was in the arse end of nowhere (Kent).

Bye,bye Honda. For me it's always a sad day when you scrap a car. This Accord had been in the family for ten years with me and then the father in law but had sat idle since the Summer. Its mot lapsed in September but still drove spot on and everything worked fine, I'm sure it would have walked another test as it's a Honda. But the wheels needed a referb and the paint was tired and flaking in places, it's a thirsty thing too and tax is £30 a month so I took the £380 offered by Redcorn rather than faff about trying to sell it to Joe Public. I did keep the front seats though.

This happened yesterday,I normally miss these things. Does this make me a motoring enthusiast ??

I don't know about that but quickly checking the vehicles shown on their home page they are showing as electic vehicles on my favourite car check site.

There's a show on the telly called Vintage Voltage where a bussiness in Wales converts a customers own car (any thing from a bubble car to a bat wing BMW) to electric using mostly Tesla parts. There is a massive amount of cutting and redesigning of these vehicles to squeeze everything in but at the end of the show the cars owner are seen zipping around in their now electric classic car and without fail they all still retain their original number plates. https://www.electricclassiccars.co.uk/ Am i missing something here ?

Thank you for collecting all this information together and sharing it. I've lived around here for 40 plus years and have shamefully never taken much interest in the heritage that's right on my doorstep.

My informant (son) tells me the Fordson and Range Rover are both still on site in the main hanger.

Its lived at Rochester Airport for years and has no mot history that i can find. The number plate lamp does indeed look a bit millitary spec.

Affectionately known as the Yard Pig this old girl is still earning its keep.