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...

[bobdisk]

3 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

do wish I could get REV sorted as quickly as Adam sorted his Model 70's out! goes to show given a proper workspace, that there really is not all that much that needs to be done to a Model 70 to get one road worthy

That depends on condition when you get it. Look at @dollywobblers TWK when he got it.

[LightBulbFun]

13 hours ago, bobdisk said:

That depends on condition when you get it. Look at @dollywobblers TWK when he got it.

yeah exactly, he managed to get his back on the road pretty damn quickly in the middle of a welsh winter in an unheated garage and while having to film it all!

and TWC was in much worse shape then REV was (is hopefully!, hopefully she aint deteriorated too much since I got her!)

24th of November 2017 is when the video of TWC and TPA being brought home went up, 17th March 2018 is when the video of TWC passing her first MOT went live so just less then 4 months I think!

 

or look at the amazing progress Zel has made with TPA, after she was stripped for parts for TWC and left drivetrain less

 

but here I am over a year later and REV is looking worse then when I got her, I know its mostly just dirt on the body work that will all pressure wash off or such, but It still does not make me feel good about myself!

 

but progress has been made, she has new tyres fitted, new fuel line and filters in place and I think a new fuel tank is being worked on as I type this  (or was/will be not 100% sure what the status is currently, I last followed up on it at the last FoD gathering IIRC but im not asking too many questions as I believe a couple fellow shitters are very kindly working together to sort something out for me  )

and only one major hurdle remains which is sorting her brakes

after that its just fairly small fry like making all the lights and horn work again, and thats just fairly simple electrical work

she does already run and drive etc otherwise and her driveline does not need any attention I dont think  (apart from the usual servicing) 

(although I am slightly worried about the pulleys, but the only way to know for sure how those are doing will be a high speed run from 0 to over 50Mph to work the pulleys through their whole range and see how they do, but we have a NOS set in stock again thankfully, if REV's current set turn out to be problematic, and they are not hard to change I dont think)

[Out Run]

1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

yeah exactly, he managed to get his back on the road pretty damn quickly in the middle of a welsh winter in an unheated garage and while having to film it all!

and TWC was in much worse shape then REV was (is hopefully!, hopefully she aint deteriorated too much since I got her!)

24th of November 2017 is when the video of TWC and TPA being brought home went up, 17th March 2018 is when the video of TWC passing her first MOT went live so just less then 4 months I think!

 

or look at the amazing progress Zel has made with TPA, after she was stripped for parts for TWC and left drivetrain less

 

but here I am over a year later and REV is looking worse then when I got her, I know its mostly just dirt on the body work that will all pressure wash off or such, but It still does not make me feel good about myself!

 

but progress has been made, she has new tyres fitted, new fuel line and filters in place and I think a new fuel tank is being worked on as I type this  (or was/will be not 100% sure what the status is currently, I last followed up on it at the last FoD gathering IIRC but im not asking too many questions as I believe a couple fellow shitters are very kindly working together to sort something out for me  )

and only one major hurdle remains which is sorting her brakes

after that its just fairly small fry like making all the lights and horn work again, and thats just fairly simple electrical work

she does already run and drive etc otherwise and her driveline does not need any attention I dont think  (apart from the usual servicing) 

(although I am slightly worried about the pulleys, but the only way to know for sure how those are doing will be a high speed run from 0 to over 50Mph to work the pulleys through their whole range and see how they do, but we have a NOS set in stock again thankfully, if REV's current set turn out to be problematic and are not hard to change I dont think)

I know you don’t like to hear it, but @dollywobbler etc get their cars on the road, because they put the time in! 
The garage pixies certainly aren’t doing it for them. 😂

 

[LightBulbFun]

2 hours ago, Out Run said:

I know you don’t like to hear it, but @dollywobbler etc get their cars on the road, because they put the time in! 

Im not sure where you got the idea that "I dont like to hear it"

but I certainly do want to put the time in, I even went as far as trying to arrange my own FoD gathering specifically dedicated to fixing REV and Dolly

but CV19 put paid to that sadly

and then theres all the driving lessons Im personally paying for and doing, all this just so I can drive my Model 70 on the queens highway when she is ready!

and I have considered just getting REV transported down, but I am worried that I will run into an issue I wont be able to sort (mainly with aforementioned brakes)

and being that I only have on road parking, im reluctant to leave her parked up in an unroadworthy state

 

while Im confident in my own abilities to keep her going on my own once she is going

I will admit that I would like to get her going in the presence/with the help of fellow shitters who know what they are doing etc

and I am very thankful for the help provided so far in the regard  

 

im just frustrated that I myself personally cant do as much as id like/hoped, the frustration is not at any shitter, I am very thankful at the help provided there

just frustrated at myself, wishing I could do more etc, being stuck 100 miles away with a chronic mobility disability really has not made things easy!

 

but we will hopefully get there in the end!

[Mrs6C]

Don't be worried about not having been able to do to REV as you would have liked. Life gets in the way of a lot of things we'd like to do generally and the  C-19 situation has curtailed a lot of things that had been planned. It's never easy to work on cars properly in the open air (and in a field!) and when you are miles away with limited transport to even get to your car to work on it, it's even harder. Like learning to drive, it's not a race.  Given that you don't have the luxury of a dry garage at home to work on your car and we haven't got a secure, covered area of hardstanding either yet at the FoD to do the same, the rate of progress made so far isn't bad at all.  2021 should be a lot easier.

[dollywobbler]

To be fair, my Invacar is out of action at the moment and could be for a fair while. It isn't easy getting stuff back on the road, even when the cars aren't miles away.

[Out Run]

4 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

Im not sure where you got the idea that "I dont like to hear it"

but I certainly do want to put the time in, I even went as far as trying to arrange my own FoD gathering specifically dedicated to fixing REV and Dolly

but CV19 put paid to that sadly

and then theres all the driving lessons Im personally paying for and doing, all this just so I can drive my Model 70 on the queens highway when she is ready!

and I have considered just getting REV transported down, but I am worried that I will run into an issue I wont be able to sort (mainly with aforementioned brakes)

and being that I only have on road parking, im reluctant to leave her parked up in an unroadworthy state

 

while Im confident in my own abilities to keep her going on my own once she is going

I will admit that I would like to get her going in the presence/with the help of fellow shitters who know what they are doing etc

and I am very thankful for the help provided so far in the regard  

 

im just frustrated that I myself personally cant do as much as id like/hoped, the frustration is not at any shitter, I am very thankful at the help provided there

just frustrated at myself, wishing I could do more etc, being stuck 100 miles away with a chronic mobility disability really has not made things easy!

 

but we will hopefully get there in the end!

Aye. 

[egg]

What do you reckon, a wheelchair or a very early invalid carriage in this image?

 

[LightBulbFun]

6 minutes ago, egg said:

What do you reckon, a wheelchair or a very early invalid carriage in this image?

 

early Invalid carriage or Bath chair even, for sure  

here is a slightly higher rez version if its any help  

[High Jetter]

What - no comments on the street lighting, complete with warning triangle? Or the telegraph pole with no wires (could be an aerial I suppose)?

[Zelandeth]

All right, here's the documentation which came with the little tool roll a week or so back.  There's a better scan of the main user's manual here where I used a blocking sheet to reduce the bleed through of text from the next page as that annoys the heck out of me when reading scanned stuff.

This lot was MEANT to have been scanned at 600dpi...Except I'm an idiot.  I'd set the GREYSCALE TEXT dropdown menu to 600dpi...The colour scan one was still at the default!  Oops.

Invacar Mark 12E Instruction Manual 1969-70_revised.pdf

How to Keep Your Motor-Cycle Tyres Fit Brochure.pdf

How to Prevent a Flat Tyre Complimentary Brochure.pdf

Villiers Mark 9E 11E-4SFR 36A and 37A Two Stroke Engine Users Handbook.pdf

I'll come back to this in a few days and try to get high resolution scans...just irked I didn't spot it this evening.

[LightBulbFun]

33 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

All right, here's the documentation which came with the little tool roll a week or so back.  There's a better scan of the main user's manual here where I used a blocking sheet to reduce the bleed through of text from the next page as that annoys the heck out of me when reading scanned stuff.

This lot was MEANT to have been scanned at 600dpi...Except I'm an idiot.  I'd set the GREYSCALE TEXT dropdown menu to 600dpi...The colour scan one was still at the default!  Oops.

Invacar Mark 12E Instruction Manual 1969-70_revised.pdf 2.97 MB · 0 downloads

How to Keep Your Motor-Cycle Tyres Fit Brochure.pdf 2.19 MB · 0 downloads

How to Prevent a Flat Tyre Complimentary Brochure.pdf 933.66 kB · 0 downloads

Villiers Mark 9E 11E-4SFR 36A and 37A Two Stroke Engine Users Handbook.pdf 11.76 MB · 0 downloads

I'll come back to this in a few days and try to get high resolution scans...just irked I didn't spot it this evening.

Ah awesome!

twas very interesting, and also quite amusing (on account of the cartoon drawings) reading those  

thank you for scanning them in for us  

when you rescan them in high resolution, dont forget to also scan in or picture the bookmarks of the DHSS Parts list (the ones that got omitted in the main scan because they where empty)

im quite curious to find out if the Model 60  was indeed listed at one point or not (as I THINK I can make it out in a picture I have of the parts list, but its not very clear)

will also be interesting to what other Models where listed then removed (presumably when the last of that type came out of ministry service)

[Zelandeth]

19 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

Ah awesome!

twas very interesting, and also quite amusing (on account of the cartoon drawings) reading those  

thank you for scanning them in for us  

when you rescan them in high resolution, dont forget to also scan in or picture the bookmarks of the DHSS Parts list (the ones that got omitted in the main scan because they where empty)

im quite curious to find out if the Model 60  was indeed listed at one point or not (as I THINK I can make it out in a picture I have of the parts list, but its not very clear)

will also be interesting to what other Models where listed then removed (presumably when the last of that type came out of ministry service)

Forgot I'd grabbed a photo of the markers - you've got a scan of everything which had pages in, so this should allow you to see which sections were empty.

[LightBulbFun]

18 minutes ago, Zelandeth said:

Forgot I'd grabbed a photo of the markers - you've got a scan of everything which had pages in, so this should allow you to see which sections were empty.

ah awesome! if im reading/seeing things correctly the only empty ones are the Model 60 ones then?

its a shame the Model 60, Mark 6 (and older? going by how it says marks plural) bit is damaged, would be interesting to know just how far back it went

I was pretty sure the Model 60 Mark 5 and 7 where a thing, (and now confirmed) but I was not sure what other Marks there where

this at least tells us that the Model 60 Mark 6 was also a thing  (at least im pretty sure thats a 6!)

(just a shame they are empty, I do wonder if they where actively removed at some point or simply sadly went missing over time?)

[BlankFrank]

4 hours ago, Zelandeth said:

Forgot I'd grabbed a photo of the markers - you've got a scan of everything which had pages in, so this should allow you to see which sections were empty.

*pics*

Does this mean there is a parts list for the Mk12c? (or a list for a different mark with the same/similar components) Or has that been posted before?

Thanks a bunch for uploading the Mk12e manual + Villiers engine manual pdfs btw, those will definitely come in handy. 👍

[LightBulbFun]

11 hours ago, BlankFrank said:

Does this mean there is a parts list for the Mk12c? (or a list for a different mark with the same/similar components) Or has that been posted before?

Thanks a bunch for uploading the Mk12e manual + Villiers engine manual pdfs btw, those will definitely come in handy. 👍

did you never get a copy of the DHSS parts list? could have sworn I sent it to you!

well I have now! check Le PM's  

[LightBulbFun]

in driving lesson news

had my another (my 55th) lesson finally! pleased to report it went well and the new instructor is continuing to work well and better then my previous one

getting much better feedback then I was with my old one so thats good, be very helpful to calibrating myself, especially as the diesel Pug 208 is just that little bit different to throw me a bit (all the shift points and sounds are different and the brakes grab/snatch a bit more suddenly then in the petrol 208 I had driven before) 

 

next Lesson is on the 17th of December at 2PM then another one one the 23rd at 1PM if all goes to plan!

 

also managed to identify the cause of one one the pains I was getting over the course of a driving lesson, sadly dont think theres much I can do about it, but im glad I managed to figure out what the cause was

but I walk on my tip toes due to my cerebral palsy, but when you drive a car you have your heel on the floor and have your foot as if it was flat on a floor and you push the pedal with your toes/front of your foot, by tilting your foot forwards, the problem is my foot naturally is the tilted forward position

so I have to force/hold it back which causes the pains in my foot and leg

sadly I dont think there is anything I can do about it? but at least its not something I will have to worry about with REV!

 

one of the things that helped me figure this out was I noticed I dont get this specific problem/pain with my left leg and thats because I am able to to just push on the brake pedal with my whole leg without having to force my foot to be in a position it does not want to be

[Mr Pastry]

2 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

sadly I dont think there is anything I can do about it? but at least its not something I will have to worry about with REV!

 

Not sure I understand you correctly,, but there's nothing wrong with pushing the pedals with the sole of your foot instead of the toes if that works for you.  IIRC police drivers are or were taught to brake that way, don't know about clutch, but I'm sure someone will clarify.  Good to hear the lesson went well anyway.  It must be nice to get out for a while.   

[LightBulbFun]

On 06/12/2020 at 15:31, LightBulbFun said:

in somewhat REV related news I got a new tool today!

finally got myself a wire crimping tool and assorted set of terminals, which will hopefully come in handy for sorting (or bodging LOL) any electrical issues I encounter with REV

although the main incentive for getting the tool now is, I have gone all a bit @beko1987

and got myself a couple Hoover dustettes after realising just how cheap they are, and having a genuine need of a small hand held vacuum cleaner for cleaning my room (I only really needed the first one, but I like the aesthetic  of the Early Model 100's so picked one up as well LOL)

the one above works fine, but the one bellow needs a bit of electrical TLC, and a few connections are made with ring terminals, so I finally broke down and got the tools to remake those

I recommend you check out @beko1987's thread in the open forum section, if you want to see my adventure with these in more detail  (which start around page 70 on said thread amusingly enough!)

 

I also have uses for the crimping tool outside of just REV and doing up a couple hoovers, in that I have actually been needing one for about 10 years now to wire up my Variac properly

which I have finally done! I wired this up about 10 years ago when I first got it when I was well about 10!, so long over a due a proper sort out, a Variac is a special transformer that lets your vary the voltage it outputs

in this case 240V goes in and theres a big knob on top that lets me chose any voltage between 0V and 270V its very handy for a vintage lightbulb collector like myself, and just in general if you tinker with electronics and electrical things  

(with Variac being a generaised trademark that stands for Variable Voltage AutoTransformer)

anyways

before:

after:

much neater and safer I would say!

contuning the the theme of getting things for something now but with a view to REV in the future

these arrived today, bought now to help me referbish the Motor in the hoover Dustette Mode 100, specficly the White Lithium grease to grease up its sleeve bearings 

but I imagine will also be very handy for when I come to tackle Jobs on REV (which is also why while I was at it I tacked on some plusgas (well the WD40 equivalent!)  because old British car it would be foolish of me not to have it on hand!)

I already have some of their electrical contact cleaner, which has been very handy so far, and even solved some fuse box related electrical woes I was having with REV at the last FoD gathering  (I took it with me in my bag just incase, glad I did!)

[LightBulbFun]

17 minutes ago, Mr Pastry said:

Not sure I understand you correctly,, but there's nothing wrong with pushing the pedals with the sole of your foot instead of the toes if that works for you.  IIRC police drivers are or were taught to brake that way, don't know about clutch, but I'm sure someone will clarify.  Good to hear the lesson went well anyway.  It must be nice to get out for a while.   

the issue isn't to do with pushing the pedals with my toes specifically

but the overal position my right foot has to be in to operate the throttle pedal is what causes my pains as I have to force/tilt it into a position it does not want to be in

because with clutch and brake you push with your hole leg and that works fine for me as im able to have my foot in the position it wants to be in for the most part

but with the throttle pedal you have you heel on the floor and you hinge your foot to operate the throttle pedal, and it looks like thats whats causing me the pains (as my feet natrually want to be in a tip toe position, but I have to force it back towards me, so I have some movement range to operate the pedal)

if that makes any sense?

[Mr Pastry]

1 minute ago, LightBulbFun said:

if that makes any sense?

Ok I see now.  Possibly you need an organ pedal type throttle, hinged from the floor so you can rest your whole foot on it.

[bobdisk]

45 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

the issue isn't to do with pushing the pedals with my toes specifically

but the overal position my right foot has to be in to operate the throttle pedal is what causes my pains as I have to force/tilt it into a position it does not want to be in

because with clutch and brake you push with your hole leg and that works fine for me as im able to have my foot in the position it wants to be in for the most part

but with the throttle pedal you have you heel on the floor and you hinge your foot to operate the throttle pedal, and it looks like thats whats causing me the pains (as my feet natrually want to be in a tip toe position, but I have to force it back towards me, so I have some movement range to operate the pedal)

if that makes any sense?

I found that my BMW accelerator pedal wanting to be tilted further away than was comfortable and making my foot point forward was causing a pain in my right hip after a longish journey.  Took some time to realise what it was, I thought I was wearing out !  I put a wedge on the pedal, and never had a problem since.  It complies with "anyone has to be able to drive it", rule.  Perhaps you could think up something similar. I guess you would want the opposite to what I did. Perhaps put a wedge at the bottom of the pedal, near the floor. 

Edited December 10, 2020 by bobdisk
Pic, and suggestion added.

[High Jetter]

I think it's more to do with the angle your foot meets the pedals? One vehicle i drove whilst learning was a Commer PB1500 van where feet were kept flatter, in more of an up and down movement rather than pivoting IIRC. You might find that something with a higher seating position would be easier for you in the long run - I still find vans generally have a more comfortable seating position for me.

[bobdisk]

The Wedge does in fact change the angle my foot meets the pedal, making it nearly 90-deg to my leg, almost the same as walking,  I worked out that angle and made  the Wedge to it, and it worked!    @LightBulbFun if you work out the comfortable angle of your foot to your leg when walking, then put a wedge at the bottom of the pedal to make that angle. Perhaps that would make it more comfortable.  You might be able to make a portable item to fit the driving school's car.

[LightBulbFun]

thanks for the suggestions/ideas ill keep it in mind, dont think I can do much as this is not my car its the instructors car and tbh I just dont like the 208 in general its not great thing to drive LOL

but , its certainly good to have some ideas for the future  

 

im trying to recall if I drove anything at the FoD with an organ pedal throttle,

(I THINK @Zelandeth's Camper a Merc 208D has one, but I have not yet had a chance to drive that sadly...)

[Mr Pastry]

4 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

im trying to recall if I drove anything at the FoD with an organ pedal throttle,

You need to find a Herald or an early Beetle.  Out of interest, how did you find the seating position, comfort and pedals on the 2CV?  I have a minor back problem and find the 2CV  very comfortable, even for long distances. 

[LightBulbFun]

29 minutes ago, Mr Pastry said:

You need to find a Herald or an early Beetle.  Out of interest, how did you find the seating position, comfort and pedals on the 2CV?  I have a minor back problem and find the 2CV  very comfortable, even for long distances. 

well Herald wont be a problem at the FoD!

 

2CV was as you say, actually quite good, surprising even when you consider how basic the seats are, and the fact theres 0 adjustment (AFAIK?)

I got some slight pains in my right leg but nothing nearly as as much as I do in the 208 or anything

and I certainly dont recall it ruining my back (like the Astra van did), and it was whole load of fun to drive  pretty much the only car I was actually confident to chuck about rather then just bimble around in at the FoD 

(have to wonder if thats what helped reduced the leg pains because I was physically mashing the throttle a lot more with my leg rather then actuating it just with my foot)

 

(if they where still in shite territory I could very much see myself getting one or preposing one to mum the next time public transport screws her over and she contemplates a car as she does from time to time, but they are quite pricey these days from what I understand)

[Eyersey1234]

It's funny how 2 vehicles of the same make/model can drive completely differently. We notice it with the buses, one can be lovely to drive and another from the same batch a brute. The closest to consistency were the hybrids we got in 2011, now converted to diesel power 

[Mrs6C]

4 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

one of the things that helped me figure this out was I noticed I dont get this specific problem/pain with my left leg and thats because I am able to to just push on the brake pedal with my whole leg without having to force my foot to be in a position it does not want to be

You might find that using different footwear for driving would help. Something with a slimmer and softer sole, a thinner heel and less rigid bracing around the back of your ankle would be more flexible for your feet and let you put your heel to the floor further back relative to the pedal, allowing more room to let your foot slope forwards. The flexibility of such footwear might allow a more comfortable position for your foot to adopt naturally, without interfering with the pedals. A pair of driving shoes or even daps/plimsolls or moccasins/deck shoes would be worth a go.

Ladies' shoes usually have heels, which has the same effect on angle of foot to pedal. If I'm using heeled shoes for work, I'll wear a pair of daps or other flat shoes for the driving and change into the heeled shoes when I get to work. Something similar might work for you. The use of ladies' shoes is of course optional in that respect!

[LightBulbFun]

18 minutes ago, Mrs6C said:

You might find that using different footwear for driving would help. Something with a slimmer and softer sole, a thinner heel and less rigid bracing around the back of your ankle would be more flexible for your feet and let you put your heel to the floor further back relative to the pedal, allowing more room to let your foot slope forwards. The flexibility of such footwear might allow a more comfortable position for your foot to adopt naturally, without interfering with the pedals. A pair of driving shoes or even daps/plimsolls or moccasins/deck shoes would be worth a go.

Ladies' shoes usually have heels, which has the same effect on angle of foot to pedal. If I'm using heeled shoes for work, I'll wear a pair of daps or other flat shoes for the driving and change into the heeled shoes when I get to work. Something similar might work for you. The use of ladies' shoes is of course optional in that respect!

yeah will definitely have to look into that

the driving shoes/plimsolls that is not the ladies shoes! LOL

 

(I know i had better pedal control in the ZX when just in my socks, before I had lessons, so would be interesting to see what affect some lighter/thinner shoes has now)

 

 

other fun possible contributing factors/variables to consider is I know one of my legs is slightly longer than the other (or is that one is shorter than the other?)

so who knows what sort of fun that might be causing (Shitter life when even your own body is out of alignment)