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...

[LightBulbFun]

38 minutes ago, schonker said:

This must be doing your confidence a world of good Dez.I was probably one of the ones thinking, he'll never use it once REV arrived, but good on you for proving me and lots of us wrong

yes its good to be back behind the handlebars once more  I even discovered a new fun game of how to be an accidental menace on the roads! 

"oh little bit of a tight gap but I can fit through that no problems" so went through it at speed no problems there

the 2 ton SUV that was up my chuff however thought he could follow me through but most certainly could not!

have to admit I had quite the chuckle at that! as I got an irate flash of headlights shrinking in my rear view mirror (but also realising, one has to be careful next time, as someone not quite as aware of their surroundings and without auto-braking, might just clobber whatever it is I managed to fit through LOL)

[BorniteIdentity]

11 hours ago, Christine said:

Race weight Robin Reliants

^Superlegerra. 

Also: Chips Got!!1!

[Yoss]

41 minutes ago, Christine said:

When they look up the reg for the fine and see" INVACARE"  , they may think its an electric scooter and you'll get away with it . Anyway , stopping when turning right is allowed innit ?  

I too thought turning was right was the one time you are allowed to enter a box junction without a clear exit but it's been a very long time since I read a highway code. 

[LightBulbFun]

13 minutes ago, Mrs6C said:

Happy Birthday to REV!!!

As a present, have a picture of an Invacar Mk12 parked in London... acquired from elsewhere onthe Internet... another of the XWC nnn F series...

 

snap!  you will find that one in my last big montage  

On 02/10/2024 at 19:52, LightBulbFun said:

since we are on a clean page! I thought now would be a good time to post some of the perticularly nice pictures I had rounded up and was was hoping/saving to post for Page 400 celebrations  

https://www.dudleypeoplesarchive.com/ephemera

https://joanbolton.muchloved.com/

a special for @Mrs6C, @egg and @BlankFrank , another XWC  

to go with @barrett's Invacod?

a nice rare picture showing a Tippen Delta Mk1  

all together now!

 

 found this in the comments of a facebook post, its a shame whoever posted it cropped out the person obviously standing proudly next to it!

casually parked Invacar Mk12, as if no one told it its 2024 and not 1971  

this was an exciting find by Adam, which I ID'ed as being the DNX car! I was hopeful it was a recent picture, but alas doing some digging, shows it to be from 2009 also

"bus halt"  *looks around for the segfault sign*

what caught my eye on this is the GEC Difractor streetlight, I mean the AC Invalid Car, a floppy top but with glass sliding windows still is a rare configuration for one of these, and I also cant help but notice the sideways mounted mirror on the A post!

a Stanley Mk7, late one on a B suffix, still looking out for one on a C suffix, I know they ended production and the sole surviving Stanley Mk7 is a 1965 car, so that one in itself will be on a C suffix  

a very rare picture of an Invacar Mk10A, and in colour to boot!

"what say you, bet you 10 bob I can beat to the end of the road there?"  

I perticularly like this picture of UVW285L as I finally have a half decent photo of an L suffix Invacar Model 70 on Silver on Black plates, I have have managed to get a couple decent ish AC shots, but none for Invacar (just video stills etc) because Model 70 being fleet vehicles etc they remained on silver on black plates until the 1st of Jan 1973 when the rules forced them to finally switch

I like this shot as its said to be in the East of London somewhere, also bonus 2CV sneaking into the lineup of Invacars for @dollywobbler  

https://www.deutschefotothek.de/documents/obj/71874530

a nice comparison of Invacar Mk12c vs Invacar Mk12D, I like how they have attached the L plates (also note the DHSS Reserve sticker in the windscreen of the Mk12c XVW614F)

https://www.christleton.org.uk/site/magazine/emagazine_apr_2020.pdf

and finally, a special one for @Datsuncog  

https://thenewartgallerywalsall.org.uk/event/2024-collections-programme-launch/

"Mo Wilson, Graham Totty with his collection of Ledo models from The People’s Show 1992"

 

 

and for completeness sake another XWC-F Mk12c can be found/seen here also  XWC496F

On 19/06/2021 at 13:47, LightBulbFun said:

whoa check it out @egg @BlankFrank @Mrs6Cfrom @JeeExEll in the eye catching black and white thread

another XWC-F Mk12c  

its a good shot you can even almost make out the fine details of the Tippers number plates Invacars had at this point in time, which had semi circular cutouts to clear the rear lights

I do wonder if those cutouts where done by Tippers for Invacar or if the plates where modified by Invacar in-house?

 

[beko1987]

39 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

yes its good to be back behind the handlebars once more  I even discovered a new fun game of how to be an accidental menace on the roads! 

"oh little bit of a tight gap but I can fit through that no problems" so went through it at speed no problems there

the 2 ton SUV that was up my chuff however thought he could follow me through but most certainly could not!

have to admit I had quite the chuckle at that! as I got an irate flash of headlights shrinking in my rear view mirror (but also realising, one has to be careful next time, as someone not quite as aware of their surroundings and without auto-braking, might just clobber whatever it is I managed to fit through LOL)

Even the auto braking will be shit if it's a skoda... 😂 Dad's failed to recognise the few merge in turns we had, I had to brake for it to let the car next to us go as the auto drive just kept going at 20mph, not seeing the diagonal (although the blind spot thing was lit up and distracting me, so it's not as if it doesn't know. The software testers for it must be fucking shit😡) 

 

Don't not do it, keep doing it! People will learn to drive for themselves one day

[adw1977]

[Christine]

Tell them your mum was driving 

[RoverFolkUs]

"Sorry guv, only 3 wheels were in the box. Can't get me!"

[dollywobbler]

As others have said, turning right isn't an issue with a box junction. 

Have you got blind spot mirrors? The biggest issue driving an Invacar around cities is the lack of over the shoulder vision. Not a great bit of design! 

[LightBulbFun]

20 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

As others have said, turning right isn't an issue with a box junction. 

I am just wondering because I stopped not because I was yielding to traffic crossing box junction, its that as I was following other traffic turning right, they made it out of the box junction, but it left me myself standing in inside of it. thankfully REV being smoll and me near the edge meant I was not actually in anyones way at that particular point in time, but still something I am wondering about, this is the junction in question, I was turning right, but then just as I got to just before the yellow and white, illuminated bollard on the right, traffic stopped flowing and I had to come to a stop inside the box

(so in the diagram given by @adw1977 I was already ahead of the 2 silver cars if that makes sense!)

thats why I am a little bit unsure about things!

20 minutes ago, dollywobbler said:

Have you got blind spot mirrors? The biggest issue driving an Invacar around cities is the lack of over the shoulder vision. Not a great bit of design! 

dont need em!   visibility in REV is fantastic, I know you often talk about poor visibility in TWC, but I genuinely dont have any problems of the sort in REV, back when I briefly had REV home at first in 2021, I was actually genuinely a bit startled how much I could see compared to the driving school cars I had driven previously, when I did my over the shoulder checks 

I have often wondered if fitting TWC with a long-arm mirror like what REV has might solve the issues for you?

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-still-harping-on/page/279/#comment-2621941

then again @Zelandeth has a short arm mirror on TPA like TWC does, and I dont think he has blind-spot/visibility issues?

[lesapandre]

That's the Rotherhithe Tunnel entrance slip-road on the north bank. In rush hour the junction takes massive abuse. I'm not sure how active any cameras would be there as it is regularly blocked up.

The grey box incidentally is the Docklands Light Railway Station suspended above the road. Behind is the Limehouse Basin where the Grand Union Canal eventually reaches the Thames. Well worth a look.

The Rotherhithe is technically open to pedestrians too - but it's pretty polluted. Good photo location when quiet for a moving shot. Features in quite a few adverts as a backdrop.

[LightBulbFun]

4 hours ago, lesapandre said:

but it's pretty polluted

oddly one of the things I noticed upon entering it, is how much warmer it is then the outside, and as you say, fairly stuffy otherwise!, but the long straights and single file traffic (and no side roads or pedestrian crossings!/traffic lights)  makes for fairly good cruising tho  

[lesapandre]

It does backup and come to a standstill during peak travel sometimes - best to avoid those times. The weight limit has improved things a bit. Here it is in olden times - I think there is an AC Acedes at about 30 seconds in:

(no sound)

[beko1987]

15 hours ago, RoverFolkUs said:

"Sorry guv, only 3 wheels were in the box. Can't get me!"

I always try and keep a creep going if I'm on one by accident. Wether it helps or not in the real world I dunno but if I can I just stop but then crawl as slowly as I can forward and hope the bloody lights change 😂 But never stop/show brake lights

I'm lucky though in that the only box junctions I can foul up on don't have cameras/I can just enter the a404 in lane 3 rather than carry round to the next junction as I usually do. 

[LightBulbFun]

8 hours ago, lesapandre said:

It does backup and come to a standstill during peak travel sometimes - best to avoid those times. The weight limit has improved things a bit. Here it is in olden times - I think there is an AC Acedes at about 30 seconds in:

 

that looks like an AC Petite to me, (note the rear bumper for example ) but still a neat find!  

[Marshall2810]

@LightBulbFunI have an authenticly very old giffer mod driving aid which came with a mk3 astra I bought years ago from a member of the aristocracy from London. 

It just increases your vision and clips on the normal mirror with straps but can angle for blind spots etc. Looks comical but if it saves an accident I'm all for it. Strapped it on to my 107 mirror to show you.....Free if you think it'll help you 

Great to see you out and about 

[LightBulbFun]

thanks for the offer  but I think thats a bit too big to fit on REV's rear view mirror, REV's mirror is a little plastic thing that partly attaches to the windscreen with a sucker-cup, apparently they are known to be quite fragile in themselves so I dont want to try hang anything off of it, but I appreciate the offer/thought still  

[LightBulbFun]

speaking of REV, @egg very kindly popped round for a visit to say hello and have a look at REV while he happened to be in London, which I very much appricate! always good to see a friendly face! 

so of course I chucked him behind the handle bars  I think this might of been the first time @egg has been up close to a Model 70, let alone driven one, so I am pleased to have given him the opportunity  

 

[wesacosa]

11 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

speaking of REV, @egg very kindly popped round for a visit to say hello and have a look at REV while he happened to be in London, which I very much appricate! always good to see a friendly face! 

so of course I chucked him behind the handle bars  I think this might of been the first time @egg has been up close to a Model 70, let alone driven one, so I am pleased to have given him the opportunity  

 

ha don't say that,  we will all be popping over for a go

 

[Yoss]

1 hour ago, Marshall2810 said:

@LightBulbFunI have an authenticly very old giffer mod driving aid which came with a mk3 astra I bought years ago from a member of the aristocracy from London. 

It just increases your vision and clips on the normal mirror with straps but can angle for blind spots etc. Looks comical but if it saves an accident I'm all for it. Strapped it on to my 107 mirror to show you.....Free if you think it'll help you 

Great to see you out and about 

I had something similar on one of my old Triumphs but a bit more period looking. To be honest all it really did was increase the view of the rear seat passengers which is not something Dez needs to worry about. 

[IronStar]

50 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

thanks for the offer  but I think thats a bit too big to fit on REV's rear view mirror, REV's mirror is a little plastic thing that partly attaches to the windscreen with a sucker-cup, apparently they are known to be quite fragile in themselves so I dont want to try hang anything off of it, but I appreciate the offer/thought still  

British Leyland’s finest parts bin shit mirror special, as seen on some Minis?

 

[lesapandre]

1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

thanks for the offer  but I think thats a bit too big to fit on REV's rear view mirror, REV's mirror is a little plastic thing that partly attaches to the windscreen with a sucker-cup, apparently they are known to be quite fragile in themselves so I dont want to try hang anything off of it, but I appreciate the offer/thought still  

If it's a sucker-cup to the screen - easy to order a bigger example to do the same thing.

[LightBulbFun]

14 minutes ago, IronStar said:

British Leyland’s finest parts bin shit mirror special, as seen on some Minis?

 

maybe? not sure for sure which vehicle its been plucked from but I would not be surprised if it is shared with the mini  

10 minutes ago, lesapandre said:

If it's a sucker-cup to the screen - easy to order a bigger example to do the same thing.

sort of, its main mounting point is a little arm that goes into the roof but it uses a sucker cup to steady it hopefully the cropped view gives you a view  

 

im not looking to replace it, its original, and once suitably positioned does its job adequately enough  (sure if it was missing entirely I'd probably elect to go for something a bit bigger, but im happy to leave things alone as they are in this case)

[lesapandre]

The second steadying arm is a neat feature to avoid vibration obscuring rearward vision. That's well though through.

[NorthernMonkey]

1 hour ago, wesacosa said:

ha don't say that,  we will all be popping over for a go

 

Hmm, I’m in London next weekend for a gig at the roundhouse… 🤔😂

[beko1987]

2 minutes ago, NorthernMonkey said:

Hmm, I’m in London next weekend for a gig at the roundhouse… 🤔😂

I went with my dad to see dragonforce there the other month and it's an amazing place! Good big undercover smoking area, bar wasn't the worst prices I've ever paid (fuck you O2 Forum Kentish Town 😡), was a bloody good concert! 

Spent lots of time just looking round the venue itself, they've kept a ton of the old railway building on show

[NorthernMonkey]

9 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

I went with my dad to see dragonforce there the other month and it's an amazing place! Good big undercover smoking area, bar wasn't the worst prices I've ever paid (fuck you O2 Forum Kentish Town 😡), was a bloody good concert! 

Spent lots of time just looking round the venue itself, they've kept a ton of the old railway building on show

We’re off to see They Might Be Giants, a year late.

It was supposed to be last November but one of them was ill so they delayed the tour by 12 months.

Better be worth the wait….   (It will be 😂)

[IronStar]

56 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

maybe? not sure for sure which vehicle its been plucked from but I would not be surprised if it is shared with the mini  

 

Yup, that looks like Mini’s rear view mirror 

https://www.7ent.com/products/rear-view-mirror-mk1-mk2-24a1750.html

 

[Cavcraft]

Brilliant to see you're using this now and getting your confidence up.

[D.E]

It has the right colour!

https://www.carandclassic.com/la/C1802171