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...

[plasticvandan]

You would know if it was gear oil,it stinks. What's run into three or four beads sat at the bottom of the diff looks thinner to me.easy way is to just put your finger in it and see what colour it is/smell.if it's red/pink it's atf.unlikely to be engine oil as it looks too clean.

[Andrew353w]

  On 31/03/2025 at 22:42, Heidel_Kakao said:

EP90 stinks like cat piss due to the sulphur in it, if you get any on your clothes you will know about it.

Expand  

I've always thought the smell akin to bay's vomit...... Whatever it smells like, it's bloody awful! 

[Datsuncog]

I had a bottle of Castrol Syntrax gear oil leak in the back of the Forester. Soaked the boot carpet and ran down under the back seats. The smell when you opened the door on a warm day would have knocked you out; to me it wasn't dissimilar to the smell of a fishmonger's bin. Then the winder mechanism on driver's window stopped working.

I know it was also pure rotten underneath, but I can't say the gear oil smell wasn't a factor in my decision to scrap it...

[LightBulbFun]

is it just the EP variants of gear oil that smell bad or is it all types? I am just wondering if this might be regular SAE90 rather then 90EP? (as either is allowed according to the lubrication chart)

 

I did wonder if it was engine oil, as on my fingers it looked a *lot* like what I had just wiped off the engine dipstick previously,  but I am not sure how it could be accumulating on the diff, given the engine and the diff are fairly well spaced apart, and the diff is ahead of the engine, although maybe its being blown about by big ol cooling fan and somehow collecting there?

 

[neil1971]

Sorry if it's already been on here, but this popped up on Facebook, from the Views of New and Old Lowestoft page

[LightBulbFun]

  On 04/04/2025 at 16:47, neil1971 said:

Sorry if it's already been on here, but this popped up on Facebook, from the Views of New and Old Lowestoft page

Expand  

thats cool! not a picture I have seen before nice to see a picture of another REV! due to how the registration system of the UK changed during the production of the Model 70, and how the blocks aligned, there are actually 3 REV blocks of Model 70's,  REV701K-REV800K, REV701M-REV800M and REV375R-REV475R, but of the 301 REV Model 70's only REV451R is known to survive, and I dont have any pictures really of any other REV's

there is however also REV731 a 1950 Invacar Model 19D, its the only other "REV" known to survive, although I have never seen a photograph of it sadly, but I would love to meet up with it with my REV  especially as looking at the details of REV731 I think its a private car rather then a Ministry car, just like my REV!  

 

[Spottedlaurel]

@LightBulbFun seen this one in the Ian Allen "Scottish Bus Group" book?

[EyesWeldedShut]

  On 05/04/2025 at 08:26, Spottedlaurel said:

Ian Allen "Scottish Bus Group" book?

Expand  

My Dad's first car was NAG465G - close.
The InvaCar - I'm assuming they all got block registered someplace (TWC = Essex?) and then shipped around the country?

[LightBulbFun]

  On 05/04/2025 at 08:26, Spottedlaurel said:

@LightBulbFun seen this one in the Ian Allen "Scottish Bus Group" book?

Expand  

indeed I have page 384  but I appreciate the heads up none-the-less  

 

  On 09/08/2024 at 00:25, LightBulbFun said:

  On 26/02/2023 at 10:33, LightBulbFun said:

Whoa! check this out its another TWC! TWC750K, not DVLA live so it came off the road within a couple years of being photographed 

https://www.facebook.com/olivier.stourme/posts/pfbid0367cPhnEhZQto6zBVDi6QbGTcaTsUJqTAdT8FiMniaCyTxnxx8oJFxu2i97wLWipnl

always wondered if any of TWC's sister cars had been papped! Obviously like most other Model 70's there was a whole block of TWC's TWC701K-TWC800K

so the possibility was always out there, but the statistical chances of it where slim, so this is very awesome to see! its also awesome to see as its a highly original spec car, and shows what @dollywobbler's TWC would of looked like when new (give or take some wheel trims!)

complete with original rear lights, dash-change still even (which is pretty interesting to see still present in 1980) and  Tippers pressed number plates  

Expand  

recent discovery from Stuart this time, from "Britain's Buses in the Seventies" its another TWC! , this time TWC774K would of only been a year old in that picture, but not DVLA live so did not make it past 1983

Expand  

 

  On 05/04/2025 at 08:55, EyesWeldedShut said:

My Dad's first car was NAG465G - close.
The InvaCar - I'm assuming they all got block registered someplace (TWC = Essex?) and then shipped around the country?

Expand  

indeed, all ministry invalid vehicles where registered in blocks by the factory that produced them, so Essex for Invacar, Surrey for AC, Coventry for Tippen etc, often in blocks of 100 or 200, Ministry invalid vehicles where very much fleet vehicles, if you think them as single-seater buses, then a lot of how things where done will probably make a lot of sense  

the only exception to this is the new Model 70's sent to Northern Ireland after the 1st of October 1974, due to how the English and Northern Ireland registration systems diverge from that point forward, the Ministry had to send un-registered vehicles over there and get them locally registered (although they where still all centrally registered in Belfast)

[lesapandre]

Lovely day herein London. Trip out for photos?

[LightBulbFun]

  On 05/04/2025 at 14:23, lesapandre said:

Lovely day herein London. Trip out for photos?

Expand  

well today I had an early start for the flower farm meet  

but REV did not appreciate the early AM Sunday wake up call, and about 23 miles into the drive, while I was otherwise quite happily humming along the M25, just after junction 3 

the drive belt decided to to exit stage left, (I suspect the sounds of things hitting the under-carriage about 15 seconds before it let go, was not in fact road debris, but chunks of drive belt flying off!)

so nothing for it, recovery was called and within the hour I was on my way back home!, my first time in a Lorry so thats something I suppose  (what was rather amusing was how quickly google maps seemed to update with "warning stalled car reported" as it took me a moment to shut the sat nav up after making the phone calls)

and before not too long, I was back home and REV unloaded safe and sound  

while REV was on the flat bed I took the opportunity to look at things and confirmed indeed the drive belt is what had let go 

what I find rather impressive is how it seems to have vanished for the most part, having a quick reach about this was the largest piece I could find, with a NOS belt for comparison!

I suppose most of it is strewn across the M25! (and a fair amount of that string has confettied itself around REV's undercarriage) the drive belt on REV was one of the last major things I wanted to check/service on REV since I have no idea when it was done last, so I had been meaning to change it primitively anyhow, I suppose its now just moved itself up the order somewhat! 

 

on the plus-side the exhaust bodge seems to have worked quite well  there might be a slight ticking noise? but its *much* better then it was and that ticking noise is only present at a certain speed/rev range (who knows maybe it was early signs of the belt failing) but certainly other driving about it sounds like she used to, in-fact it sounded better then she used to! I wonder if it had been slightly holed for a while now? or i had just quickly gotten used to what its like with a hole in it LOL either way im pleased the exhaust bodge worked  

 

[Andrew353w]

You have my sympathy! I deposited various parts of a Daf 33 belt on the M1 a few years ago; the noise was deafening, somewhat akin to a shotgun going off under the car.Fortunately, having two belts I could keep going and made my way s-l-o-w-l-y home without the need to call the AA.

[lesapandre]

  15 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

well today I had an early start for the flower farm meet  

but REV did not appreciate the early AM Sunday wake up call, and about 23 miles into the drive, while I was otherwise quite happily humming along the M25, just after junction 3 

the drive belt decided to to exit stage left, (I suspect the sounds of things hitting the under-carriage about 15 seconds before it let go, was not in fact road debris, but chunks of drive belt flying off!)

so nothing for it, recovery was called and within the hour I was on my way back home!, my first time in a Lorry so thats something I suppose  (what was rather amusing was how quickly google maps seemed to update with "warning stalled car reported" as it took me a moment to shut the sat nav up after making the phone calls)

and before not too long, I was back home and REV unloaded safe and sound  

while REV was on the flat bed I took the opportunity to look at things and confirmed indeed the drive belt is what had let go 

what I find rather impressive is how it seems to have vanished for the most part, having a quick reach about this was the largest piece I could find, with a NOS belt for comparison!

I suppose most of it is strewn across the M25! (and a fair amount of that string has confettied itself around REV's undercarriage) the drive belt on REV was one of the last major things I wanted to check/service on REV since I have no idea when it was done last, so I had been meaning to change it primitively anyhow, I suppose its now just moved itself up the order somewhat! 

 

on the plus-side the exhaust bodge seems to have worked quite well  there might be a slight ticking noise? but its *much* better then it was and that ticking noise is only present at a certain speed/rev range (who knows maybe it was early signs of the belt failing) but certainly other driving about it sounds like she used to, in-fact it sounded better then she used to! I wonder if it had been slightly holed for a while now? or i had just quickly gotten used to what its like with a hole in it LOL either way im pleased the exhaust bodge worked  

 

Expand  

Alls well that ends well. If you are going to have an FTP nothing better than a quiet sunny Sunday - and much better than in 🇫🇷 France sometime in a thunderstorm.

Any idea how old the belt was? 

Glad you and Rev are safe and sound 👍

[AdgeCutler]

It must have been the day for it Dez, Rev lost her go while Brian lost his stop.
While out happily trundling around I came to some traffic lights which wanted us to stop, no brakes, exciting! Had to drive home on the handbrake.

[LightBulbFun]

  15 hours ago, lesapandre said:

Alls well that ends well. If you are going to have an FTP nothing better than a quiet sunny Sunday - and much better than in 🇫🇷 France sometime in a thunderstorm.

Any idea how old the belt was? 

Glad you and Rev are safe and sound 👍

Expand  

no idea how old the drive-belt is or how many miles on it hence why I wanted to get it preemptively changed, im hoping fingers crossed that with some assistance I can get a new belt put on, from what I have read its quite simple, but the question is how much of a fight will the fastners/adjuster put up

I had half a mind to ask them to recover me to flower farm, and hope that someone there might have a toolkit on them, (as I do carry a spare belt on me at all time) but I did not know for sure at that point in time if it really was the drive-belt that let go, and or if anything else had let go (there is the question of why did the drive-belt fail, is it just old age or has something happened with one of the pulleys, I know @dollywobbler had TWC shred a drive belt after a duff set of pulleys was fitted)

so figured just play it safe, get her home, then I can worry about it in my own time  

  13 hours ago, AdgeCutler said:

It must have been the day for it Dez, Rev lost her go while Brian lost his stop.
While out happily trundling around I came to some traffic lights which wanted us to stop, no brakes, exciting! Had to drive home on the handbrake.

Expand  

Eeeep! that sounds like no fun at all, losing drive is one thing, but losing brakes is a whole other thing! do you know whats happened to cause the loss of brakes? glad you managed to get yourself and Brian home without incident otherwise, also nice to hear Brian is still being used out-n-about of course  

[AdgeCutler]

  13 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

no idea how old the drive-belt is or how many miles on it hence why I wanted to get it preemptively changed, im hoping fingers crossed that with some assistance I can get a new belt put on, from what I have read its quite simple, but the question is how much of a fight will the fastners/adjuster put up

I had half a mind to ask them to recover me to flower farm, and hope that someone there might have a toolkit on them, (as I do carry a spare belt on me at all time) but I did not know for sure at that point in time if it really was the drive-belt that let go, and or if anything else had let go (there is the question of why did the drive-belt fail, is it just old age or has something happened with one of the pulleys, I know @dollywobbler had TWC shred a drive belt after a duff set of pulleys was fitted)

so figured just play it safe, get her home, then I can worry about it in my own time  

Eeeep! that sounds like no fun at all, losing drive is one thing, but losing brakes is a whole other thing! do you know whats happened to cause the loss of brakes? glad you managed to get yourself and Brian home without incident otherwise, also nice to hear Brian is still being used out-n-about of course  

Expand  

I’ve just finished rectifying the problem. 
Whipped off the master cylinder (what is it were now supposed to call them now that the PC brigade has deemed slave and master unsuitable terms?). The bottom of the reservoir for a start did not look the “pristine “ that we like to see within brake systems but upon removing the piston it got worse. 

[AdgeCutler]

I’m blaming the brake fluid I used, it must have been contaminated with water. After stripping it all down and cleaning everything, it became evident what had caused the failure. The wavy washer that holds the foot valve open had corroded and stopped holding the seal against the seat, thus allowing the fluid to return straight to reservoir upon brake application. Such a tiny component to cause such a worry!

A quick rummage around a mates garage soon yielded a NOS replacement and we’re now back on the road.

[Mrs6C]

In other news... at about 20 seconds in to this little FB reel, a brace of small blue vehicles can be spied...
https://www.facebook.com/reel/4180870522136807