Project Dollywobbler's Invacar - Ongoing

[Eddie Honda]

Have just learnt that the nearest Class 3 MOT station is 12 miles away,

 

I had a similar problem 25 years ago, but the nearest Class 3 station was 20 miles away. The only extra equipment I saw was a plate that was put in place that spanned the tracks that had a swivel plate on it. The car was reversed onto the lift and the plate was at the rear of the lifts. No idea how they did headlamp alignment with it on back-to-front (well they couldn't and didn't).

 

Best thing was it was the third week of January and blowing a fucking gale.

 

There was a time when they could test these things on the floor and jack them up, but when they started insisting on 4 posters, lots of places didn't bother.

[Guest Hooli]

 tip the car on it's side and fill it up with diesel...

 

Need a match?

[John F]

For diesel? Best of luck...

[Guest Hooli]

Just checking you're paying attention.

[forddeliveryboy]

If the shoe linings have well and truly rusted to the drums then if they're riveted and glued there's a possibility the drum would have to be smashed off.

 

Otherwise, lots of hammering all round the drum or mucho heat, if you've a flame big enough to heat up the whole drum enough in this weather.

[forddeliveryboy]

If the shoe linings have well and truly rusted to the drums then if they're riveted and glued there's a possibility the drum would have to be smashed off.

 

Otherwise, lots of hammering all round the drum or mucho heat, if you've a flame big enough to heat up the whole drum enough in this weather.

[wuvvum]

Squirting some diesel down the bores is a good tip when freeing off stuck engines so I'm told

Bit awkward with a flat twin though.

[dieselassist]

With gratuitous use of levers, TWC was lifted from the pallets enough to get a jack under, and then the wheels, with new tyres, were refitted. Hoorah!

 

Problem is, the offside rear wheel is still stuck solid. I cannot free it off, even with gratuitous use of hammers and heat. Any ideas? Did wonder about just giving it a drag, but I'm not sure there's enough weight to free it off. And it'll make a hellish mess of the driveway...

 

Have you tried a few kettles of boiling hot water over the offending drum, with a two opposing wheel studs threaded in n a bar to lever? has worked for me in the past with stuck drums; if theres 'holes in steel wheel' - rather than a solid wheel you can just pour the kettle fulls of water through the holes with the rim bolted up, n rock or pull the car...

 

...I remember one of these invacars in the small border village I grew up in, back when I was 7 or 8 years of age - the chap who owned it had very thick glasses, but was well liked n a 'bit of a character' - story my old man told me, was his family had 'various aliment's' - he was the 'fittest' of the lot, but his vision was poor; as they lived so rural, somehow it was arranged by the local health board for him to get one of these invacars, to get provisions etc for the rest of the family - he also 'liked a sup' at the pub occasionally n used to drive it home - these were very different times, n a 'blind eye' (LOL) was turned to it...

 

I was always fascinated by it, it was in in terrible condition when in use (mid 80s)

[oldcars]

I had a similar problem 25 years ago, but the nearest Class 3 station was 20 miles away. The only extra equipment I saw was a plate that was put in place that spanned the tracks that had a swivel plate on it. The car was reversed onto the lift and the plate was at the rear of the lifts. No idea how they did headlamp alignment with it on back-to-front (well they couldn't and didn't).

 

Best thing was it was the third week of January and blowing a fucking gale.

 

There was a time when they could test these things on the floor and jack them up, but when they started insisting on 4 posters, lots of places didn't bother.

My test is due third week of Jan to. Going to try and get it done earlier this year.

Dollywobbler, three wheelers do make you smile. You may have had a bad day at work, have to scrape the ice off the inside of the windows and struggle to get in the thing with frozen doors and locks, but after a few miles driving the smile is back on your face.

[dollywobbler]

Because IR SAD TWAT, I dug out a wiper from my stash and fitted it to the spares car. I hate cars without wipers. The hidden ones on the Lexus bother me more than they should.

 

Because I'm even more sad than that, I did a video review of the truck.

[John F]

If you were a REAL sad twat (i.e. an Autoshite hero) you'd design & build a pantographic wiper for TWC...

[SiC]

 

That car looks so forlorn, it looks like its about to cry.

[Kiltox]

Y tho?

[AMC Rebel]

Bloody marvellous! I remember knicking the warning lights from one of these that had been abandoned on an airfield when I was a kid.

[AMC Rebel]

Also 11/10 for the trucking vid - despite having grandad rights I have never actually driven a 7.5 t gvw truck but would love to.  There are a few of these things (7.5 t trucks not Invacars) that have been converted to campers - it's tempting to imagine I could buy and run one .....

[DodgeRover]

Camper conversion on a 7.5t means a normal car MOT, problem is you'll still have to go to a lorry place so they can lift it....

[C1am]

New Invacar piece on utoobs. See 2.23:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwcSvdAQrPM

 

Copywright issues to be addressed to Богдан Мельник

 

 

[wuvvum]

All the 7.5-tonners I've had have been pre-limiter so have been able to get past the artics with ease (apart from the D series, but I never did any long runs in that anyway).  Must be frustrating being limited to 56 in such a small vehicle.

[bigstraight6]

Love the video, the impression of being totally underwhelmed by the driving experience comes across! I feel like that on the odd occasion I drive a rigid these days, artics are much more engaging....

[dollywobbler]

Love the video, the impression of being totally underwhelmed by the driving experience comes across! I feel like that on the odd occasion I drive a rigid these days, artics are much more engaging....

 

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it really. I always like driving different stuff, and this is about as big as I can legally go. Until I get my hands on a bus with no more than eight people aboard it that is...

[Christine]

Bloody marvellous! I remember knicking the warning lights from one of these that had been abandoned on an airfield when I was a kid.

 

Bloody marvellous! I remember knicking the warning lights from one of these that had been abandoned on an airfield when I was a kid.

Might have been Douglas Bader .....

[AMC Rebel]

Might have been Douglas Bader .....

Fuck me! I never thought of that - although come to think of it, I'd never heard of him at the time.

[richardmorris]

Also 11/10 for the trucking vid - despite having grandad rights I have never actually driven a 7.5 t gvw truck but would love to.  There are a few of these things (7.5 t trucks not Invacars) that have been converted to campers - it's tempting to imagine I could buy and run one .....

 

I have driven one the first time work relocated- I got volunteered as the Mercedes gears were the same sequence as th 2cv. This was back in 1996.

I got in the 2cv after and thought the clutch cable had snapped-no feel on the pedal at all in comparison!

[richardmorris]

Fuck me! I never thought of that - although come to think of it, I'd never heard of him at the time.

Sadly the house where Douglas lived is about 500m from where I type. It is now demolished and an old people’s home exists.

[Zelandeth]

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it really. I always like driving different stuff, and this is about as big as I can legally go. Until I get my hands on a bus with no more than eight people aboard it that is...

 

Do it!

 

Seriously, it's the single biggest thing I miss about my old job, getting to bomb around Aberdeen in buses.  The older the better.

 

Getting to take the old Atlantean open topper right out to Alford was a right treat.

 

Leaks oil like a sieve, idles lumpy as hell...but actually drives lovely once you're rolling!  Leyland O.680 out the back and the pneumocyclic semi auto box.  Changing gear with the wrong hand was oddly the only thing that took me a moment to get used to.

 

Miss the buses...the Bluebird AARE American school bus that they use as a trainer especially.  Horrible thing as a passenger, but she drives like an absolute dream... limited to 56mph, and you hit that like a brick wall...wonder what she would actually do flat out.

[PhilA]

...wonder what she would actually do flat out.

Close to 80. They're not limited here and I've been passed up by one on the interstate.

 

Phil

[cms206]

Can't comment on Bluebirds but I have it on Good Authority* that on a Van Hool-bodied manual Volvo B10M the wipers will slide off a dry screen when you hit the P in MPH on the speedo, even with the wipers off.

 

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[Zelandeth]

Likewise I can vouch for the fact that on a private test track that a Cummins L10 engined Leyland Olympian I know will top out at about a half inch past the top of the scale...

 

The other one was a Bristol RE based coach which was definitely from the coach Vs train era and would happily cruise at a far, far greater rate of knots than its brakes are even close to being adequate to deal with.

[busmansholiday]

Can't comment on Bluebirds but I have it on Good Authority* that on a Van Hool-bodied manual Volvo B10M the wipers will slide off a dry screen when you hit the P in MPH on the speedo, even with the wipers off.

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First question you'd always ask when taking over a coach on National Express was "what's it go like?". You always hoped the reply was "Smith's MPH" (which on the old coaches was was what it said between 80 and 0 on the Speedo...)

[cms206]

First question you'd always ask when taking over a coach on National Express was "what's it go like?". You always hoped the reply was "Smith's MPH" (which on the old coaches was was what it said between 80 and 0 on the Speedo...)

We ran an ex TGM National Express B10M which to this day remains the fastest coach I have ever driven. Absolutely obscene turn of speed.

 

Not that I complained or owt. Defect cards are for problems, yes?

 

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