invacar 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...

[DVee8]

3 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

Keep meaning to post about this!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284988877304

yeah its another trailer made from the arse end of an AC Model 57/64!

the interesting thing about it for me is the 12 inch wheels it has look to have a more rounded profile then later 12 inch ministry wheels, not something I have noticed before! 

 

 

if your talking about REV, she is still away at University with Red5  

 

 

Yeah  I was. Any sign of a return date?

[Mr Pastry]

12 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

the interesting thing about it for me is the 12 inch wheels it has look to have a more rounded profile then later 12 inch ministry wheels, not something I have noticed before!

Quite a lot of adaptation there and looking at the hubs poking thru the hubcaps, are they even the original hubs?  If not, they may be a different 12" wheel with a different PCD - Mk 1 Escort possibly?  Not much of a trailer with no suspension, but interesting. 

[LightBulbFun]

23 minutes ago, DVee8 said:

Yeah  I was. Any sign of a return date?

sadly not unfortunately, at this point Ill look on the bright side in that she will at least be somewhere dry over the winter   

11 minutes ago, Mr Pastry said:

Quite a lot of adaptation there and looking at the hubs poking thru the hubcaps, are they even the original hubs?  If not, they may be a different 12" wheel with a different PCD - Mk 1 Escort possibly?  Not much of a trailer with no suspension, but interesting. 

Yeah I noticed that too, and indeed, a Model 57 does not normally have back axel like that, there is no diff or anything connecting the 2 rear wheels (all round independent suspension FTW LOL) a Model 64 has a diff but thats obviously not present here and I dont think the hubs look like that!

but the chassis itself is defo of a Villiers/Electric AC!

[LightBulbFun]

On 31/01/2019 at 15:53, LightBulbFun said:

heres a fun one 

 

 

pretty normal Looking Model 70 right? owned by the national motor museum https://nationalmotormuseum.org.uk/vehicle-collection/ac-model-70/ (it would be hilarious/cool to sponsor it, if I win the lottery or something )

 

until you look on the inside 

 

 

its a tiller control one! but interestingly with pedals, 3 of them infact! which im rather confused about... (its like counting testicles, "1 2 3... wait what?!"   )

 

(my best guess is maybe one is some sort of foot operated gear change? or maybe some sort of "hand" brake? looks like theres a patch over the hole in the dash where the hand brake normally goes)

 

inside shot was found here, going by who uploaded it etc im guessing they are the same car

 

https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-1976-ac-model-70-invalid-carriage-interior-artist-unknown-135296806.html

 

On 01/02/2019 at 07:57, dollywobbler said:

That is an intriguing one with the tiller. May have to investigate!

well @dollywobbler over 3 years later looks like you finally did!

https://twitter.com/HubNutVids/status/1580612736949489665

https://www.facebook.com/HubNutCarVideos/posts/pfbid0MKdMYYosG6ok1q6bJvS2gAiRAb6CbKfBi1wznS8tQ2TW1qz2Tjhuj33bUHAt9xBfl

please tell me you where able to take it for a drive?  

id love to round up as many different control scheme Model 70's and see a control layout shootout of sorts LOL

which is the most pleasing/scary to drive etc  

 

(since that post of mine 3 years ago, I did figure out what the pedals where, I believe the right most pedal is the foot brake while the 2 remaining pedals is "handbrake" set and "handbrake" release)

[High Jetter]

2 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

 

well @dollywobbler over 3 years later looks like you finally did!

please tell me you where able to take it for a drive?  

id love to round up as many different control scheme Model 70's and see a control layout shootout of sorts LOL

which is the most pleasing/scary to drive etc  

 

(BTW since that post of mine 3 years ago, I did figure out what the pedals where, I believe the right most pedal is the foot brake while the 2 remaining pedals is "handbrake" set and "handbrake" release)

Huh? Sounds, um, different.

[LightBulbFun]

4 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Huh? Sounds, um, different.

in my post is a quoted post, if you hit/tap/click on the "expand" button you will see what im on about  

looks like this on mobile

or this if your on a desktop

[High Jetter]

9 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

in my post is a quoted post

Yup, I was referring to your explanation of the pedal layout.  I've only seen these from the outside, never sat in one let alone driven.

[LightBulbFun]

On 08/10/2022 at 02:05, LightBulbFun said:

this is really exciting I was just doing my usual daily DVLA checks, checking in on all the "in progress" DVLA cases im helping out with 

when I noticed at long last GIG4834 is now showing up on the DVLA 1st party checker with a fresh V5 issued! Woo!

this is very exciting to see because the whole GIG Saga has been a right cluster-fuck, so I am very pleased to see some positive progress like this!

tomorrow ill message each of the Model 70 owners involved in this about this good news, and hopefully see which one of them its ended up registered too! 

 

its very exciting too because this is an NI vehicle that had been inactive since before the 2014 database merge thus was hidden from the DVLA 1st party checker, so its very awesome to have confirmation that they can indeed be brought back to life  (for those unaware, vehicles which had been computerised onto NI's 1986 DVA system, but where not active during the 2014 merge, where for some-reason set to to not show up on the DVLA first party checker, but they do still very much have the records and can be found via 3rd party tools)

its also very interesting to see the 2015 tax due date as the last activity I had seen on GIG's record otherwise was in 2009, so I wonder if GIG really was taxed till 2015 or if this is a place holder date

like how when you register a vehicle with the DVLA without taxing it, it gets a 1998 Tax due date (as thats when the last major DVLA computer system overhaul happened)

hopefully in time ill be able to help the owner of UOI8850 get the V5 for it and then we will really see whats what (since I KNOW that vehicle has been off the road since 1991!)

(as GIG was DVLA hidden there was no way to pull her tax due date until now, the tax due date is something you can only get from the DVLA 1st party checker)

 

perhaps one of the reasons that inactive NI vehicles are hidden is because the DVLA was not able to merge all the data and stuff like the taxation status was lost, and so they hide them not as to give erroneous results?

all in all quite exciting!

 

 

pleased to report the 5th of October V5 did arrive, but typically, with the wrong person! (remember 2 people applied for this Model 70's logbook at the same time! LOL)

but we where able to do a simply keeper change online a few days ago, and with the instantaneous nature of online keeper changes

it was not long before, today the V5 has arrived to GIG at long last!  

so I Am very pleased about that 1 down 1 left to!

 

that just leaves the port hole car left to process, and the guy who owns that has sent off the V62 for that last week, so now its another waiting game! LOL

 

BTW as a side note @rainagain I noticed you have a 2004 Ford CMax, this one aint yours is it? LOL

[LightBulbFun]

Just thought id mention quickly that this AC Acedes is looking for a new home!

the seller is looking for about £3500 for it (its not been owned by the museum for some time now sadly)

but the seller is looking to sell it to a proper enthusiast, not just a random dealer or such!

so if anyone is interested, let me know and ill pass on the details  

I will say for anyone looking for a Villiers machine this is a very nice example! probably would not take much to get it on the road  

 

if I had the means id help myself to it! but sadly I dont

[LightBulbFun]

20 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

Just thought id mention quickly that this AC Acedes is looking for a new home!

the seller is looking for about £3500 for it (its not been owned by the museum for some time now sadly)

but the seller is looking to sell it to a proper enthusiast, not just a random dealer or such!

so if anyone is interested, let me know and ill pass on the details  

I will say for anyone looking for a Villiers machine this is a very nice example! probably would not take much to get it on the road  

 

if I had the means id help myself to it! but sadly I dont

Speaking of this AC Acedes Model 57, with it being up for sale and all that, I decided to have a quick look around to see what other pictures I had of it/could find of it, was hoping to find an interior shot but sadly did not

however I found this photograph, and the sugnficance of this photograph is, its nice and high resolotion

allowing me to zoom in and get a good look at the fire extinguisher! which has been a bit of a mystery on Villiers machines! I knew roughly what they started out with, but I was not sure what they where fitted with over time

and it looks like it has the same/very similar "whipped cream" fire extinguisher that was fitted to Model 70's in the late 1970's (to the early to mid 1980s? maybe? NPB840D was last taxed 12th July 1986, but I know she was hardly so who knows when the fire extinguisher was last serviced/changed!) this is significant as it tells me that Villiers/electric machines and Model 70's where likely fitted with the same extinguisher throughout time! 

On 27/01/2022 at 14:26, LightBulbFun said:

Managed to Unearth this nice photo last night  

notable because you can actually see one of the original/older style of Fire extinguisher setups

I had seen remnants of these in surviving Model 70's but I have never actually seen one in place, I knew they where of an aerosol design, but I had no idea that they literally do look like a can of whipped cream LOL

that would be a rather embarrassing mix up LOL, the Model 70 also still has its "running in" sticker still in place  seems like a lot of people never actually bothered to remove them once the running in was complete

 

 

its obviously worth noting that NPB840D would of course had a different type when new in the 1960's likely the brass? type seen bellow

On 27/01/2022 at 21:08, LightBulbFun said:

Yeah I did think about TPA but it is interesting because I think TPA had a different type still, similar to OVW's but not the same

 the Terry Clip on TPA is on the right/offside of the car, much like whats shown in the drawings in the workshop manual

and the drawing looks quite similar to what I have seen in a period photo of an AC Model 67  (this is the only shot I have sadly, it was the first actual shot i was able to find of the period fire extinguisher)

 

[warren t claim]

On 10/5/2022 at 2:25 PM, LightBulbFun said:

curiously after this years renewal she is showing up properly again! I did make sure to mention the Motor Insurance Database naming anonymity but the guy on the other end sorting out my renewal  at the time, but he said that was not something he could do, he was just there for renewals 

but I wonder if he was able to sort it in the end! I know they/someone there is able to, because when I first insured REV back in March 2020, I did call them back to get the name corrected (at first she was showing up as an "INVACARE" LOL)

please to see all is showing up as it should once again, well ignoring the missing space between Invacar and Model LOL (I know the MID is just cosmetic and has no real effect on anything but still I do like to make sure everything is correct where I can!)

I'm sure it's an S reg model 70 that appeared in volume 1 of Ben Dover's Handicapped Honeyz. 

[LightBulbFun]

in Model 70 news!

after an impressively quick cosmetic restoration, MPH759P is back on the road and looking awesome  (£20 number plates aside!)

its really awesome to see and how far she has come along from Q plates, brown paint and electrical tape eye-lashes!

I was also quite pleased to see the restoration, as I was quite worried for this Model 70 at times, but seeing the owner give her some proper TLC like this, will hopefully mean he will look after it a bit better now  

[brummiejon]

 Hi @LightBulbFun  

I’m the new owner of RDE 346,

Nice restoration 

I’m currently trying to register it with the DVLA so any info about its history would be really useful.

I know that it was first registered in 1953 in Tenby by Mrs Florence Day MBE but I have no other info

… Don’t suppose you have a wiring diagram ? 😂😂

[LightBulbFun]

2 hours ago, brummiejon said:

 Hi @LightBulbFun  

I’m the new owner of RDE 346,

Nice restoration 

I’m currently trying to register it with the DVLA so any info about its history would be really useful.

I know that it was first registered in 1953 in Tenby by Mrs Florence Day MBE but I have no other info

… Don’t suppose you have a wiring diagram ? 😂😂

Hello! Welcome aboard!

awesome to see who RDE346 ended up with  

as for registering it with the DVLA, that will be a V55/5 and V765 job

RDE346 is a Pembrokeshire registration who's registration records thankfully all survive 

so it should be no issue to gather the evidence the DVLA wants to reclaim the registration mark  

(although going by how you know who the first keeper was it sounds like you may have already done this, if so did you get the data in DVLA friendly form from the archivist as well?)

 

the only problem is you would have to do it through the ICR and as im not yet on the V765/1 list (I Think!)

you will have to contact Simon or Big al directly, to sign off on it all

but im more then happy to help you make sure you fill out the V55/5 and V765 itself out correctly in the meantime  

 

and funnily enough I do indeed have a wiring digram, the previous owner of RDE, contacted me for it the same!  do you know how he is doing, he seemed like a nice bloke from the conversations we had via PM on here he only signed up to PM me and left me to post about his machines, which you can find here  https://autoshite.com/topic/32723-lightbulbfuns-invacar-general-ramble-thread-index-on-page-1-survivors-lists-on-pages-24134-adgecutlers-invacar-mk12-restoration-from-page-186-onwards-chips-got/page/196/?tab=comments#comment-2278429

so it was a bit sad to see he had to sell em due to ill health, do you happen to know also who got the Harding Consort FFB 550 or whats happening with that? (I did drop the chap a PM again but got no response sadly, I might drop him a message on ebay, just so I can try and avoid losing track of the machines at least!) 

 

 

anyways, that wiring digram!, here you go! 

I hope this info helps! and I very much look forward to seeing more on the Stanley Argson! 

if I had the means id love to get one myself, would be great for trundling around London  (doesn't matter its only got a top speed of 12Mph, when everyone else is only do 3 anyhow LOL)

[warren t claim]

You do know that your aptitude for forensic internet research is wasted on chasing Invacar VIN and reg numbers?

There's plenty of opportunities for you to be in gainful employment working from home on behalf of several agencies. 

To start with, many minicab firms use telephonists and operators working remotely from home and your ability to retain facts would be a great transferrable skill to remembering roads and customers.

If you fancy something a bit more "interesting" then freelance  private investigation trace work on behalf of bailiff firms would be right up your street. I really know you'd be fantastic at it with your eye for detail. 

Think of the extra money! Do you really want to be a benefits vacuum for the rest of your life and let your talents go to waste?

[Mr Pastry]

21 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

anyways, that wiring digram!, here you go! 

Interesting  diagram, will have to try and trace that out just to see how they did things then.  Note that there appears to be a short across the terminals of the upper 6 volt battery.

[bobdisk]

1 hour ago, Mr Pastry said:

Interesting  diagram, will have to try and trace that out just to see how they did things then.  Note that there appears to be a short across the terminals of the upper 6 volt battery.

I think it means all those 6 wires, including both battery wires go into one large sleeve. Its just we can't see them separately. Magnify it, and you can count 6 wires.

[Mr Pastry]

17 minutes ago, bobdisk said:

I think it means all those 6 wires, including both battery wires go into one large sleeve. Its just we can't see them separately. Magnify it, and you can count 6 wires.

Ah yes it all makes a bit more sense enlarged.  Someone has drawn over those heavy wires!

It looks quite sophisticated - motor with apparently 2 field windings and series-parallel control.  They must have been concerned to get maximum range just as EV designers are now, so it would have been designed to be as efficient as possible.

I guess the controller is arranged to limit the speed in reverse.

 

[brummiejon]

Wow, thanks so much, it helps having a wiring diagram that is separated from the charger circuit. I intend to completely rewire next year as the rubber has perished in the original wiring loom….. do you know where the light switch would have been mounted?

im a bit stuck with the v55/5 form at the moment, not sure exactly which parts are absolutely necessary without a certificate of compliance…. I’ve written directly to Simon of the ICR just waiting for a reply….. I want ‘Flo’ back on the road (named after her first owner).

glad I found this group…. Thanks

 

[LightBulbFun]

5 hours ago, brummiejon said:

Wow, thanks so much, it helps having a wiring diagram that is separated from the charger circuit. I intend to completely rewire next year as the rubber has perished in the original wiring loom….. do you know where the light switch would have been mounted?

im a bit stuck with the v55/5 form at the moment, not sure exactly which parts are absolutely necessary without a certificate of compliance…. I’ve written directly to Simon of the ICR just waiting for a reply….. I want ‘Flo’ back on the road (named after her first owner).

glad I found this group…. Thanks

 

no problems! Im glad im able to help in some regard!

I see that you have emailed the ICR's general enquires email account, as thats the one that I manage! 

if Simon is playing hard to get then, you im afraid you will have to wait until im put on the V765/1 list and am able to help with vehicle registrations in an official capacity with recognition from the DVLA

trust me im just as frustrated about this as you are! as your not the only one waiting in this fashion, that I really want to help out!

 

I do wonder when RDE346 was last on the road? if it managed to make it to the mid to late 1970's-early 80's then theres a good chance it will have been computerised and thus a V5 can be obtained via simple V62 and you dont have to worry about any sort of V765and V55/5's 

(it shows no Live record on my end which tells me that it came off the road sometime before 1983, but how long before then I cant say sadly)

 

as an aside on the V55/5 ill be happy to help with that when the time comes, but being a historic vehicle theres very little on it that you will need to fill in  (for now id hold off until someone is actually at hand who can sign off on everything etc!)

[brummiejon]

Don seemed to be OK when we picked up the Argson, he couldn't wait to drive round and show us it working. I don't know what happened to the Harding.

Don did tell me that the 36v switch wasn't working (I assume he meant the series/parallel switch) so I haven't tried running on 36v yet. The voltage meter isn't working either.  Did you have either of these working before?

This is why I think it needs a rewire because the insulation is so degraded

I'm also trying to work out if the headlight and horn were 6v or 12v, its not too clear on the wiring diagram because some of the wires disappear into black holes and its not clear where they exit and what to. I'm sure to work it out when it comes to the rewire.... The Wipac horn is toast, I'm hoping to fix it as it is original

I'm also having a bit of a problem removing the nearside rear wheel because it is not on properly, a minor issue that a proper puller and a bit of heat will soon sort out.

You've done a nice restoration, I just want to finish the finer details and get it on the road (still waiting to hear from Simon at ICR).

 

[LightBulbFun]

On 15/10/2022 at 13:51, LightBulbFun said:

pleased to report the 5th of October V5 did arrive, but typically, with the wrong person! (remember 2 people applied for this Model 70's logbook at the same time! LOL)

but we where able to do a simply keeper change online a few days ago, and with the instantaneous nature of online keeper changes

it was not long before, today the V5 has arrived to GIG at long last!  

so I Am very pleased about that 1 down 1 left to!

well this is very strange! all the dates on GIG's record have been shifted backwards by a day! 

First Registered 1st of October 1980, now 30th September 1980, Last V5 issued 11th of October 2022 and now its 10th of October 2022!

(and AFAIK its still the same V5 as I can check the taxation rates just fine still and that requires the latest 11 digit number)

I almost wonder if this was some sort of data accuracy check , now the record has been made live, they are nailing things down, but it would not explain why even the V5 date went back a day! 

 

I have only ever seen something like this once before and that was with WGU18G the Ford Timelord!

 

On 06/07/2022 at 11:58, LightBulbFun said:

as a side note when checking in on the Timelord's DVLA record I noticed that the date of first registration changed by a day for some reason...

from the 10th of September 1968 to the 9th of September 1968

from what I can gather this possibly happened on August 18th 2021

I dont suppose anyone has any old screenshots from the DVSA's MOT checker page (as it shows the date of first registration) from before the date above to double check things?

 

On 06/07/2022 at 12:32, Datsuncog said:

I took this screenshot of WGU's tax status back in 2019, but it doesn't give the exact date of first registration - just the month.

No MOT history available, so I don't think it showed anything helpful there.

Odd that it's recently shifted by a day - though if the records were being manually updated, it could be an operator input error?

 

On 06/07/2022 at 12:42, LightBulbFun said:

On 06/07/2022 at 12:32, Datsuncog said:

yeah thats why I asked about the DVSA MOT checker specifically, as even for vehicles which have not seen an MOT in a long time or ever, it will still pull data from the DVLA's computer for basic vehicle info if it cannot find said vehicle info in the DVSA's own database

and one of those things it pulls is the exact date of first registration, which for some reason the DVLA's own 1st party checker will only provide if you have the V5 11 digit number like so

(for a long time it would also only display the Date of Last V5c issued if you had the 11 digit number as well, but as we all know they thankfully changed that)

 

and I know some people default the MOT checker as their first port of call, so was wondering if anyone had anything by chance  

 

 

 

 

 

but while writing the above! as a sanity check I did a few other records and they too have shifted dates! even REV's taxation expiry date and V5 date has shifted back (but thankfully they know better then to try and fuck with her registration data, still correctly showing 5th of November 1976!)

note how it says "Tax due 30 September 2023" instead of "1st October 2023" as it did previous 

so I did some further checks!

and curious vehicles which have been taxed a while ago still show the 1st of the next month as their expiry date and their V5's dates are not shifted

but TWC's record which has a more recent V5 date is showing a shifted V5 date, but not a shifted taxation date

so yeah what the actual fuck is going with all this date shifting? has the actual back end data shifted, or is it a front end issue with how the data is decoded?

its properly weird! I have never seen anything like this before!

 

and for those wondering its not just Model 70's either!

[JJ0063]

Is this sort of thing really all you worry about? You’ve got way too much time on your hands man. 

[LightBulbFun]

4 hours ago, brummiejon said:

Don seemed to be OK when we picked up the Argson, he couldn't wait to drive round and show us it working. I don't know what happened to the Harding.

Don did tell me that the 36v switch wasn't working (I assume he meant the series/parallel switch) so I haven't tried running on 36v yet. The voltage meter isn't working either.  Did you have either of these working before?

This is why I think it needs a rewire because the insulation is so degraded

I'm also trying to work out if the headlight and horn were 6v or 12v, its not too clear on the wiring diagram because some of the wires disappear into black holes and its not clear where they exit and what to. I'm sure to work it out when it comes to the rewire.... The Wipac horn is toast, I'm hoping to fix it as it is original

I'm also having a bit of a problem removing the nearside rear wheel because it is not on properly, a minor issue that a proper puller and a bit of heat will soon sort out.

You've done a nice restoration, I just want to finish the finer details and get it on the road (still waiting to hear from Simon at ICR).

 

ah glad to hear he seemed to be alright when you where buying it!

It was not me who restored the Argson it was the chap who you bought it from who restored it

I was just posting about it on his behalf  

im afraid im not sure about the Horn and headlights! detailed info on these early machines are quite scarse sadly

but if I find out ill be sure to let you know  

[LightBulbFun]

10 minutes ago, Talbot said:

But then I also question the sanity of even attempting to use a I**ac*r on the road.  Just looking at the number of times DW has broken down in his shows that it's not to be relied on.  Or even remotely viable as anything other than a rather nasty-tasting reminder of how society treated disabled people 50 years ago.

 

im not going to argue the sanity prospect of daily driving an Invacar

 

but I will argue that I dont think @dollywobbler has been left stranded or broken down all that much in TWC?

first incident was when he was dealing with poorly pulleys and swapped in another pulley which was even worse, which then shredded a drive belt and he had to call on help

2nd incident was when she spat out a spark plug, but he was still able to limp home on one IIRC

and the 3rd and final incident I can recall is when the throttle cable snapped as he was getting ready to leave the unit with TWC

 

and thats the only incidents I can recall, if I am missing by all means let me know, but I dont see that as being particularly unreliable for a car that was dumped in a field for 14 years and hastily put back on the road?

 

the first and 3rd incidences are easily avoided by some proactive maintenance, inspecting and replacing the old throttle cable before it snaps and ensuring that the pulleys and belt are in good shape and replaced if they are not

and likewise @Zelandeth has only been left stranded once when an already badly worn and old drive belt went pop on him, and another time when a throttle cable also snapped but he was still able to make it home

so I would not say that the Model 70 is an unreliable car in any sort of fashion especially once the vehicle in question has had a good going over and some proper maintenance applied to it

 

 

and from speaking to period repair men of the time and road side recovery people, this also holds true, in that the main cause for breakdowns on the Model 70 from what I have been told was, Snapped throttle cables, condensers going bad, and the odd drive belt going pop 

[Mr Pastry]

Wheel studs update 

I have now made enough of these things to refine the process and do some costing.  With better tooling and a different material, the quality and finish has improved over those in the photos, but they are still quite time-consuming on a manual lathe.   

I am not ready to sign these off yet - I am confident that they are at least as strong as the originals and I have not managed to break one yet, but tests are ongoing. 

I have costed these as tightly as possible, but we are looking at £21 each and frankly £25 would be more realistic.   This is obviously expensive compared with a mass- produced item, and I am probably in no danger of being killed in the rush, but that's how it is. 

Any thoughts?

 

[LightBulbFun]

28 minutes ago, Mr Pastry said:

Wheel studs update 

I have now made enough of these things to refine the process and do some costing.  With better tooling and a different material, the quality and finish has improved over those in the photos, but they are still quite time-consuming on a manual lathe.   

I am not ready to sign these off yet - I am confident that they are at least as strong as the originals and I have not managed to break one yet, but tests are ongoing. 

I have costed these as tightly as possible, but we are looking at £21 each and frankly £25 would be more realistic.   This is obviously expensive compared with a mass- produced item, and I am probably in no danger of being killed in the rush, but that's how it is. 

Any thoughts?

 

Ohh awesome!  

once we get conformation from @Zelandeth that his test one fits good and all that 

then im happy to commit to 4 for my/@Mrs6C's spares stash to be used when and as needed (hopefully never but you know how these things go!) if your alright with making 4 more over however many your making already that is!

if its too much faff and you prefer not thats perfectly understandable  

 

 

[Talbot]

2 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

but I will argue that I dont think @dollywobbler has been left stranded or broken down all that much in TWC?

The number of breakdowns he's had vs the number of miles driven is pretty terrible IMO.  Plus you have to take into account the amount of work he's had to do just to keep it vaguely mobile, and all the issues that have happened that were pretty serious, but didn't actually stop the journey.

The very fact that these vehicles are starting to need the sort of specialist attention that needs lathe time speaks volumes about the sort of maintenance and reliability you're looking at.  You simply can't ignore the fact that they are 40-50 years old and based on 60+ year old technology.  Cars in the 60s and 70s were just horribly unreliable even when they were new, had service backup all over the place and parts weren't hard to come by.

And no, that's not me being nasty or rude or negative or anything else.  It's intended as a reality check.  Watching someone else on youtube run an I*****r is one thing.  Actually having to maintain one yourself is radically different, especially when you don't have a garage, driveway, appropriate tooling, experience, or (as you've stated yourself) the physical capability to work on it.  If a belt shreds on you while driving up to the FoD, even if you've got a spare with you, will you be able to change it at the roadside?  Even if you have AA/RAC cover, they're not going to have a clue what to do, and (it being a 3-wheeler) probably can't recovery you for several hours either.

I consider myself fairly* mechanically competent, and very experienced at keeping tatty old snotters on the road, but I wouldn't even remotely consider driving an I******r further than I could walk back, or have at least 2 numbers in my phone of people with flatbed recovery vehicles who could come and rescue me when it all goes horribly wrong.

You do not want to find yourself broken down in a dangerous spot on a minor road when it's pissing down with rain on a cold march evening and you can't get any mobile reception.  Yes, that could happen with any car, but the chances of it happening in your I******r are orders of magnitude higher than if you were in a 2008 ford fiesta.

tl:dr.   DOOOOOM and GLOOOOM

Edit:  I'm genuinely not trying to be negative here.  My real concern is that you have absolutely no experience of keeping an old car on the road and have slightly* underestimated the amount of time, effort, skill and backup you will need.  It would be unfair of me not to make you aware of all this.

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, Talbot said:

The number of breakdowns he's had vs the number of miles driven is pretty terrible IMO.  Plus you have to take into account the amount of work he's had to do just to keep it vaguely mobile, and all the issues that have happened that were pretty serious, but didn't actually stop the journey.

The very fact that these vehicles are starting to need the sort of specialist attention that needs lathe time speaks volumes about the sort of maintenance and reliability you're looking at.  You simply can't ignore the fact that they are 40-50 years old and based on 60+ year old technology.  Cars in the 60s and 70s were just horribly unreliable even when they were new, had service backup all over the place and parts weren't hard to come by.

And no, that's not me being nasty or rude or negative or anything else.  It's intended as a reality check.  Watching someone else on youtube run an I*****r is one thing.  Actually having to maintain one yourself is radically different, especially when you don't have a garage, driveway, appropriate tooling, experience, or (as you've stated yourself) the physical capability to work on it.  If a belt shreds on you while driving up to the FoD, even if you've got a spare with you, will you be able to change it at the roadside?  Even if you have AA/RAC cover, they're not going to have a clue what to do, and (it being a 3-wheeler) probably can't recovery you for several hours either.

I consider myself fairly* mechanically competent, and very experienced at keeping tatty old snotters on the road, but I wouldn't even remotely consider driving an I******r further than I could walk back, or have at least 2 numbers in my phone of people with flatbed recovery vehicles who could come and rescue me when it all goes horribly wrong.

You do not want to find yourself broken down in a dangerous spot on a minor road when it's pissing down with rain on a cold march evening and you can't get any mobile reception.  Yes, that could happen with any car, but the chances of it happening in your I******r are orders of magnitude higher than if you were in a 2008 ford fiesta.

tl:dr.   DOOOOOM and GLOOOOM

Edit:  I'm genuinely not trying to be negative here.  My real concern is that you have absolutely no experience of keeping an old car on the road and have slightly* underestimated the amount of time, effort, skill and backup you will need.  It would be unfair of me not to make you aware of all this.

I was just simply arguing regardless of myself,

that I dont think that the Model 70 is particularly unreliable in any such matter, compared to any other old car that someone would use regularly

especially once you apply some proactive maintenance to know weak spots, and that can be seen in that @Zelandeth has done over 3000 miles in TPA, in fairly harsh conditions, and its only ever left him stranded once and that was due a consumable wear item which was well past its sell by date

 

I did say I was not going to argue the Sanity of trying to daily a Model 70, but since you have brought it up anyways! LOL

 

I very much appreciate the concern, however I am well aware of the valid points and concerns that you bring, I have been since I started this endeavour, I never went into this thinking it would be a walk in the park

but for fuck sake, I am not going to let life shit on me yet again, its not taking this away from me! that I am determined 

 

and thats the thing, I have mentioned it time and time again that I am well aware of the challenges and that this is very much a passion project of mine 

but yet again it always goes in circles! 

this mini-rant is not directed at you personal, you yourself have been fairly understanding/restrained/genuinely well meaning in the whole scheme of things which I appreciate  

but there are other people who bring this up always and again, especially when I do find myself struggling with something and always goes in circles!

 

and as an aside we all gotta start somewhere on our shitter career no?   by never getting involved in shite, I would never learn the skills and get the tools I need to keep shite going in the first place  

 

[Zelandeth]

3 hours ago, Mr Pastry said:

Wheel studs update 

I have now made enough of these things to refine the process and do some costing.  With better tooling and a different material, the quality and finish has improved over those in the photos, but they are still quite time-consuming on a manual lathe.   

I am not ready to sign these off yet - I am confident that they are at least as strong as the originals and I have not managed to break one yet, but tests are ongoing. 

I have costed these as tightly as possible, but we are looking at £21 each and frankly £25 would be more realistic.   This is obviously expensive compared with a mass- produced item, and I am probably in no danger of being killed in the rush, but that's how it is. 

Any thoughts?

 

The sample is here and sitting in front of me waiting for me to have time to try fitting it. 

Unfortunately I'm rather short on that just now as we're in the process of having the whole roof on our house replaced! 

Which basically means I can't the car get out of the garage as we've got three to four extra vehicles trying to fit in around our house, where parking is already at a premium.

Hopefully if the weather cooperates I might get a chance this week!

I reckon you're underselling at that price given the amount of work involved.  For my part at that price I'd definitely have your arm off for a full set of them.

It's kind of amusing that the component which has caused by far the biggest headache for me so far is something so bloody mundane as a wheel stud.