Índex per March 2019 a Practical Classics

The Carole Nash Barn Find display will be the biggest ever and will include a new Practical Classics project for 2019. The Workshop, sponsored by our online tuition service Skill Shack, will introduce a range of essential new videos, plus there will be live demonstrations. The National Classic Car Awards takes place on March 23. Nominations are being sought at necrestorationshow.com/nominate-now. The Practical Classics team will be on stage for the PC Cavalcade each day, when they’ll show you their latest project cars and answer audience questions. This year’s Live Stage project car – a Triumph TR6 – will be rebuilt live in front of crowds over the weekend and should (hopefully) start on the Sunday!…

Britain’s biggest club event Once you have voted for the top ten clubs, the PC team will hit the road for two weeks – from June 24 to July 5 – on the hunt for the best. You can come along for the trip (at your own expense) or turn up at any of the ten locations. We expect a great turn out at each club location across the entire UK. PC team: what are we driving? Danny H is ‘aiming’ to bring his Jensen, while James W and Matt T are readying their Dyane and Minor projects respectively. Matt G will bring his TR6 – due to be rebuilt on stage at the PC Resto Show in March. The Type 25 The Footman James VW Type 25 van will…

Icons honoured Legendary designers Tom Karen (below) and Gordon Murray join Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason as recipients of CBEs in the 2019 New Year Honours. Creator of the Reliant Scimitar, Bond Bug, Raleigh Chopper and Marble Run among other design classics, ex-Ogle Chief Designer Karen celebrates his 93rd birthday this year. While Murray got his CBE for his services to motoring, car enthusiast Mason received a thoroughly deserved honour for a lifetime in music. Bigger Bicester Cherwell District Council has approved the further expansion of Bicester Heritage, with work due to commence on a 70,000 square foot technical site and hotel complex. The historic vehicle hub is said to be full currently, with 40 specialists, car-related charities and an apprenticeship scheme running from the Oxfordshire site. Work is expected…

MON, JAN 21 SUFFOLK Classic Car Meet at the Queen’s Head in Hawkedon, IP29 4NN (hawkedonqueen.co.uk). SUN JAN 27 ESSEX Coffee & Classics, Museum of Power, CM9 6QA (museumofpower.org.uk). WORCS Malvern Auto-jumble, Three Counties Showground, WR13 6NW (classicshows.org). SURREY VSCC Driving Tests, Brooklands, KT13 0QN (brooklandsmuseum.com). NOTTS Newark Autojumble, Newark Showground, NG24 2NY (newarkautojumble.co.uk). STAFFS Mini Fair 2019 at Stafford County Showground, ST18 0BD (britishminiclub.co.uk). SAT, FEB 2 CUMBRIA Classic Car Meet, Lakeland Motor Museum, LA12 8TA (lakelandmotormuseum.co.uk). SUN, FEB 3 YORKS Midlands & Yorkshire Classic Car Club monthly meet at the Black Swan, Brandesburton, YO25 8RG (eastyorksclassic.com). CAMBS Peterborough 4x4 & Vintage Spares Day, East of England Showground, PE2 6HE (markwoodwardclassicevents.com). GLOS Cotswold Classic monthly meet at Shipton Oliffe Sports Ground, GL54 4HT (cotswoldclassiccarclub.com). SOMERSET Haynes Museum Breakfast Club,…

IN THE NEWS Czechoslovakia splits apart in the ‘Velvet Divorce’, Bill Clinton is sworn in as America’s 42nd President and a 51-day stand-off at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, ends in a fire that kills 76 people. Over here, the Railways Act sets the  privatisation of British Rail in motion. Graham Taylor, crowned with a turnip by a tabloid newspaper, resigns as England football team manager. IN THE CHARTS Some diverse but memorable hits this year: Young at Heart by the Bluebells, I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) by  Meatloaf, Pray and Babe by some bunch of happy lads called Take That and a stone-cold masterpiece for the Christmas number one from Mr Blobby, called… err,…

Got a classic Porsche? I bought my 968 in 2014 with loads of problems, but I’ve learned so much from doing jobs on this car. The biggest was replacing the fuel lines that also required the removal of the transaxle, which was done on axle stands on the drive over 14 weeks. She was then MoT’d three days before a club trip to Le Mans and the following year did me proud on a jaunt around Spa. Using common sense and workshop manuals most jobs can be done quite comfortably even if they do take a bit longer. Chris Hulme I bought my 928 three years ago after seeing an ad that stated it had three known faults. I stopped counting at 150. After three years everything now works –…

1 Biggest fail ‘I had a very embarrassing and annoying moment when, two days before the photoshoot for this article, I drove the Laurel into my garage and hit a ramp, damaging the front valance and driver’s side wing. If you know what to look for you might spot the damage in the photos, but this has since been repaired!’ 2 Best bodge ‘The handbrake. I wasn’t able to buy a cable and adjuster mechanism for the Laurel so I used one from a Citroën BX, with some VW Golf parts to finish the job. The MoT tester said that the footbrake and handbrake were as efficient as any modern car, if not better.’ 3 Advice to would-be restorers ‘Never give up. Everyone faces challenges of some sort. But it…

Unless you’ve been wearing earplugs and hiding under your eiderdown with just a big bottle of Vimto for company, you’ll know it’s now 60 years since Britain first dipped its sock-covered toe into the Motorway Age. A fact that I have become a little obsessed with of late. A planned 2500 miles of open, straight roads? Brilliant! Hang on; didn’t those came from the Romans, presumably with Littlus Cheffus food stalls at regular intervals? Oppressive regimes were often the catalyst for great highway systems; Mussolini backing Italy’s autostrada system and Hitler sanctioning autobahns. It was the genial, if slightly duffer-like, British prime minister Harold MacMillan, however, who opened the UK’s first motorway, the highly significant historically if less prestigious sounding Preston Bypass. He (honestly!) quoted Robbie Burns’ poem Epigram on…

Find of the field These images were sent in by Jack Brands from the Netherlands while out and about on another of his rust-hunting holidays. This Citroën CX Familiale is the pick of the pride in this extremely remote Scottish location somewhere in Perthshire. The CX Familiale featured an extra pair of seats over its Safari sister, as well as that self-levelling suspension and a huge load bay. Skoda S100R Check out the worsening corrosion on the orange paintwork of this sporty Skoda S100R coupé (1970-1980), and nestled behind a saloon version, the Skoda 100 (1969-77), both becoming engulfed by ferns and ivy. Peugeot 504 Some readers may recognise one or two of these cars from another Rust In Peace report at the same site years…

1. Triumph 2000 MkII Another eminently usable family classic available for relatively peanuts. 2. Daimler V8 Lagging behind the Jaguar Mk2 but with more poke and to some minds greater appeal. 3. Citroën CX Far cheaper than its older sister the DS, the CX’s time to shine has to come soon. 4. Ford Corsair Will the Corsair catch the Cortina, as values of anything with a Blue Oval rocket? 5. Jaguar XJ6 You can still pick up a nice 2.8l Series 1 for sub £4k. It’s a huge amount of car for the money. 6. Volvo 144 Beautifully built with timeless styling, it’s about as safe as a family classic from this era gets. 7. Rover 75 It will never be cheaper. Diesel for economy or V6 for thrills; and…

FRI JAN 25 South West Vehicle Auctions, Parkstone, Poole, Dorset. (01202 745466, swva.co.uk) S AT JAN 26 Anglia Car Auctions’ classic sale, King’s Lynn, Norfolk. (01553 771881, angliacarauctions.co.uk) THU FEB 7 Bonhams, Les Grande Marques du Monde, Grand Palais, Paris, France. (020 7468 5801, bonhams.com/cars) FRI FEB 8 Artcurial, Rétromobile, Porte de Versailles, Paris, France. (artcurial.com) SUN FEB 10 Charterhouse Auctions, Bath & West Showground, Shepton Mallet. (01935 812277, charterhouseauction.com ) SAT-SUN FEB 23/24 Silverstone Auctions’ Race Retro Sale, Stoneleigh, Warks. (01926 691141, silverstoneauctions.com) TUE FEB 26 Barons Auctions’ Classic Winter Warmer, Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey. (023 8066 8413, barons-auctions.com) S AT MAR 2 Historics at Brooklands, Ascot Racecourse, Ascot, Berkshire. (01753 639170, historics.co.uk)…

2002 Land Rover Freelander 1.8 Engine 1796cc/4-cyl/OHC Top speed 106mph Fuel economy 24mpg Work done New gasket and head fitted. With the head removed the gasket breach was obvious. Time to break open the package from Britpart. The sandwich filter and new stretch bolts came with all the other associated gaskets required. I also ordered up a new water pump, belt and tensioners… which Clive and I would replace ‘while we were there’. It is so important to be methodical when you are attempting a multiple fix on any engine. Replacing the cambelt requires the offside engine mount to be removed and it helps to take out the inner wheel arch as well. Clive and I laid out everything carefully once removed. Worth stating at this point we had marked…

1976 Triumph 2500 Engine 2498cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 132bhp@5450rpm Torque 146lb ft@2000rpm Gearbox 3-speed automatic 0-60mph 11.4sec Top speed 107mph Fuel economy 20.2mpg Work done Rust cut out – lots of it, too. New metal welded into place. Also in Matt’s garage 1971 TRIUMPH TR6 Will be built live on stage at the NEC at the PC Resto Show in March… no pressure then! 1972 TRIUMPH 2000 Still enjoying regular blasts when the weather is fine. 2002 BMW 318I TOURING At just £400, I couldn’t turn it down. Now winning at tip runs and picking up DIY materials. Don’t panic Jobs like this will often end up taking longer than expected. But approach things methodically and you will get there. Regular readers should recall this car from a previous Saga ( PC…

1970 Morris Minor Saloon Engine 1275cc/4-cyl/OHV Power Plenty Torque Unknown Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph Yes Top speed Sufficient Fuel economy Who knows! Work done EPAS mocked up, gearbox conversion kit purchased, paint stripping started. Also in Matt’s garage 1960 MINOR CONVERTIBLE Tucked away for now – hiding from road salt. 1969 MINOR TRAVELLER Driving so much better on wide wheels and Cinturatos. 1992 ‘BEAN’ MINI CITY E Entered into the CCA sale at the PC Resto Show. 2001 CITROËN C15 Gulf-liveried load-lugger extraordinaire. 2002 FORD FOCUS 1.6 Utterly cherished future classic. More on this soon. ‘I want to make this as usable as any Minor can possibly be’ It’s a good feeling when a project starts to come together and this month I’ve reached a milestone. All the structural work…

Turn for the better DCE MICROSTEER SYSTEM £798 (OPTIONAL SPEED SENSOR £39) The Microsteer system comes as a ready-to-install kit containing everything you need to add electric power-assisted steering to your classic. Comprising the MGU (motor gearbox assembly), ECU, wiring harness, input and output shafts as well as DCE’s Tuning Box, which allows the driver to tune and adjust levels of assistance, there’s plenty to appreciate. It can also be connected to a speed sensor (available separately) to allow the system to become speed sensitive, so steering effort is reduced at parking speeds. A great way of making your classic more useable if heavy steering impedes your enjoyment. dcemotorsport.com Torque to the hand 1/2IN DRIVE TORQUE WRENCH £185.35 A decent torque wrench is an important part of any…

Footman James kicked off a new series of Coffee & Chrome classic car gatherings at the Chateau Impney in Droitwich on January 6. Around 250 cars and bikes turned up and, while the local Jaguar and Triumph clubs put on some great displays, it was the ultra-rare Seventies Mazda and Subarus that excited us, along with the early Alfasud and several non-sporting Peugeot 205s. It’s amazing what rarities turn up. Two more Coffee & Chrome events will  take place in 2019; follow Footman James on Facebook for further details.…

I THINK YOU’LL FIND… Practical Classics for February 2019 (which landed on my doormat this morning) mentions twice within the first few pages that the Festival of the Unexceptional will be on June 20, whereas it is actually on July 20. Graham Wilkins, Hampton, Middlesex In the January 2019 issue’s Your Shout (a Bangernomics love story) a 1970 Singer Gazelle (Hunter shape) is mentioned. However the photo used is of the earlier model. Possibly a 1965/66 model judging by the 1725 badge. David Tallon, Essex SAFRANES PLEASE Can I make a case for the Renault Safrane Phase 1? There are fewer than 30 on UK roads with the range topper V6 RXE only in single figures with, at most times, only one on the road (mine!). It was once Renault’s…

North East Restoration Club, Pattinson Industrial Estate, District 8, Washington, Tyne and Wear. nerclub.tripod.com. Datsun and Nissan Owners’ Club For all Datsun and early Nissan cars in the UK. See datsunclub.co.uk, call 07954 375613 or email datsunclubuk@hotmail.co.uk. Steve Rogers (painter), RS Bodywork, Newcastle upon Tyne, call 07821 648098. Engine Specialist GTR Heritage Centre, Unit 1B Wingate Grange Industrial Estate, Wingate TS28 5AH. Call 01429 838885 or find them on Facebook.…

Christmas will have come and gone by the time you read this. I will have been to the Brooklands New Year’s Day gathering in my Sunbeam Stiletto. And, like everyone, I’ll be contemplating the nature of the relationship between British classic-car enthusiasts and our counterparts across the Channel. As I write this we have no idea what form that will take, a rather vital vote on the Brexit deal having been postponed. I know what I want to happen but I’m not going to say it here, as whatever I say on that subject is bound to annoy someone. Such is the state of division we find ourselves in. Often, politics can be destructive. It happened last year in a car club of which I have been a member for…

Don’t buy a classic until you have read this guide. Prices are researched from several sources, including club guides, auctions, the trade and advertisements online and in print. All have been reviewed and updated regularly and in this issue we identify the 100 classics we think will go up in value in 2019. On every car our C/D rating is a guide to what you can expect to pay (£) for the best examples of a model for sale at a dealer. Cond 1 cars will be drivable, MoT’d and in good condition. Cond 2 cars need work but may still be MoT’d. Cond 3 cars need a lot of work and may have an MoT. These are the prices we think you should pay, NOT asking prices. KEY auto:…

It’s not only on Antiques Roadtrip that you find some things simply do better at auctions than others. In the world of classics, where all is fine and dandy for traditional ‘PC -spec’ cars, things are less rosy for modern classics. To the extent that Brightwells recently announced that it is to discontinue the dedicated Modern Classic sales launched a few years back. Running the numbers on all auction results, I’ve noticed a real drop-off in the performance of ‘moderns’ at most classic car sales. Along with anything American, they are the most likely candidates to list amongst the unsolds at the end of an auction. It’s quite typical to have around 65-70 per cent of traditional classics sell, but only 50-55 per cent of ‘moderns’. ‘Newer classics just don’t…

Ford Fiesta RS Turbo Oddly, Fiestas values are starting to outstrip FWD Escorts. It may be survivor numbers – just 98 RS Turbos on the road. But at least seven times that on SORN. Opportunity for project cars? Porsche 911 Carrera (996) A new entry in the PriceGuide a year ago and has still dropped like a stone as depreciation takes its toll. But that’s starting to slow down now. Keep an eye on survivors as they will inevitably rise sometime soon.…

1976 Fiat 132 1600GLS Price: £6750 Wow, when did you last see one? Only 11 left on UK roads, and this is an all-original and unwelded two-owner car with 57,000 miles on the clock. 1981 Reliant Scimitar GTC Price: £7500 Body restoration and new hood four years ago, stainless exhaust including manifolds, all electrics working. 93,000 miles. 1971 Morris Oxford Price: £6999 Rare to see one like this nowadays – really straight and almost show-ready. Much money has been spent recently. Only flaws are bubbles on the bootlid and a split driver’s seat.…

Celica 1.8 ST coupé Engine 1762cc/4-cyl/DOHC Power 114bhp@5800rpm Torque 114lb ft@4400rpm Top speed 125mph 0-60mph 10.0sec Economy 42mpg Gearbox 5-speed manual Length 14ft 6in (4.43m) Width 5ft 9in (1.75m) Height 4ft 3.5in (1.31m) Celica 2.0 GT coupé Engine 1998cc/4-cyl/DOHC Power 173bhp@7000rpm Torque 137lb ft@4800rpm Top speed 139mph 0-60mph 7.9sec Economy 40mpg Gearbox 5-speed manual Length 14ft 6in (4.43m) Width 5ft 9in (1.75m) Height 4ft 3.5in (1.31m) Celica 2.0 GT cabriolet Engine 1998cc/4-cyl/DOHC Power 173bhp@7000rpm Torque 137lb ft@4800rpm Top speed 134mph 0-60mph 8.5sec Economy 40mpg Gearbox 5-speed manual Length 14ft 6in (4.43m) Width 5ft 9in (1.75m) Height 4ft 4in (1.33m) Celica GT-Four Engine 1998cc/4-cyl/DOHC Power 239bhp@6000rpm Torque 223lb ft@4000rpm Top speed 153mph 0-60mph 5.9sec Economy 30mpg Gearbox 5-speed manual Length 14ft 6in (4.43m) Width 5ft 9in (1.75m) Height 4ft 3.5in (1.31m)…

1975 Citroën CX 2200 Engine 2175cc/4-cyl/OHV Power 110bhp@5500rpm Torque 123lb ft@3500rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph 11.6 sec Top speed 115mph Weight 1281kg Work done New points, condenser, coil and battery. Also in James’s garage 1971 SAAB 96 V4 Sharing commuting duty with the Volvo. Excellent heater! 1980 CITROËN DYANE Rust has become a problem. Time for her first ever major restoration. Watch this space. 2003 VOLVO S80 D5 Superb bum-warmer for the usual 1500 mile Xmas duties. Saved! Faced with an uncertain future, the oldest UK CX was riddled with rust but, saved from oblivion – it is ready for a new keeper now. As you will read on page 82, the UK’s oldest CX has accomplished its first major test drive, after it was revived and then put through…

1959 Lotus Seven Series One Engine 948cc/4-cyl/OHV Gearbox 4-spd manual Power 37bhp@4800rpm Torque 50lb ft@2000rpm 0-60mph 14.3sec Top speed 85mph Work done Engine rebuilt including new lightened flywheel, plus cleaned and painted. Wheels bought including new tyres. Also in Paul’s garage 1964 PLYMOUTH BARRACUDA I’m having another go at getting it UK-registered. Boom! Wheels AND an engine? The car’s nearly done! Surely there can’t be much left... The best advice I’ve heard regarding wheels and tyres for a restoration is to leave them until last. Too many buy them in a burst of optimism, underestimating the remaining work, and how long the car will sit on them, the tyres slowly losing their shape and the wheels picking up workshop dirt, spills and over spray. Far better to keep the car…

SPECIAL OFFER  Visitors to the PC Restoration Show are being offered ways to cut down the cost of attending. Well, good news for YOU! PC readers can save up to 15 percent on tickets by booking them in advance. To take advantage, quote PCRS19PC1 when you book online at necrestorationshow.com . PAY IN ADVANCE  Pre-paid parking at the NEC costs £12 per day (you can benefit from this until 23.59 on March 21) and therefore avoid the pesky payment queues on the day. Otherwise, you’ll be charged the standard rate of £16 to park. You can do this by going online to thenec.co.uk/visitors/parking. TAKE THE TRAIN To avoid parking charges and queues altogether, do what many others do – and that’s dump the car at a train station one or more…

1. Boston Classic Car Club (Lincs). 2. Classic Rover Club NI (Northern Ireland). 3. Coleshill Auto Breakfast Meet (West Mids). 4. Doncaster Traditional Car Club (South Yorkshire). 5. East Coast Retros (East Anglia). 6. Glossop Vehicle Club (North Derbyshire). 7. Great North Road Vintage and Classic Vehicles (Lincs). 8. H Town Classic & Dub Club (Herts). 9. Highland Classic Motor Club (Scotland). 10. Ipswich & Suffolk Mini Club. 11. Locks Heath Classic Car Club (Hampshire). 12. M6 J16 Motoring Club (Cheshire) . 13. MG Owners Club (East Surrey branch) . 14. Morris Minor OC (North Yorkshire branch). 15. Morris Minor OC (Lincs branch). 16. Morris Minor OC (South Cheshire branch). 17. North West Casual Classics (NW England). 18. North West Kit Car Owners Group (NW England). 19. Norwich Classic Vehicle…

Toyota GB wants to find the best British road-going Toyota at the VSCC’s Pomeroy Trophy on February 16. A formula is used to ensure road-legal machinery competes equally and Toyota’s contest runs alongside the Pomeroy Trophy competition with the Parallel Pomeroy Trophy. Your car must compete in at least six of the tests, with engine capacity and year of manufacture taken into account to keep things fair. Rules are on vscc.co.uk.…

Score! In 1980, Porsche thought they’d be moving on from rear-engined cars; by 1990 they knew different. But the S4 was a potent step up from the first two versions, with a 5-litre V8 making 320bhp and pushing it to a 168mph maximum. Did Mr Hughes manage to hang on to his licence? ‘To the right of Sparky’s Porsche, there’s a line of more humble fare’ A long career This is one of millions of small Fords to use a derivative of the old Kent engine from 1959. By this time, the Kent had become the Crossflow and then the Valencia, when turned around for FWD applications. It lasted right up to 2002 in the last Fiesta MkIV and is still made in Brazil. Golden age Once bitten, forever smitten!…

RESTORER Mel Jardine was only 20 when she started her first restoration – a Pontiac Trans Am. She still has it, making her probably the only person in the country to run a Trans Am and a Datsun Laurel. She’s inspired at least one pal to begin his own Laurel resto. When not fixing cars, she works at Durham County Council. DATSUN LAUREL Mel grew up with a C31 Laurel and grabbed one of the UK’s last examples when she restored a car of her own. Like many youngsters, the childhood family car made a very big impression on Mel Jardine, who was charmed by the lavish standard equipment on her father’s 1985 Datsun Laurel. ‘How many rivals had electric windows and mirrors back then? The gimmickry won me over,’…

The Volvo 740GL is, I reckon, as good as luxury cars ever got. You can cruise at 100mph while enjoying the muted nuances of a Bach cantata on the cassette player. You can throw it into corners quickly for pleasure, float along collapsing British roads in great comfort and ascend snowy mountains while a heated seat warms your coccyx. It accelerates assertively, brakes assuredly and returns 25mpg in between. It’ll do all this while carrying five full-size people or, in estate form, the contents of an antique shop. Impeccable engineering means you can drive it for millions of miles if you service it adequately – or merely hundreds of thousands if you don’t. It achieves all this by purely mechanical means. It has no fuel injection or ABS – and…

1. Citroën Xantia Activa With unique fully active suspension, one day it will be as sought after as the DS. 2. Ford SportKa Mini Cooper for the modern age with amazing handling. Look for rot around filler cap. 3. Honda Prelude Handsome and well engineered with legendary VTEC engine– if you can find one. 4. Saab 900/9-3 Prices are still low for the swift GM-era Saab, which is nicely made and good to own. 5. Ford Puma Forget the bonkers Racing version, even a base Puma will put a massive grin on your face. 6. Jaguar S-Type V8 A couple of grand buys this unloved but extremely comfy monster with 400bhp. 7. Peugeot 306 GTi-6 The world has yet to realise how cheap the best handling hatch of all time…

Malcolm Graham-Jones is in the Celica Club and does PR for the Toyota Enthusiasts’ Club (TEC). He owns a dozen Celicas. He says: ‘I bought a MkI Celica in 1976 and stuck with them. They’re reliable and easy to work on.’ SELECTED SPECIALISTS Fensport, Cambs. 01354 696968 Fresh Imports, freshimports.info MK Auto Repairs, Lancs. 01254 261006. Se7en Motorsports, Yorks. 01724 488171, se7enmotorsports.co.uk TCB, Cornwall. 01579 383879, tcbparts.co.uk OWNERS’ CLUBS TEC, toyotaenthusiasts.com Celica Club, celica-club.co.uk…

There’s good news and bad here. On the plus side there’s not much that you can’t tackle yourself, as the Celica is relatively simple in its engineering and construction and no special tools are needed. Not so good is the fact that new panel supply is pretty rubbish, although a lot of used parts are available as these cars are still being broken today. You’ll be doing well to find any new panels whether they’re pattern or genuine, although the odd rare part still surfaces occasionally. The ready availability of most panels on a used basis is one of the reasons why some owners have beefed up the looks of their Celica ST or GT by fitting GT-Four bumpers and bonnets. The hoop spoiler that Toyota introduced later on is…

1959 Peerless GT Engine 1991cc/4-cyl/OHV Power 110bhp@4800rpm Torque 117lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 4-spd manual + o/d 0-60mph 10.8sec Top speed 120mph Fuel economy 28mpg Work done Peerless seal pieces. Gauge Wizard mastered (finally). Oh, and I bought a Saab 9000… Also in Gary’s garage 1980 SAAB 99 TURBO Ex-Saab press car in need of a ground-up restoration. 1996 SAAB 9000 AERO New purchase pressed into service. Impresses the kids. Oh! Gary’s smugness at fitting door seal retainers didn’t last long, for there was a significant gap when the seal itself went on. I finished last month with a mention of a small black box called a Spiyda Gauge Wizard. Its purpose is to calibrate any fuel or temperature sender unit to any gauge. Having bought it I got as far as…

1977 Reliant Scimitar SE6A Engine 2994cc/V6/OHV Power 138bhp@5000rpm Torque 192lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 4-spd manual + o/d 0-60mph 9.4sec Top speed 118mph Fuel economy 25mpg Work done New garage lifting ramps purchased and tested. Also in Nigel’s garage 1970 TRIUMPH TR6 Getting out when the weather is favourable. 1998 BMW 328I COUPÉ Feeling fresh with new front suspension struts, detailed in a forthcoming Workshop Basics feature. Trick! Hydraulic ramps help make most tasks found under the car a lot easier for the DIYer. The majority of jobs that enthusiasts tackle involve lifting the car, whether to remove wheels or work underneath. In a professional workshop environment it takes mere seconds to get the car up in the air at a convenient height on a two- or four-post lift. Most of us…

Sam Glover TECHNICAL EDITOR Sam has broken down in a gigantic variety of classics over the years, then worked out how to fix them. John Simpson MASTER MECHANIC Big John has worked at the greasy end of the motor industry since leaving school. Theodore J Gillam TECHNICAL EXPERT Theo taught automotive engineering and makes amazing things in his shed. Ed Hughes WORKSHOP GENIUS Ed singlehandedly keeps a fleet of obscure classics on the road. He’s never owned a modern car. Kim Henson CLASSIC CAR GURU Kim’s been restoring classics for over four decades. BMC vehicles are his speciality. Nigel Clark DIY RESTORER Nigel’s driveway achievements rival those of professional mechanics. He’s our resident Triumph expert. DIFFICULTY LEVELS One to two spanners An easy job that’s well within the reach of…

You will need Sewing machine, heavy-duty thread, sharp knife, pliers, good scissors, chalk, stapler, cable-ties, silicone spray. Starting and finishing At the start and end of a seam, tie off the thread and secure the last few stitches with a dab of superglue. Needles Use the largest 100/16 needles in domestic sewing machines. Thread Use a heavy-duty polyester or nylon thread. The driver’s seat is usually the first part of a car’s upholstery to wear out or sustain damage. The bolster on the door-side of the seat has the hardest time, due to the swiveling of the driver’s posterior on entry and exit. The problem is often ignored, which causes the tear or hole to get bigger at an accelerating rate. The perceived alternatives are generally to find an identical…

People can be very rude. One man came up to me and demanded that I remove the Triumph badge from the front! He was deadly serious, too. Clearly he had no appreciation for the hard work that’s gone into building this car. I know it isn’t to all tastes, but when I found this Stag it was a total wreck – rusty and destined to be broken. All the panels were completely shot and I couldn’t afford replacements. Then one day, in the workshop of our car repair business, I saw a BMW 3 Series in for work with its front bumper laying on the ground. It got me thinking. How possible would it be to fabricate new panels and shape bodywork to fit classic vehicles? I decided to put…