Been Away For a Year Or So, But Back.....With a Classic Car (Well, Almost....)

[Andrew353w]

I've not visited the Forum for a year or so, and I've missed you all! The world of Dafs, Ladas, Moskvichs & numerous other Eastern European motoring detritus has carried on regardless of my non-attendance here and I'm looking forward to making the  acquaintance of you all again over the next few communications. 

As to my latest acquisition, I have my eyes on a 1961 Skoda Octavia Super saloon (that's the original Skoda Octavia, NOT the V.W. Passat lookalike!) which will need "quite some work" but that's what Autoshite's all about.....   

[barrett]

That Skoda looks like a bargain and a really nice thing. I did spend about five minutes giving it serious consideration when it first popped up, but it would literally never get fixed if I owned it.

[dollywobbler]

Hello again!

[brownnova]

Welcome back!!! A proper Octavia! I look forward to the rebuild thread!!! 

[chaseracer]

Good to see you passing back this way 👍

[Cavcraft]

WB!

[eddyramrod]

22 hours ago, Andrew353w said:

I've not visited the Forum for a year or so, 

How does one do that???  Welcome home, and good luck with the Proper Skoda!

[Andrew353w]

Thank you all! I've been away as I became a Grandad last year, and that seemed to overtake everything! I did go on some other forums (or is that "fora"? Sorry, I studied Latin at school!) but they all seemed to have too much back-biting, so I was glad to leave. 

The Skoda is in Medway, and I've spent this afternoon re-configuring my lock-up to s-q-u-e-e-z-e it in. It's an Octavia "Super" meaning it has the 1221cc engine, as opposed to the normal 1089cc one. It's also an early version, with bench seating at the front, a column gear change and no seat belts.....

[stuboy]

11 hours ago, Andrew353w said:

The Skoda is in Medway

one few good things in meway..lol

[Andrew353w]

While I was away, I did acquire ANOTHER Daf.... I won't do a collection thread, because it's already been collected, but you can all enjoy the pressure and stress I suffered moving it.....

I've been in negotiations with the owner of a blue Daf 33 van, which has been parked in the front drive of a house in Potters Bar, 5 miles or so from my home. He eventually decided to part with it, but only to a Daf enthusiast, who would restore it. So, with the gauntlet well and truly laid down, I took on.....this:

918C6602-4343-4269-8C6C-722180992906.heic

918C6602-4343-4269-8C6C-722180992906.heic 

Inside looked better than I expected:

918C6602-4343-4269-8C6C-722180992906.heic

And, after using my Subaru to pull it out of the gravel drive, I viewed the front:

69D470FD-BF65-4586-9500-B67D314D2F2A.heic

We arranged to recover it on a later agreed date and hired a trailer (and the assistance of a mate [and his dog, "Bear"])

6ABCE5D3-FCAB-4994-931E-85A88CB1788B.heic

Unfortunately, the winch handle snapped....then the winch failed, so things weren't going too well..... 

but eventually we loaded the van on, by using the Subaru to pull it onto the trailer!

With it eventually loaded on, we set off for "an undisclosed location" in rural Essex....

And we deposited it there, and spent some time manoeuvring it into its new resting place. So far we've worked out that the engine turns over and the off-side wheel has seized solid, but it's all fixable!

More, much more later, when I carry out some more fettling.....

 

66224453-8124-45FC-9D3C-00582DE8C86F.heic 918C6602-4343-4269-8C6C-722180992906.heic

[Andrew353w]

Sorry, I need to refine my posting skills! In a strange quirk of fate, I tracked down the garage advertised on the side of the Daf, who are interested in hearing about the restoration, as the original owner of the business, now long retired, still pops into the garage to chat with the staff. It's often the people you meet as a result of this stuff that make it all worth it! 

[LightBulbFun]

I thought the registration of the DAF van looked familiar  (from page 105 of my thread)

nice to see its been saved, I do like a DAF! I hope @dollywobbler or someone such can do a video on one some day, quite curious to see how they drive given the similar-ish CVT system they share with another vehicle im well acquainted with!

On 09/01/2020 at 23:50, LightBulbFun said:

interesting, according to the magical but often wrong wikipedia the DAF33 was discontinued in 1974

I dont think these britax/rubbolites went that far back?

and I think this one has more typical rear lights

https://flic.kr/p/GbXuFL

happy to be proven wrong tho  

iv also seen DAFs with squarer lights

and this one is just sending me mixed signals LOL

I think these britax/rubbolites originated from the Mini pickup

although I do wonder if they originate from a mini are both the britax and rubbolites both copies of a lucas original then? and did the mini pickup have em from the get go or?

 

[Saabnut]

24 minutes ago, Andrew353w said:

Sorry, I need to refine my posting skills! In a strange quirk of fate, I tracked down the garage advertised on the side of the Daf, who are interested in hearing about the restoration, as the original owner of the business, now long retired, still pops into the garage to chat with the staff. It's often the people you meet as a result of this stuff that make it all worth it! 

If you get it road worthy and DO NOT PAINT and want to move it on, give me a shout!  

[Andrew353w]

The earlier Daf 33 vans had 3 separate rear lights, all circular; the top one being the indicator, the middle the brake light and the lower one the tail light, as seen on the van I've recovered and I can confirm this from my late Father's Daf 33 van, which was a "J" reg one.  Later they were combined into a single light cluster,  as evidenced on the NEAR side of the yellow one in your Flickr feed. All the other clusters are not Daf originals! 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

6 hours ago, Andrew353w said:

....I tracked down the garage advertised on the side of the Daf, who are interested in hearing about the restoration, as the original owner of the business, now long retired, still pops into the garage to chat with the staff. ...

Hope you'll keep the original garage livery.