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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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I'll take off the fuel pump and give it a clean and checkover. If it has a working diaphragm, it should pull fuel through OK. The idle jet on the carburettor probably needs a clean, too. I have not taken out the interior panel yet to check the condition of the pully set, so that's another job, also to remove the padded wooden box so it can be refurbished and generally to give Dolly a good clean.

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sounds like a plan :)

thats a good point I still need to get the "bathtub" removed on REV and inspect her own pulley setup, (but based on the fact that she didn't squeel not even once despite the multiple runs last time ill take that as a good sign that hopefully the pulleys are in good shape :) )

 

4 minutes ago, Slowsilver said:

Myself and @Andyrew took all of the jets out of the carb and cleaned them.
We got it running with gravity fed fuel but the pump did not seem to want to suck any fuel from a jerry can.
Maybe it has a filter in it that is blocked.
 

at least we don't have to worry about clogged jets now :) unless we accidently clogged them up again!

(I wonder if the fuel pump needs to be primed first before it will draw in fuel?)

 

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10 minutes ago, Slowsilver said:

Myself and @Andyrew took all of the jets out of the carb and cleaned them.

That's one less job to do, then! Thank you! :-)

The fuel filter is probably full of rust and dirt and the diaphragm may be dry as a bone and/or split to pieces... taking off the fuel pump and giving it a clean will be a worthwhile thing to do.

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1 minute ago, Mrs6C said:

Quite possibly. Triumph mechanical fuel pumps had priming levers on them to do just that. Not sure about the pumps on Model 70s though. Must check...

It's just a diaphragm type pump, so provided the reed valves aren't clogged up it should self prime just fine. 

Just make sure you have some gasket paper on hand before taking the cover off the pump as there's a paper gasket under it and it can be a pain to get to seal.

A leak there can give the worst of both worlds...drawing air in when the engine is running, then peeing half a tank of fuel out under gravity feed when the engine is stopped.

It took a week for the house to stop stinking of petrol...

 

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On 7/30/2019 at 7:26 PM, ZombiePaul said:

Hi,

Sorry for not being a member.
 

I got send these photo's after asking about Charles Lewis's garage in Shrewsbury that did both Citroen and fixed Invacars!!!!
The photos at from Crown Street in Wem, Shropshire, I don't know what year they were taken.

I hope you find them useful.  

 

 

 

They were in Abbey Foregate iirc, then moved just outside Shrewsbury to the Welshpool road. Remember them having Invacars at A.F circa mid-late 1990s.  Couldn't meet nicer people, their son was  an absolute gent.

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I FOUND IT I FOUND THE MISSING BLOCK! YAY! @Mrs6C idea of going up in 33s worked! (as well as my theory that that the next block up from TPE-S would start with U)

image.thumb.png.16c9c75a1b4e103efdbb274a9ca25bf4.png

just ran it through my tool and its chassis number is right in the middle of the void me and stuart have :D

(edit: just checked the message history and Stuarts void is between chassis numbers just after, this block so he must be already aware of the UPH-S block, but its still a new block for me and proves the method does work :) )

its UPH150S to UPH249S leaving a void of 21 cars to find now (as opposed to my previous 121)

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well this is frustrating LOL

Iv found a website that you can feed registrations into even if the vehicle has been long since untaxed, and it will give you chassis numbers

but the catch is it only works for VWs *sad face*  and there's nothing in the source that I can see either (so its not like its pulling Invacar Chassis numbers but hiding them from me, or if it is, i cant see it in the website source)

although it must be pulling enough Data to tell the reg is not for a VW so I do wonder...

 

 

on that note iv run out of free credits on the 1 website I knew that still spat out VIN numbers (sadly only if the vehicle was taxed to at least 2001ish or later)

so if anyone does know a website that can take a UK registration number and spit out its Chassis/VIN number give me a shout please :)

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heres a few anomalies I noticed while going through the UPH-S block (plus a couple extras, I really could do one big post documenting all the DVLA typos and oddities iv noticed going through id say 1000 Model 70's at this point LOL)

 

one for @egg like WNO55F (although I still think in this case INVALID as in at some point the DVLA database had  a wee and rejected the vehicle make for some reason, rather then it meaning invalid vehicle/carriage, as although WNO55F is blue, its only 49cc and 2 wheeled which makes me think its a moped)

1045914304_Screenshot2019-08-06at11_54_00.thumb.png.798a810b9d47e1330d0b7f8101757da4.png861052612_Screenshot2019-08-06at11_49_31.thumb.png.0c2d6eaf4ae3ce0af6beee11ac91a7a9.png

also obligatory "Invacar" in the block of AC's

1238013532_Screenshot2019-08-06at11_50_41.thumb.png.fbb052b6c531b4a7e28bb368f94f1201.png

not come across one down as "AC Cars" before

71514944_Screenshot2019-08-06at11_45_54.thumb.png.7db96f2410282cfffb7ef70b4f984a08.png

 

but speaking of, someone clearly saw "AC (ELECTRIC)"  and thought "No its petrol!"

261577094_Screenshot2019-07-02at13_42_35.thumb.png.a605eb991d62940b910f346f4574da94.png

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found this site http://www.whomademybike.com/

which seems to spit out VIN numbers from registration numbers, but its awfully picky

on top of the same needs to have at least been taxed until 2001 or so, its picker then the last 2 Iv used, in that does not seem to like AC Model 70's much sadly

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On 8/3/2019 at 11:33 AM, LightBulbFun said:

I see the Model Model 70's went on sale a few days ago :) a bit expensive but I do understand the work that goes into these low volume productions, I will defo have to pick one up at some point when I can afford it :)

 

https://samsmodelcars.com/product/ac-invacar-model-70/

 

Invacar.thumb.jpg.9303e84811ff2cdb4c6bd624a823103f.jpg

 

its a very good reproduction :) my only "issues" with it is because the guy used TWC for the design, the hard top gasket is missing and it has clear front indicator lenses but ill take that over no Model Model 70!

How did I miss this?  Was sure I was following them on social media as I knew this was in the works...expensive...but worth it for something so unique.  Just like when I decided it was worth spending the thirty quid for the similarly scaled plastic model of a Duple Dominant II in Parks of Hamilton colours (which is very close to the colour scheme one owned by a friend was in). 

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Yeah I was stalking them across facebook and instagram where the guy had been posting updates on how they where progressing with it :) (and have posted their updates to this thread a couple times in the past)

(well I say stalking them, I just stalk the internet for all things invacar so they naturally fall into my scope :)

I agree ill defo have to pick one up :) 

as I mentioned I wonder if he would be able to do variantons like 10 inch wheels or earlier spec rear lights etc :)

I may fire a message off to him to talk to him about the fine details of things etc, especially if he plans to do any Model 70 variations or any other invalid carriages :)

also when I pick one up: "Heres my Toy car... heres my Real car!" :mrgreen:

 

side note I hope you stick one in the guest bedroom, imagine the conversation "Oh cool a toy invacar! i remember those from back in the day"

"come, follow me to the garage!" :mrgreen:

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5 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

found this site http://www.whomademybike.com/

which seems to spit out VIN numbers from registration numbers, but its awfully picky

on top of the same needs to have at least been taxed until 2001 or so, its picker then the last 2 Iv used, in that does not seem to like AC Model 70's much sadly

I think I figured out why it does not like AC Model 70's I think its because if the chassis number it pulls up is less then 5 characters long it throws an error (as I think it tries to use the start of the chassis number to determine info on your "motorcycle")

(if I feed it an AC Model 70 that was Taxed until 2001 and whos chassis number is 5 digits then it works, the reason I don't have any issues with Invacar Model 70's is because they are always over 5 digits long because they all start with INV well 1NV in this case)

 

it sadly does not like NI reg numbers at all

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so I guess "phase 2" of this whole "operation" is get a driving licence so you can actually drive on the public highway!

I have been eying up this local driving school that has a load of good reviews on google https://www.drivethrul.co.uk/

I figured id post about it here in case there's any obvious red flags or anything I have missed?

I dont see anything particularly that stands out, prices seem reasonable, its not suspiciously cheap or anything (Im well aware that you don't want to cheap out here) and the reviews seem good

if all checks out Im thinking of calling them up and booking my first Lesson(s) sometime next week

(with the busy weekend ahead I want to see how I feel after that before I make any appointments) 

im hoping that since I don't have any other commitments in day to day life, that I should hopefully be able to do a fairly intensive regime and get my licence pretty sharpish!

 

if anyone has anything to say or recommendations please do let me know :)

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  • LightBulbFun changed the title to Invacar Model 70 Acquired! and general ramble thread, index on page 1, Phase 2: finding a suitable driving school/instructor getting lessons and a licence!

eBay was throwing a £5 voucher at my face

so I thought it was good opportunity to get a couple small items iv been wanting

1st thing is this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282475427399 for doing silly computer experiments regarding hanging a Desktop PCIe GPU off an AppleTV or some Poor abused MacBook I have kicking around via said machines mini PCIe wifi slot :)

and the second thing I got which makes it relevant to the thread is this Combo USB charger and car volt meter for the Invacar :) https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/202735513982 (note you can get them cheaper I just went for the slightly more expensive listing to get me past the £10 min order amount for the voucher to work)

I was going to get one like the one DW has but I think the one I found fits the rest of the dash ethestic better plus it looks quite 1980s and I am a sucker for that sort of thing  :) (also going to tag @Zelandeth since I know he is too :mrgreen:)

image.thumb.png.106d70c15e0b3e5c630d85efec91a0e5.png

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An intensive driving course is heavy work mentally.  Better to build up basic car control first to get full benefit from it.  I took Mrs L1 all round the coast of Scotland after 10 lessons or so, and that very much helped I think.

 

I'd also perhaps consider seeking out an instructor who is also a member of RoSPA or similar as they are more likely to consider driving as a skill that is worth always improving, rather than some who are just after a career.

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58 minutes ago, wuvvum said:

I know you can drive an Invacar on a motorcycle licence, but can you take your motorcycle test in an Invacar?

that's a fun question to answer :)

the laws regarding the "invalid vehicle" Vehicle class the Model 70 sits in is very vague these days

99% of what you find on Invalid carriages/invalid vehicles these days will refer to mobility scooters. as the government in their infinite wisdom, decided that when Mobility scooters get road registered that their body type should also be "invalid vehicle" Like the Model 70 and previous invalid vehicles/carriages and keep in mind Mobility scooter is technically a colloquial term, in the words of the law a mobility scooter IS an invalid carriage

as such a lot is open to interpretation, the closest any bit of current law I can find that refers to the old School invalid carriage/invalid vehicle is 

image.png

(as previously mentioned a Model 70 is NOT an invalid carriage in the eyes of the law, like how a Van is a van but if its a camper conversion then its a Motor caravan not a Van) 

and there is also the thing that a Tricycle cant be driven by a full car licence holder until there 21, however as I mentioned the Model 70 is classed as an Invalid vehicle not a Tricycle like a Reliant robin or such is

and the laws say nothing about the age requirements for driving an invalid vehicle, so i'm not going to worry about the 21 year old thing

sadly a lot of Model 70 owners have erroneously reclassed their Model 70's from Invalid vehicle to Tricycle TWC included sadly (I think a lot of confusion was back in the day before the historic tax class you had to Change the *TAX* class to Tricycle, but a lot of people also did the body type too sadly, because "Tricycle" is BOTH a Tax class and a Vehicle class)

luckily mine has not been changed, and although @Zelandeth did try and change TPAs at the time, I believe for once in our favour, the DVLA ate that part of the change and never applied it thankfully, nothing on TPAs V5 actually says its a 3 wheeler LOL

one could argue  the laws of mobility scooters apply to Model 70's and in that case I would not even need a licence or insurance, however I think thats pushing it LOL, plus this is exactly what happened with REV451R

she was SORN, but in 2012ish the DVLA taxed it for free because they thought it was a Mobility scooter, but then John the owner at the time got a nasty letter saying he must insure or get fined despite mobility scooters not needing insurance

image.thumb.png.332da3e5939ecc8da0d4a96cde78559a.png

the one up shot of all of this is I have a 2012-2013 Tax disk for REV I could display :mrgreen:

 

getting back to your question, while I cant clearly answer how an Invacar would stand for doing Driving tests in

I can say that you can only take a Motorcycle test in a *Tricycle* if your disabled

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45 minutes ago, loserone said:

An intensive driving course is heavy work mentally.  Better to build up basic car control first to get full benefit from it.  I took Mrs L1 all round the coast of Scotland after 10 lessons or so, and that very much helped I think.

 

I'd also perhaps consider seeking out an instructor who is also a member of RoSPA or similar as they are more likely to consider driving as a skill that is worth always improving, rather than some who are just after a career.

yeah I am aware of that issue and its a good point

but it is worth noting as this thread quite clearly demonstrates 

when I get genuinely  enthusiastic about something and want to learn about it etc

I REALLY Sink my teeth into it so to speak LOL :mrgreen:

(this trait of mine was a fun thing at school, as if I wanted to learn about it then I sucked it up, but if I wasn't interested in it then it just went in 1 ear and out the other, and school just could not understand that)

 

I would love to be able to just potter around at first and get some basic car control under my belt so to speak, and do keep in mind I did have the lesson Zel gave me in the Lada that im very thankful for :)

but sadly otherwise I don't live with/near anyone who has a car I can potter around in

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1 hour ago, busmansholiday said:

That quote about the law is interesting. Your's is registered with an unladen weight of 413.5 kg, so is a car. If it was 409.9, it would be a motorcycle. Different rules for driving and tests.

Yeah (its 413.2Kg BTW well was on the 1985 V5, on the Y2K V5 and newer its just 413.0Kg interestingly enough)

it says "does not exceed 410Kg" does that mean 410.1Kg+ is a car or is it including 410.0Kg?

the Reason I mention that specifically is because although a Model 70 according to the workshop manual weighs 406Kg, the Pre rollover bar Model 70's like TPA and KPL all have the Weight down as 410kg, so im wondering where they would fall LOL and im wondering if they specifically over stated the weight to push it into the car category for one reason or another

(unless the really early Model 70's weighed even less and did have 406Kg on the V5, sadly @dollywobbler mentioned that when he changed TWC from Invalid Vehicle to Tricycle the revenue weight bit vanished from the V5, although it would be good if he could double check that)

one does wonder given how the ".2" on REV vanished in time, that if the earlier Model 70's where 410.something rather then 410.0 as they are listed now

its worth noting at least back in the day, Model 70 users would get issued a Class 3 driving licence (even if the test was very basic) it is why you see the odd picture of Invacars on L plates

again the question of can you drive an invacar on L plates these days is another can of worms

and speaking of can of worms, for actual invalid carriages, (aka an invalid vehicle weighing less then 254Kg) you would of had a dedicated Invalid carriage licence

the DVLA has not issued that entitlement for god knows how long

so who knows what licence you could drive say an Invacar Mk8 on!

is there any other class of vehicle thats as "Forgotten" as the Invacar is when it comes to this sort of thing? LOL

 

then theres obviously question of how much does your average policeman know any of this! (how many even know what an Invacar is these days!)

 

 

just for completeness and reference sake to go with the 1985 and 2019 V5 pictures I posted heres the Y2K and 2012 V5s I have for REV as well :) (ill post the 1985 and 2019 ones in here just so there all in 1 place for someone researching this thing or something)

 

1985

image.thumb.png.6ed1a258cc3f5b5c11d84f7b10932e8b.png

Y2K

444768164_ImagefromiOS(91).thumb.png.74ea7d19526da374ce33baf2819e02ff.png

2012

image.thumb.png.a66421c83863c1add50a814490ed73fc.png

2019

image.thumb.png.28c4f1fccf85d459408c906aa57d5255.png

its interesting to note how "Model/Type" got broken up into "Model", "Wheel Plan" and "Body type"

 

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It's a baffling old world isn't it? So many of the regulations around vehicle use in this country are an unholy mess. It almost needs binning and starting again. 

On the Model, I did make it very clear to SAMS Models that the door handles were incorrect on TWC. Sadly I can't really justify the cost at the moment - it'll just be something else to lose in the mountain of stuff I need to shift...

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7 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

It's a baffling old world isn't it? So many of the regulations around vehicle use in this country are an unholy mess. It almost needs binning and starting again. 

On the Model, I did make it very clear to SAMS Models that the door handles were incorrect on TWC. Sadly I can't really justify the cost at the moment - it'll just be something else to lose in the mountain of stuff I need to shift...

well that's partly the issue, all the old stuff regarding old school invalid vehicles has been binned off at some point and all you can find these days is stuff referring to mobility scooters (to be fair looking at what historical documentation exists theres not much about Invalid vehicles in general)

so the Model 70 etc sort of just float around in a void it seems LOL

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q805.htm

https://www.gov.uk/mobility-scooters-and-powered-wheelchairs-rules/rules-for-class-3-invalid-carriages

the thing is they mention a Class 3 invalid carriage cant weigh more then 150Kg, but they say nothing if it does weigh more then 150Kg...

 

this does make me wonder what would happen if you tried to change a Model 70 that was errously changed to Tricycle, back to invalid vehicle, would the DVLA reject it or?

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