Project Dollywobbler's Invacar - Ongoing

[Eddie Honda]

Are we nearly there yet?

[The Moog]

film it in time lapse... .have comedy fire... sell to Grand Tour. .. .retire 

[dollywobbler]

Drag on to tail lift bit with it up at height using another car.... lower tail lift with invacar sat on it.

 

Tail lift is about one third the length of the Invacars...

 

Anyway, I'm finally home, so REPORTAGE!

 

Yesterday started well. I saw a Leyland DAF 200 pickup, and then parked next to this lovely Peugeot 306 when I stopped to acquire lunch items. No way I'm paying motorway prices for food...

 

Truck was hired. It was quite rusty, many things don't work. Perfect! The office view.

 

I'm not sure I look like a trucker...

 

I got to Sussex early, so decided to go and collect the Invacars. I'd spoken to the chap earlier to see if he had a way of loading them into a truck. He said yes. This turned out to be a bit of a lie. Firstly, he couldn't even get the forklift near the Invacars, as he'd parked them in a bog. We had to manhandle them into somewhere that he could get them. Then the forklift's prongs weren't long enough to insert the car in the truck. In the end, he lifted the car up, I reversed the truck so the car started going in, then we shoved it in, with a JCB at times and lots of swearing and grunting. Sadly, because there were only three of us, and all were working hard, there is no footage of this. 

 

After much struggling, we achieved this.

 

That's the one I'm going to restore. We ideally needed it a bit further forward, but gave up.

 

It then got dark, so the next photo is this morning, still in Sussex.

 

That's both of them in, but neither strapped down. Turns out this bloody truck has NO lashing points! How rubbish is that? I decided to chance it. They couldn't fall out, so the worst that could happen is that they'd bounce into each other. Destroyed tyres meant that at least they were unlikely to start rolling around.

 

Then it was just a case of hammering it home. After just over three hours, I'd reached the end of the M50, which was bloody good going! I had tea.

 

I got back home, and it was pouring with rain and blowing a gale. Mrs DW bravely helped me squeeze the truck down the driveway.

 

Which leaves me at home, with the Invacars, at home, with no way of getting them out of the truck. Anyone would think I'm really shit at planning or something...

[cpjitservices]

Tail lift is about one third the length of the Invacars...

 

Anyway, I'm finally home, so REPORTAGE!

 

Yesterday started well. I saw a Leyland DAF 200 pickup, and then parked next to this lovely Peugeot 306 when I stopped to acquire lunch items. No way I'm paying motorway prices for food...

 

Truck was hired. It was quite rusty, many things don't work. Perfect! The office view.

 

I'm not sure I look like a trucker...

 

I got to Sussex early, so decided to go and collect the Invacars. I'd spoken to the chap earlier to see if he had a way of loading them into a truck. He said yes. This turned out to be a bit of a lie. Firstly, he couldn't even get the forklift near the Invacars, as he'd parked them in a bog. We had to manhandle them into somewhere that he could get them. Then the forklift's prongs weren't long enough to insert the car in the truck. In the end, he lifted the car up, I reversed the truck so the car started going in, then we shoved it in, with a JCB at times and lots of swearing and grunting. Sadly, because there were only three of us, and all were working hard, there is no footage of this. 

 

After much struggling, we achieved this.

 

That's the one I'm going to restore. We ideally needed it a bit further forward, but gave up.

 

It then got dark, so the next photo is this morning, still in Sussex.

 

That's both of them in, but neither strapped down. Turns out this bloody truck has NO lashing points! How rubbish is that? I decided to chance it. They couldn't fall out, so the worst that could happen is that they'd bounce into each other. Destroyed tyres meant that at least they were unlikely to start rolling around.

 

Then it was just a case of hammering it home. After just over three hours, I'd reached the end of the M50, which was bloody good going! I had tea.

 

I got back home, and it was pouring with rain and blowing a gale. Mrs DW bravely helped me squeeze the truck down the driveway.

 

Which leaves me at home, with the Invacars, at home, with no way of getting them out of the truck. Anyone would think I'm really shit at planning or something...

Hmmmmmmmm tricky

[Guest Hooli]

Tune in next week for the next thrilling installment.

[John F]

I'd be looking to use that tail lift as a brace to support some kind of wide barn-door type ramp thing to wheel the Invacars down (after pumping their tyres up, ofc.).

[dollywobbler]

The tyres are utterly ruined, and several wheels are seized. I'm friendly with several farmers, so I'm hoping one of them might have some kit to help me out. Failing that, we'll be getting very artistic with bits of wood tomorrow...

[barefoot]

On a positive note, those DAFs are quite nice to drive aren't they?

[dollywobbler]

On a positive note, those DAFs are quite nice to drive aren't they?

 

No. It was bloody awful. The gearchange is horrible, the clutch is heavy, the engine has no power at all (though there was a DPF alert on the dash. I'm not sure what I was meant to do about that. Thought a motorway run might help. It didn't). The brakes were quite poor (the engine braking didn't seem to work), the driver's window kept coming off its runners, the heater controls didn't illuminate, the electric heated mirrors didn't work and did I mention that it had seemingly no power at all? Did ride well to be fair.

[beko1987]

No. It was bloody awful. The gearchange is horrible, the clutch is heavy, the engine has no power at all (though there was a DPF alert on the dash. I'm not sure what I was meant to do about that. Thought a motorway run might help. It didn't). The brakes were quite poor (the engine braking didn't seem to work), the driver's window kept coming off its runners, the heater controls didn't illuminate, the electric heated mirrors didn't work and did I mention that it had seemingly no power at all? Did ride well to be fair.

Good to know the quality hasnt gone downhill since the olden days then!

[Mally]

Set the tail lift halfway up, saw down the fence and rest it on the back of the truck and end of tail lift.

Perfect ramp.

I also have some sky hooks from when I started work.

[Christine]

Vehicle enquiry check reveals a 10 litre engine in the TWC 725k     

[dollywobbler]

Vehicle enquiry check reveals a 10 litre engine in the TWC 725k  

 

Yes. Bit odd that...

[Mally]

Vehicle enquiry check reveals a 10 litre engine in the TWC 725k     

 

Be faster than the Truck then.

[bezzabsa]

drag them sideways onto tail lift.......

[Guest Hooli]

No. It was bloody awful. The gearchange is horrible, the clutch is heavy, the engine has no power at all (though there was a DPF alert on the dash. I'm not sure what I was meant to do about that. Thought a motorway run might help. It didn't). The brakes were quite poor (the engine braking didn't seem to work), the driver's window kept coming off its runners, the heater controls didn't illuminate, the electric heated mirrors didn't work and did I mention that it had seemingly no power at all? Did ride well to be fair.

 

You're keeping it as part of your fleet then?

[Yoss]

Or tie some rope to something robust on the Invacar

Can you see the flaw in this plan.

[beko1987]

How much is the van hire? Would it be cost effective to just work in the van to get the wheels free'd and moving? Bonus is you'll be sheltered from the welsh weather!

[dollywobbler]

How much is the van hire? Would it be cost effective to just work in the van to get the wheels free'd and moving? Bonus is you'll be sheltered from the welsh weather!

 

I've got it until first thing Friday morning. Main issue is the tyres are ruined. May see if the local garage has any. I think they got a load of 12" tyres in at one point, because they were trying to flog them to me (we'd just put a fresh set on the Nippa, bad luck!). I'll also see if I can make one good set out of those on the cars. 

[dollywobbler]

Oh, a Live Video Tweet from yesterday can be found here.

https://twitter.com/HubNutVids/status/932989090294669312

[lexi]

As teenagers, a wifey in our estate used to regularly give us a lift to shops in her Invacar. She went like fuck and scared us shitless!

[dollywobbler]

I think we have a solution for tomorrow. All will be revealed! Tomorrow.

[Zelandeth]

That DAF interior doesn't look like a proper truck cab at all...Far too posh and car like.  That tiny steering wheel would totally mess with my head in a vehicle that size.

 

...Granted, the newest one I've driven (on a private test track) was an early 90s Volvo...so things have probably moved on since then.

 

I do remember that it was rather alarming how rapidly that Volvo went though - the limiter was defeated by turning the ignition off...which switched off the grand total of...the temperature gauge, fuel gauge and the speed limiter.

 

 

There looks to be a lot more to those Invacars than I expected seeing them with the engine covers off.

[DodgeRover]

Hmmm. I may have a couple of Mini wheels with tyres at the back of a garage that you'd be welcome to. I'm on the Surrey/Sussex border, not far from junction 6 M25.

If these are no use to DW I would be happy to swap for beer?

[dollywobbler]

There looks to be a lot more to those Invacars than I expected seeing them with the engine covers off.

 

The tech spec is remarkable. Austrian flat-twin, aircooled and 493cc, producing 20bhp. Sends its drive through a variable belt pulley to a Fiat 500 (later 126 I think) rear diff. I know the spares car's engine turns by hand, but can't currently access the engine bay of the one I'm restoring, as I don't have any keys. Working on that.

[DodgeRover]

A 2t from something like a snowmobile would be a sensible* power upgrade

[Zelandeth]

20bhp should actually feel amusingly rapid in something that small!  Flat twin should sound decent too...soundtrack is the thing I remember most from the last time I was out in a 2CV.

[cobblers]

I don't have any keys. Working on that.

 

Don't mither over the right keys much, I presume you could pick one of these locks with a wooden leg whilst riding a horse.

[barefoot]

No. It was bloody awful. The gearchange is horrible, the clutch is heavy, the engine has no power at all (though there was a DPF alert on the dash. I'm not sure what I was meant to do about that. Thought a motorway run might help. It didn't). The brakes were quite poor (the engine braking didn't seem to work), the driver's window kept coming off its runners, the heater controls didn't illuminate, the electric heated mirrors didn't work and did I mention that it had seemingly no power at all? Did ride well to be fair.

Think that's bad?

The equivilant IVECO with its Wrestler box is far, far worse.

[mk2_craig]

Great read!! Is there any Leyland DNA in that truck? I'm guessing its descended from the Roadrunner in some way