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...

[Missy Charm]

On 01/09/2025 at 01:09, LightBulbFun said:

with REV back and the Throttle cable sorted, it was time for  an evening trip across London

to Northolt, to pick up some of these  

what these are an American type of fluorescent tube, so of course when I spotted a bunch of them being sold by a Seller in the UK, I had to grab a few  I actually found em a while back, but tis only now I have been able to action getting them, they had little interest from other collectors because they are Chinese made, but to me they are still interesting being a US type that should not be over here in the first place! and they are also because of US Federal lamp efficiency regulations and the exemptions/loop-holes around them, they have a rather high CRI then what you normally expect from such a tube, so I look forward to seeing what they are like lit up  

after battling through the A40, I eventually made it to the sellers house, and I had a very fruitful haul! of course I had to ask the seller "how did you end up with these American market tubes here in the UK" and it turns out he collects, fixes/repairs/sells replacement bits/parts-out Juke boxes, and of course Juke boxes have fluorescent lighting in them, and in an order of tubes for them, these U-Bent ones where sent by accident

his house/workshop was amazing, multiple shelving units full of electromechanical bits, bobs, odds and sods you name it! I wish I grabbed more pictures, @Zelandeth you would of loved it in there!

and then he was like "I have a few boxes of tubes I have pulled out of the juke boxes I have parted out over time, are you interested in them?"

Does the pope shit in the woods?!

yeah in what I suppose is typical Fashion for me at this point! what went from "im just picking up a few" kinda escalated  there is a very awesome eclectic mix of tubes, many vintage US types that dont normally exist here, and since there from Juke Boxes, many of them themselves are of odd-ball types (Juke boxes often use whats known in the US as "Appliance tubes" fluorescent tubes of odd ball wattages and lengths, designed to fit within as the name implies appliances, like Cooker hoods Juke boxes, and things like that)

there where also a number of Black-ender tubes in there, that is to say tubes with phenolic Bakelite end caps, something unique for the most part to older US Westinghouse and Sylvania tubes, which I am extremely pleased about, especially the Westinghouse T12's, which you just dont see in the UK usually! (part of the reason I did that 300 mile round trip in REV previously was to pick up some Westinghouse fluorescent tubes!)

but the Pièce de résistance*, was this Bright Light Lamps tube

British, Bright Light Lamps where a small British company that no one really knows all that much about, but who are know for making special/custom fluorescent tubes, their products are always extremely quirky, and even tho my tube in this case is "just" a regular white 2ft 20W T12 in terms of the type it is, its about as un-regular as they come! the stand out feature being that they necked the tube down to use T8 end caps on a T12 tube, which is just fucking weird! (but gives you a nice view of the cathodes  ) so I am extremely pleased to have this, it is also quite unusual in that it is just white and a 2ft 20W tube, again normally Bright light lamps where known explicitly for doing odd-shapes, odd lengths or odd colours, for example I have seen BLL 2ft 20W T12's like this once before, that another collector own but they are pink in colour, not regular white like mine is, so I am surprised BLL bothered making such a regular spec of tube as mine, theres no way they would of been able to compete with the big companies in terms of cost/profitability etc

* but speaking of french there was even a vintage pre philips take over (I think), French Mazdafluor tube in one of the boxes

did I mention it was a very eclectic mix of tubes?! and I have not even actually really dug through them yet, these are just what I spotted at first blush, the ones that stood out like sore thumbs  this is exactly why I always "chase the lead" if I see anything even slightly odd ball, ill enquire about it, because who know what else there might be along with it  

anywho! eventually after a good long chat with the seller, the tubes where loaded into REV and I was on my way home, a nicer drive coming back, traffic was a bit lighter/more free flowing, night-time cruising FTW

 I admit I do wonder what people make of being passed or seeing not just an Invacar ,but one with a bunch of fluorescent tubes rattling about with the driver, (on a Sunday night heading into London)

33 miles covered  

tis good to have REV back  

on that note all being well I am hoping to take REV to the National Microcar rally on the 21st of September  would be good to know if anyone else is attending?  

 

 

Was the 'British Bright Lamps' factory in Thanet in Kent?

[LightBulbFun]

1 hour ago, Missy Charm said:

Was the 'British Bright Lamps' factory in Thanet in Kent?

My bad the "british" at the front there was bad editing on my part, (tho they are British!) the Company was just known as "Bright Light Lamp", very little is known about Bright Light lamps, or should I say "Bright Light Lamp" since studying some other examples, I realised its not actual pluralised! many of us collectors associate them with LongLamps LTD, another company/brand found on highly unusual custom fluorescent tubes 

to pinch a couple pictures from my fellow collectors 

but looking into it and the fine details I am not sure that they are the same company, while Longlamps LTD was also known for making special custom fluorescent tubes, their tubes have different hallmarks then what I have seen on Bright Light Lamp Tubes

not how the LongLamps LTD tubes have Red etches with GEC-esk Alphabetical date codes, and all the bi-pin T8 tubes (like the 15W one) have plain style end caps, while Bright Light Lamp, tubes all have straw coloured etches with long numerical string date codes,  and those with Bi Pin T8 end caps like all the ones seen below, have knurled end caps

On 29/06/2024 at 21:52, LightBulbFun said:

On 28/06/2024 at 14:21, junkyarddog said:

that bottom picture was doing the rounds among the lighting community a few months back because of the extremely rare fluorescent tube in the photograph

not only are the tubes in the foreground quite nice in their own right, there is clearly at one Bayonet capped fluorescent tube in there  which I talk about here

https://autoshite.com/topic/33156-the-lightbulbfun-thread/page/6/#comment-1757427

but most eye-catchingly in the background is a very rare type of circular fluorescent tube, an 80W T12 type made by a company known as Bright Light lamps or Longlamps Ltd , they where known for producing very odd ball fluorescent tubes, out of standard components, and their most well known product has to be this mysterious circular tube, take a 5ft T12 fluorescent tube roll it up into a circle, stick on a couple of T8 ends et viola! 

sadly that is not my own picture! I would love one for the collection, the clear T8 ends means you can rather uniquely for a fluorescent tube study the electrodes while the tube is in operation without the phosphor getting in the way  

Bright Light Lamps/Long lamps limited where also famously known for producing this tube

again not my picture! but it is a very curious early attempt of a compact fluorescent tube, take a 4ft T12 fluorescent tube slice it into 4 equal lengths and joint the lengths up with T8 intersections! 

sadly very little is known about  very little is known about the company/companies and they very much one of these mysterious companies with mysterious and intriguing products! 

so I am really not sure if LongLamp LTD and Bright Light Lamp are one and the same as is often thought

I was at least able to find some info on  LongLamps LTD, from the Graces Guide its listed in in the 1950 British Industries Fair with the following details

Longlamps, Ltd. Stand C,100. 24, Marshalsea Road, S.E.l. Teleph. : Hop. 1315. Tel. Add. : " Neon, Elect, Sedist, London.”—Architectural Lamps and Fittings; Fluorescent Lamps and Fittings; Neon Signs and Equipment; Fluorescent Equipment; Cold Cathode Neon Fluorescent.

but I have not been able to find anything on whoever "Bright Light Lamp" are

however speaking of my own Bright Light Lamp tube, that in itself turned out to be something quite special, I should of known better then to think it was "just" an unusually constructed, 2ft 20W T12 tube, after the post I did and while I was sorting out all the tubes I got, I realise hang on a second this is *longer* then a 20W 2ft tube,

 

so I looked at its reletive length difference to a regular 20W 2ft T12 tube, and had a close look at its etch, and then I realised

turns out that it is not a 20W 2ft tube at all, e F25T12/28, American spec 25W 28 inch appliance T12 tube!

shown here compared with the French 20W 2ft T12 also from this haul, and a "regular" Americian 28 inch F25T12 appliance tube, that I actually got from another collector a few months back, which I dug out of the collection to verify

(this recent haul with REV, contained all sorts of American Appliance tubes, but rather amusingly this Bright Light Lamp oddity was the only 28 inch T12 one!)

and sure enough looking at the etch closely I realise it says 25W not 20W!

 

this is very odd because, ok it makes sense, if your back in the day of need to replace an odd-ball, fluorescent tube like this, Bright Light Lamp would be the people you went to have a custom replacement made up if you where that desperate

but at the same time because a fair amount of US equipment did find its way to the UK, most specialist lighting wholesalers did go out of their way to stock a selection of American specific lightbulbs/fluorescent tubes, so its not like the F25T12/28 where *total* unobtanium

so it is very interesting that someone did go out of their way to have Bright Light Lamp create one!

 

so yeah this tube is all the more curious! and there is the question of who is the Private label? seems to be labeled "NEW ER" or "NEW ERA" 

and then finally theres the question of does it conform to spec, does it have the same electrical properties and physical gas-filling properties of the F25T12/28 its designed to replace? I still need to do in depth testing on that front  

[High Jetter]

Maybe a look at Companies House Webcheck might enlighten you? (Sorry)

[Christine]

I've got these lighting my shed

 

 

 

 

 

[LightBulbFun]

Had another trip out in REV

actually a couple trips out

one to the bakery first

and then to somewhere near Bromley to pick up a Lights Idea 2x20W plug-in fluorescent light, which came with a nice vintage 1970's Atlas tube spare also

also stopped at a halfords to see about getting some nicknacks, amusingly there was a Corsa C in the carpark having its coolant (and oil) topped up, 

after some after-dark cruising along the A2 and A12

I was home with 42 mile covered today

also a few amusing interactions while out and about on this trip including sweary positive affirmation from a Big burly dude on a harley davidson who filtered through traffic for a closer look, a father and his sons utterly perplexed by it, another member of public took a picture of someone she was with in the drivers seat (after they asked!)  the halfords staff who thought it was the coolest thing ever (apparently the first three wheeler they have ever had)and the obligatory old women "I have not seen one of those in years"  (also had 2 separate people mistake it for a Bond Mini car of all things! usually she gets mistaken as "the car from Mr Bean" LOL)

[High Jetter]

An car.

[Snake Charmer]

16 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

usually she gets mistaken as "the car from Mr Bean" LOL)

Just say "Ffs, from Ali G." 😁

[D.E]

[MT606]

area looks a bit run down these days..... a good railway museum/vintage line near by mind

[LightBulbFun]

with the 21st soon upon us, I wanted to do a couple odd jobs on REV namely clean the windscreen and take her for another run to shake down before the big drive, one of the "problems" I face is that with REV, I can get lightbulbs in quantities far quicker then I am able to actually process them into the collection, so right now my room is kind of an explosion of lightbulbs and tubes all over the place

so naturally I was off to pick up a bundle of lightbulbs I had spotted on facebook market place (funnily enough until about a day ago I never really bothered to actively search facebook market place because until now I had no way to get anything from there, until a friend made a casual remark about the fact he doesn't check it and I then internally went "oh yeah I can start searching there now, I have got REV! all your bulb are belong to me!)

twas about 17 miles to somewhere near Orpington, the couple was most kind and ended up letting me have the lightbulbs FoC on account of the fact they knew they where going to a good home (I was told they got all these bulbs from someone who worked for Osram and had gone into care so they where helping clear the house)

it was mostly a smorgosboard of 1990's stuff, tho there was this old 1950's Osram flood-lamp 1000W bunch filament lamp with a nice box  

and there where 4 of these, 100W Osram Filtalites (GEC's answer to the Mazda Netabulb) , these are what caught my eye on the listing initially, as I have a good friend fellow collector, who has a most impressive collection (for example he has an MAF/V lamp and if you know what that means, you will know just how impressive it is that someone outside of a museum has one of those!) but there was one bulb he searched for desperately and just could not find, a simple 100W Filtalite  to complete his collection/range of Osram Filtalites, and a while back I told him "ahh dont be so glum! I am sure some will turn up or ill find you some"  as he was pretty down about it,

and sure enough low and behold here are 4 of the buggers   (ok so he did actually manage to find a couple himself between then and now, but I did tell him I would find some!)

the other reason for picking up this particular lot of lightbulbs as I realised it gave me a good excuse to visit the garage where REV used to be serviced/looked after between 1985-2000  

 sadly turns out Mr Neves himself had sold the the business a few years ago, (tho sounds like he is still alive somewhere) so there was no one there from back in the day, but there was an older chap from a business next door who I think did do work for Neves (painting in particular) who was very smitten to see another Model 70 after all this time and, very kindly produced and gave me these 2 photographs he had  which I have duly scanned in (and the chap who owns Neves now was quite intrigued by it all and he had not seen these photos himself! and there was some rather amusing banter between him and the older chap "what thats you? with hair?!" )

(TNV242 is still showing as taxed and tested!)

sadly no REV directly visible in these shots, but they are still very cool none the less to get some period photos of Neves Garage like this during its Ministry approved repairer years  (I do wonder if the Model 70 on the far right just poking into shot is TJN352R or not, which was serviced at Neves as well, tho I do wonder if this is actually reserve/death row, both RVW724R and GHJ637N show similar tax due dates)

Bonus Civic for @Ghosty (and MG for those who like those)

then I made way home via the bakery and the chippy

also got petrol for the big trip on the 21st, 39 Mpg! new Record woop  (almost feels like theres an error somewhere, but according to the odometer photographs I have done 125 miles since last (brimmed) fill up)

and then finally home with 39 miles covered today  

[plasticvandan]

Stop hoarding lightbulbs,start hoarding spares,tools and consumables you have a dependent now. Keep us posted on the trip to the national. Mpg is a good sign of how well something is running (brakes/clutch not dragging etc) if you could get a leccy ignition kit for it you would get that to the mid 40s (and increase performance too)

[CaptainBoom]

1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

somewhere near Orpington

You could have said hello!  I live about three roads away from where you parked to collect the lamps from .  I see that you got over to Sidcup to Neves as well, nice one!

Those photos of the garage when it was a service centre are a bit of a bonus, too.  Do you reckon that they are adapted Morris Minors in the photos?  I remember that you mentioned that when new registrations/allocations of Model 70's started winding down, Minors got used with adaptions for disabled motorists.

My old neighbours (now long gone sadly) recalled the service centre with 'the little blue cars' when I asked them a few years ago.  Apparently there were two Invacars, of one type or another on the street where I live in regular use, this would have been late 80's, I'm guessing. (It's all bungalows around here and some residents have been here a long time.) 

All the best for the trip, safe journey

[plasticvandan]

Unlikely,ministry minors were generally dark blue 2 door saloons.

[Mrs6C]

17 minutes ago, plasticvandan said:

start hoarding spares,tools and consumables

Fair to say the Model 70 Massive has that sorted...

 

[LightBulbFun]

13 hours ago, CaptainBoom said:

You could have said hello!  I live about three roads away from where you parked to collect the lamps from .  I see that you got over to Sidcup to Neves as well, nice one!

Those photos of the garage when it was a service centre are a bit of a bonus, too.  Do you reckon that they are adapted Morris Minors in the photos?  I remember that you mentioned that when new registrations/allocations of Model 70's started winding down, Minors got used with adaptions for disabled motorists.

My old neighbours (now long gone sadly) recalled the service centre with 'the little blue cars' when I asked them a few years ago.  Apparently there were two Invacars, of one type or another on the street where I live in regular use, this would have been late 80's, I'm guessing. (It's all bungalows around here and some residents have been here a long time.) 

All the best for the trip, safe journey

if had known! I totally would of! (goes without saying, if you ever need a hand with something, feel free to give me a shout and ill be happy to pop over and help hold a broken captive nut in place while you hammer a smaller socket over the other side or something )

it was also all quite spur of the moment I have been trying to juggle things in the run up to the 21st, (give REv's windscreen a clean, do a shake down run, get a full tank of fuel etc) without blowing the pain budget too badly, while bashing my sleep cycle into shape (which I have now done, I hope i can keep it like and have not done it too early LOL)

TBF a fair number of these lightbulb collection capers are quite spur of the moment, thats one of the really nice things about having REV, is the ability to be able to smash an address into google maps and then disappear off into the distance

 

The Minor being a floppy top was likely not a Ministry car, too old for that as well, they mainly supplied Saloons and Travellers  heres the numbers for 1973  

The Morris Minor it was also concurrent/before the Model 70, what a lot of people dont realise, is that the Invalid Vehicle Service, provided more then just Invalid cars' but also adapted regular cars if you where married couple or had dependents otherwise, they would not actually give a single seater car to a disable single mother of 5 as much of the media/internet like to claim! 

 

 

[beko1987]

Make sure you take a good few boxes of bulbs for any 'free please take' piles at meets though, you don't want to come across as a hoarder.

Of course it's when you leave said meet fuller than you were before they all fall down 😂 I have that problem meeting up with other vacuum collectors... 

[quicksilver]

17 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

 

 

 

I love the contrast of the exotic Aston surrounded by the humble Model 70s, but which is rarer nowadays? 😄

Silly idea: create the opposite of this shot by taking REV to a classic Aston dealer.

[LightBulbFun]

yeah so much for resting up to the 21st, more lightbulbs called  (despite the best efforts of some ford trying to box me in!)

this time "just" to streatham, but it was much more tortuous drive then the last one (which was pretty smooth 30-50mph cruising for a fair chunk of it, where as this took me right through central London over tower bridge and Blackfriars bridge)

got there in the end tho!

this was a nice bundle I spotted being offered FoC, they had just moved in and found them left behind! its a small bundle but some very nice early 1970's tubes in here including rare 2ft 40W tubes and some espically nice TLAD 15W/55's which is quite an unsual combination of 15W T8 with earthing stripe and in colour-matching Northlight (rather amusingly this bundle appears to be mostly Philips tubes, where as the one before was mostly Osram lamps!)

 and a couple NOS T12 battens too which you dont see very often  they will be just the thing for testing/photographing my 2ft tubes in

21 miles of London traffic handled without issue  

I did take the opportunity since this collection was not so time pressured to play about with the throttle cable a bit, since the snapping incident and replacing it its had a bit of slack in it which I would like to get rid of and i think i am not quite getting full throttle because of it (as the twist grip feels like it hits its end stop before the throttle linkage itself does), so I tried removing the slack which gave a more positive throttle feel, but then at full left lock it goes sticky, so I just put it back to how it was, need to investigate things there, but thats for after the weekend! (unless I can collar someone at the show if anyone there has any thoughts/ideas!)

[LightBulbFun]

Oh and I managed to get another photo of REV in the windows  

[plasticvandan]

A new cable will stretch on fitting and use and settle in,so adjustment normal. 

[wesacosa]

[jon.k]

I was out on my bike today and about 20-30 different microcars passed me from the microcar National. It was fantastic. I was thinking what it was missing was a Invacar and I kept on expecting to see you or hubnut coming past. 

[alcyonecorporation]

adjusted ya neve's garage shot:

 

[plasticvandan]

Pretty sure he is intending to drive there today in it.havent seen any others at the rally yet looking at the pics online

[Mrs6C]

Not REV but another Invacar...
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1203417071819912&set=pcb.1203417295153223

[dollywobbler]

On 20/09/2025 at 22:41, jon.k said:

I was out on my bike today and about 20-30 different microcars passed me from the microcar National. It was fantastic. I was thinking what it was missing was a Invacar and I kept on expecting to see you or hubnut coming past. 

Just couldn't make it. One of those weekends where there were about 20 different things to do.

[Mrs6C]

Spotted! 34s in...
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1619324959445193

Also at 52s, along with Brian, @AdgeCutler's Mk12...

[Mrs6C]

On 13/05/2020 at 17:16, LightBulbFun said:

NPJ340D, AC Acedes Mk12 (Model 57), Date of first registration 9 September 1966, Current status unknown, untaxed since 28 November 1995, Date of last V5C (logbook) issued 26 May 1994

This one got a mention in a FB post the other day...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/403076930973613/posts/1448717283076234/

[Mrs6C]

The same FB group has a few other rellevant photos. This one has had the AI wand waved across it, so there may be a better photo elsewhere:
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=24160550003631025&set=gm.1417542152860414

A Model 70...
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10220447694980878&set=gm.1125044705443495

[LightBulbFun]

so Sunday was the 50th Anniversary of the National Microcar Rally, and I thought if theres any car show I really aught to make it to this one, for its historical significance, and in memory of Jean Hammond, for not only was she instrumental in the Microcar scene, preserving and collecting and raising their awareness at a time in the 1970's-1980's when they where often just the butt of jokes and very much looked down upon, but also because I have REV because of Jean, she was very much how I ended up finding REV in the first place, she went out of my way to take my number when she found out at the Autoshite Hammond collection visit, that I was looking for a Model 70 and she passed it on to someone she knew was looking to sell their pair of Model 70's and the rest is history

so an early Sunday start for REV (this time without any drive-belts going pop like the last time I tried an early sunday start to go to a gathering LOL)

some 83 miles later, up the A40-M40-A40 I was there!

I even was following just a car behind, this Steyr Puch 500 which was very fitting  

took a bit of shuffling, after a scooter car sort of stole the parking space that was being held for REV, just as I was pulling up to it, the cheek of it! (so the Argson had to get evicted)

but soon REV was in place, right next to Brian @AdgeCutler's Mk12, and rather fittingly next to the Opperman Stirling, so that made 3 Steyr puch vehicles at the show  

I did very kindly get given permission to use REV to get about the site, but it was quite busy with foot traffic and tight, so Stuart had kindly brought along one of his Mobility scooters for this eventuality, but that had been commandeered by one his other friends

so nothing for it, time for the Alternate, I pinched the 1929 Argson Electric as my mode of Transport for the day,  96 years old  

but it performed most admirably, here I am at the end the show day with the prize giving, where @AdgeCutler's Invacar Mk12E got a Second place prize in best car in show for the plastics category  (dont ask me why theres a Random manhole cover in the middle of a grassy field!)

it was really Awesome to see Brian the Invacar Mk12 in person! my take away impression is that, the throttle has no return mechanism, its up to close it when slowing down! theres no return spring, great for cruising I imagine, but I could see it maybe to leading to some hairy moments otherwise!

after stopping at Stuart's place, I then made my way to my premmier in for the night

then next morning stopped to fill up the tank, 31 Mpg this time around  

stopped at Stuarts place again, photo for @dollywobbler its an Invacar and a Matiz, but both are later revisions then TWC or Mertyle the Matiz, then it was time to hit the road again

171 miles covered over the 2 days, and I even hit a new speed record on the way back home, without even trying for it!, over taking a Lorry on the M40, I was thinking "mmm im going quite fast" *looks at GPS* and before I knew it I was doing about 72Mph!, so I have officially cracked the 70Mph mark  (tho all the lightbulbs in the cabin started vibrating at that speed, so for their sake and for the sake of mechanical sympathy I did not try for any faster, just tucked in front of the lorry once I was a good distance past and dropped back to cruising speed) tho coming into London on the A40 it appears my heat-exchanger has cracked like the previous one did, so thats a bit naff, this replacement was second hand, but I would of hoped it would of lasted more then just a couple hundred miles, but given the state of our roads maybe I shouldn't be too surprised it cracked (those roundabout yellow stop stripes make me wince since no ones worn the middle of them nice and smooth!)

but otherwise home without issue, REV handled it all brilliantly, and it was really awesome to be able to finally do something like this, which I would not of been able to do otherwise without REV,

 

Many thanks go to @AdgeCutler for holding and bring all the lightbulbs I won at that museum auction @barrett linked to few months ago, I think @AdgeCutler has a picture of me in REV full of lightbulbs  and Many thanks to Stuart Cyphus for lending me his Argson so I could get about the show grounds, that was a life saver in itself, and very much fortifies my thoughts that having an Argson for local trips would be very handy, just a shame I have got nowhere to keep one! and I can very much see why @brummiejon enjoys his Argson so much for local pottering about  and many thanks to the show organisers for being accommodating with regards to my disability and allowing me to potter about on the site in a powered vehicle