HMC WBOD news

[HMC]

Ive not done the rear plate yet (so is currently looking like the 280sl of Helen Mirren’s character in The long Good Friday  by having old style rear and new style front plates.)

Incidentally the main protagonist (a young Bob hoskins ) @richardmorris has an early 70s ‘shad also. (here with a henchman/ chauffeur)

 

A young Helen Mirren

The one in the film (shot around 1979 in and around east london) has had its age hidden with reflective plates on a (presumably fake) private plate. Tarted up with whitewalls, it gets blown up outside a church early on in the film

Anyway, ive already got the rear plate (which handily had the same digits, in the same order, as the shad) but is even more patinated…

I’m confident a little tart up as i go will preserve the patina but bring it down a notch or two (from scrapyard relic to survivor car) New they want £60 per plate + postage and this way cheaper, and suits the car better anyway.

[adw1977]

So nice to see a car go back onto period reflective plates.

I'm sure it will soon become less obvious with weathering, but as the outline of some of the old digits is still visible, I wonder if it will attract the attention of plod? 

[HMC]

15 minutes ago, adw1977 said:

So nice to see a car go back onto period reflective plates.

I'm sure it will soon become less obvious with weathering, but as the outline of some of the old digits is still visible, I wonder if it will attract the attention of plod? 

Good point, i also need to fill in the holes as well, and maybe think of a way of darkening down ‘brighter’ bits

Edit :Ive got an idea to tint the brighter areas down with something.

[richardmorris]

23 minutes ago, HMC said:

Ive not done the rear plate yet (so is currently looking like the 280sl of Helen Mirren’s character in The long Good Friday  by having old style rear and new style front plates.)

Incidentally the main protagonist (a young Bob hoskins ) @richardmorris has an early 70s ‘shad also. (here with a henchman/ chauffeur)

 

A young Helen Mirren

The one in the film (shot around 1979 in and around east london) has had its age hidden with reflective plates on a (presumably fake) private plate. Tarted up with whitewalls, it gets blown up outside a church early on in the film

Anyway, ive already got the rear plate (which handily had the same digits, in the same order, as the shad) but is even more patinated…

I’m confident a little tart up as i go will preserve the patina but bring it down a notch or two (from scrapyard relic to survivor car) New they want £60 per plate + postage and this way cheaper, and suits the car better anyway.

Yes, the long Good Friday and Mona Lisa are two of my favourites. Plenty of car spotting.

[N Dentressangle]

22 minutes ago, HMC said:

Good point, i also need to fill in the holes as well, and maybe think of a way of darkening down ‘brighter’ bits

Edit :Ive got an idea to tint the brighter areas down with something.

Dark soy sauce? Stains like a bugger, but you get to lick it off 😉

[NorfolkNWeigh]

On 03/02/2024 at 22:18, Schaefft said:

Zebrano was such a popular choice for wood trim in 80s Mercedes for some reason, I really dont know why. It reminds me of cheap wood veneer on 70s furniture. Burl walnut on the other hand...

For years I didn’t know Zebrano  was an actual tree, I just assumed it was Mercedes  term for fake wood, like MB-Tex was for fake leather.

[HMC]

7 minutes ago, NorfolkNWeigh said:

For years I didn’t know Zebrano  was an actual tree, I just assumed it was Mercedes  term for fake wood, like MB-Tex was for fake leather.

I thought it was just a term for fake wood (until now)

[lesapandre]

6 minutes ago, HMC said:

I thought it was just a term for fake wood (until now)

Jaguar used the word Ambla for their vinyl trim option. Was the ICI trade name for this material. Sounds better than vinyl trim.

The Silver Shadow velour trim option was called 'Parkertex' - I kid you not m'lady.

[adw1977]

5 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Jaguar used the word Ambla for their vinyl trim option. Was the ICI trade name for this material. Sounds better than vinyl trim.

Vauxhall used Ambla on the HA Viva, but only on the top SL trim level.  More modest Vivas had to make do with standard vinyl.

[eddyramrod]

21 hours ago, HMC said:

The shad shed has had some later replacement plates…

 

 

Theyre in a blocky modern font and follow the love for black background plates. IIRC you can put these on anything up to a ‘79 now. To a number plate obsessive (raises hand awkwardly) this feels, and looks, all wrong.

Anyway- would a 71/72 k been on the more modern reflectives or the old plates? Maybe, maybe not. I wanted a bit of 70s modernist realism going on so ideally wanted a reflective set. 

Trouble is, the 7s and 8s are all wrong on these. I want an 8 to have an hourglass shape. Yes im aware this sounds pervy 😂 and a brand new number plate has no patina.

So i got hold of an old number plate that had the key older characters i was after, and added new old stock one of those that were missing.

 

I then aged the too-new looking NOS ones with some wet and dry, took it all to bits, and drilled and reassembled.

So the shad shed has a bit of a 70s sweeney / long good friday era look to it….

 

Perfect.

These absolutely should NEVER be on black plates after the 1967 model year.  That's when the reflectives came in and immediately, having black plates on your new car marked you out as a raving cheapskate, something you really didn't want to project if you'd just bought a lovely new Shad!

My dad bought his last new car in 1967: HWM 457F, a Cortina mk2 1500 Super in Black Cherry.  It came on black plates, but it probably wasn't even Christmas before he changed them for the new style.  Now here was a man who HAD taken the cheapskate option, by buying the outgoing pre-crossflow engine when the new 1600 was coming in!

@HMC FWIW I totally approve.  In case you hadn't guessed.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Just spotted this on the antisocials and thought of this thread. Working class Roller! Yours would look good on a set of inappropriate 70s slots, too 😉

The backstory:

"My Dad swore by the Rolls Royce Silver cloud, we had them in the family from the late 60’s right up to recently. They were as happy cruising the continent at 100mph as they were being his workhorses ! We had just dragged this 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz back from Cadiz Spain , early 1970’s"

Edit: Just realised the fella in question is none other than John Dodd, previous long-term owner of The Beast. Proper DGAF attitude- good man. 

[eddyramrod]

Yeah I saw that last night.  Proper stuff!  Except it's a 57....

[HMC]

25 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Just spotted this on the antisocials and thought of this thread. Working class Roller! Yours would look good on a set of inappropriate 70s slots, too 😉

The backstory:

"My Dad swore by the Rolls Royce Silver cloud, we had them in the family from the late 60’s right up to recently. They were as happy cruising the continent at 100mph as they were being his workhorses ! We had just dragged this 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz back from Cadiz Spain , early 1970’s"

Edit: Just realised the fella in question is none other than John Dodd, previous long-term owner of The Beast. Proper DGAF attitude- good man. 

Thats brilliant!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

12 hours ago, eddyramrod said:

Yeah I saw that last night.  Proper stuff!  Except it's a 57....

Give his daughter a bit of credit, Eddie - she's one year out and she can't check with her old man as he's passed on 😆.  To be fair, I'm impressed that she continues to share fascinating snippets of her father's automotive journey; the guy was both genius and loon in equal measure. 

[grogee]

17 hours ago, HMC said:

 The long Good Friday  by having old style rear and new style front plates.

I watched that film fairly recently. Bob Hoskins is great in it, especially at the end. 

Unfortunately there is some wild period racism which dates it a bit. But good for old chod and bonus Piers Brosnan cameo. 

The Shad looks ace and its number plates are so good they are in danger of turning me into a AS number plate bore. 

[LightBulbFun]

the number plate stuff is awesome, exactly the sort of shite I live for  looks so much better on period plates!

 

I would leave the white splotches alone, I know certainly REV's period and original front number plate is also fairly splotchy like that, so it does not look out of place in my eyes at least (I would post a picture but someone would shout at me cuz Invacar LOL)

and I dont think the plod would mind also, it still clearly says the correct registration mark  

 

 

5 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Just spotted this on the antisocials and thought of this thread. Working class Roller! Yours would look good on a set of inappropriate 70s slots, too 😉

The backstory:

"My Dad swore by the Rolls Royce Silver cloud, we had them in the family from the late 60’s right up to recently. They were as happy cruising the continent at 100mph as they were being his workhorses ! We had just dragged this 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz back from Cadiz Spain , early 1970’s"

Edit: Just realised the fella in question is none other than John Dodd, previous long-term owner of The Beast. Proper DGAF attitude- good man. 

I fucking love that shot, especially the whole incongruity of it, especially with the slot mags and caked in grime, it looks quite mean if anything  

[HMC]

Woodwork verdict: 

RUFF in parts but not too bad overall

[lesapandre]

13 hours ago, Dick Longbridge said:

Just spotted this on the antisocials and thought of this thread. Working class Roller! Yours would look good on a set of inappropriate 70s slots, too 😉

The backstory:

"My Dad swore by the Rolls Royce Silver cloud, we had them in the family from the late 60’s right up to recently. They were as happy cruising the continent at 100mph as they were being his workhorses ! We had just dragged this 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz back from Cadiz Spain , early 1970’s"

Edit: Just realised the fella in question is none other than John Dodd, previous long-term owner of The Beast. Proper DGAF attitude- good man. 

That's the absolute sweet spot for Rolls. A Silver Cloud III - traditional body on chassis but with the uprated 6.2 V8  and GM auto box. Identified by the dual headlamps.

Super classy super rare.

[tooSavvy]

Aye...... Ex Wendy Craig, for bragging points!

 

[HMC]

This old relic of silver shadow has suffered various indignities. Perhaps most noticable to the ear was sometimes but not often running on 8.

A quick look and the HT leads showed a variety of various ages, all of which had corrosion and damage. Plus im not even sure that the firing  order was right. Hard to tell from a quick look as the leads are routed though little tracks screwed to the cam covers.

Anyway, for your rolls owner driver, things can soon get pricey…

Thats all well and good for people wishing to preserve originality; but what about something that dodged being bangered and is wedding white? The owner is more of a driver than a polisher.

Well a bit of googling showed that the lucas 35d8 distributor was shared with a few other vehicles- including assorted Land Rover products….

 

And i set to over lunch 

Yes they are very blue! I suppose they match the interior 👍 . And I need to properly plumb in the leads down the little tracks on the cam covers and get rid of the cable tied old lead remnants etc.

But for less than 10% of the price ive got it now running on 8. Its so silky smooth now its unbelievable the difference. i can only imagine its was a combination of messed up order and knackered components.

[grogee]

On 11/02/2024 at 09:19, eddyramrod said:

crossflow engine

Witchcraft. Your Dad made the sensible choice. 

[High Jetter]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

But for less than 10% of the price ive got it now running on 8. Its so silky smooth now its unbelievable the difference. i can only imagine its was a combination of messed up order and knackered components.

Top shiting. Did you establish whether the order was correct before ripping out the old crap?

[Bren]

I was quoted over £30 years ago for a dizzy cap for my SD1. So comparatively speaking the rolls price was not that bad.

Beware though - a lot of ignition components are utter horseshit made in China - even in a brand name box - some of the rotor arms last about as long as six creme eggs in our house.

[HMC]

Riding high on all 8 cylinders was great, but was swiftly followed by the starter jamming whilst backed on single  yellows right outside a pub, on a hill….

Try as i might i couldnt un jam the starter from the flywheel. I spent while lying in the gutter hitting the starter with a hammer, with water running up my sleeves.  Result? I ended up very wet, but the starter wouldn’t budge. I had a crack at moving the crank but its quite hidden. I was going to take the plugs out to help, but basically i needed to just get it shifted as i started to attract the attention of the parking bods. I even wrote a little sign (in vain)

Why all the fuss trying to start it? Well, in rolls wisdom the brakes are powered by an engine driven pump, theres no traditional master cylinder, there would be no brakes, and the handbrake is shit. And its on a hill. And its pointing downhill. A recipie for demolishing shops right there.  It felt a bit like being one of those engineers who were trying to figure out how to raise the Mary Rose without trashing it more.  it is quite boat-like when it works.

 

 

Anyway i parked a car behind it and tethered a tow rope to it, buttock clenchingly i slipped it into neutral, using the other cars brakes and the slack taken up by reversing the other car up the hill. Then we eased around a blind corner, Shad first and onto the flat at 6am this morning.

There we switched the cars so the powered car went first and at walking pace we rolled into a suitable unrestricted parking slot

Phew!

[mcmolloy1]

There is a back up braking system in the event that the engine stops. Underneath the car directly under where the drivers seat is, there is a standard master cylinder same one as an early Land rover. I think it just goes to the front wheels but it's enough to stop the car.

I know this because I was the lucky* person who got to steer a shadow whilst being towed by another car last year. The FTP was caused by a faulty coil ballast.

[HMC]

3 minutes ago, mcmolloy1 said:

There is a back up braking system in the event that the engine stops. Underneath the car directly under where the drivers seat is, there is a standard master cylinder same one as an early Land rover. I think it just goes to the front wheels but it's enough to stop the car.

I know this because I was the lucky* person who got to steer a shadow whilst being towed by another car last year. The FTP was caused by a faulty coil ballast.

That good to know, cheers. Would have made it less scary for me!

[grogee]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

A recipe for demolishing shops right there

Well yes but one of them is an off-licence, isn't it? Two birds, one stone and all that.

[lesapandre]

32 minutes ago, HMC said:

That good to know, cheers. Would have made it less scary for me!

Bravo lateral thinking...

You might want to check that emergency foot brake sometime under 'controlled' conditions - ie in a big car park with a gentle tow or push - these are super-heavyweight cars... and worth checking carefully the thing is actually working.

Getting the handbrake in tip-top condition wd help if you can.

I've had a Shad' and the XJ6 which are both virtually unbrakeable with engine stopped IMHO.

Starter motor is going to be some standard item. Not the battery with not enough go?

[mcmolloy1]

The backup master cylinder had been replaced on ours a few years earlier which is maybe why it worked reasonably well. Definitely worth testing it.

[artdjones]

On 11/02/2024 at 15:37, LightBulbFun said:

the number plate stuff is awesome, exactly the sort of shite I live for  looks so much better on period plates!

 

I would leave the white splotches alone, I know certainly REV's period and original front number plate is also fairly splotchy like that, so it does not look out of place in my eyes at least (I would post a picture but someone would shout at me cuz Invacar LOL)

and I dont think the plod would mind also, it still clearly says the correct registration mark  

 

 

I fucking love that shot, especially the whole incongruity of it, especially with the slot mags and caked in grime, it looks quite mean if anything  

Rolls-Royces were alway everyday cars, just for rich people, instead of the fashion accessory they've become.