Índex per March 2016 a Practical Classics

‘We’re lucky to have such a choice of car shows’ Recently, I accidentally walked into the side of a phone box. At the time my nose was glued, ironically, to my mobile phone. The subsequent bump on the head only served to make me angrier, because I’d been reading an Internet forum, on which a man was being furiously berated for putting aftermarket alloy wheels on his MGB. It got me thinking about a time when we didn’t resemble fuming zombies, prodding and swiping at tiny screens and hiding behind pseudonyms. I’m grateful to have been witness to mankind’s technological progress in the past 20 years but I’ve seen some seriously ugly comments on internet forums recently. Mike Brewer, our cover star this issue, gets more than his fair share…

ASBESTOS ISSUES Regulations governing the control of asbestos have meant that technically the sale of historic vehicles with asbestos brake linings or heat shielding has become illegal. The FBHVC is working with the HSE to generate a certificate of exemption, to legalise their sale. GOOD NEWS FOR YOUNGSTERS Peter James has revised its Young Drivers/Riders scheme, and can offer cover to drivers aged from just 17 years old. This move is a boon to the younger end of the classic market, which typically finds classics as difficult to insure as their modern equivalents, if not harder. DON’T WRITE ME OFF The end of the VIC check in September 2015 appears to have brought the consequence that cars recorded as Category A and B writeoffs can never be re-registered. This is…

I’m sure the new Maggie Smith biography is an excellent read. There are many Stephen Fry novels I keep meaning to buy, too, but I’m unable to break my habit of reading car brochures. Or indeed buying them. Remember that kid who stumbled out of Eighties motor shows with branded bags of the things? That was me. I was also the little oik sending off those little coupons you cut out of CAR Magazine , before heading to showrooms and conning car salesmen into parting with publicity blurb. When the Internet arrived, I began snapping up brochures missing from my collection – even for cars I didn’t care about. I needed to complete the set, for each manufacturer, every model, and for each year. It was, and…

Race Retro Ready Rally legend Henry Toivonen will be remembered at this year’s Race Retro, 30 years after his death in a Lancia Delta S4 triggered the end of Group B racing. A display of ex-Toivonen cars will be on display at the Warwickshire event on February 26-28, including his Escort RS1800, Talbot Sunbeam and Opel Ascona. www.raceretro.com Goodwood theme decided The theme has been decided for the 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The event will celebrate the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500, and the 50th anniversary of the Can-Am series for sports prototypes. It will also honour Sir Jack Brabham.…

Mercedes W123-series: 1976-1986 £45 ISBN: 978-1-845847-92-0 The cover should tell you that this is no mere coffee table ornament. It’s got lots of period photography and nerdy statistics in it – if you ever wanted to know about the archetypal Merc from year-on-year changes to paint codes and engine numbers,this book is one to buy. It’s expensive, but then again the best books almost always are. www.veloce.co.uk Porsche 924/928/944/968: The Complete Story £25 ISBN: 978-1-78500-039-3 For a book with under 200 pages to claim to offer the complete story of four pretty influential Porsches is ambitious to say the least, and unsurprisingly it doesn’t quite match the expectations laid out by its title. It’s certainly a good beginners’ guide to the world of front engine Porsches though, with lots of…

Let us know about your club If you run a club and you want to be in the mag, get in touch. If you’ve got a major event, weekend or tour coming up, we want to know about it. We want to hear about club changes, heroes deserving recognition and regional, multimarque clubs, too. Email practical. classics@bauermedia.co.uk or ring the office. Club hero: Colin Boother, TR Register Ian Brown has nominated the TR Register’s Colin Boother, who died in November. Says Ian: ‘Colin joined the Register’s Cotswold Vale group in 1991 and became joint leader in 2003 – along the way he was also social secretary. Colin also joined in enthusiastically when we raised money for the air ambulance, the NSPCC and the Acorns Trust. At his funeral, TR owners…

‘Tight hairpins called for a furious flailing of elbows’ You know you’re having a good day when you get bored of hairpins. The first hundred-or-so are invigorating and require steely-eyed concentration. After this, they all look the same and can be traversed on autopilot. Myself and co-driver Paul Johns made light conversation over the sound of screeching tyres. We were on the November Sun Run – a four-day excuse to thrash 70 classics along historic Monte Carlo routes. Our steed was my 100% beige Volvo 245, which’d been hastily prepped to stand in for a hot Skoda 120L that Paul didn’t quite finish in time. As far as we were concerned, the Sun Run was the perfect rally. The unambiguous navigation notes were doled out in ample portions at civilised…

With a press on the delightfully vintage starter button, the 340 rumbles into life, the sweet-sounding 3.4-litre straight-six engine a delight to behold. Whether a police driver would have used such words at oh-six-hundred on a wet February morning is open to debate, but the Moss gearbox is as evocative as ever; there’s an indefinable ‘something’ about transmission whine that can transport some of us back to another time. The design does betray its Fifties origins – the thick A-pillars, the front quarter light ‘demisters’ and steering heavier than a Rover 2000’s – but the overall impression of ‘Grace, Space and Pace’ is still very much in evidence. And the two-tone horns are really, really loud!…

My favourite car out of the famous five? That’s a difficult one. The Skoda was very impressive, particularly surviving the water splash in the quarry – albeit only for a short while. Trouble is I was concentrating so much on controlling my sphincter muscles during my brief time in the car that I wasn’t able to fully assess it. The Maxi had a certain visual appeal and I fantasised briefly about what it might be like to own one – although I might have been suffering from nervous exhaustion at the time. The little Peugeot impressed just by keeping up and the big Peugeot – well that had flashing lights. The winner however, for shabby chic charisma, the slowly unravelling gaffer tape sunroof fix and last but not least the…

This isn’t the first van that Trevor built. An earlier effort was a Talbot Alpine-based over-cab camper. It was his experience with that which led to the design of the Tremor, and particularly its ‘box’ incorporating the front seats as well. ‘The problem with the over-cab style is that, as soon as you get onto a site, the front area is redundant. So I made the Tremor all-inclusive.’ Next up was a vintage appearance delivery van that used an Ital for its underpinnings. Trevor built it for his wife’s florist business, but was then subsequently commissioned to build a second one after it was spotted by somebody who liked it so much that he wanted one for himself.…

23 SAT JAN Anglia Car Auctions, The Cattlemarket, King’s Lynn, Norfolk (01553 771881, www.angliacarauctions.co.uk) 29 FRI JAN South West Vehicle Auctions’ classic sale, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset (01202 745466, www.swva.co.uk) 3 WED FEB RM Sotheby’s, Place Vauban, Paris, France (020 7851 7070, www.rmsothebys.com) 4 THU FEB Bonhams’ Les Grandes Marques, Grand Palais, Paris (020 7468 5801, www.bonhams.com/ cars) 5 FRI FEB Artcurial, Rétromobile, Porte de Versailles, Paris (www.artcurial.com) 14 SUN FEB Charterhouse Auctions, Royal Bath & West Showground, (01935 812277, www.charter-house-auction.com) 23 TUE FEB Barons Auctions, Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey (08454 306060, www.barons-auctions.com) 24 WED FEB H&H Classic Auctions, Donington Park, Castle Donington, Derbyshire (01925 210035, www.handh.co.uk)…

The biggest problem with the TVR Wedge is that it has been extremely cheap for a long time. In fact they’re so affordable that many cars have been snapped up by inexperienced drivers and DIY-ers who can’t handle the power or bodge the mechanicals. As a result, you have to be really vigilant if you’re going to avoid buying a car that’s been crashed then returned to the road when it should have been scrapped. Pretty much everything needed to patch up even the most badly damaged of Wedges is readily available, but a car doesn’t have to be in especially poor shape before it becomes economically unviable to restore – even if you do much of the work yourself. Says Andy Hutcheson: ‘There’s no shortage of project cars out…

1998 Rover Sterling Engine 2497cc/4-cyl/OHC Top Speed 130mph Fuel Economy 25mpg Work done Big service plus tyres, battery and an MoT I’ve got me a Rover and his name is Sterling. My £299 purchase is proving its worth. I am a fan, a big fan, even if the Rover doesn’t have a normally operating one (I have fitted a manual switch). It doesn’t have an operating cruise control either, or electric windows that work (about to be remedied), but according to Sam Skelton all that ‘comes as standard’. It is, however, beautiful to drive and, after only 68,000 miles, as fresh as a daisy. I have fitted tyres, new clips for the rear bumpers, Ring Automotive’s Xenon 130 bulbs (see pic), given it a big service and tidied up a…

1994 Ford Mondeo 1.8 GLX Engine 1796cc/4-cyl/DOHC Power 114bhp@5750rpm Torque 117lb ft@3750rpm Gearbox 5-speed manual 0-60mph 10.5sec Top speed 121mph Fuel economy 36mpg Work done Replaced engine mount, air filter, oil and filter. 4 (hrs) TIME 65 (£) SPENT 310 MILES Also in Matt’s garage 1968 VOLKSWAGEN BEETLE Tucked away for winter. 1972 TRIUMPH 2000 Roller bearing suspension mounts en route from Oz. ‘The 1.8 Zetec is gutsy enough and keen to rev’ Back in the mid-Nineties the George family vehicle was a 1993 Ford Mondeo 1.8TD. After four years of service it was traded in for a Renault Espace II, the extra space being desirable given that my two sisters and I were getting older and taller, meaning travelling three abreast in the back seat was no longer an…

1970 Morris Minor Engine 1275cc/4-cyl/OHV Top speed Ample Fuel economy 37mpg Work since last report Fitted replacement cylinder head I’ve recently had issues getting the 1275 A+ in my two-door saloon to breath properly. With the breathing sorted, however, it was still not quite right, but in a way I found it difficult to put my finger on. That was, however, until I spied a line of brown rust seeping out of the line between the head and the block. Being a seasoned A-series pervert, it was a matter of minutes to remove the head and gain access to the world of pain lurking within. This engine was bought and fitted to replace a very tired 1098 unit, but I put it in without inspecting it at all. Days before…

1 Measure twice, cut once Cereal box cardboard used to make a working template for the aluminium. 2 Checking panel fit First fit having made a simple bend to create the run-off at the bottom. 3 Nice and secure With a good fit achieved, screws were fitted to secure the panel, before any final fettling. 4 Hammer time Louvres were carefully formed using a dolly and hammer. 5 Finishing touches Louvres complete and the aluminium cleaned up prior to primer and paint. 6 Second time lucky The second panel was better. Removable butyl strip will seal both panels against the bulkhead.…

1978 Triumph Spitfire 1500 Engine 1493cc/4-cyl/OHV Power 71bhp@5500rpm Torque 82lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 4-spd manual + o/d Top speed 101mph 0-60mph 11.3sec Fuel economy 29mpg Work done Refitted loose flywheel, reset valve clearances, fitted new cylinder head gasket. 1 (month) TIME 0 (£) SPENT 0 MILES ‘The rattle had disappeared – but still no gears’ Clearly there was a problem with my Spitfire race car’s engine. The rattling at anything other than idle was something of a concern. Over the next few days I stripped off all the ancillaries and dismantled the front end of the car ready to remove the engine for further investigation. I admit I rushed it a bit (it was raining) and didn’t particularly want to do the job in the first place, so I forgot to…

DIFFICULTY RATING TIME MONEY You will need Multimeter, screwdrivers, abrasive paper, wire cutters. Bulb upgrades It’s easy to upgrade to halogen bulbs, whether your car’s 6V or 12V. Bezel removal Check your handbook for headlamp removal specifics. Soak rusty screws in penetrating oil. Poor headlamps may be something you’ll never notice in urban motoring. They’re a real challenge on unlit roads, though. Dim light and poor beam reach can conspire to leave you completely blind when faced with the glaring lights of oncoming modern traffic. It doesn’t have to be like this. There are a number of steps you can take to improve matters – and it needn’t cost much (or any) money. If your headlights are feeble, work through the first section of this guide to eliminate all possible…

The Mini is definitely one of my all-time favourite classics, in fact it is my first love – especially the earliest versions. Imagine what it must have been like to drive one in the early Sixties. It is still such good fun to drive, the experience has really stood the test of time. The car’s main stroke of genius is the fact that it is fun as well as being massively practical. This early advert from 1960 shows just that! Look how happy the bloke in the back is! If you want a small classic, with a huge grin factor, that’ll be easy to work on, this is definitely the car for you. There’s also a great owners’ scene as well, so you’ll never be stuck for help or advice.…

If your club’s contact details have changed, please let us know! A  750 MOTOR CLUB 01379 741641 AC OWNERS’ CLUB 07768 363250 AMERICAN AUTO CLUB (UK) 0845 644 0345 www.americanautoclubuk.com AMBULANCE PRESERVATION SOCIETY www.southambpres.org.uk CLASSIC AMERICAN AC (GB) 020 8286 1120 PRE -’50 CLASSIC AMERICAN 01530 831170 AEC SOC yellowayreliance@hotmail.com ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA REGISTER www.giulietta.com ALFA ROMEO OC www.aroc-uk.com ALLARD OWNERS’ CLUB David Moseley, 19 Bramham Gardens, London SW5 0JE ALVIS OWNER CLUB www.alvisoc. org ALVIS REG 01509 412289, www.alvisregister.com ARMSTRONG SIDDELEY OC 0121 459 0742, www.siddeley.com, www.siddeley.net A-SERIOUS (A-SERIES ENGINED CARS) http://aserious.freeforums.org ASSN OF OLD VEHICLE CLUBS OF N IRELAND 028 9146 7886, www.aovc.co.uk ASTON MARTIN OC 01865 400400 AUDI 100 COUPÉ S CLUB GB 01702 461513 AUDI OC 07788 588449 , www.audiclub.co.uk CLUB…

Dropped in at my former workplace, Radio 2. Chris Evans was away - I doubt he’d approve of the 5! The Oundle Sprint takes place each year in the pretty town where I live. Great variety of classics. Gathering parts for my Citroën CX GTi resto. That’s my mate’s DS Safari – also a resto in progress. Sort of. My Smart Roadster still immobile. What began as a melted wiring loom has led to mysterious failures. The Maxi has been my main transport over winter, including a visit to Brunel’s Clifton Suspension Bridge.…

SD1 turns 40 The Rover SD1 Club will be holding its 40th anniversary celebration at Chateau Impney over 5-6 July. There will be a road run, a show, and the club is planning some special displays to boot. The SD1 was press launched at Impney in Spring 1976. Stag hunting Fans of British V8 style are in luck, as our latest special focuses on the Triumph Stag. It’s on sale right now in all good newsagents at £6.99. A collectors’ edition is also available for £20, signed by Standard Triumph Development Engineer Gordon Birtwistle. MGLive! dates announced The dates for MGLive! 2016 have been announced, along with details of the weekend’s activities. There’ll be more interactive content and tech-focused sessions at the event alongside familiar racing activity, which will still…

The Practical Classics Restorer of the Year is the only classic car restoration competition of its type in the world. It celebrates the endeavours of those who lock themselves away in their workshops in pursuit of old motor perfection. You can help say thank you by voting for your favourite. The Practical Classics Restoration and Classic Car Show was a hit from the start – and much of that was down to the popularity of the Restorer of the Year. 12,000 enthusiasts flocked to the first show in 2014, 20,000 to the second, while many more will experience ‘live’ the ten shortlisted cars at Britain’s fastest growing car show on March 5-6, 2016. The cars selected to be at the show are chosen by you, the enthusiasts. You can cast…

30 SAT JAN SURREY Vintage motoring film evening at Brooklands Museum, KT13 0QN (www.brooklandsmuseum.com). LINCS Lincoln Autojumble at RAF Hemswell, DN21 5TJ (www.lincolnautojumble.com). 31 SUN JAN SURREY The Vintage Sports Car Club Driving Tests at Brooklands Museum, KT13 0QN (www.brooklandsmuseum.com). WARKS South Midlands Classic Car Meet at the Stratford Armouries Museum, CV37 0JA (01789 242468). NOTTS Normous Newark Autojumble, Newark Showground, NG24 2NY (www.newarkautojumble.co.uk). 3-7 WEDS-SUN FEB FRANCE Retromobile at Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre, Paris (www.retromobile.com). 6 SAT FEB CUMBRIA Classic Car Meet at the Lakeland Motor Museum, Ulverston, LA12 8TA (www.lakelandmotormuseum.co.uk). YORKS Rufforth Autojumble at Rufforth Park, YO23 3QH (www.rufforthautojumble.com). 7 SUN FEB DEVON Mini Gathering at Route 5, Haldon Hill, Exeter (www.wcminiscene.co.uk). YORKS Midlands & Yorkshire Classic Car Club’s classic car meet at the Black Swan, Brandesburton…

IN THE NEWS As the year dawns, the broadsheet newspapers have an excuse for some intellectual chin-stroking as they compare 1984’s political situation with that found in George Orwell’s book. And it is a politico-industrial issue that dominates the news in the UK for the year, as the Miners’ Strike begins in March, while America sees Ronald Reagan thump Walter Mondale to ease home for a second term. AT THE FLICKS If there’s somethin’ strange / in your neighbourhood / Who ya gonna call? Correct. Ghostbusters becomes the biggest thing since, well… forever. The competition ain’t too shabby either, with The Terminator , Gremlins , The Karate Kid , Beverley Hills Cop ,…

This is my Austin Mini 1000 HL and my dad’s rare Austin Morris pick-up with his 1961 Triumph Tiger Cub loaded up and ready for a trip to a show. I saved it from the scrap man and gave it to my dad to restore – it took him four years. The pickup was bought to transport it around. The Mini was originally an auto but converted in 2009 to manual and the engine is now a 1380cc A-series. We also have a 1999 Mazda MX-5 10th Anniversary edition. This was bought by accident as a family friend wanted me to store it and my dad was looking out for a nice one. It's standard and all original.…

The seven ages of classic ownership are… 1. Buy Volvo Amazon 123GT and use it every day. Lavish time and money on it. 2. Get married. Use it less, buy something more practical. 3. When you do drive your classic say ‘I must do this more often’. 4. Start a family (still keep old faithful, starting it less and less). 5. Be amazed where 14 years have gone. 6. Set about restoring it – grazed knuckles and honour. 7. Revert to using the car as much as possible and go back to step 1 (Do not repeat steps 2 to 7). Paul Bretherick 1. Pass driving test aged 17. 2. Have a range of strange and interesting vehicles for around 23 years. 3. Have kids. 4. Buy sensible car. 5.…

A much appreciated signed copy of the Morris Minor Owners Club’s new book, Celebrating 40 Years 1976-2016, recently jolted my wheezing sidevalve brain into overdrive. Here’s not a car book but an important document of British social history. Rallygoers with silly haircuts and toddlers now probably running a branch of Waitrose are pictured, but we’re going deeper. An attempt had been made to set up a club for sidevalve Morris Minors in 1966, when an appeal in Motoring magazine attracted one respondent. The Dutch got there first with a club in 1975 before Jonathan Wood suggested in Thoroughbred and Classic Cars that a British organisation be formed. He would put interested parties together. Did you know that 1976 was rather a long time ago? I had a particularly horrible pair…

1982 Coaster Tremor Trevor Morton began working on the project in the early Nineties after completing three other bespoke builds. He was since built a Mondeo-based Coaster Tremor for his son to use and enjoy. TECH SPEC 1982 Coaster Tremor Engine 1994cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 92bhp@4900rpm Torque 114lb ft@2750rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph N/A Top speed 80mph approx Fuel economy 30mpg Weight Two tons approx Price when new £6108-£6757 (car only, £4500 for conversion materials) Value Trevor’s not selling! When you first see this motorhome, your initial thought – after ‘Wow’, of course – is to wonder what on earth it is. We’ll let its creator, who built it from scratch in his garage, take up the story. ‘It’s called the Tremor – because my name is Trevor Morton – and it…

‘The 500 is still a perfect trendy tool for crowded city streets’ Has everyone in the classic community collectively decided that they suddenly don’t want their Fiat 500s any more? You expect to see one or two of the diminutive little Italians at most sales up and down the country, but Barons’ Yuletide bonanza, where they’d chopped 25 per cent off their usual premium rates, attracted seven of the little blighters. Just five days earlier there had also been three of them up for grabs in Bonhams’ Hendon sale. Puzzled, I looked at a popular online classic car ad site, and found that 38 UK Fiat 500s had been advertised for sale in the last month, which is also an unusually large number. So why have all these baby Fiats…

1967 Austin A40 Countryman £2975 Solid 54,000-miler, freshly MoT’d but needs attention to driver’s seat and some paintwork. But it is the rare hatchback Countryman model. 1962 Morris Minor 1000 £4000 Nicely restored period-perfect hot rod with a Cooper S-spec 1275cc A-series and a set of genuine Wolfrace alloys. So very 1980! 1981 Citroën LNA £1000ono No, these aircooled 652cc hatches aren’t extinct after all. This one’s enthusiast-owned, rustproofed, and comes complete with a vanload of spares.…

There’s a TVR Wedge for everyone. The range spans open or closed models, from decently rapid to indecently fast. However, the real beauty of these cars is how affordable they are, especially when you take the performance into account. The ready availability of cheap Chimaeras has had a knock-on effect on Wedge prices, to the point where you can now pick up a decent early car for less than £3750. The newer or more powerful a car is, the more it’s worth, while convertibles are typically worth twice as much as equivalent coupés. The very last cars still change hands for anything up to £14,000, but anything at this sort of price needs to have been either rebuilt or in truly exceptional original condition. You can snap up a perfectly…

1997 FSC Zuk Engine 2417cc/4-cyl/diesel Power 69bhp@4200rpm Torque 108lb ft@2500rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph Eventually Top speed A claimed 70mph Fuel economy 38mpg Work completed Bought new tyres and bits. Used it as a shed… 2 (hrs) TIME 1035 (£) SPENT 0 MILES Also in Theo’s garage 1963 TRABANT P600 SALOON Swapped unseen for the P601. Peach or lemon? Who knows… 1963 STANDARD VANGUARD DIESEL ESTATE Almost totally engulfed by brambles but within an arc-strike of the workshop 1972 FSC ZUK CAMPER The ugly made uglier with a camper body. Has a rats’ nest and is in appalling nick. Yay! 1989 SUZUKI ALTO GL Having finished bankrupting me, it’s banished from here. Do you want it? ‘We’ve started a ZUK club, cunningly called ZUK Club UK’ What is the theme…

1972 Triumph TR6 Engine 2498cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 104bhp@4900rpm Fuel economy 25mpg Work since previous report Compression test. Interesting results… After finishing the 10CR on a tow truck, not much has happened with Dad’s TR. A compression test gave readings from cylinders 1-6 of 92, 95, 100, 100, 92 and 20psi. The readings should be around 110-115psi, so our knocking issue lies with number six. Present diagnosis is that it could be a burnt out valve or a piston ring problem. The next step is to remove the head and determine exactly what is wrong, but ultimately we’re planning an engine rebuild for 2016.…

1971 Citroën Ami 8 Engine 602cc/2-cyl/OHV Power 31bhp@5750rpm Torque 30lb ft@4000rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph 29sec Top speed 75mph Fuel economy 43mpg Work done New wiper motor and service. 1 (days) TIME 56 (£) SPENT 430 MILES Also in James’s garage 1978 AUSTIN MAXI Still going after festive duties. Spooked by piercing yellow headlamps and shrieking twin-pot, the little girl runs away in a terrified frenzy of tiny footsteps on the pavement. I’ve just pulled into my local market square in a Citroën Ami 8 – which to some, it seems, looks like it’s just come off the set of a horror movie. Mother looks up and gives me the bewildered look that I’m now well used to seeing. Opinion is divided. Some think it’s cute (and even beautiful), while…

1970 Triumph TR6 Engine 2498cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 150bhp@5500rpm Torque 164lb ft@3500rpm Gearbox 4-spd manual + o/d 0 – 60mph 8.2sec Top speed 119mph Fuel economy 23mpg Work completed Fixed sticking rear brakes on the TR6 and further investigation of brake squeal. 1 (Day) TIME 11 (£) SPENT 250 MILES Also in Nigel’s garage 1972 TRIUMPH GT6 MKIII Still going well. There, I’ve said it – will fate strike back? 1977 RELIANT SCIMITAR GTE New front suspension bushes and shocks all round ordered. I’m still troubled by a hard to trace squeak from the front brakes of the TR6 at parking speeds. More on this later, but when adjusting the TR’s rear brakes, I found another minor problem. I can adjust the rear drum brakes perfectly, with no sign of binding and…

The next 18 pages are filled with advice that’ll make your winter motoring safer, more pleasant and easier on your classic. Wrap it in cotton wool from October to March and you’ll be depriving yourself of half a year of pleasure. That seems like bad value, particularly as traffic-free winter roads can be such a fine source of entertainment. Investing a little extra elbow grease in your classic and taking it for an occasional winter spin will do it a lot more good than harm. Even using it daily will not spell doom if you carry out a few precautionary jobs first. Liberate it from the garage and enjoy it, I say!…

DIFFICULTY RATING TIME MONEY You will need Trolley jack, axle stands, oil pan, AF spanners and socket set, screwdrivers, test lamp or multimeter, grease gun, oil can, brake cleaner, hub puller. Air filter The Popular did not originally feature an air filter. It’s worth installing one retrospectively, if this hasn’t already been done. Nuts and bolts Check the tightness of nuts and bolts securing running-gear components, including the wheel nuts. Examine the exhaust and mountings. Bearing lubrication Spin the wheel to check to roughness. Lubricate with wheel bearing grease every three years or 36,000 miles. The 100E Fords launched in 1953 are an unusual mix of old and new engineering. In most respects, the models were a major step forward from the pre-war born ‘perpendicular’ range. They featured stylish unitary…

Sam Glover TECHNICAL EDITOR You name it, Sam’s probably owned it, broken it and worked out how to mend it. John Simpson MASTER MECHANIC Big John has worked at the greasy end of the motor trade since leaving school. Theo Gillam TECHNICAL EXPERT Theo teaches automotive engineering and makes amazing things in his shed. Ed Hughes WORKSHOP GENIUS Ed keeps a fleet of obscure classics on the road. He’s never owned a modern car. Nigel Clark WEEKEND TINKERER Nigel’s DIY achievements rival those of many professional mechanics. Kim Henson CLASSIC CAR GURU Kim’s been restoring cars for over four decades. BMC vehicles are his speciality. FORD CORTINA How to get ready for winter driving Wipers Replace the blades if tramlines and smears aren’t solved by cleaning the screen. Lubrication Treat…

After a hugely successful launch… Skillshack, Practical Classics’ online skills tutorial outlet, has been extended with new courses coming this spring. The huge demand for educational content has seen the Practical Classics workshop once again return to its other role of film studio, with cameras lights and microphones sharing space with jacks, angle grinders and four post lifts. The next round of courses will cover a variety of topics including more advanced welding techniques, an introduction to detailing with Pro Valet expert Bert Youell and total rust prevention presented by Rustbuster boss Ian Allen. All of which means that yet again, the subjects will be presented in detail by acknowledged industry experts. The shoot schedule is tight, it has to fit around the ongoing projects in the workshop and magazine…

1 What’s MOPAR about then? Mopar is a generic term for cars made by Chrysler, which includes Dodge, De Soto, Eagle, Imperial, Jeep and Plymouth. The term comes from the Mopar brand name on official Chrysler spare parts, short for ‘Motor Parts’. 2 How did the club start? The club was started in 1997 by Tony Oksien, his wife Sharron and Sean Adams. It soon became apparent that the UK pool of cars is too small to sustain a MOPAR-only club and a few members had other American cars, which is why it quickly became a more general American car club. 3 What’s the deal? Our year runs from March to February with single or dual membership costing £30; for under-17s it’s £20. In return members get a quarterly A4…

Impressive stuff We wouldn’t normally bring you news of a Christmas cake being enjoyed, but the one made by Nelson Ferreira for the Wolseley Register’s south east region Christmas bash deserves special mention. A full-size replica of a Wolseley grille, it even featured an illuminated Wolseley badge. www.wolseleyregister.co.uk Competition hots up for 2016 The MG Car Club claims to be the most active single-marque race organising club in the UK, with race meetings taking place at Silverstone, Oulton Park, Snetterton, Donington, Brands Hatch and other circuits around the country. There are seven national MG Car Club race championships catering for all MGs and one race s eries; provisional 2016 dates can be found at www.mgcc.co.uk Bears out on the prowl The Sporting Bears Northern Gambol is set for Friday-Sunday May…

1968 Chevrolet Camaro Super Sport TV personality and muscle car fan Mike acquired this Camaro in Seattle, USA, after a bet that he couldn’t find an original SS for sale. It took him just 12 hours to prove he could. TECH SPEC Engine 6489cc/V8/OHV Power 375bhp@5600rpm Torque 415lb ft@3600 Gearbox 4-speed manual Max speed 137mph 0-60mph 5.7sec Fuel economy 13mpg Length 184.7in (4691mm) Width 72.5in (1842mm) Weight 3725lb (1689kg) approx. Price when new $3200 approx. Agreed value now £65,000+ Mike Brewer is best known as the presenter of classic car restoration show Wheeler Dealers and make no mistake, he’s a serious car nut. Over the years, he’s owned some impressive motors and, OK, some not so impressive ones, too. But let’s start with the good stuff. At one time or…

CAMPBELL’S JAGUAR Your January PC picture of an XK150 with the number DC7 caught my eye. This used to belong to my friend Peter›years ago, albeit without the number. I remember seeing the car in a sorry state (normal for the early Seventies) and seeing a photo of Donald Campbell and the XK sporting DC7. I also saw a letter from the Campbell family stating that the number had been retained. Alun Thomas, Carmarthenshire A blast from the past… Seeking to secure a run of articles published in Practical Classics , I was lucky enough to purchase the required editions which date from 1986/7. Aside from the looked-for material I have been vastly amused and entertained by these old issues. The readers’ letters demonstrate that little has changed on the…

Rolly Field served an apprenticeship at a garage in Lewisham before relocating to the Norwich area in 1967. After a year at the city’s Mann Egerton BMC dealership, then a couple of years at Nutt Engineering, he struck out on his own, specialising in vehicle recovery. He sold the business in 1988 and joined the AA as a patrolman before retiring in 2006. His wife Avril ordered him to ‘find something else to do now, as you’re driving me crazy.’ ROLLY’S CLASSIC CV 1961-1965 Ford 300E Van First car owned – spent weeks rubbing down, then sprayed British Racing Green. 1963-1968 Morris Pickup Used to ferry his Greeves 250 Trial motorcycle across the country. 1985-1988 Ford Granada estate 2.8 ‘Great to drive and look at’ but sold due to arrival…

‘The R50 is nine inches shorter than the current model of 2016’ Mini. ‘Something that is small compared to others of its type, especially a mini computer or a miniskirt.’ So says the dictionary in my Apple MacBook Pro’. But it makes no mention of the small British car whose name triggered this linguistic usage. It’s not just the Apple dictionary that has forgotten the word’s roots. Today’s custodians of the name have forgotten, too, judging by the vast pieces of caricature ugliness that now besmirch our roads. There’s a SUV called a Mini Countryman, large enough to swallow an original Mini whole (it has been proved, with a foldable cardboard replica), and a new Clubman based on the same platform as that well-known microcar, the BMW X1. The point…

JUNE 1993 Sturdy stuff The bare chassis shows how robust and well-engineered Trevor made it. JULY 1993 Bones of it The rolling chassis with its lattice cab frame in place. Donor Ambassador behind. JULY 1993 A neat fit The custom-built bulkhead slotted into place on the chassis. NOVEMBER 1993 Coming together nicely The rolling chassis with fuel tank in place. Ambassador exhaust was retained, albeit with extra length welded on. MAY 1994 Completing the jigsaw Without the outer ladding in place, the division between wood and metal skeletons is clear. You thought Morris Minor Traveller estate wood was complex! SEPTEMBER 1994 Meat on the bones IKEA would be proud of something like this, yet Trevor designed and put together everything himself.…

I bought this Vanden Plas 1500 as a replacement for my Austin A40 Farina – I wanted a different classic to the usual cars,’ says Oxfordshire-based James Maclernon. ‘A friend of mine had one of these years ago and I’ve always liked the VP ever since. It also goes well with the Morris 1800 Landcrab I’ve owned since 1997. I found out about this particular car from a friend’s Facebook post and it wasn’t far away – just up the road in North Oxfordshire, so I had to go and have a look. What swung it for me – how I knew this was the car for me – was how well she drove. I’m not saying how much I paid, but the deal was by mutual agreement, not haggling.…

1980 The Tasmin debuts in 2.8-litre form, initially as a fixed-head coupé only, then as a convertible and later a more spacious 2+2. 1981 A 2-litre option is introduced, along with an automatic transmission option for the 2.8. FHC gains the 2+2’s longer bodyshell. 1983 Tasmin launched in the US with cleaner engines, bigger bumpers. New 350i has refined front suspension and improved chassis. 1984 2-litre, 2+2 and Tasmin name dropped. 280i and 350i joined by 390SE with bigger brakes and a limited-slip differential. 1985 Styling is now much more rounded, while the rear suspension is also improved. New 420SE joins the range.…

1970 Jensen interceptor II Engine 6313cc/V8/OHV Power 330bhp@5000rpm Torque 425lb ft@2800rpm Gearbox 3-speed automatic 0-60mph 7.4sec Top speed 136mph Fuel economy 14.4mpg Work since last report Fuel tank removed and stripped, Rostyles off for refurb, stereo fitted. 4 (weeks) TIME 954 (£) SPENT 0 MILES Also in Danny’s shed 1970 VOLVO 164 Sold… anyone want to buy an Eccles caravan? £300. 1972 TRIUMPH 2000 Drive shafts on order – gearbox rebuild required. 1976 VAUXHALL CAVALIER GL Spring transport in waiting… it turns over and runs...! 1990 RENAULT ESPACE 2000I Fitted new ignition barrel. Serviced. The workhorse. Right… sounds. Like most of us I enjoy a jaunty tune when I am driving and to that end I decided I needed something special, a system that would create the perfect soundscape in…

1986 BMW M535i Engine 3430cc/6-cyl/OHC Power 218bhp@5000rpm Torque 224lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 5-speed manual Top speed 143mph 0-60mph 6.9sec Work done Repaired molten loom, replaced dash batteries. MoT! 1 (DAY) TIME 54 (£) SPENT 0 MILES Also in Matt’s garage 1960 MORRIS MINOR CONVERTIBLE Work is coming along… slowly. I’m still welding it up. 1969 MORRIS MINOR TRAVELLER Taking a breather over winter. 1979 DOLOMITE 1850 Failed to make our WInter Warmers trip… sad times. ‘The electrical mystery was a red rag. I had to solve it’ Regular readers will be familiar with THAT BMW M535i. The project stalled again a while back when a web of electrical mystery descended ( PC July 2015). When the battery was connected, the interior lights glowed dimly even with doors closed and the ignition…

1959 Peerless GT Engine 1998cc/4-cyl/OHV Power 100bhp@4800rpm Gearbox 4-spd manual + o/d Torque 117lb ft@5600rpm Top speed 120mph 0-60mph 10.8sec Fuel economy 28mpg Work completed Type A calipers rebuilt. Inner wheelarch panels fabricated and fitted. 8 (hrs) TIME 138 (£) SPENT 0 MILES Also in Gary’s garage 1980 SAAB 99 TURBO Ex-Saab press car in need of complete restoration. ‘I pressed in the pistons using wood to spread the load’ The front brake calipers finally came good with the arrival of pistons and seals from Girling, Lucas,and Lockheed specialist, Northwest Classics. Fellow Peerless/ Warwick owner Frank Wright was recently critical on the PWOR forum of rubber quality concerning suspension bushes and caliper seals, so I hope the UK-manufactured Northwest items do the job. Frank had found the new items he’d…

DIFFICULTY RATING TIME MONEY You will need Plastic sheeting, knife, drill, screws, contact adhesive, underbody wax. Attachment Six to ten screws should be enough, as long as the liner fits snugly in the wheelarch. Plastic sheet It may appear crude – but it’s an excellent choice of material for the job. It’ll be invisible once fitted. The front wings are often the first part of a classic to rust. It usually begins around the lip of the wheelarch or in the headlamp bowl, where grit and mud accumulate. There may be similar grot-traps at the wing bottom and the ledges and cutouts of the inner wing. Rear wings are sometimes prone to this, too. Keeping mud, road salt and moisture out of these nooks and crannies will massively increase the…