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...

[busmansholiday]

Give them a ring, I've actually found them quite 'human' when you get to talk with them.

You could start your conversation with something like, "I hope you're sitting down because you may not believe me with this request......"

[LightBulbFun]

6 minutes ago, Snipes said:

Well done lbf. I think going halves is the best thing to do, given it's age and it being your first car. 

Oh REV451R is fully mine  , by halves, I mean the other person got the other Model 70  

10 minutes ago, busmansholiday said:

Give them a ring, I've actually found them quite 'human' when you get to talk with them.

You could start your conversation with something like, "I hope you're sitting down because you may not believe me with this request......"

it is something I have been planning to do for a while now

I do know with the DVLA it is very much a case of hope you get ahold of the right person!

1 hour ago, egg said:

And fancy roll cage. Active* safety.

Yep  its worth noting that the roll cage is fully welded to the chassis of the vehicle

and it is probably why it was not retrofitted to older Model 70's (I know @dollywobbler was wondering that a while back)

sadly the fire extinguisher has gone missing in mine

[Ghosty]

Congratulations, Dez. You've well and truly earned your car.

[st185cs]

Great news, Dez.  Welcome to the club!

[brownnova]

I’m delighted for you that after all this time and effort you got hold of one!! It’s a wonderful feeling getting your dream car. I look forward to tales of recommissioning and then you getting out on the road with it! 

Will it be making an appearance at the FoD on FOTU weekend!? 

[CaptainBoom]

Nice one!  I've been following this closely for months now, been on the edge of my seat, and had fingers, toes, and nadgers crossed that you would succeed.

|'m glad that this has worked out for you, you deserve it after your hard graft and enthusiasm.  Not only have you got a Model 70, but you've got a (very) rare one, of five!  High fives all round to folk who have helped you on this.

 

[LightBulbFun]

Thanks all  

main plan now with the most of the moneys I have left now is to get some driving lessons done/paid for, so I can get a full licence and actually drive it on the Open road!

REV should be at the FoD on the FOTU weekend, im Just not sure if I will be, it depends how my back fairs over the week, plus I know Zel has had a busy few weeks, so I dont want to overstay my welcome so to speak

I would really like to make it tho, as there will hopefully be 3 Model 70s gathering together, and that would be quite a sight to behold (plus meeting up with more shitters, and seeing even more cool cars!)

[dollywobbler]

A few things.

1) The  original Halon fire extinguishers are not actually legal to own it seems. 

2) Haflinger Technik in Scotland can sell you pretty much any engine part you might need, including service items. Nice people.

3) Very sad to be missing FOTU this year, even more now!

4) Brakes may well respond to fresh fluid and an adjust. Not sure I'd replace brake lines just because. If they look ropey, then fair enough.

[Jmac]

Great news ! . You got one . And it drives . And you've driven it . Fantastic . Looking forward to more chapters of the story . Big thumbs up to the invacar support crew assisting you . 

[lanciamatt]

Just cought up on the thread. So happy you finally got one, it really is a good feeling when the car you so yearn for finally comes into your possession. I'm off work this week but I'm back next, I'll try get them other chassis numbers sorted for you. 

[quicksilver]

13 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

Thanks  try driving Eggs Mk12, it cant get any worse so maybe you might end up fixing something on it  (someone needs to try and see if the original engine will run/turn over ) 

 

on the REV front as I explained in this post   https://autoshite.com/topic/32723-invacar-model-70-acquired-and-general-ramble-thread-index-on-page-1-multi-person-multi-day-multi-invacar-multi-collection-caper/?do=findComment&comment=1835527

with Invacar Model 70's the private ones where just plucked off the DHSS production line so to speak, and then they just shunted the chassis numbers so to speak, (because the Private Model 70's where part of their own chassis number series) which then meant the chassis numbers of the DHSS Model 70's fell out of "sync" by 1 with the registration (this also happens if theres a Non invacar in the middle of a block, like in the case of that Bedford truck in the middle of the MHJ-P block)

hence why Private Invacar Model 70's have Regs that are part of DHSS batches, the chassis number of REV451R also tells me its a private Model 70

with AC however if a private order came in, it would be registered wherever the buyer lived, or at least where registered on their own like a Private car, and not part of any DHSS block

and as mentioned all Private AC and Invacar Model 70's have chassis number formats that are different to DHSS Model 70's so thats another way I can tell if a Model 70 was a government example or a Privately sold example

with AC Model 70's, all the private chassis numbers start with "PS" this is thought to go all the way to the back to Private Metal AC Acedes  and with Invacar private Model 70's start with INV C (rather then just INV)

 

I've gone back to that post and now I see how this all works. So REV450R and REV452R have consecutive chassis numbers but 451 is numbered in a different series as it was a private car, and REV475R I guess is an extra one built to replace 451 and make the DHSS contract up to 100 cars.  I would have expected a more professional way of removing the government property notice from the chassis plate than just slapping some black paint over it though.

Maybe that random MHJ-P Bedford truck was owned by Invacar Ltd as a transporter and they registered it with the next number from the block booked for Model 70s?

[LightBulbFun]

3 hours ago, dollywobbler said:

A few things.

1) The  original Halon fire extinguishers are not actually legal to own it seems. 

2) Haflinger Technik in Scotland can sell you pretty much any engine part you might need, including service items. Nice people.

3) Very sad to be missing FOTU this year, even more now!

4) Brakes may well respond to fresh fluid and an adjust. Not sure I'd replace brake lines just because. If they look ropey, then fair enough.

Thanks, yeah Zel also mentioned that to me, where I said illegal fire extinguishers in "illegal" cars

ah yah, I am aware of those people, defo handy to know  (I also checked the place you got your engine mounts from, and it looks like they found a few more at some point as the stock went up by a few, but there's also some engine mounts in the car full of spare bits ) 

there will be next year hopefully, and hopefully next year I will be able to enter my own!

Yeah while the brake fluid reservoir was full and not leaking anywhere, I dont think the fluid was supposed to look like something id put on my pancakes LOL but as a safety precaution, unless its painfully obviously the brake lines are all fresh, we plan to replace them all (as well as all the fuel lines)

 

2 hours ago, Jmac said:

Great news ! . You got one . And it drives . And you've driven it . Fantastic . Looking forward to more chapters of the story . Big thumbs up to the invacar support crew assisting you . 

oh yeah its so much fun to drive  one of the things is just how surprisingly comfortable it is

I think it comes down to the fact, in a normal car, even if the seat is nice and comfy, my legs are fairly trapped and dont have anywhere to move into rest position, so my back slowly gets worse and worse on a journey

but with the Invacar, as there's nothing on the floor etc my legs are able to fall into a rest position like they do when im at home

obviously i have not had chance to drive long distances yet, but from sitting in TPA, TWC, and sitting in and driving mine  the preliminary results are looking good

another amusing thing is a lot of the people there were saying I was at an advantage when driving a Model 70' as I dont have to "unlearn" how to drive a normal car/motorbike first

 

1 hour ago, lanciamatt said:

Just cought up on the thread. So happy you finally got one, it really is a good feeling when the car you so yearn for finally comes into your possession. I'm off work this week but I'm back next, I'll try get them other chassis numbers sorted for you. 

indeed  and thank you very much for all the numbers you have run for me, they have been very helpful in documenting and figuring out the production history of the Model 70

 

42 minutes ago, quicksilver said:

I've gone back to that post and now I see how this all works. So REV450R and REV452R have consecutive chassis numbers but 451 is numbered in a different series as it was a private car, and REV475R I guess is an extra one built to replace 451 and make the DHSS contract up to 100 cars.  I would have expected a more professional way of removing the government property notice from the chassis plate than just slapping some black paint over it though.

Maybe that random MHJ-P Bedford truck was owned by Invacar Ltd as a transporter and they registered it with the next number from the block booked for Model 70s?

indeed yeah you have it more or less  

yeah we suspect that's because out of nearly 9000 Model 70's Invacar made for the DHSS, it would of been easier to just paint over the government property bit for the the 25 or so private Model 70's they sold over the production run of the Model 70, then have a batch of specific VIN plates made up for them

(on that note Im very curious what a Private AC Model 70's plate looks like, I know AC was considered more "professional" in that regard so i wonder if they did things differently)

yeah Stuart said he will have to check his records, as he recalls Invacar owning a Bedford of some kind

 

[plasticvandan]

Might i just quickly jump in with something regarding licences before adding to the congrats, back in 2013 the entitlement to drive a three wheeler (ala plastic pig) was returned to people passing their MOTORCYCLE test after that date,at the same time,people who passed their car test after that date are not able to drive a three wheeled vehicle on their car licence.

[loserone]

Well that's straightforward then:

 

https://www.gov.uk/ride-motorcycle-moped/licences-issued-before-19-january-2013

 

Quote

Provisional licences now only cover you to ride motor tricycles if you have a physical disability. Driving tests for 3-wheeled vehicles are only available for physically disabled drivers.

 

[LightBulbFun]

Yeah this came up a few pages ago, im not too worried about it

A im planning on only hitting the public road once I have a full driving licence

and B the laws regarding 3 wheelers, only cover Motor Tricycles, Remember the Model 70 is NOT classed as a Tricycle* its classed as an invalid vehicle like a road registered mobility scooter (and because REV451R weighs 413Kg, according to the RTA 1988 the rules of cars apply to it I think?)

(*well apart from the Few Model 70's that had their Body type incorrectly changed to Tricycle, luckily REV451R is still classed as an Invalid vehicle )

[jon.k]

You must be over the moon about this! Well done!

[Yoss]

Can't really add anything that hasn't already been said but congrats, I hope to see this around at one of our events sometime. 

[LightBulbFun]

25 minutes ago, jon.k said:

You must be over the moon about this! Well done!

 

21 minutes ago, Yoss said:

Can't really add anything that hasn't already been said but congrats, I hope to see this around at one of our events sometime. 

Thanks  

have a Number plate/badge close up shot  I wonder if any of the number plate guys can ID the plate? also interesting to see the Invacar badge is screwed on, most other Model 70's its riveted on I think, but I dont have many close ups sadly (just close ups of TWC and ATW's badges and a Mk12 IIRC)

we managed to pop that crack back into place like a jigsaw puzzle which you can see in this photo  

 

[LightBulbFun]

On 7/13/2019 at 8:59 PM, richardmorris said:

but I’ve no real idea why the car register has thrown all their dummies out of the pram, and the connection with the conservative councillor oddball is weird and worthy of a letter to private eye.

 

just a quick clarification here  I don't think the Annesley guy has any relation to the ICR

however for those wondering I did get confirmation that he is indeed the guy who was trying to buy REV and sell the other Model 70 for profit to to fraser

also apparently he bought and flipped both JNJ135L and NPN924P for profit in the past as well

[egg]

1 hour ago, LightBulbFun said:

we managed to pop that crack back into place like a jigsaw puzzle which you can see in this photo  

I can imagine Zel's fibreglass skills going to work on that crack!

[MorrisItalSLX]

Thanks  
have a Number plate/badge close up shot  I wonder if any of the number plate guys can ID the plate?

SOOTHEND is a new one on me, it’s not a Prestige or Hills plate as the font is different (they used 1s that look like Is)

Absolutely chuffed to bits for you that you have finally achieved your dream! Now just go get your license!

[egg]

Doesn't it say Tipper before the Soothend bit - they make plates don't they?

[LightBulbFun]

Oh Right, its literally marked on the front of the plate, that's what I get for not zooming in! LOL

[500tops]

Tipper signs are in South End. That ties in with the car, doesn't it?

 

http://www.tipper-signs.co.uk/Car Number Plates.html

[LightBulbFun]

yeah she would of been plated at the Factory, I wonder if its her original set of plates is there's a way to date a set of plates like lightbulbs or tyres?

[MorrisItalSLX]

Gee, I need glasses! I thought the Tipper text was just crazing of the paint!

I assume the rear plate matches? (Matching front and rear original plates would back up the notion of no accident damage/all original body).

[richardmorris]

2 hours ago, LightBulbFun said:

 

just a quick clarification here  I don't think the Annesley guy has any relation to the ICR

however for those wondering I did get confirmation that he is indeed the guy who was trying to buy REV and sell the other Model 70 for profit to to fraser

also apparently he bought and flipped both JNJ135L and NPN924P for profit in the past as well

My fault for conflating two topics. I meant that it’s odd that a chap like him who seems to like hobnobbing with the rich and famous and politicians should be trying to turn a profit flogging invacars he doesn’t yet own. 

Found some tyres for it yet? I think that and the air filter were the only truly horrific problems. Lack of brakes was interesting* but not too problematic in a field.

[BL Bloke]

Congrats on getting your Invacar. Well done!

[LightBulbFun]

58 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

My fault for conflating two topics. I meant that it’s odd that a chap like him who seems to like hobnobbing with the rich and famous and politicians should be trying to turn a profit flogging invacars he doesn’t yet own. 

Found some tyres for it yet? I think that and the air filter were the only truly horrific problems. Lack of brakes was interesting* but not too problematic in a field.

ah no problem I just wanted to make sure everything was clear  

as for what Tyres to get for it, im eying up some Carmac BN313s, they seem to work very well on TPA  however the person I went half and half with, said they may be able to get a bulk tire discount from someone, so im waiting to hear how that goes first

(as the "spares" car will need a new set of tyres too so thats 6 tyres right there)

and hopefully the lack luster brakes is just a fluid/adjustment thing, I was told none of the wheel cylinders where weeping which is good  (although everything braking related will be given a thorough looking at of course to be safe)

[richardmorris]

All good stuff. If you need another source longstone tyres may be able to help.