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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 currently run a 30 year old daily (I exaggerate somewhat, it's not 30 until March) and I don't have to work on it constantly at all, in fact I barely have to touch it from one MOT to the next. I change the oil every MOT time and don't have to top it up in between as it doesn't use any. But then it's not old VW tat. 

Sorry, I can't help myself! I resent VW involvement in Škoda, even though I know they needed the investment at the time but I can't help thinking Škoda would be building much more interesting cars without VW leaning on them. And I know my Fav is better than Polos and Golfs of the time and yet everyone wants VWs and is prepared to pay scene tax for them. Which suits me fine I just don't understand it. 

 

Sorry, I'll shut up now. If you'd just said old tat I wouldn't have said anything but sometimes my irrational dislike of VW boils over. 

As you were. 

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35 minutes ago, Yoss said:

I currently run a 30 year old daily (I exaggerate somewhat, it's not 30 until March) and I don't have to work on it constantly at all, in fact I barely have to touch it from one MOT to the next.

I bet yours isn’t a field find that’s had a new set of tyres and a fuel tank then put on the road with no MOT/professional check over and a paper mache exhaust though 

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4 hours ago, Fabergé Greggs said:

Are you in Bethnal Green? I cycle past there most days, fancy a visit? 
 

Also, without knowing the whole thread, what needs doing? 

not quite but im literally almost only about a stones throw away :) (if you cross the road from my local chippy then your in bethnal green)

and yeah Im not opposed to a visit :) 

 

as for what she needs doing, the major thing right now is the brakes, at the bare minimum I think the rear wheel cylinders on both sides want replacing and the assemblies cleaning up

(I THINK the front is working, but I still need to jack it up and verify that)

ideally the entire system wants replacing, the aim of the game is to get her moving and stopping safely of course, thankfully brake parts are easy to come by 

heres a list I put together of what I think are suitable replacement parts on ebay (I think I do have most of these parts in the Stash(TM) but I think to save faffing about having to dig them out and having to post em all off, I think its easier/quicker to just buy new off ebay)

 

slave cylinders https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371257751842 (shared front and rear, so I would probably buy 2 lots and keep the 4th as an emergency spare)

rear flexies https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/370125002683

front flexi https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/143324128918

and here is I THINK a suitable brake master cylinder https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/372208043665

(I know the Model 70 one is 0.625 inch aka 5/8th inch bore, however the pushrods might need swapping over I think but not 100% sure)

and I already have a nice big roll of kunifer here at home :) however I dont have any unions, not that I see them being hard too find just your standard 3/8th UNF stuff, well at least the stock stuff is!, If I was doing it from home id also need to get some brake fluid (I think DOT4 is what she takes) and suitable pipe cutting and flaring tools

I have been very tempted to just order everything up and try myself, but as mentioned previously im quite worried about getting stuck on the actual brake disassembly and reassembly stage of things

 

otherwise she thankfully does not have anything else critical that needs doing, as mentioned she really is not that far away from being sorted so to speak! :) 

however for peace of mind I would like to do an oil change on both the engine and as I have no idea what state the oil is in the gearbox and diff id especially like to change the oil there as well before I make too many trips out (id also like to drop the engine oil strainer and make sure thats free of sludge, but I dont have any gasket paper on hand to make a new gasket for it)

and then obviously theres the matter of the exhaust which depending on how well my bodging worked will probably need further bodging to hold things together until I can figure out how im going to get it sorted, I do thankfully have the necessary replacement pipes in the stash, but I need to get them sent over and I dont think they are something I can fit myself sadly (I also think id need to get suitable gaskets as well)

then down from that I need to figure out how to securely attach her indicator stalk as its gone all floppy on me LOL, something I had hoped to do today but as above the whole exhaust bodging took longer than anticipated and left me wiped out 

she has a bunch of other things/issues that could ideally do with sorting/fixing/replacing, but nothing that affects her immediate usability or roadworthiness so im not worrying about them for now

 

 

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You might want to bear in mind if you're getting a garage to do the work if you supply the parts and they're faulty the situation can,sadly, be a lot different in my opinion to if they've supplied them. If they're Herald or whatever parts they should be able to get them from places like Rimmer Bros.

Anyway if I was you I'd be biting Red5s hand off to accept his incredibly generous offer. In his position I certainly wouldn't have made it after your criticisms of Adam and your apparent refusal to accept any responsibility for the communication breakdown. I think that you owe Adam a massive apology but I'm sure that this post will be followed by a wall of text basically saying nowt to do with me guv, it was his fault.

Goodbye.

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3 hours ago, chadders said:

You might want to bear in mind if you're getting a garage to do the work if you supply the parts and they're faulty the situation can,sadly, be a lot different in my opinion to if they've supplied them. If they're Herald or whatever parts they should be able to get them from places like Rimmer Bros.

 

1 hour ago, Dead_E23 said:

Most garages won't fit parts supplied by the customer anyway.  

I imagine indeed thats probably but notably the last Garage I called asked me specifically if I had the bits on hand,

I suspect unless I go to a classic friendly place, most garages would not know where to get the bits from, even if they are piss easy to find if you know what your looking for, which most modern garages probably dont when it comes to the Model 70!

 

but I was more getting the links together, for reference and incase it does end up happening at home, its also a handy reference for anyone else running a Model 70 :) (and for a garage incase they want me to find the parts for them to then purchase)

3 hours ago, chadders said:

Anyway if I was you I'd be biting Red5s hand off to accept his incredibly generous offer.

as per Page 236 I did, but im still waiting to hear back, I dont want to make things awkward and drop him a PM if he actually does not want to do it

On 02/01/2022 at 01:08, LightBulbFun said:

fair point! that one is on me I saw his comments on that and even gave it a like, but it kind of got buried in everything else!  

 

but obviously im a little bit apprehensive of having a repeat of what happened with Adam basically 

its easy to say "sure ill take that on" and then once it arrives the reality of what you have agreed to/got yourself into dawns on you (which I think is sadly what happened with Adam)

and obviously theres the cost of transporting her there and back your about 135 miles away from me, and im not sure how much a round transport trip might cost does @worldofceri operate  in this general area? :) 

if @red5 you genuinely are serious about getting involved with my hot mess LOL, then ill drop you a PM to discuss things further? 

 

 

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11 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

but im still waiting to hear back, I dont want to make things awkward and drop him a PM if he actually does not want to do it

Send him a PM regardless, rather than waiting on the off chance he checks this thread and happens to see the exact bit where you asked him. 

The worst he can do is say "sorry, no", via private message, and then the matter's closed. There's nothing awkward if he doesn't fancy it, whichever way you do it it's just text on a screen. 

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12 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

I'd second that, then you'd know in which direction to direct your energies.

Thirded! @red5 has made a very kind offer already, so just send him a PM and work up the details of what you would like to be done and what he feels he can do and the likely time and cost of it, then work up a plan together from there.

As mentioned above, if he feels he can't do the work, then he can say so and you know where things stand. 

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50 minutes ago, Crackers said:

Send him a PM regardless, rather than waiting on the off chance he checks this thread and happens to see the exact bit where you asked him. 

The worst he can do is say "sorry, no", via private message, and then the matter's closed. There's nothing awkward if he doesn't fancy it, whichever way you do it it's just text on a screen. 

 

48 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

I'd second that, then you'd know in which direction to direct your energies.

 

37 minutes ago, Mrs6C said:

Thirded! @red5 has made a very kind offer already, so just send him a PM and work up the details of what you would like to be done and what he feels he can do and the likely time and cost of it, then work up a plan together from there.

As mentioned above, if he feels he can't do the work, then he can say so and you know where things stand. 

Cool! I fired off a PM just now :) 

also put in a list of all the little knick knacks she needs, things not critical to function or road worthiness, but would be nice to have sorted, for comfort or preemptive maintenance reasons! 

figured id ask about those if I am going as far as to have her transported about the place it would be nice to get as much done as possible of course! 

but if it turns out they add massively to the cost of the work or are too much of a faff, then they can obviously wait until down the line!

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32 minutes ago, Scruffy Bodger said:

@DodgeRover also suggested trying to get someone to take Rev there on a backload. As it's not time critical this would no doubt be cheaper for you and helps out anyone who provides this sort of service financially as they don't have to travel back home empty.

This is a good idea too.

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contuning on REV's exhaust bodge, I went back down to her today after things had a chance to cure and I think she does sound quite a bit better :) 

certainly a lot less parpy at least! there is still some wisps of exhaust smoke coming from the patched area, but its not billowing out either (I put my hand around the area to see if I could feel anything obviously blowing and I could not)

obviously remains to be seen how long it will last, but its not completely failed the moment I gave it some beans so ill take that LOL quite pleased with myself that I actually managed to actually pull something like this off even just semi-successfully LOL :) 

for reference here is a couple pre patch videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sPWjejgqZM and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihe0UX_wYaQ

 

 

I also took the opportunity while I was down there to replace the spade connector on the wire for the oil pressure warning lamp as I noticed recently every now and then it would not come on when it should and im pleased to report its fully functioning once more :) 

864403857_IMG_01421.thumb.JPG.85ba1492363178ccc3c0f73bd6bd8b75.JPG

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18 hours ago, JJ0063 said:

I bet yours isn’t a field find that’s had a new set of tyres and a fuel tank then put on the road with no MOT/professional check over and a paper mache exhaust though 

Ha ha, no, it was almost a barn find though. More of an industrial unit, so it was nice and dry. This guy had bought enough cars to fill two units and decided they were going to be his pension fund. But he made some very strange choices and decided to whittle them down to fit in one unit. He had things like a Pug 309, a BX a Rover 75 and 400, things that are really popular here but you know they're never going to go seriously up in value. He did have a late Capri, that would be the only thing he might have made a profit on. 

My car was here when I first saw it. 

20170216_161315.thumb.jpg.54c29e7ca89ccc9e41da0d086205734a.jpg

Completely inaccessible. I couldn't get in, there was no chance of moving it as there were plenty of other cars in the way, not just the Merc you can see the corner of. Just managed to open the passenger door to pop the bonnet and that was it. I agreed to buy it on what you can see here because, let's face it how much can go wrong with a Favorit? 

That Streetwise was his pride and joy. Apparently a Rover press car. 

Anyway he dug it out a few days later and one brake caliper was sticking so I freed that off and drove it straight to an MOT as a means of getting it home. It failed on a few minor things but nothing much. 

Screenshot_20220104_163609_com.android.chrome.thumb.jpg.c43842770787c428290baba0c0d101fa.jpg

Obviously makes a big difference storing cars in nice dry units rather than fields. 

Anyway, apologies for thread hijack, back to Invacars. 

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38 minutes ago, barefoot said:

Christ, at that rate you'll soon be swapping the clutch at the side of the road.

Funny you mention that @Mrs6C's Model 70 needs a new clutch if your volunteering!

remove 4 bolts round the gearbox bell housing, a few bolts for the engine mounts, disconnect all the wiring going to the engine

then get an engine crane and a few straps on it and yank it out, or drop it out the bottom if you have the space to do so, then its just a case of removing the 3 centrifugal clutch shoes from the flywheel and replace them with new ones (or the existing ones relined)

the only awkward part is from what iv read the engine does not really have a nice convenient eyelet for lifting from, so if you have enough people/strength it may be easier to lift it out and re-install it by hand (it can also help to unbolt the dynastart unit as otherwise its quite the tight squeeze with it still in place)

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6 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

Funny you mention that @Mrs6C's Model 70 needs a new clutch if your volunteering!

remove 4 bolts round the gearbox bell housing, a few bolts for the engine mounts, disconnect all the wiring going to the engine

then get an engine crane and a few straps on it and yank it out, or drop it out the bottom if you have the space to do so, then its just a case of removing the 3 centrifugal clutch shoes from the flywheel and replace them with new ones (or the existing ones relined)

the only awkward part is from what iv read the engine does not really have a nice convenient eyelet for lifting from, so if you have enough people/strength it may be easier to lift it out and re-install it by hand (it can also help to unbolt the dynastart unit as otherwise its quite the tight squeeze with it still in place)

Have you not thought to research which garage in your area maintained them when they were current? If it's a long established business then there may be a giffer spannerman still there who's got experience with them?

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5 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

Have you not thought to research which garage in your area maintained them when they were current? If it's a long established business then there may be a giffer spannerman still there who's got experience with them?

IIRC Elmsleigh Invacar are still trading.  Maybe you can just book it in and get a courtesy car?

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9 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

Have you not thought to research which garage in your area maintained them when they were current? If it's a long established business then there may be a giffer spannerman still there who's got experience with them?

I hear you,  but it's going back 50-odd years. What are the chances? 40 years ago I worked with guys who were ace on Jag 4.2 and Rover* 3.5's. I went to their retirement parties.

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1 hour ago, warren t claim said:

What was the deal with servicing these back in the 70s anyway? Did the end user have to take them to a specialist garage and wait or did the garage collect and return them?

I think a bit of both, but generally the garage would collect and return them depending on exactly what needed doing and you would get given a courtesy car in the meantime :) 

if you think about the invalid vehicle scheme as a nation wide single seater bus company/service then things will suddenly make a lot of sense as to why they where done the way they where :) 

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2 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

I think a bit of both, but generally the garage would collect and return them depending on exactly what needed doing and you would get given a courtesy car in the meantime :) 

if you think about the invalid vehicle scheme as a nation wide single seater bus company/service then things will suddenly make a lot of sense as to why they where done the way they where :) 

I'm pretty sure they had a very strict low annual mileage policy?

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