cros

I will, it's at the front of "Phone, +44 1778 426099 · Address. Spalding Rd Business Park Unit 2; PE10 9LF ... Peters Motor Company, Bourne. 1 like." I'm dying of a cold at the moment so might be a few days- you now have the number if desperate. I must say I like the sound of a Basculante for shifting the old ordure.

That would be it, never seen one before. It's on an H plate so it's got a bit of age to it, standing outside a garage in Bourne.

C15 van with strange bodywork. What the devil is this?

There's plenty more strange where that came from...

Only one year to go before it's time to do the sums again...

No, just a couple of 650s in big lumps, one with solo gearing, one sidecar ratio, both in my shed. Swap for small motorised two wheeled thing.

I'm out of touch with motorcycles since selling my T140 in 2001. I have great memories of doing stuff like the National and other rallies all over Europe. A friend left me several Russian 650s last year and I wondered if it would spur me into putting one on the road, but owning examples of most Soviet bikes in the 70's has kept that itch well and truly scratched. I would have been more tempted by an MZ - I never had an etz... I did, however sample a German friend's IFA 350 from the same factory. A bit of a disappointment, it was quite lumpy with both cylinders firing simultaneously, defeating the object of having flat twin. If anyone is interested in acquiring Ural I might be able to help...

I've only ever recommended one pub and that's my local in Lincs. I think the Lyddington boozer is one of those over extended eateries which I'd be unlikely to enter even if dying of thirst, but no apology needed; it would be nice to hear just how shit the entertainment was though.

Good for them. I hope they're not too disappointed they missed last week's snow.

What pub was that?

I saw these in Llangollen this afternoon. I've had 5 MZ 250s in years gone by but didn't think folks bothered with them any more. This bloke obviously does, must be hardcore camping in Feb too. I've no idea what a Misty is but his mate rides one.

I've noticed a curious hearing disability that afflicts landlords these days. After giving you a cheery 'what can I get you?' they respond to the first part of your reply of 'half a...' by filling a pint glass. Tonight I was in a boozer called the Goshawk, just outside Chester, and fancied trying a couple of brews I'd not seen before. Erring on the cautious side I asked for half of each for me and the Mrs. One was called something like 'black busy bee' the other 'plum pig' and both were fucking vile. Worse still, I had a pint of the pig one because I foolishly couldn't bear to see half of it tipped away. My biggest grump is that when I informed the landlord that they were the worst beers I'd ever had he told me that ale with plum in is an acquired taste. I no more expected it to actually contain plums than Bishops Finger to actually have a clergyman's digit in it. As for the other one, it was shit, probably the dead bees. I bought a half of their other draught to try to flush away the taste. As we left he told us that they'd probably have some different guest beers when we come next time. What an optimistic barsteward, imagining theres going to be a next time.

Barrow now empty.

Here's some bits of Daf 44 engine. There's a pair of barrels, 2 pistons, (one slightly marked) huge carb, distributor, 6v dynamo hum, fuel pump, pushrods and other top end bits and bobs. It's all really free as long as you collect it (dynamos alone fetch £30). I could package it up but you will need to finance my inebriation before I could carry out such a task.

I got it back on it's feet and tried out tonight. With a new VCU and bearings the nasty noises have gone away. I think I could have got away with refitting the original VCU as when subjected to scientific test it registered 'not completely buggered', but I couldn't face clawing it back out in a year's time. . Old one. New one. Last job was to fit a warning system for when the coolant dribbles down the cylinder block. I understand this is an event not to be overlooked, so here's my solution. It's another fish tank float switch in the expansion bottle wired to a warning lamp. Why Landrover didn't see fit to include such a device until several years later is just perverted. (Note, I must stop leaving my nightshirt on the stepladder)

What a twat to just replace the disc shields. Nothing else actually needed touching, but I still had to re-new the wheel bearings due to them coming apart when the hubs were pressed out. Its been a chilly job too cos I can't get the workshop door shut with two vehicles in. The Bedford is nicer to work on and was much easier to pull apart even though it was a little bit rusty. I want to get back on it, I'm sure the Freelander won't need anything else doing for ages...

National Heath glasses probably worked just as well as any but I remember them stigmatising school kids who had to wear them. Car manufacturers should have progressed beyond offering a similar experience for wheelchair users.

The danger of social media is proper scary. I used to be content with Austins and Morrises, harmless and a doddle to fix. Then I found this place, bought a wanked out Freelander, and now I'm self-harming.

VPG MV1 DX Wheel Chair Accessible Van/Taxi Horrific looking thing, mercifully out of production now, I think.

An absolute disgrace. No wonder licencees are suffering if you leave it this long before deigning to pay your first visit.

∆I well like them∆

I think you mean we're fucked.

I'm not well up on this sort of thing, but wouldn't pin too much hope to avoiding the steering wheel by diving into the passenger footwell when that brick wall leaps out at me. I don't find all old cars equal, some had the steering box behind the front axle and that would seem to be a worthwhile feature. The Morris Minor owners club did a bit of homespun research on the fate of their cars in accidents years ago; they fared rather better than such an old design might be expected to, not least because the steering rack is located very far back. This may have been because the car was originally laid out to take a flat 4 engine. On the seatbelt front, if the 'b' pillar is too far forward, the effectivness of front belts is very poor; the A30/35 owners club advise putting the top attachment right at the back of the car on 4 door models which might make it even more difficult to get grandad onto the back seat. I'm happy to acknowledge that the latest cars are safer than anything that has gone before but I'm still not having one.

Twould be a fucker if "clunk-clicking" had saved your bacon in some ghastly accident only to encounter Sir James putting in a spot of night duty as you lay in the recovery ward...

This is the horn/indicator switch assembly with the tube that enables it to remain stationary when the wheel turns. It belonged to my Sunbeam 90, and was one of the reasons I sold the car. The tube is so long that it cannot be fitted or removed from inside the cramped 4 door cabin, and even though the wheel is close to the dashboard the steering box is 6 feet ahead, just behind the front bumper. Though these cars are robust with a strong chassis it was not the lack of seatbelts that bothered me, but the prospect of having the entire column and gear lever rammed into my chest . A Polish lady told me that one car produced in her country was infamous for it's robust bonnet, which had the distressing habit of remaining intact during frontal impacts, and slicing the front occupants in half. Fortunately there are plenty of old cars that,by these standards, are adequate for daily use. They should be seen in a more positive light given that the latest technology seems to be heading towards enabling drivers to operate their vehicles in a virtually comatose state.