Six Cylinders Motoring Notes - 50 Years ago this month I passed my driving test.

28,242 · January 2

26 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

The most important thing is to demist the Windscreen, which was my main reason for buying the 12v fan heater..

That's fair. More of them? We could make a jig with 6 of them on 🤔

7,415 · January 2

No heater would be a deal breaker for me these days I reckon, even in spring and autumn, never mind winter.

Must be possible to fit an Eberspächer sensitively I’d have thought?!

25,522 · January 2

2 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

The most important thing is to demist the Windscreen, which was my main reason for buying the 12v fan heater..

You’re missing the Brabbinger accessory demisting arm. Or a Boy Scout from the village with a shammy leather standing on the running board to wipe the screen on command.

7,509 · January 2

On 21/12/2025 at 17:27, Brigsy said:

R5 maxi rep please.

apparently not

ALN5Y refers to a specific, famous 1983 Renault 5 Turbo 2, a classic high-performance "hot hatch" sports car, known for its distinctive mid-engine design and often seen at classic car events like the Bicester Heritage Scrambles in the UK, with the registration plate signifying its UK origin and age.

Key Details about ALN5Y:

Car: Renault 5 Turbo 2.
Year: 1983.
Registration: First registered in the UK on May 5, 1983, with the plate ALN 5Y.
Significance: It's a well-documented example of the iconic Turbo 2 model, celebrated by car enthusiasts and featured in various media.

17,785 · January 2

6 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

I went cold on a winter's day.

EFA! 😀

1,820 · January 2

1 hour ago, Noel Tidybeard said:

apparently not

ALN5Y refers to a specific, famous 1983 Renault 5 Turbo 2, a classic high-performance "hot hatch" sports car, known for its distinctive mid-engine design and often seen at classic car events like the Bicester Heritage Scrambles in the UK, with the registration plate signifying its UK origin and age.

Key Details about ALN5Y:

Car: Renault 5 Turbo 2.

Year: 1983.

Registration: First registered in the UK on May 5, 1983, with the plate ALN 5Y.

Significance: It's a well-documented example of the iconic Turbo 2 model, celebrated by car enthusiasts and featured in various media.

Yeah proper turbo2 with maxi kit added by looks of it.

18,672 · January 4

On 02/01/2026 at 16:03, beko1987 said:

You'd probably still want to run it from a jump pack but something like this?

https://ebay.us/m/5j3LDO

Could buy 2 and have one over you as a blanket 😂

I thought that was a sandwich toaster (which I do actually have a 12V version of!)

3,082 · January 4

Doesn't help with keeping the driver warm, just demists the screen.

windscreen demister

Available in 6 or 12 volts.

( a 12 volt one draws approx 2 amps ).

39,433 · January 4

38 minutes ago, Momentary Lapse Of Reason said:

Doesn't help with keeping the driver warm, just demists the screen.

windscreen demister

Available in 6 or 12 volts.

( a 12 volt one draws approx 2 amps ).

Thanks, I do like that. And only 2 amps.

3,707 · January 4

1 hour ago, Momentary Lapse Of Reason said:

Doesn't help with keeping the driver warm, just demists the screen.

windscreen demister

Available in 6 or 12 volts.

( a 12 volt one draws approx 2 amps ).

Bit more expensive than

20,475 · January 5

thats his cushion when he pilots it

3,082 · January 5

9 hours ago, mintwth said:

Bit more expensive than

The savings from not having to pay the Butler to do it will cover that...

39,433 · January 8

@Mrs6C wants a certificate of rescue in a storm!

I had a puncture in Castlethorpe tonight. I had to call Mrs6C out to change the wheel because my back just won’t let me do it at the moment.

Ok I confess before you feel too sorry for me, I clipped the kerb of the traffic calming Island so self-inflicted.

20,475 · January 8

are you in northampton general now

20,475 · January 8

also specsavers and interflora for you

39,433 · January 11

Out and about today to a breakfast car gathering at Seasons Garden Centre Bedford.

The weather was cold and grey with rain forecast. An excellent turnout, but many arrived in more modern cars. I added to this by modernising to my 2003 Fiat Seicento.

20,475 · January 11

facelift cavs mmmmmm

23,089 · January 17

On 28/07/2023 at 18:38, Six-cylinder said:

I have also blow a headlight bulb, 36w dual filament.

good news if you need spares!, in the random lot of vintage lightbulbs I drove a 200 miles round trip in an invacar for as you do

was unbeknownst to me 20! 12V 36W/36W Lucas No 171 head lamp bulbs

(I really had no idea what was going to be in these boxes, I only knew about the Philips SL lamps, which in Opal form are very rare, and the Beehive neon+a small amount of others in the second box, the 3rd box was a complete mystery)

Curiously I think these where to be used in some sort of industrial application, one box says "Rubber-stores scales" on it

(sadly I have no history behind any of the bulbs, seller says he found them when he bought the house and just wanted em gone!)

January 17

what is the bulb with the spiral filament ? what would it be used for ? !

30,326 · January 17

My eye was immediately drawn to those opal prismatic SLs, those are bloody rare! Astonishing the stuff you manage to find!

23,089 · January 17

15 hours ago, Somerset Suffolk said:

what is the bulb with the spiral filament ? what would it be used for ? !

Tis a Beehive Neon lamp usage would be anywhere you needed a dim light that would go on forever basically, and also used in some early electronic applications for example they used as the light source in early mechanical televisions

https://autoshite.com/topic/32723-lightbulbfuns-invacar-general-ramble-thread-index-on-page-1-survivors-lists-on-pages-24134-adgecutlers-invacar-mk12-restoration-from-page-186-onwards-still-harping-on/page/293/#findComment-2672417

15 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

My eye was immediately drawn to those opal prismatic SLs, those are bloody rare! Astonishing the stuff you manage to find!

indeed, there are 7 of the buggers (and 2 Prismatic ones a nice first generation black base example and the other a very early 1986 2nd generation example) until this point I only had the one Opal Prismatic SL in my collection a black base 1st generation in 18W E27, so I just had to get them in the end

all the other lightbulbs are just a brucie bonus! and its real eclectic mix of bulbs too, seems to all be industrial-machinery related

for example a 48V! 25W/10W Stop/Tail style lamp, weird as fuck seeing a supported coiled-coiled filament in one of these, and then there was quite a bit of head scratching as to what Toyota takes a 48V Automotive type bulb, (then I googled the part number and realise oh right Electric forklifts)

and for @Tadhg Tiogar there where a few of these, American General Electric 100W Traffic Signal bulbs, but in 230V

and there where 5 of these Airport/runway lighting 200W 8.33A 24V Osram-GEC Halogen lamps! (again given these happen to be 24V I wonder if they where intended for some use outside their normal intended application, ie someone was looking for a 200W 24V lightbulb for some application and settled on these?)

39,433 · January 17

8 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

good news if you need spares!, in the random lot of vintage lightbulbs I drove a 200 miles round trip in an invacar for as you do

was unbeknownst to me 20! 12V 36W/36W Lucas No 171 head lamp bulbs

(I really had no idea what was going to be in these boxes, I only knew about the Philips SL lamps, which in Opal form are very rare, and the Beehive neon+a small amount of others in the second box, the 3rd box was a complete mystery)

Curiously I think these where to be used in some sort of industrial application, one box says "Rubber-stores scales" on it

(sadly I have no history behind any of the bulbs, seller says he found them when he bought the house and just wanted em gone!)

I had a problem with those bulbs, I could not see anything when a vehicle came the over way. It was so bad I would not drive the car in the dark. What I have done is had LED bulbs fitted. I have not tested them yet.

39,433 · January 17

Loose Alliance Club meeting today at the Gliding Club Dunstable.

Reduced turn out of about 20 cars, I took our Mercedes 200TE for a change.

I was informed the o-s brake light was not working and it looks like the bulb holder had fallen out of the light unit because a plastic tab is broken on the light unit. Now stuck back together with Blu Tack so we will see how that lasts.

20,475 · January 17

all the way to bedford to look at bentleys

oh well

23,089 · January 18

10 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

I had a problem with those bulbs, I could not see anything when a vehicle came the over way. It was so bad I would not drive the car in the dark

was that before or after the old Siemens bulb blew? one thing I noticed between old L171 bulbs and more modern L171 bulbs is the different filament arrangement the old Siemens bulb has the twin filament in a planar V shape, where more modern 171 bulbs just have 2 transverse filaments side by side of each other

and that sort of difference can have a affect on the performance/beam pattern of optical systems like headlights

39,433 · January 18

8 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

was that before or after the old Siemens bulb blew? one thing I noticed between old L171 bulbs and more modern L171 bulbs is the different filament arrangement the old Siemens bulb has the twin filament in a planar V shape, where more modern 171 bulbs just have 2 transverse filaments side by side of each other

and that sort of difference can have a affect on the performance/beam pattern of optical systems like headlights

I have noticed the change between dip and main beam is very small. You have to point the lights at a solid object and toggle a few times to work out which is which.

The headlight bulb blew soon after I bought it, but I don't remember the lights getting better or worse when the bulb was replaced.

39,433 · January 18

Today was a Long Buckby Club breakfast meeting at Industry & Supply Café. A damp dull day kept the crowds away, but still a decent turnout.

My car of the show (the car I would most like to drive home in if not mine) was a 1980 Volvo 265 Auto. An over 25 year old rule was enforced for the classic parking so I took our 1990 Mercedes 200TE instead of the Fiat Seicento. The Volvo was directed to park behind me so it was good to compare and contrast.