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LightBulbFun's Invacar & general ramble thread, index on page 1, survivors lists on Pages 24/134 & AdgeCutler's Invacar Mk12 Restoration from Page 186 onwards, still harping on...


LightBulbFun

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7 minutes ago, Eyersey1234 said:

@LightBulbFun sorry I have no idea which one this is but it popped up on my Faceache feed, thought you might like to see it 

Screenshot_20210109_171910_com.facebook.katana.jpg

Thanks :) that one is ATW722L, again one of the ones that is one often used generically as an example of an Invacar when someone is posting about the topic (as its the first picture of one on the Wikipedia article for them LOL)

it was actually offered to me for £5K (way back near the start of this thread where I got a bit over excited LOL), but there was/is no way I could afford that so I had to pass on it sadly and so it got sold to someone else and exported to Kuwait sadly and I dont know whats become of it since then

On 23/02/2019 at 12:15, LightBulbFun said:

ATW722L, Invacar, Date of first registration 9th of July 1973, Current status: exported to Kuwait otherwise unknown, Date of last V5C (logbook) issued, 18 October 2017

20190104_075115.jpg

 

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On 23/12/2020 at 18:02, LightBulbFun said:

I think next ill spread sheet out as many Invacar Mk12 blocks as I can, that will take a little longer tho, as there are several Invacar Mk12 blocks I still need to figure out where they start and end, as I need to know where the block starts and ends at least before I can auto generate all the numbers in between

(but I luckily already did that for most of the later ones see page 83 for example :) ) 

have just finished putting together the Mk12 spread sheet, so now I have big giant list of all the ~G Suffx Reg+ Invacar Mk12 registration, chassis numbers, and blocks :) I have a lot less data/jumping off points for Pre G reg sadly, so I have not really charted those down yet (apart from XWC401F-XWC500F of course), but I will try and give those a poke in time and see if I can figure something out even with the limited data I have to work with

 

but yeah been very interesting to do, let me ID missing blocks so I know where to search (like I can see between BPU500G and CTW301G im missing 200 cars so I know I can focus my searching on only all the Essex registrations between BPU-G and CTW-G) and also especially as it let me put this previous research in better context, 

 

On 23/10/2019 at 22:34, LightBulbFun said:

so it looks like between LVX201J to LVX300J and PEV401K to PEV500K was:

(LWC101-200J?) MHK801J to MHK900J, MPU301J to MPU400J, (MVW301J to MVW400J?) MWC701J to MWC800J, NNO501J to NNO600J, NPU101J to NPU200J, NVW801J to NVW900J, OHK101K to OHK200K, and finally OOO301K to OOO400K

8 blocks so 800 chassis numbers/cars, or 10 blocks or 1000 chassis numbers/cars if you count the suspected ones

and looking at it now, between LVX300J and MHK801J im missing 131 cars, so indeed LWC101J-LWC200J looks to be a block of 100 cars where none show up on the DVLA sadly, but since im actually missing 131 cars theres 31 extra cars in their own small block in-there somewhere but that means I dont know where the LWC-J block falls since I dont know if its before or after those 31

and then between MPU400J and MWC70J im actually missing 200 cars so 2 blocks, I know MVW301J-MVW400J is again a block but where none show up on the DVLA anymore, but again since I dont know what the 2nd block is, im not sure where the MVW-J block sits within the 200 missing, it is a bit puzzling tho tho as I went through the Mxx-J Essex registration series's  and apart from MVW-J I dont recall finding any other Invacar sized holes, it could be I missed something or the block of 100 im missing next to MVW301J-MVW400J is actually 2 smaller blocks of 50, sadly Invacar Mk12 chassis numbers are just that, a string of numbers so I cant look up Mk12's by chassis number  with my special tool as they are not unique enough and there is usually always a newer vehicle with the same chassis number so I get that one instead

 

I also have several instances of where one block ends and the other starts on the same chassis number which obviously cant be, but who knows whats at play there I know from the Model 70's, that Invacar did not manage the blocks as rigidly as AC did

so you would have the odd weird size block or one ending at 99 cars and then a single car somewhere else, so I could easily be the same thing with the Invacar Mk12's but given how little actually shows up on the DVLA these days for vehicles this old its hard to say whats what exactly

but thankfully all the Essex registration records survive and I do plan to hopefully go down there in time and just go through every vehicle registration record from 1950 onwards and find all the Invacar registrations/blocks, if im allowed to do that! LOL and so I should hopefully be able to figure out the oddities from that

 

on that front it will be very interesting to see if PPU501K-PPU520K are the final small block of 20 Invacar Mk12's I wonder such since PPU521K-PPU600K is the first block of Invacar Model 70's but then begs the question what PPU501K-PPU520K are (since PPU521K-PPU600K is only 80 cars big)

(and I also do wonder as PEV401K-PEV500K the last whole 100 block of Invacar Mk12's ends 20 cars short chassis number wise, it ends at --480, if PPU501K-PPU520K are Mk12's then that would take us to --500)

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On 1/7/2021 at 6:05 PM, LightBulbFun said:

haha yeah Neons as they where called :) (although they never actually contained Neon! and where actually cold cathode fluorescent tubes, the same sort of light used to backlight older LCD monitors and TV's and in flat bed scanners and the such like)

Yeah that would be quite amusing, 

Yeah especially as due to how the Model 70 body sits over the chassis from a lot of angles it completely hides the front wheel and makes it look like the front of the car is hovering :) (esp when the lighting is right and you get a soft shadow under the car)

IMG_0436.thumb.JPG.8d7e36a9de61242d45fc1f8587ad9423.JPG

so if you added a glowing light there, would really look retro-futuristic almost :mrgreen:

 

 

on a more serious note wrapping her up in low voltage Christmas lights and going for a drive is something I really want to do in a future christmas LOL

I seem to have parked in a scrapyard!

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2 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

(like I can see between BPU500G and CTW301G im missing 200 cars so I know I can focus my searching on only all the Essex registrations between BPU-G and CTW-G)

and some quick DVLA bashing later spits out BVW746G :) , the BVW701G-BVW800G block which follows on exactly from the BPU401G-BPU500G block :) 

1774094162_Screenshot2021-01-10at16_03_24.thumb.png.4880976d3aed09595aa05c03bd6870db.png

applied some educated guesswork to speed up the DVLA bashing as i know from the past few thousand AC and Invacars iv found on the DVLA etc that blocks are rarely consecutive when it comes to the registration series they are in usually skipping along at least one registration series until the next block pops up

for example Essex registration's where registered in this order at the time as EV HK NO PU TW VW VX OO WC (yes OO and WC was issued out of alphabetical sequence!)

so if there was say an in invacar block in EV then the next block would most likely be in NO skipping over HK thats what I mean by not consecutive if that makes sense

 

 so since I knew there was a Block in BPU-G so there would unlikely be one in BTW-G so I skipped that one and went straight to BVW-G and low and behold I found the next block :) 

so just got one more block left to find, somewhere between BVW-G and CTW-G (which looks like a rather gap registration series wise, but remember for some strange reason the 2 registration series  BOO and BWC was issued out of order by the Essex county council as as BOO-F and BWC-F, I still wonder why!)

I think ill try CEV-G next, (which rings a bell so I may have seen it in a period picture somewhere!)

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ohhh dont mind if I do! have slapped a bid on it :) 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/184615330082

(as its in much better shape then the one I currently have and it will be interesting to see which version it is as I have noticed there are at-least a couple different versions of the Model 70 Drivers handbook)

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5 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

I think ill try CEV-G next, (which rings a bell so I may have seen it in a period picture somewhere!)

did not find anything in the CEV-G despite it sounding oddly familiar but did find the missing block, in the CHK-G series, CHK501G-CHK600G, which follows on exactly from the BVW701G-BVW800G block above :) 

1308421053_Screenshot2021-01-10at21_48_43.thumb.png.73aac3add38a92704a7315771438265c.png

 

539499_Screenshot2021-01-10at21_49_18.thumb.png.c1cf7f763dc768dbf7675a06f54e9a2b.png

so thats the 200 car hole between BPU-G and CTW-G plugged just like that :)

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I see @dollywobbler/@Zelandeth have been hunting for old photos of TPA and TWC, figured id (re) post the 2 i have which are possiably the earliest photos of them as they are from the original ebay listing :) 

s-l1600 (3).jpg

 

s-l1600 (6).jpg

they have come a long way since then!

 

I do find it interesting/amusing that of all the Model 70's in that field that they happened to haven chose TWC and TPA as the 2 to photograph for the ebay listing and that coincidentally that those where the 2 out of all the ones in the field that are only ones to have been returned to the road so far

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just idly checking in on all the Model 70's I have been helping with recently (Adams 4: GTW614N GPF282N, KPC538P and VJN960S and Scotts 3, NPD775L, NPM938R and TPE242S) and it looks like Scott Milne finally has the V5 for NPM938R :) been helping him ID and get the V5's his (previously) Unknown Model 70's over the past year or so im happy to see V5's arriving finally

screencapture-vehicleenquiry-service-gov-uk-VehicleFound-2021-01-12-00_58_09.thumb.png.c8d021e0d34a3e317df80d0314d323ed.png

which is one of the 2 numberplate-less Model 70's in this picture, sadly I do not know which one exactly (other than I know one is NPM938R as above and the other is TPE242S)

124043605_1432519923606019_1623505574478894041_n.thumb.jpg.2233f8c20c7a22d5d2e7ab19409051f5.jpg

I have been asking him for standalone pictures of each for the survivors list, ill have to continue poking that aspect

(Scott is one of those perpetually busy types and as such he takes a bit of poking to get a response out of hence this whole thing taking about a year, not the fault of the DVLA this time!)

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learn to drive, how hard can it be

 

well just had my current instructor call me to inform me she (and apparently a load of other instructors) are leaving BSM due to BSM continuing to charge them for the franchise throughout lockdown even tho they cant work/earn

so now I have to decide what to do, she said she will be going private once lessons are allowed to continue, so I can continue with her

so I have to decide what I want to do, do I continue with BSM with yet another instructor, go with my current instructor privately

so far I have had good experiences with my current instructor, but I have only had 3 lessons with her, so ideally id like to have had a few more before I had make such a decision    

and its yet another thing Ill have to worry about managing (she said that she will take cash in hand and that there will be an online thing like BSM as well, but I dont know exactly what that encompasses) 

im thinking of just continuing with her privately (I think I can just leave my BSM account dormant should I need to come back to BSM etc)

but figured id check in and see what peoples thoughts are here, if I should stick with my current instructor or let her go and have BSM find me another (if anyones left still!)

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27 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

im thinking of just continuing with her privately (I think I can just leave my BSM account dormant should I need to come back to BSM etc)

Deffo this, if you have an instructor you get on with, that's worth a lot .  I can't see BSM being around very much longer if they treat their people like that, well out of order.

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2 hours ago, Mr Pastry said:

Deffo this, if you have an instructor you get on with, that's worth a lot .  I can't see BSM being around very much longer if they treat their people like that, well out of order.

 

22 minutes ago, Mrs6C said:

If you get on well with your instructor then I'd suggest going privately with her. Negotiate a rate you both find acceptable and crack on when lockdown rules allow.

 

5 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Yes, it should be a bit cheaper than BSM rates, and you got on better with her.  Nothing to lose really.

thanks for the thoughts :)  thats more or less what I was thinking to 

just figured id post about as I figured  it would be wise to get some others peoples thoughts on it

(and also just to vent some frustration that everything seems to be hell bent in getting in the way of my driving lessons/REV fettling/me getting a licence LOL) 

 

ill drop her a message tomorrow confirming that ill continue with her privately and ill syphon the hour credits I have with BSM back into actual monies

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I'd bin BSM.

That's who i started with too and they are pricey and don't offer anything above any other instructor. Best decision i made when learning was to leave and go to a smaller driving school. Not only was it sizeably cheaper than BSM block deals but found the instructor was better too. Not that the BSM guy was bad, It just felt a little bit like a bit of a box ticking exercise at times rather than focusing on things i really needed to work on. Which wasn't the case when i moved.

If you like the instructor, stick with her. When all's said and done, if it's not working with her down the line for whatever reason, you can always change again.

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12 hours ago, Mr Pastry said:

At the risk of making things even more complicated, is there any way that you can get out of that there London when the time comes and take your test somewhere a bit less hostile?   

Yeah the idea has come up from time to time, my Sister lives in Carlisle so I could potentially go up there for a couple weeks for it maybe (especially as my sister knows a good instructor up there)

so it is an idea that has been floating around (but obviously cant act on it if I wanted to given whats going on right now)

but on a similar note (I know I have mentioned before) I still want to go for a drive with a fellow shitter or such somewhere to get an external assessment of my driving/how im doing if that makes sense 

(no one ran away screaming at the Last FoD when I went round the field with various shitters and their cars so ill take that as a good sign at least!)

was just thinking just now as I typed this up, maybe when the inevitable chippy run happens at the next FoD gathering I can be the one in the drivers seat? with someone in the passenger seat who knows where they are going of course!

(I have L plates but im not sure how insurance would work out LOL but day insurance is fairly cheap if nothing else, was about £30 for Zels Lada IIRC, still sad that it went before I could drive it on the open road)

 

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15 hours ago, Mrs6C said:

If you get on well with your instructor then I'd suggest going privately with her. Negotiate a rate you both find acceptable and crack on when lockdown rules allow.

I second this. BSM can fuck off. Incidentally when I learned to drive on the Isle of Wight in 2004/5 my instructor was ex BSM and they have a real problem retaining instructors on the island as they charged through the nose for franchise fees and the instructors had to do their own recruitment of learners, advertising etc so instructors thought what's the point we may as well go independent. Dick Turpin would be proud of BSM 🤣

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Model 70 question time.  Did we ever confirm the origins of the ball joints used on the steering linkages?  I've heard a few mentions of them being Mini track rod ends, but not sure if that was ever verified.

IMG_20180110_155635.thumb.jpg.4f6d1711bfbe47198434d0d56fefdc02.jpg

Photo from KPL from when we were inspecting the underside.

Just know there's a bit of play on a couple on TPA so figure it makes sense to change them before they get any worse.

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On 1/10/2021 at 1:04 PM, LightBulbFun said:

(and I also do wonder as PEV401K-PEV500K the last whole 100 block of Invacar Mk12's ends 20 cars short chassis number wise, it ends at --480, if PPU501K-PPU520K are Mk12's then that would take us to --500)

Of no relevance whatsoever, but my mum's first car was PEV565K, a Fiat 850 Sport Coupe

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5 hours ago, neil1971 said:

Of no relevance whatsoever, but my mum's first car was PEV565K, a Fiat 850 Sport Coupe

hah Reverse Invacar snap! :) normally im the one pointing out all the old cars that shared registration series with Blocks of Invacars or AC's usually

(although one fellow shitter had a beetle that shared a registration series with a Stanley Mk 7 :) )

PEV422K is a survivor, but I sadly dont have a picture of it

but its really quite exciting to know a K reg Invacar Mk12 survives :) (now if only one of the H or J Reg Model 70's could be found!)

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2 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Model 70 question time.  Did we ever confirm the origins of the ball joints used on the steering linkages?  I've heard a few mentions of them being Mini track rod ends, but not sure if that was ever verified.

IMG_20180110_155635.thumb.jpg.4f6d1711bfbe47198434d0d56fefdc02.jpg

Photo from KPL from when we were inspecting the underside.

Just know there's a bit of play on a couple on TPA so figure it makes sense to change them before they get any worse.

oh whoops somehow I missed this

im not sure, I remember a shitter looking at one of of the ball Joints in REV's cabin side steering linkages and exclaiming "Oh thats right out of a Mini" or something to that effect so they may well be

I believe there are some NOS track rod ends in which im sure can be looked at and compared to a Mini trackrod end? :) 

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1 minute ago, LightBulbFun said:

I believe there are some NOS track rod ends in which im sure can be looked at and compared to a Mini trackrod end? :) 

Not likely to be Mini as such, because they will probably be handed.  What is the outside diameter of the thread on the track rod, what size is the locknut across flats, and do you have any part numbers?

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16 minutes ago, Mr Pastry said:

Not likely to be Mini as such, because they will probably be handed.  What is the outside diameter of the thread on the track rod, what size is the locknut across flats, and do you have any part numbers?

Maybe a part number that's relevant?

Screenshot_20210115_174124.thumb.jpg.8882e29da77614bfc6045c3e76a98ddc.jpg

Edit: Scratch that...think that's the wrong thing.  "Ball joint assembly" is listed further down.  No part number listed save for the internal code, STY400.

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25 minutes ago, Mr Pastry said:

Not likely to be Mini as such, because they will probably be handed.  What is the outside diameter of the thread on the track rod, what size is the locknut across flats, and do you have any part numbers?

I cant find much, but the Bicycle type steering section mentioned a ball joint and and a 1/2 inch UNF Locknut

here are the sections from the DHSS parts list, to do with steering and front suspension

image.thumb.png.3e370dbffc255c0e68e29773cc639872.png

but im not sure if thats just Cabin side or also suspension side as well

I cant find anything like it in the front suspension section so I assume its to do with both

image.thumb.png.c51399125dc78461c992bec934877ab5.png

 

(as a side note I wonder what they mean by left hand steering lock, especially as they mention the part is dependent on if the car has 10 inch wheels fitted or not)

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