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...

[Asimo]

7 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

chain tensioning shoe looks to the one from a Model 70

I wonder what its made from

Some sort of plastic, usually referred to as nylon but obviously Hard to find out the exact composition. They do always seem to look similar however.

Just to be clear about the SaaB primary chain, 3 single chains not one 3 row chain.  Presumably this unusual arrangement was to make the drive quieter, note how the chains are offset by 1/3 of a pitch.

[AdgeCutler]

More provisions for Brian arrived today. The two bends having been formed to drawings I made. I now have all the ingredients to make a new exhaust system, a fair bit of work yet flaring, flanging , welding etc. Hopefully this Saturday.

[egg]

One of those Bath chairs.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/412505887573457/

[LightBulbFun]

Got WPD607G's engine number and this time made sure to note it down properly, so hopefully in time that will help me ID which Invacar Model 70 it really is

(as I thought I already had it down I just did not know which in my list it was! as it was last given to me over the phone and I just punted it into my list before the conversation at the time moved on)

 

I also checked and UOI8850 is still available, and he is willing to work a deal, from anyone actually serious about it

I really do hope it can find a good home as its a very rare form of Model 70! (and its also one of the last made, about 9th from the end of Production only one later AC Model 70 is known to survive and thats GIG4834 Ex WOI4001)

[AdgeCutler]

Especially for Dez! 😉 Hopefully the twitch has been removed from your eye?

[AdgeCutler]

Hopefully the rear plate will pass muster too? I did drill it as I don’t trust adhesive with this investment.

[LightBulbFun]

On 17/07/2022 at 09:04, AdgeCutler said:

Especially for Dez! 😉 Hopefully the twitch has been removed from your eye?

 

On 17/07/2022 at 10:17, AdgeCutler said:

Hopefully the rear plate will pass muster too? I did drill it as I don’t trust adhesive with this investment.

hohoho indeed!  that looks pretty much perfect! really awesome to see a proper set of plates on Brian  and that all our research on the matter has paid off!

and it pleases me greatly to see Tippers can indeed still produce a registration plate to Invacar Mk12 specifications and to their correct font style with the correct 1 and everything

means good things for all the other Invacar Mk12c/12D/12E's and early Invacar Model 70's out there

 

 

the only question that remains is if Tippers can reproduce the retroreflective Invacar Model 70 plate with its sharp corner border (we know they have the correct font and 1 still, but I dont know if they have the right border or not!)

but I have a feeling we may be finding this out sooner rather then later  

 

I do wonder why be default Tippers does not use their unique 1 anymore, maybe modern clients just dont like it? or maybe its just one of those things "lost to time" given the split up of the company that happened, and the modern people there just dont know their own Tippers history!

but to me its one of those things that makes a Tippers plate a Tippers plate

so im very glad to see they still do have it if you request it!

 

would be remiss of me if I did not tag @MorrisItalSLX for some fresh pressed plate perving  

[MorrisItalSLX]

Very shiny, and a nice neat job negotiating the rear lamps too.

15 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

the only question that remains is if Tippers can reproduce the retroreflective Invacar Model 70 plate with its sharp corner border (we know they have the correct font and 1 still, but I dont know if they have the right border or not!)

but I have a feeling we may be finding this out sooner rather then later

If you are implying what I think you are, that REV will be getting new plates, then I would suggest against it.

The current plates have been there since day dot and look weathered and worn like REV itself, plus they are still completely legible and legal. I think the funds could be spent better elsewhere on REV.

But that’s just my opinion, obvs.

[AdgeCutler]

I’m sure Dez will be keeping his originals, there are others he’s thinking of though.

 

[LightBulbFun]

53 minutes ago, MorrisItalSLX said:

Very shiny, and a nice neat job negotiating the rear lamps too.

indeed its one of the unique features of Later Invacar Mk12 plates that often go un-noticed, but to fair there are sadly very few detailed photos of the Mk12 in this manner!

finding pictures of period Tippers Mk12 plates for @AdgeCutler to use to make up Brians set was a fun research project in itself!

Invacar switched to Tippers plates (From hills plates) around about the change from Peacock blue and white, to all over Ribbon blue in early-mid 1967 and remained using Tippers plates right until the end in 1978 

53 minutes ago, MorrisItalSLX said:

If you are implying what I think you are, that REV will be getting new plates, then I would suggest against it.

The current plates have been there since day dot and look weathered and worn like REV itself, plus they are still completely legible and legal. I think the funds could be spent better elsewhere on REV.

But that’s just my opinion, obvs.

dont worry! REV is keeping her original plates! as you say they are still perfectly legible, and last I checked still retroreflective! and of course original and matching, they aint going anywhere!

I was just providing the picture as an example of what I was on about, again there are not many detailed pictures like this so I make and do mend with what I have myself!

as AdgeCutler says I am thinking of another Invacar Model 70 with the last statement  

[LightBulbFun]

10 hours ago, Remspoor said:

Also read the replies. More of these machines live then I thought.

 

hah thats very neat! and yet I can still think of more pitch side ones then what they even show! they really where everywhere  

On 24/05/2020 at 16:36, Six-cylinder said:

I hope this helps with the number plate of the football cars.

I had a hunch, waited for a corner and sure enough the cameras zoomed in!

a lot of those are late 1960's/early 1970's shots, so mainly just Villiers and Electric machines with only a few Model 70's

so thats before 18150 Model 70's Joined the fray

you mention more of them live then you realise and to read the replies, but I sadly do not see any new survivors in the replies? I only just the usual pre-existing survivors, unless I am missing something?

(but your right to the Joe public, a surprising number of Ministry machines have managed to survive given most people assume they where all destroyed!)

 

 

the interesting one for me is the THK-E Invacar Mk12c which seems to be wearing a Ministry blue roof as apposed to its normal white roof

not seen a Mk12 mixed-n-matched like that before, (well I know in one of the Greeves motorcycle videos out there you can just about make out a Mk12 in the background that may be also such configured, but its hard to say)

I wonder if it was a factory thing or Ministry repairer doing?

 

EDIT: id say the Greeves Mk12 just has a normal white roof

 

[eifion]

This appeared earlier on a Rhyl-related Facebook group. I don't know if it's a picture you're familiar with. I certainly remember most of those arcades.

[Remspoor]

I am a mere mortal, I am not a 3 wheeler god.

I know nothing about these machines. But here are the links to those responses. Gods know all about everything😉

Is this really a replica?

This one still survive?

Then there is this one. No reg visible.

This video was linked to in the comments I had never seen it before. Music crap so no need for sound.

This was also linked too. Never hear of track.

 

A classic photo

There was a lot drivel in the replies. Some quite disgusting. Others were misinformed. I suppose that is the interwebs for you.

[LightBulbFun]

3 hours ago, eifion said:

This appeared earlier on a Rhyl-related Facebook group. I don't know if it's a picture you're familiar with. I certainly remember most of those arcades.

Oooh I had not come across that picture before I dont think!, did a bit of digging and unearthed the originals  

https://public.fotki.com/stein_s/travels/united_kingdom/1983_england_and_wales/198306_1085_rhyl.html#media

and a bonus rear facing shot too

https://public.fotki.com/stein_s/travels/united_kingdom/1983_england_and_wales/198306_1086_rhyl.html#media

so thanks for the heads up! its much appreciated  

3 hours ago, Remspoor said:

I am a mere mortal, I am not a 3 wheeler god.

I know nothing about these machines. But here are the links to those responses. Gods know all about everything😉

Is this really a replica?

This one still survive?

Then there is this one. No reg visible.

This video was linked to in the comments I had never seen it before. Music crap so no need for sound.

This was also linked too. Never hear of track.

 

A classic photo

There was a lot drivel in the replies. Some quite disgusting. Others were misinformed. I suppose that is the interwebs for you.

indeed you will sadly always get that with the Invacar, as the Invacar, is very much a social history thing, as it is a vehicle history thing ,and to me a vehicle very much miss-understood and unduly wronged, if a vehicle can be wronged so to speak!

 

the claimed replica is actually GVW600H a very real Invacar Mk12E! dont know why they think its a replica! (perhaps because they think the common misconception they where all destroyed?)

LNO970P (the one videoed being driven) indeed survives, owned by Scott Milne  

the one with no visible Mark is SPE351R owned by a Warrington disability charity, its the one that was for sale a while back, and and was the Model 70 in the background when HCK972N was for sale    

but thats what I mean by just the usual suspects, those are all well known vehicles to me, if you search my thread for their registration marks you will see my posts about them and me tracking them down, and through their change of owners etc, but its still nice to see em again dont get me wrong  

 

the crap video with music, takes its excerpts from here 

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/video/b-invalid-car-round-in-circle-gv-mini-invalid-car-towards-news-footage/803553660

and here  

https://youtu.be/azZ6MAm8WUc?t=98

ill never tire of watching the Model 70 handing the Mini its arse on the handling trials  

 

[LightBulbFun]

14 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

not seen a Mk12 mixed-n-matched like that before, (well I know in one of the Greeves motorcycle videos out there you can just about make out a Mk12 in the background that may be also such configured, but its hard to say)

speaking of odd coloured Invalid vehicles another interesting one here

On 22/07/2022 at 20:53, Remspoor said:

Oh no A three wheeler at

 

of a a Tippen Delta that Im wondering if its blue or not, if its not it would indicate it was a private example  but the quality of the footage is not exactly great so its hard to tell for sure

[Remspoor]

The vehicle in the screen shot is it not a A Tippen?

https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Frank_Tippen_and_Sons

https://www.imcdb.org/vehicles.php?make=Tippen&model=Delta&modelMatch=1&modelInclModel=on

I went down that rabbit hole again. Found one in the USA.

https://www.orlandoautomuseum.com/vehicles/3168/1968-tippen-delta

[Mrs6C]

The Orlando Auto Museum has a Model 70 also:

https://www.orlandoautomuseum.com/sales/vehicles/3055/1977-ac-invacar

[LightBulbFun]

2 hours ago, Remspoor said:

The vehicle in the screen shot is it not a A Tippen?

indeed it is, its a Tippen Delta which I state in my post, more specifically its Mk3 4 or 5 from what I can see (but not enough detail to nail it down exactly, the mark telling detail mainly depends on if it has glass side windows or not, or when the footage was shot)

I was just questioning what colour it was  all Ministry Tippen Delta's where blue, but private examples could be ordered in a wide range of colours

1 hour ago, Mrs6C said:

The Orlando Auto Museum has a Model 70 also:

https://www.orlandoautomuseum.com/sales/vehicles/3055/1977-ac-invacar

Yeah thats one of the few surviving Model 70's that I have known about for a long time, but who's ID I have yet to be able to grab! despite my efforts in badgering people on twitter for its chassis number LOL

I have an idea as to which one it might be, but nothing concrete 

On 06/06/2019 at 21:53, LightBulbFun said:

I posted this one before, but from the museums website where they sadly did not have pictures

it seems like this website has pictures  

https://www.motorious.com/vehicles/112705/1977-ac-invacar

sadly im not sure which one this is exactly, ill have to check a couple of my lists and see if any 1977 AC Model 70,s I have show up with an export marker

 

On 06/06/2019 at 22:08, LightBulbFun said:

ah here we go  I think its TPE330S as it is the only 1977 AC Model 70 I have documented that is showing an export marker

 

[Eyersey1234]

@LightBulbFunwhich other colours was the Tippen Delta available in?

[LightBulbFun]

7 minutes ago, Eyersey1234 said:

@LightBulbFunwhich other colours was the Tippen Delta available in?

heres a brochure from the time period of the Delta in the music video which lists the colours they where available  

On 01/08/2020 at 20:38, LightBulbFun said:

oh very cool thanks for the heads up  I had not spotted that myself have uploaded the pictures here for safe keeping, 

made for a very interesting read I never knew the tippen delta officially came in different colours! im curious what mandarin red looks like, it might finally explain all the Red Tippen delta's in NZ!

its also very cool to see some official specifications like the unladen weight

im pretty sure its for of a Tippen Delta Mk3/4 although the change from Mk3/4 to Mk5 is said to be what they describe as the Deluxe model so go figure! (the change from Mk3 to Mk4 was simply the change from a Villiers 9E to an 11E engine)

(although it may be that the tippen delta was finally incremented from Mk4 to Mk5 when those deluxe features became standard feature on request of the DHSS)

 

if we assume 1960 (right in the middle of the date range for this mark of tippen delta) then it would have cost £7200 in today money or there abouts

and then most interestingly this Beige Tippen Delta 8 popped up a couple years ago, it was on Northern Ireland Gumtree, I never saw the listing itself sadly, but I managed to find the photos on their server before they got purged, I really wonder what became of it, and what its history was!, sadly I have not seen it pop up anywhere since first finding it

On 05/12/2020 at 15:29, LightBulbFun said:

and most interestingly this collection of pictures of a Tippen Delta 8 pictures from a Gumtree advert in Country Londonderry Northern Ireland I think

sadly the advert has expired so I cant find/see the advert itself, but thankfully the images where still in google search and on ebay's servers so I was able to save them that way

im very curious what happened to it, and what its past story is, Tippen Delta works (Coventry) registered, but its forum coloured! (talk about hearing aid beige!, and quite clearly like that from new not painted later in life) which hints very strongly at it being a private example!

sadly OWK911G is not on the DVLA computer (at least not on the public facing records) so I cant pull its chassis number and see whats what (I have no idea if private Tippen Delta's used their own chassis numbering system or not)

again another one I dont think was anyone else's records until now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and then for completeness sake here is a Battleship grey Tippen Delta 1

  

On 06/02/2021 at 18:22, LightBulbFun said:

and for @quicksilver 

a Battleship grey Tippen Delta!

 

and of course theres the famous Red Tippen Delta 8 in new Zealand  

[Mrs6C]

4 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

Yeah thats one of the few surviving Model 70's that I have known about for a long time, but who's ID I have yet to be able to grab!

Why not email the museum and ask? Worst thing they can do is not tell you. My guess is they would be very happy to oblige with the information. In return, you can provide some more history of the vehicle.

[egg]

17 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

of a a Tippen Delta

Good grief, I've been a fan of the Manics for 25 odd years, and I'd never have thought there would be an invalid carriage connection!

Also lovely Renault 16 in that above shot.

[LightBulbFun]

42 minutes ago, egg said:

Good grief, I've been a fan of the Manics for 25 odd years, and I'd never have thought there would be an invalid carriage connection!

Also lovely Renault 16 in that above shot.

as I say invariably inevitably invacar!  or Chodwin's law!  

speaking of which! I imagine @dollywobbler is probably hoping to make an official announcement soon

but via his twitter I noticed that oxford diecast have a TWC Model 70 coming out  

https://www.hattons.co.uk/946097/oxford_diecast_76inv002_ac_invacar_pale_blue_hubnut_/stockdetail

sadly no Invacar badge! (and 10 inch wheels!) but I assume too avoid retooling they are re-using the KPK71P tooling, and they have just changed the number plate printing, I wonder if they could sneak in some TPAs? that would be fun!

[quicksilver]

They sneaked that one out, no mention on the Oxford Facebook group and this is the first I've seen of it. Good to see another version but I fear loads of Hubnutters will buy them to give to Ian and he'll end up with hundreds of them!

[barefoot]

Sorry, I've not had time to dip into this thread for the last month or so, are you back on the road yet?

Where've you been so far?

[Dick Cheeseburger]

2 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

as I say invariably inevitably invacar!  or Chodwin's law!  

speaking of which! I imagine @dollywobbler is probably hoping to make an official announcement soon

but via his twitter I noticed that oxford diecast have a TWC Model 70 coming out  

https://www.hattons.co.uk/946097/oxford_diecast_76inv002_ac_invacar_pale_blue_hubnut_/stockdetail

sadly no Invacar badge! (and 10 inch wheels!) but I assume too avoid retooling they are re-using the KPK71P tooling, and they have just changed the number plate printing, I wonder if they could sneak in some TPAs? that would be fun!

The paint finish on that one looks way too shiny! You mentioned it would be good if they could produce a TPA - REV needs to be on the list too surely?! 😉

[LightBulbFun]

28 minutes ago, Dick Longbridge said:

The paint finish on that one looks way too shiny! You mentioned it would be good if they could produce a TPA - REV needs to be on the list too surely?! 😉

I sort of already have a model REV  

as much as I would love to see a diecast version of REV I fear she is a bit niche for Oxford to consider doing a run on

but I imagine TPA would be worth doing given she played a big part in the early days of @dollywobbler's Invacar adventures, and holds the fort of there always being an Invacar on the road at any given point in time with @Zelandeth  

they would however have to make a model REV if if they ever decide to make a "cars of sacha baron cohen movies", so who knows LOL

 

maybe @quicksilver was ahead of the curve and theres more to come?  

 

On 04/04/2022 at 14:56, quicksilver said:

Great news on the carb Dez, hopefully REV will be back on form soon.

I'm sure you all knew this was going to happen so here they are - AS's four most famous resident Model 70s in miniature. Having had the privilege of driving all four of them in the FOD they were an essential addition to my personal collection. Dolly still needs a steering wheel conversion and a representation of her special handbrake but that will be done when I find some suitable parts in my bits box. The fifth remains in original condition as KPK 71P.

@dollywobbler @Zelandeth @Mrs6C

 

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, barefoot said:

Sorry, I've not had time to dip into this thread for the last month or so, are you back on the road yet?

Where've you been so far?

sadly not yet, REV is still with @red5

I think crossing many fingers and toes, we are on the home stretch, but I still am not sure when she will be back

last I heard she was going up in the air for a general inspection of the underside and to change all the oils  (which I am very pleased about as I have no idea when the gearbox and diff last had an oil change and thus its been playing on mind for a few years now!)

hopefully not too many nasties are found while she is up in the air

however I am keen to know what the brake lines look like, given single circuit brakes and all that I want to know that they are in good shape and if they are not, to have em replaced before they put me through the back of a black cab! I know she desperately needs a brake fluid change at least! 

but im still waiting for an update on how all that went/is going

[quicksilver]

16 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

I sort of already have a model REV  

as much as I would love to see a diecast version of REV I fear she is a bit niche for Oxford to consider doing a run on

but I imagine TPA would be worth doing given she played a big part in the early days of @dollywobbler's Invacar adventures, and holds the fort of there always being an Invacar on the road at any given point in time with @Zelandeth  

they would however have to make a model REV if if they ever decide to make a "cars of sacha baron cohen movies", so who knows LOL

 

maybe @quicksilver was ahead of the curve and theres more to come?  

 

 

Great to see the plushy REV being enjoyed. I was thinking REV would actually be a good choice for a model given its film history (not to mention being owned by the world's leading invalid vehicle expert ). If they put the story of it being a private car in the blurb that would hopefully go a long way to dispelling the myth that they were only built for the government.

[warren t claim]