Índex per October 2022 a Practical Classics

Brushing up  MEGUIARS MULTI PURPOSE BRUSHES MEDIUM £10 LARGE £12 These two new offerings from legendary car care specialists Meguiars have a wide range of uses when detailing your classic. With super soft synthetic bristles, these handy brushes are safe to use on all surfaces and are ideal for cleaning in intricate areas such as around badges or trim. Suited for both interior and exterior work, they are available in two sizes to suit all of your detailing requirements. meguiars.co.uk Light up the night KANGA STAR WORK LIGHTS FROM £103.80 Do you struggle to keep your work lights charged? Many restorers have simplified their power tool game already, converting to a single system with interchangeable batteries. These new offerings from Nightsearcher build on that, being designed to operate from…

Kattle on… time for some tall tales from the PC workshop Danny Hopkins EDITOR 1972 Triumph 2000 Engine 1998cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 84bhp@5000rpm Torque 100lb ft@2900rpm Gearbox 4-spd man + o/d 0-60mph 14.9sec Top speed 98mph Fuel economy 25mpg Work done New driveshafts fitted; front seats revived and recoloured; scissor lift purchased for the garage. 2 (day) TIME 610 (£) SPENT 66 MILES Also in Danny’s classic garage 1956 RILEY PATHFINDER Leather Repair Company seat miracle performed. 1970 JENSEN INTERCEPTOR II Used sparingly, but with lots of enthusiasm. 1971 MORRIS MARINA 1.3 At Josh’s for suspension love and final tweaks. 1998 MAZDA MX-5 NB Needs a new hood, anyone got one going spare? 2001 ALFA GTV 2.0 TS Still needs cambelt doing and exhaust, too… next. 2004 VAUXHALL FRONTERA 2.2DTI Next in…

Matt George PRODUCTION EDITOR 1993 Volkswagen Transporter 1.9D Engine 1896cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 60bhp@3700rpm Torque 94lb ft@1700rpm Gearbox 5-speed manual 0-60mph 19sec Top speed 80mph Fuel economy 39mpg Work done Van chosen and bought. 2 (days) TIME 5k (£) SPENT 40 0MILES Also in Matt’s garage 1972 TRIUMPH TR6 In dry dock currently, still awaiting a replacement oil pressure pipe and/or gauge. 1972 TRIUMPH 2000 Being enjoyed on local trips during the summer months. 2004 BMW 330d Air-con recharged and ice cool in time for summer! Longer-term readers will remember that, back in 2017-18, my then-partner (and now-wife) Abby and I thoroughly enjoyed owning a 1993 Talbot Express camper van. Among numerous adventures, we even went as far afield as Paris in it (see Practical Classics, September 2018). But when we bought…

Matt Tomkins WORKSHOP EDITOR Our resident workshop puppet master, Matt has Morris Minors and A-Series engines in his blood. This month Renewing Austin Seven king pins. Martin Domoney LRO WORKSHOP ED Former JLR technician, Martin, knows his classics inside and out. This month Getting ready for the LRO show in September. Theodore J Gillam ENGINEERING EXPERT Former Motor Vehicle lecturer and classic fiddling perfectionist. Has a love of compression ignition. This month Stripped down a Magneto for an upcoming feature. Ed Hughes WORKSHOP GENIUS Ed singlehandedly keeps a fleet of obscure classics on the road. He has never owned a modern and will keep it that way. This month Getting his hand back in with some coachpainting. Nigel Clark DIY RESTORER Nigel’s driveway achievements rival those of pro mechanics. He’s…

Prices are researched from several sources, including clubs, auctions, the trade and advertisements online and in print. Prices are reviewed and updated every issue. Our C/D rating is a basic guide to what you can expect to pay (£) for the best examples of a model, a concours car or something from a dealer. CONDITION 1 means well-presented cars that have no obvious faults. CONDITION 2 cars are capable of regular use. They have a current MOT certificate, but will need work and/or original parts. CONDITION 3 cars usually need a full rebuild, but may be driveable and MOT’d. PLEASE NOTE You can’t value any car without seeing it – don’t buy blind. Russ says ‘Buying and selling should be fun, but sometimes, it’s a nightmare. Follow these three rules…

CHARITY HEROES IN ASSOCIATION WITH Charity HEROES Craig Cheetham on why the classic car community is so great When I sit down to collate these pages, I’m always overwhelmed at the lengths and breadths that people in the classic car community go to in order to support those less fortunate than themselves. It’s something that makes me proud to be a member of the classic car fraternity and part of the extended PC family, as the magazine is a centrepiece of all that’s good about the world of old motors and the people that own them. That’s why we’re on the lookout for Britain’s Favourite Classic Charity, supported by Lancaster Insurance. ‘Big or small – we want to hear from you all!’ Big or small, we heard from you about…

Red Oktober is go! The IFA Club will be out in force on October 1-2, with its Red Oktober weekend in Lincolnshire. IFA Club chairman Mel Holley told us: ‘We’ll be gathering at the Trolleybus Museum in Sandtoft to hold our AGM in the on-site Regal Cinema. But the weekend will be much more about driving our cars and visiting venues of interest, so we’ll also be taking in the South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum, the Grimsby Fishing Heritage Centre and hopefully also the Streetlife Museum of Transport in Hull. All owners of Eastern European cars and motorbikes are welcome to join us. Two weeks later we’ll be at the Red Oktober meet at the Ace Cafe and once again, where all owners of Eastern Bloc classics are welcome.’ There’s more…

1974 VAUXHALL MAGNUM Having passed through various family members, the cherished Vauxhall will never be sold. Asked about his first interest in the world of cars, Nick Favell fondly recalls his earliest childhood memory of sitting in the back of a stately Jaguar MkVII, driven by his father not long after Favell senior had passed his driving test back in the Sixties. ‘I can remember the unusual opposing wiper arrangement on the MkVII’s split windscreen, and being told off for sticking my arm out through the rear door quarterlights!,’ he laughs. Jumping forward two decades to the early Eighties, Nick found a part-time job as a forecourt attendant at a local Leicestershire Jet service station, where the owner quickly recognised young Nick’s drive and determination, giving him an opportunity on…

Buying & selling modern classics in the real world Many of you will recognise in me a penchant for the great ‘unloved’. Widely viewed as automotive failures and unfashionable hacks, the heroic beasts that litter automotive history are far more interesting to me than ‘the greats’. I have previously loved Allegros, Marinas, Vauxhall Royales, an Austin 3 Litre, Riley Pathfinders, a Renault Avantime, while I currently enjoy the services of a Fiat Multipla. All interesting, all full of quirks, none as bad as car hacks will have you think. So how does a Vauxhall Vectra fit into that list? It’s not even a bad car, it’s an OK car… which is worse in a way. It fits because it received the same high level journalistic hatred… Forever associated with the…

James Walshe DEP EDITOR 2002 Citroën Berlingo 1.9D Engine 1868cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 70bhp@4600rpm Torque 92lb ft@2500rpm Gearbox 5-speed manual 0-60mph 19sec Top speed 88mph Fuel economy 52mpg Work done New rear axle, front springs, brakes; full service. 1 (day) TIME 800 (£) SPENT 0 MILES Also in James’s garage 1985 CITROËN 2CV6 Future hanging in the balance after a road accident (see p62). 2004 CITROËN BERLINGO 2.0 HDI Carrying washing machines, people and on camper van duties around the UK. 2004 SMART ROADSTER Needs a full service and an exhaust. I need more time! If Iwas clever enough to manage my own business, I’d call it the Sanctuary for Lost and Broken Berlingos. It’d be a place where folk could dump their mangy Multispace, poorly Partner or their crummy Kangoo and…

James Holland CONTRIBUTOR 1974 Reliant Rebel van Engine 701cc/4cyl/OHV Power 31bhp@5000rpm Torque 38lbft@2500rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph 35.9sec Top speed 70mph Fuel economy 38.1mpg Work done Seats rebuilt; wiring fettled; clutch adjusted; gearbox fault fixed. 8 (hrs)TIME 0 (£)SPENT 0 MILES Story so far… Donated to PC by reader Graham Catchpole, the Rebel with a Cause project is being restored by PC and partners before being sold at auction to raise money for NHS charities. Resprayed in NHS blue, it was rebuilt live at the PC Resto Show in March and it’s now time for the finishing touches before it hits the road for a fundraising road trip. We’re so nearly there with the Rebel with a Cause project (and that’s a very good thing, given we’re aiming to hit…

Back to basics in the workshop THEO’S JOB CARD AIMS AND OBJECTIVES By the end of this workshop session, you should be able to: identify a range of jacks and choose the most appropriate in terms of safety and practicality; check the chosen jack and axle stand(s) for serviceability; be able to select a suitable jacking point under the vehicle for both the jack and the axle stand(s), for chassis and unitary construction cars; and finally be able to raise the car safely and place it on axle stands. A fundamental skill Many of the maintenance and repair jobs you’ll need to carry out on a classic car will first require the vehicle to be raised up, whether it’s to change a wheel, remove a gearbox or weld in some…

ED’S JOB CARD CLEAN, DEGREASE & PAINT Many people confess they’d rather let someone else fix their classic when it goes wrong. However, there are plenty of little jobs that anyone can do – even if they’re not confident enough to interfere with important bits of the car. Classics are full of bits that get dirty or rusty and let down the car’s appearance. Rusty brackets, faded plastic parts and small mechanisms can be improved with just a little work. START STRIPPING 30 MINS 1 What’s what Petrol and carburettor or brake cleaners are efficient, but harm many plastics. Use water-based cleaners for these. 2 Remove loose finishes Degrease metal parts, or paint finishes won’t adhere. Fasten in a vice and attack with a stiff wire brush. For sheet steel…

CHARITY HEROES IN ASSOCIATION WITH The searing heat of the hottest weekend of the year did nothing to put hundreds of MG enthusiasts off from turning out in their droves to support good causes in celebration of the 40th birthday of the brand’s post-Abingdon models. Organised by the MG Car Club, the event at the home of the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway –Toddington Station – saw over £3,650 raised to support charities. They included the British Heart Foundation, Camphill Wellbeing Trust, Mind, St. Catherine’s Hospice in Crawley and the Alzheimer’s Society, the latter of which has a very particular resonance. ‘In 2021, we lost a close friend of the MG Car Club,’ said Kieran Read, Chair of the MGCC Young Members Branch. James Davis devoted his life to supporting the…

Dawlish Warren, Devon July 8, 1984 British Rail’s Class 20 diesels were generally used for freight, so the rare opportunity to ‘bash’ them was relished by rail enthusiasts, as this shot of numbers 20 184 and 20 169 working the ‘Devonshire Dart’ tour demonstrates. Dawlish Warren’s lineside car park looks just as summery as the weather, with a surprising number of yellow cars. What’s also apparent is the dominance of Ford; Blue Ovals practically outnumber all the other marques here. While the closest row starts with a white Peugeot 504 estate and the first of our yellow cars, a Datsun 100A two-door saloon, it then goes all-Ford. There’s a Cortina MkIII XL estate, Escort MkI (probably a late one, given the Daytona Yellow shade), Cortina MkIV GL, Granada MkII and…

Some months ago, I was indulging in a bit of wiring improvement on one of my old cars. The key tool for this job was my Weller 8200D instant-heat soldering gun. It’s annoying to wait for a conventional soldering iron to heat up, and both inconvenient and wasteful to leave it on for long periods during a job, but soldering is a vital part of wiring technique as I detest those crude crimped terminals with garish plastic sleeves. So, the Weller is a favourite tool. Probably my most favourite tool, actually. I acquired the Weller I was using on that fateful day back in 1967, with the Green Shield stamps my father collected from petrol purchases. I used it then for making scratch-built slot racers, and it had since seen…

Classic values & essential buying advice FANCY A PUNT? WITH RUSS SMITH ‘The computer said no’ Ihave a strange but true tale of classic car insurance. No, don’t run away, I’m still shaking my head at the bizarre, computer-driven nonsense that unfolded. And it may serve as a cautionary tale for anyone moving house – more particularly to a new-build, which I’ve just done. At the editor’s behest, reputable company names have been left out… I’d successfully changed the address on the policies for my modern and two of my three classics when it came to my Alfa Spider. The car’s been with the same insurer since I bought it 11 years ago; no claims, no issues, and I was happy with their service and £130 premium. All the usual…

‘What do you regret selling?’ It’s a favourite icebreaker whenever anyone new finds out that I write about old cars for a living. ‘Oh, I wish I’d kept hold of that, it’d be worth a fortune these days.’ I reply with a few of my back catalogue that, since going on to owners new or the crusher, have appreciated in value. I don’t have the heart to tell them the truth that I don’t care about the value of my cars. They likely wouldn’t understand the emotional connection I have with my machines or why I pour tens of thousands of my hard earned into rusty piles. Though this topic does cause me to think back and do some quick maths. Of the 60-odd classic cars I’ve owned, none have…

Matt Tomkins WORKSHOP EDITOR 1937 Austin Seven Special Engine 805cc/4-cyl/SV Power Unknown Torque Unknown Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph Unlikely Top speed Not tested Fuel economy Not established Work done Wobbly king pin re-bushed, new tools played with. 7 (hrs) TIME 44 (£) SPENT 0 MILES Also in Matt’s garage 1960 MORRIS MINOR CONVERTIBLE Was beribboned again for another friend’s wedding. 1969 MORRIS MINOR TRAVELLER A light refresh is planned. More on this soon. 1970 MORRIS MINOR SUPERCHARGED SALOON Now equipped with a Lambda read-out. See page 124 for more info. 1972 MGB GT May be going up for sale soon, sadly. Any interest? 2002 FORD FOCUS Mothballed in a barn. Needs a cambelt this year. It’s been a month of bits and bobs, but I’ve at last been able to…

21st century solutions to 20th century problems Why did you fit it? I’ve never been completely happy with the fuelling on my supercharged Minor project. Normally I’d open the SU parts catalogue and look for the car whose fuelling in standard form best matches my modifying antics, but there’s no precedent for what I’m doing and the flat spots prove it. I could, and probably will at some point, take the car to a rolling road to have it set up under load, but have always strived to be mechanically independent. That is where this kit comes in, allowing me to see at what points through the rev range under load my fuel mixture is weak, and where it is rich to allow me to make changes accordingly. What’s the…

Part 1 of 3: Replace your classic’s headlining ED’S JOB CARD REMOVE YOUR HEADLINING Today, I’ll show how to remove a traditional headlining. In the following issues, I’ll make a new one, then explain how to install it (or a pre-made one). Our already-horrible lining came out last year to repair sunroof drains and was hastily put back afterwards. As you see, an old lining is basically scrap once it’s removed. Keep it in one piece, though: you’ll need it to make a pattern for its replacement! SLOW THE PACE You’re not just removing the lining, you’re learning about it, too. Take your time! Take plenty of photos and make notes as you go along. EXPLAINER: SPECIALIST VIEW A traditional headlining, as found in many classics, is held aloft by…