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...

[JJ0063]

1 minute ago, chadders said:

If I remember correctly you have something to do with insurance, apologies if I'm wrong.

If I'm not what's the insurance position when he's aware that there are brake problems, still drives it and something happens?

I know that people do this all the time and it's probably moot but it might be something for him to be aware of.

I do and to be honest the claims side of things isn’t my area.

The closest info that I do work with on a daily basis which to be honest should be known by everyone is that even if a vehicle is MOT exempt, it still has to be completely road legal and if an accident were to occur and it was deemed the car wasn’t roadworthy then it could of course then open up a whole can of worms from claims being voided to god knows what if the worst were to happen. 
 

Im genuinely shocked that it’s even been suggested that LBF continues to drive it ‘if he’s careful and doesn’t go too far’

This is currently in short a barn/field find vehicle that someone has stuck a new fuel tank in, few little odd jobs and put on the road FFS.

Why is anything other than locating a classic car garage/specialist and asking them to make it roadworthy being considered? If you buy a car like this surely you have considered the fact that you can’t rely on people to do all the work for you at no cost to yourself? Yes I’ve read previous posts but this thread has turned lately and it’s now gone from interesting to a bit surprising to be honest. 

From what this thread suggests and please forgive me if I’ve missed anything, so far you’ve had the car moved around  the country and had any labour along with some parts all for free - that is both bloody kind and lovely at the same time. 

If I were you LBF I’d look at this two ways from here onward.. you either need to ask the SD1 owner as suggested or ring around locally etc to get someone to take it on - an Invacar is nothing compared to some of the specialist cars that will be maintained in London!

If funding a proper few hours work by a garage isn’t financially viable then I think you need to accept that this REV needs to go into storage or stopped being used until you’ve been able to save some money to do the above. 
 

 

[Andyrew]

Anyways . . 

LBF have the drums been off REV before?  At the FOD? 

Are you able to leave the handbrake off whilst its parked up? 

 

[DodgyBastard]

Watched the video, looks like it needs a good long run down the motorway to free things off.

[Mr Pastry]

I share the general concern. 

I think many of us would  get stuck in and help if it were possible, although that wouldn't solve the long term maintenance problem.

I hope that my comments here haven't encouraged any risk taking because that wasn't my intention.  I was trying to suggest things that Dez could check himself as he was determined to do some of the work.   We all have to start somewhere, but of course at first you do not have the experience to judge whether something is safe or not.   Apart from the brakes there is the blowing exhaust.

I have been involved in this sort of nonsense for 50 years sadly, and TBH I would not drive REV on the road from what I have seen in the video.  

There must be a garage or a mobile mechanic who could take this on, and means will have to be found to pay for it.   

 

 

[Yoss]

56 minutes ago, Dobloseven said:

 

All excellent advice. Problem is, there's a bit of a chicken and egg situation. REV needs to get to the garage in the first place.Are there any mobile mechanics in the area? 

Which is exactly what I said yesterday, is nobody listening to me?🙂

5 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

Anyways . . 

LBF have the drums been off REV before?  At the FOD? 

Are you able to leave the handbrake off whilst its parked up? 

 

I've no idea how the gearbox works, so I'm not sure leaving it in gear will work but it's on perfectly level ground so it should be OK. If I was the owner of that Rover I wouldn't leave the handbrake on that either. I never left the handbrake on the bus when I owned it, I had big wooden blocks I used to chock it but that was on private land. I wouldn't do that to the invacar as it would draw attention to it. But I see what you're saying, if the handbrake is the cause of the problem, if you can free it up then don't use it until you can get it sorted. 

[LightBulbFun]

13 hours ago, mitsisigma01 said:

Or ask the neighbour with the Rover if he knows of any locals that work on old cars 

 

3 hours ago, Yank Tank said:

this is probably the most helpful post in the last 3 pages of heat. 

sadly getting ahold of him is quite difficult, turns out due to someone trying to force entry into his home at one point in time, he does not answer the door, so the only way to catch him is by pot luck, and keeping an ear out for the burble of a Rover V8!

(and annoyingly the last 2 times I have run into him/caught him working on his Rover, iv been so enamoured by the SD1 that I completely forgot to ask questions about garages etc!)

 

to those worrying about me blasting up the M1, dont worry she is not going anywhere until I can get the brakes to at least behave!

all these comments about the brakes, is exactly why I tried to get Adam to replace everything, I even supplied a long roll of kunfier brake pipe but he was of the mindset "if its not broke dont fix it" and I trusted he knew what he was doing with regards to that

and obviously he was doing this entirely free out of kindness, so I did not want to push and come across as unappreciative for the work he was doing

(for those wondering I did have a test drive up and down the dead end and checked the brakes could bring her to a halt satisfactorily, Im guessing it was mainly the front brake doing all the work! I think she was definitely better during the first chippy run, but not 100% either)

1 hour ago, JJ0063 said:

From what this thread suggests and please forgive me if I’ve missed anything, so far you’ve had the car moved around  the country and had any labour along with some parts all for free - that is both bloody kind and lovely at the same time. 

I bought REV and paid to have her transported to the FoD where she sat until earlier this year slowly having bits done, then it transpired that another forum member would be going Adams way (and back down again) and so Adam spoke with that member and, very kindly volunteered to get REV recommissioned for me with the fellow forum member very kindly trailering her there and back on his travels, and thats where we are now

for those wondering at the FoD, she had a new air filter fitted, new fuel line fitted, a new throttle cable,  and most importantly new tyres all round fitted!

28 minutes ago, Andyrew said:

Anyways . . 

LBF have the drums been off REV before?  At the FOD? 

Are you able to leave the handbrake off whilst its parked up? 

 

I dont think so, at least not that I am aware of

I have wondered about leaving the handbrake off, as I know if left  on for a while in any car it can cause issues

just the problem although she is relatively well tucked out of the way all things considered, I do like the extra little bit of security it gives me, 

and I obviously dont want her to roll herself into the back of the Rover! (although it is pretty level) and as Yoss says im a bit apprehensive of leaving her chocked up as that could draw undue attention, but if its causing issues then ill have to think of something!

but yeah ideally id like to leave it off so it cant jam on when she is not in use

 

[barefoot]

On 12/24/2021 at 8:16 PM, barefoot said:

You really need to find a helpful local garage as a matter of urgency.

Hippy xmas.

And have it transported to them ASAP, either via your break-down insurance (the brakes make it impossible to drive) or by paying them to recover it.

Hippy new year.

[lanciamatt]

Just watched your short video , as others have said , something is sticking big time . If your able jack it up one wheel at at time and see if you can find which wheel is stuck , at least then so know . Make a list of everything that needs doing , even trivial stuff and mark it off as it's sorted , . Car tinkering can be fun when you do it when you are ready to , not when the car decides it needs it . I do it as a job and some days I can't even be arsed to do anything on my own stuff . I love my 3 cars but sometimes I could easily sell them when stuff is going pear shaped . My Maserati ( no I'm not posh I bought it cheap ) breaks every time I look at it but I love it , your the same with invacars , I'd have done same as you , and bought it even though you couldn't drive etc. Get Christmas out of way , if you get a dry day jack it up , even if it takes an hour going steady etc and do some investigation , take hand brake off , tap drum with hamer see if it frees up , if it does press foot brake and then try turn it , if still free you know it's not the foot brake , so could only be hand brake . Then when you do find a garage you can tell them the issue and save a bit of money on diagnosis as you know the issue . I'm sure you will anyway , but keep us updated on progress. 

[Dobloseven]

Another tip. If you can get down to it, soak the adjusters, bleed nipples, pipe joints etc. in WD40 or similar. If you could wire brush them first, so much the better. It just might make things easier to undo for the poor sod who's tasked with sorting it. If it cheers you up a bit, I redid the entire rear brakes on an Ital, which looks suspiciously similar,on the road, with a six year old helping. He's 41 now, but despite having a new Audi himself, still likes to help his old man work on crap cars!

[Missy Charm]

Even I've done rear brakes, many moons ago on a Ford Orion that had spent a little while sitting idle.  Similar symptoms: the back wheels couldn't be turned by hand.  Someone experienced helped me because I had no idea what I was doing, but together we dismantled the drums, replaced the shoes and cylinders, got the handbrake working properly and bled the brakes.  Car was fine after that and it gave me confidence to do other things like replace discs and pads on a Fiesta.  

You can't rely on others providing free labour, and working by the side of the road can't be much fun.  The Invacar, at present, has two potential fates: firstly she might simply sit there and rot away, which isn't greatly fair on the car or your neighbours; secondly you might be tempted to drive the thing as is, which is likely to further damage things.  

The best thing to do is find a local garage and to ask the mechanic if he (or she) is prepared to work on a 'while-u-wait' basis and, if so, whether you can sit in the corner and watch the work being done.  The garage probably won't be able to let you actually do anything. 

On that note, have you thought about trying to get any sort of job in the motor trade?  I once had a conversation with a girl who was employed to clear up and tidy tools away and what have you at a garage.  She wasn't a mechanic, but was at least in the environment she wanted to be in; things tend to rub off in that sense, you might absorb things you need to know by osmosis or at least get in touch with people with real practical skills in your area.  

[captain_70s]

4 hours ago, bobdisk said:

My thoughts are that REV now stops and goes, for short journeys, but dont go too far, and be careful. 

It seems to mostly just stop. I suspect repeated use will damage both the brakes and transmission*. 

If it uses Triumph style brake drums then the handbrake could just be jammed on, in which case smacking the levers on the back of the drums where the cables attach with a rubber mallet should disengage them. If it IS just the handbrake seizing on then you might be able to then drive it to a garage to properly strip it down and get it functioning properly. If the brake fluid has never been changed it's probably 75% water by now.

 

*Actually unsure, because these have a centrifugal clutch or something?

 

Regards my earlier posts, I'm aware I'm coming across as negative. However the opposition here is a medical condition, not a lack of knowledge or willpower. I've no doubt REV would already be stripped to a bare shell and in the process of being restored to concourse condition if Dez was able to do so, but he can't.
Some years ago I started the application process to be a train driver, got a reasonable way through the whole thing, which consists of numerous tests and interviews. Then realised I was partially colour blind, not enough to make any real difference day-to-day but it meant trains and planes were out. No chance. So it was back to production line work for me. Sometimes you have to manage your expectations and adjust your goals accordingly. 

A dead car sat outside your house rapidly becomes a noose around your neck. A reminder of failed endeavours. No, you can't really just sit them around and wait for a sunnier day. Every week a car sits another fitting goes from being tight to needing the blow torch. Unless you have a full blown resto planned anyway sitting a car for any period of time simply means it'll deteriorate faster than you can repair it. Been there, done that.

[LightBulbFun]

the rear wheels of a Model 70 are permanently coupled to the CVT system, the gearbox only couples or decouples drive from the centrifugal clutch drum that the clutch shoes on the engine fly wheel engage onto 

 

speaking of, just got back (well an hour ago, took me a while to write this!) from some REV tinkering, had a poke at the brakes, well the nearside rear wheel at least!

I think the handbrake is working alright, and it looks like adam did a good job greasing all the moving parts like the pivot points and the levers on the back of the brakes  

but I think something is up with the hydraulic system, either sticking pistons or collapsed flexies acting as a 1 way valve?

I can back the adjuster off a click or so and the wheel will then spin freely (accounting for drag from the CVT system of course) and I can work the handbrake no problem, but the moment I press down on the handle bars, the brakes apply but dont let off

the curious thing is I can then back off the adjuster once more and it will again free off, but again bind up if I actuate the handle bars, im guessing im slowly pushing the pistons out of the cylinders by doing this? (so I did not do it too many times!)

I did try and get some video of this in action, but my knackered phone battery decided then was the perfect time to call it quits

 

I did manage to find the exhaust blow mind! as I thought its one of the downpipes, nearside in this case (aka left hand side if your looking at it standing behind the car)

no signs of a patch sadly, dont know if it fell off or after I was told it got patched it was realised it was not working so got took off? im glad its just a down pipe as those are relatively easy to source rather then the actual exhaust/heat exchanger! those are much harder to get ahold of in good order!

 

after the phone battery died before I went back upstairs, I also finagled the twist grip, managed to actually get the new twist grip I had on hand to fit using one of the washers @CaptainBoom very kindly supplied, but Im not sure the quality of the twist grip itself (I cant quite get it to tighten itself to the handle bars satisfactorily)  is all that good, but the action works, and knowing the washer method seems to work, ill order up the same set of twist grips that Zel has, knowing that one way or another ill have a way of fitting them!

also played with the indicator stalk, as I noticed on my first couple drives that its a bit floppy/vague and I cant indicate right without the stalk fowling the plastic housing and then the entire stalk flopping down, I had a go at tightening it up to the handle bars, but I see the self tapping screws have pretty much pulled out the plastic body of the indicator stalk

hopefully I can bodge something up! perhaps see if I can substitute the self tapers for nuts and bolts? (I do have her original indicator stalk on hand perhaps I can get that working again and try refitting, it was working when I got REV, but apparently by the time it got to adams it had mechanically jammed so I wonder if I can un jam it)

 

 

[Dobloseven]

2 hours ago, captain_70s said:

 

A dead car sat outside your house rapidly becomes a noose around your neck. A reminder of failed endeavours. No, you can't really just sit them around and wait for a sunnier day. Every week a car sits another fitting goes from being tight to needing the blow torch. Unless you have a full blown resto planned anyway sitting a car for any period of time simply means it'll deteriorate faster than you can repair it. Been there, done that.

Aaaaaagh...................... Think you might have touched a few nerves there! Where's the Depression Thread? 

 

[lanciamatt]

Once the weather pics up , if your still getting nowhere I will arrange with you a suitable Saturday and I'll come down for the day and sort some issues out . All I want in return is feeding and pay the congestion charge and ulez if your in that bit . 

[Dobloseven]

Sounds like you've had a very productive day.Next stage to me would be to take the drums off and see if the pistons are sticking in the cylinders. What brake parts have you got in your stash? 

[red5]

One job at a time. 

Fix the brakes. 

[Yoss]

You are right, if you keep unwinding the adjuster will fall out so you were right to stop but no harm in doing it a few times. 

I think your diagnosis is pretty good too. A sticking piston or collapsed flexi hose but I would add to that that the whole cylinder may be siezed in the back plate but you've made progress just from having a look. 

As someone else said above, if you can, dose the back of the cylinder in WD 40 or any other penetrating fluid several times before starting any work. The bleed nipples have a habit of rounding off or snapping and the end of the brake pipe tends to seize in the hollow nut thing that screws in to the back of the cylinder (that probably has a name) so when you undo it the pipe twists with it and breaks, then you need new pipes. Of course you might need new pipes anyway but it's still better not to break the old ones if possible. Still, it's all progress. 

[lanciamatt]

Ye , get the drum off and see what's going on , you can see if the cylinder is siezed by pushing the shoes back against the piston , good bit of progress by the way , at least you now know which side is stuck 

[captain_70s]

57 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

I think something is up with the hydraulic system, either sticking pistons or collapsed flexies acting as a 1 way valve?

Certainly sounds like it. Flexis should probably be replaced just because, I imagine they're pretty cheap. Could potentially be done roadside depending on how mean the fixings decide to be. Doing the Dolly's brakes I needed the blow torch and vice grips to get the bleed nipples out, but the Invacar may be better for having not been covered in mud.

To be honest wheel cylinders are pretty cheap too, if quality of repo parts is a potential issue you can rebuild them if the bores are good.

 

I don't think that exhaust will patch, it looks like the act of trying to wrap something around it tight enough to seal it would cause it to collapse.

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, lanciamatt said:

Once the weather pics up , if your still getting nowhere I will arrange with you a suitable Saturday and I'll come down for the day and sort some issues out . All I want in return is feeding and pay the congestion charge and ulez if your in that bit . 

thanks thats much appreciated!  (I am pretty deep in the ULEZ sadly, but just outside the congestion charge zone thankfully, but it is easy to accidentally end up in it when visiting me depending which way your coming and going)

1 hour ago, Yoss said:

You are right, if you keep unwinding the adjuster will fall out so you were right to stop but no harm in doing it a few times. 

I think your diagnosis is pretty good too. A sticking piston or collapsed flexi hose but I would add to that that the whole cylinder may be siezed in the back plate but you've made progress just from having a look. 

As someone else said above, if you can, dose the back of the cylinder in WD 40 or any other penetrating fluid several times before starting any work. The bleed nipples have a habit of rounding off or snapping and the end of the brake pipe tends to seize in the hollow nut thing that screws in to the back of the cylinder (that probably has a name) so when you undo it the pipe twists with it and breaks, then you need new pipes. Of course you might need new pipes anyway but it's still better not to break the old ones if possible. Still, it's all progress. 

yeah I still need to get the wheel and drum off for a better look but thats a bit more of an involved job then I wanted to get into (especially after my phone decided to die on me LOL)

those hollow nut thingies, are called brake pipe unions IIRC  

1 hour ago, lanciamatt said:

Ye , get the drum off and see what's going on , you can see if the cylinder is siezed by pushing the shoes back against the piston , good bit of progress by the way , at least you now know which side is stuck 

Yeah I still need to check the other wheel, but based on how it was similarly warm, I suspect its doing much the same

43 minutes ago, captain_70s said:

Certainly sounds like it. Flexis should probably be replaced just because, I imagine they're pretty cheap. Could potentially be done roadside depending on how mean the fixings decide to be. Doing the Dolly's brakes I needed the blow torch and vice grips to get the bleed nipples out, but the Invacar may be better for having not been covered in mud.

To be honest wheel cylinders are pretty cheap too, if quality of repo parts is a potential issue you can rebuild them if the bores are good.

 

I don't think that exhaust will patch, it looks like the act of trying to wrap something around it tight enough to seal it would cause it to collapse.

indeed id like to also replace the flexies, from the moment I got REV the plan has always been to replace the entire brake system for peace of mind, but things clearly have not gone to plan!

not sure I can do them from the roadside however, given how much of a physical faff it was for even Zel (luckily REV still has her original seat, so her seat back is easily removable for better access via the removal of the rear "bathtub")

On 23/01/2021 at 17:39, Zelandeth said:

We're 50% done.

After nearly two hours of cursing I got the first hose off.

The retaining nuts fought me every step of the way.

At least this meant I could fully confirm the new parts matched.

Excellent.

Getting the new one on was merely "bloody awkward." Here's a before and after.

Doesn't that look better?  The hose isn't twisted, it's just slightly longer than the gap so bows out a bit.  The old one was just doing it towards the camera in the above photo so it's less obvious.

Still surprises those hoses show no signs of perishing, just crusty ferrules consigned them to the bin...and I'd probably still have changed then anyway for long term peace of mind.  You don't take chances with single circuit brakes.

Hopefully get the other side done tomorrow.

I really need to have a look at how much work is involved in removing the seat back.  If it's only a few bolts it's totally coming off before I do the other side.  Squeezing into the gap which is about 2/3rds as wide as my shoulders to do this job is bloody torture...and made it far more frustrating than the job really was.

Will just be a nice job to have ticked off and one less thing to worry about long term.

 

On 24/01/2021 at 17:16, Zelandeth said:

Let's finish the job we started yesterday.

It's still cold.

Somewhere down the line once the garage is actually sorted out I'll have to think about getting some heating installed.

Step 1...Do what I should have done yesterday and spend ten minutes taking the seat out.

Today this is the corner we're doing battle with.

The first retaining nut came off without too much bother.  Was still a bit of a struggle, but nothing too dire.

Of course the last one decided to be an absolute pain.  Not helped by having to do everything 1/32 of a turn at a time and access precluding getting any serious leverage involved.

If I hadn't managed to wedge that one spanner against the chassis rail I reckon I'd probably still be there.

It felt like a LOT more than an hour and a half later when we finally had the old hose out.

Getting the new one in was only made slightly more awkward by virtue of the fact that the flare on the line to the wheel cylinder wouldn't spin on the pipe so I had to screw the pipe onto the union rather than the other way around.

By this point I could barely stand from my legs and back cramping so I called it a day.  Jobs for tomorrow will be to bleed the brakes, adjust the handbrake, clip all the lines back into place and do a VERY thorough leak check.  While I have the seat out there are a couple of minor jobs in that area I might attend to at the same time.  Looks like I might have a very slight blow from one exhaust to inlet manifold gasket, or it could just be a bit of dirt...I'll look more closely tomorrow.  I'd like to attach that fuel line to the chassis rail to keep it from sitting and rubbing against the top of the engine mounting cradle too.

I'm thoroughly glad that these hoses are fitted now...Not a job I want to do again!  Such a simple job made a million times more awkward because of the positions that you have to contort yourself into to get to anything.

 

theres thankfully a set of exhaust manifolds in the parts stash, so in time I should be able to get those fitted hopefully!

(and I also have 3 right hand side ones here at home, and of course its the left that is blowing LOL, however the reason I have 3 is the person who kindly gave them to me, said if you know a fabricator, they can make a left hand one out of 2 right hand side ones)

[Landy Mann]

Any progress is good progress, it's the little jobs (like the throttle) that are most satisfactory.

Having got my 110 out of a field I completely sympathize with finding out more work that needs doing, but I'm confident you'll get there.

If I look back to when I got my land Rover I'm much more competent now than I was ten years ago, and I'm sure you'll find the same, even small things like knowing exactly where to put the jack ect.. will speed up work over time.

Best of luck

(Note my land Rover is still nowhere near perfect and still spends about 3 months off the road a year... -although that's mostly my laziness at completing jobs!)

[LightBulbFun]

BTW if anyones curious I did a bit research and the knackered twist grip is a Tommaselli Daytona 2c

turns out its common on 1970's italian bikes I think and nearly £100 to buy new!, how it came to be on an Invacar im not sure, but I found it rather amusing  

[GeorgeB]

10 hours ago, chadders said:

If I remember correctly you have something to do with insurance, apologies if I'm wrong.

If I'm not what's the insurance position when he's aware that there are brake problems, still drives it and something happens?

I know that people do this all the time and it's probably moot but it might be something for him to be aware of.

"you"?

 

[chadders]

Referring to the previous post by JJ0063.

[GeorgeB]

4 minutes ago, chadders said:

Referring to the previous post by JJ0063.

What was?

Use the quote button!

[Dave_Q]

29 minutes ago, GeorgeB said:

What was?

Use the quote button!

Ben George 4 mod

[Missy Charm]

11 hours ago, chadders said:

If I remember correctly you have something to do with insurance, apologies if I'm wrong.

If I'm not what's the insurance position when he's aware that there are brake problems, still drives it and something happens?

I know that people do this all the time and it's probably moot but it might be something for him to be aware of.

The insurance position, as far as I am aware, is that the insurer can deny any claims made by the policyholder if he allows his car to fall into an unroadworthy condition; this assumes, of course, that the relevant clauses exist within the contract.  What the insurer cannot do, ever, is to welsh on their responsibilities to third parties.  Those are set in stone, per the minimum cover requirements under the Road Traffic Act. 

Practical example: an unroadworthy car, owned by Mr X, has fully comprehensive insurance in place.  Mr X crashes into another car, which is being driven by Miss Y, and then smashes into a garden wall.  Miss Y's car is written off and the garden wall is destroyed.  Mr X's insurer is on the hook for Miss Y's and the householder's damage claims; there is nothing they can do about that and will have to pay out.  Mr X also decides to claim, for damage to his car and for an injury sustained as a result of the crash.  He gets nothing, owing to the insurer citing the relevant 'unroadworthy' clause in the policy.  Mr X may also find himself liable for criminal prosecution.  

[N19]

5 minutes ago, Missy Charm said:

The insurance position, as far as I am aware, is that the insurer can deny any claims made by the policyholder if he allows his car to fall into an unroadworthy condition; this assumes, of course, that the relevant clauses exist within the contract.  What the insurer cannot do, ever, is to welsh on their responsibilities to third parties.  Those are set in stone, per the minimum cover requirements under the Road Traffic Act. 

Practical example: an unroadworthy car, owned by Mr X, has fully comprehensive insurance in place.  Mr X crashes into another car, which is being driven by Miss Y, and then smashes into a garden wall.  Miss Y's car is written off and the garden wall is destroyed.  Mr X's insurer is on the hook for Miss Y's and the householder's damage claims; there is nothing they can do about that and will have to pay out.  Mr X also decides to claim, for damage to his car and for an injury sustained as a result of the crash.  He gets nothing, owing to the insurer citing the relevant 'unroadworthy' clause in the policy.  Mr X may also find himself liable for criminal prosecution.  

Can Mr X also not find himself chased for money by his insurers in certain circumstances? Or is that just if he does something that leaves him uninsured.

[Missy Charm]

1 minute ago, N19 said:

Can Mr X also not find himself chased for money by his insurers in certain circumstances? Or is that just if he does something that leaves him uninsured.

No, in this context an insurer can't sue their own policyholder.  The third party risk has to be taken on the chin, although the likelihood is that Mr X's insurer will also have insurance to cover the proceeds of the third parties' claims so it won't actually cost them anything much.  Aren't risk markets wonderful?

[AdgeCutler]

Good work Dez, I can only imagine your issues with doing such work but as has been said above progress is progress. I struggle to find time, other than that I've been rounding off my knuckles since I my peers were playing Sinclair Spectrums and scratching my head over issues has left me with little hair. Glad you are seeing physical evidence of Adams endeavours which will have cost him that most precious of all things, called time. Most of all I hope you're feeling a great sense of achievement in at least getting closer to that diagnosis and that that sense of achievement it will push you onward.