Six Cylinders Motoring Notes - What is it like to drive a pre war car a 1,000 miles in a year.

[hairnet]

the wedge in the other pic is nice

[GeorgeB]

3 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

 

My Mini then mis fired on the way back to the farm shop, stalling, running like a crap and Colin said he could smell petrol. We checked it over but could not find anything wrong. I decided to limp it back and set off having trouble keeping it running.  1 mile up the road it came back to life, idling cleanly with no hint of a problem. It is just the worry now, next time I use it will it behave.

 

Muck on the float valve.

[richardmorris]

3 minutes ago, GeorgeB said:

Muck on the float valve.

Or muck in the carb bowl blocking jets?

[GeorgeB]

1 minute ago, richardmorris said:

Or muck in the carb bowl blocking jets?

Jets? It's an SU isn't it?

Bit of grit on the needle valve in the float chamber, fuel pisses out and it runs rich. Grit clears, runs fine again.

[richardmorris]

34 minutes ago, GeorgeB said:

Jets? It's an SU isn't it?

Bit of grit on the needle valve in the float chamber, fuel pisses out and it runs rich. Grit clears, runs fine again.

I’ve no idea? Just assumed an eighties carb would have jets?

[Tommyboy12]

12 hours ago, richardmorris said:

I’ve no idea? Just assumed an eighties carb would have jets?

No jets in an SU. It relies on a varying venturi piston and attached metering needle to vary the fuel flow based on load and engine speed.

[bezzabsa]

Love the mini van - My 1st ever Legal car and it was that exact colour..but had plastic full dash and Datsun 120Y coupe seats

[Six-cylinder]

It was good bye to the Toledo today.

I bought it 3 years ago because my driving school car was a Toledo. I used it a little, but somehow I didn't often choose to drive it so when a friend approached me I let him buy it.

 

[High Jetter]

3 hours ago, Six-cylinder said:

It was good bye to the Toledo today.

I bought it 3 years ago because my driving school car was a Toledo. I used it a little, but somehow I didn't often choose to drive it so when a friend approached me I let him buy it.

 

Sad face from me, they're just so good. 

[Noel Tidybeard]

it is possible to clear a stuttering S.U carbed car by giving it a fist full of choke as you drive- i remember my dad doing it in the allegro (1500) when it fif a bit of feesing and snarting

[Six-cylinder]

13 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Sad face from me, they're just so good. 

Our Morris 1300 is better.

[High Jetter]

4 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

Our Morris 1300 is better.

I had several of each, in the 80's. My vote is for Triumph, Herald, FWD & Toledo / Dollys, but ADO 16's were very capable

[Six-cylinder]

16 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

I had several of each, in the 80's. My vote is for Triumph, Herald, FWD & Toledo / Dollys, but ADO 16's were very capable

I agree with the Vitesse and to some extent with the Herald. I have a fully working Vitesse and if I could only keep one it would be high on the list. The Toledo just did not hit the spot.

New owner loves it and has been using it in the dark.

[Six-cylinder]

Our 1990 Mercedes 200TE Auto has been away for some love as some of you will have seen.

New tyres, heater fan and some body work expertly done by @Andyrew

We were given it by @Mr Livered of this parish and I bet he did not expect us to like it, use it, be maintaining it and enjoy it 11 years and 36,500 miles later. It was a very strange feeling getting off a train and being given a free car by a near stranger to drive home nearly 200 miles.

Also @Peter C most have wondered if we were ever going to fit those good used wings he sold us.

A bit more to go, but first it needs an MOT

 

[hairnet]

shonky german woop

 

[Schaefft]

With these having been quite desirable (and therefore priced accordingly) elsewhere for a while now I'm hoping to see prices catching in the UK as well. Give it a few years and people will really start to appreciate what they'd have with a solid S124. Good to see another one getting some love!

[Six-cylinder]

This morning at 7am my Toledo returned!

Don't worry all is well it was just so the buyer could collect his coat he had left in my Morris 1300 when I gave him a lift to collect the Toledo.

[Six-cylinder]

This morning I gave the Roll Royce a run out with a couple of Citroen friends to breakfast at Turweston airfield Café.

I also found a Ferrari 308 GT4 lurking in the car park.

[LightBulbFun]

its really great to see the Rolls Royce being used almost as a daily driver and that you seem to be happy with it and all that  do you know how many miles you have covered it in it so far?, I wonder how many others are in regular use like yours!

and in general I am very much enjoying all the other vintage vehicles your happily daily driving like the ADO16  it always pleases me very much to see something old or considered oddball, just used like it was made to do when new

 

Old, but Not Obsolete!

[richardmorris]

Just spotted something on Fb to replace the Toledo…

[Six-cylinder]

3 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

its really great to see the Rolls Royce being used almost as a daily driver and that you seem to be happy with it and all that  do you know how many miles you have covered it in it so far?, I wonder how many others are in regular use like yours!

and in general I am very much enjoying all the other vintage vehicles your happily daily driving like the ADO16  it always pleases me very much to see something old or considered oddball, just used like it was made to do when new

 

Old, but Not Obsolete!

I bought  the 20/25 27th July 2023, that part year I struggled along with pulling brakes, bad clutch and a few other minor faults and did 565 miles.

Year 2 was not good with non charging and the clutch problems so I only did 172 miles while getting it fixed.

This year the car has worked very well and to add to that I have learn to drive it much more comfortably. I have done 1030 miles so far in 2025.

The car is drawn off coarse by bad road surfaces and tram lines easily that you have to correct, but the correction needs to be gentle and now most of the time I do it without thinking about it.

I used to struggle with the non synchromesh 1st & 2nd gears, I was aiming to double the clutch to get into 2nd gear for a roundabout or low speed  turn off, but I never seemed to brake early enough to pause the braking to get into 2nd.  What I have learnt is with a high torque engine and fairly low gearing for roundabouts you don't need drop to 2nd if you keep moving and 3rd gear is just fine. Also you only need 1st gear for moving away up hill, with 2nd gear the usual pull away gear. 

The total milage since I have owned it is 1767 miles. It is booked for a service in a couple of weeks time then I will be put away for the winter.

There are other 20/25 that do get used and I have a local friend who does even more than me with his car.

...

My favourite car is Varity! Whether it is worth £500 or £50k is fairly irrelevant for me to the pleasure of using it, I get the same pleasure from low value cars as high, which is why I am on here. 

I have always appreciated cars that interest me regardless of status. For many years I had brand new company cars, working in the motor trade usually 3 a year. While I had use of new cars such as a Cavalier CDi I could often be found looking through the low value part exchanges for something interesting to take home.

I usually drive about in cars like the ADo16 or Fiat Seicento just because I like them.

[Six-cylinder]

16 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Just spotted something on Fb to replace the Toledo…

Great but do you know how much those 135's are worth, a lot more than a Toledo!

[richardmorris]

1 hour ago, Six-cylinder said:

Great but do you know how much those 135's are worth, a lot more than a Toledo!

I’m amazed.  Looked like a nice static exhibit for £100!

[Six-cylinder]

8 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

I’m amazed.  Looked like a nice static exhibit for £100!

This one is not mint but still £8,000 +VAT.

[richardmorris]

22 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

This one is not mint but still £8,000 +VAT.

Lamborghini would be similar?

[Six-cylinder]

21 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

Lamborghini would be similar?

My guess is a classic Lamborghini tractor will be even more expensive.