Table of contents for July 2018 in Practical Classics

SUCCESS IN SIGNATURES…  A Practical Classics petition – to make it illegal for Historic Vehicles to be processed through scrappage schemes – has reached its required 10,000 signatures to force a government response. Now the fight really begins, thanks to you. See next month’s PC. petition. parliament.uk/petitions/207027 MOTORING HERITAGE CELEBRATED Europe’s classic car body, FIVA, has launched a new award scheme celebrating motoring heritage. The Culture Awards celebrate best practices related to historic vehicle promotion, management, research, education and communication. Awards will be given to those who contribute to a stronger public recognition of historic vehicles. Nominations are invited by August 31. Visit fiva.org  go to News, click on Culture Award and download a form.…

Held over the hot bank holiday weekend of May 4-6, this annual extravaganza has come a long way since the first event in 2010. The scorcher served up 14 grids and 19 races with plenty of close action throughout the three days. While watching Minis, Minors, A30s, Cortinas, Elites and MGAs vying for supremacy was spellbinding, the field of 270 Mustangs lined up by Simply Mustangs was an incredible sight. Sporting Bears was there too, raising funds for Spinal Muscular Atrophy Research through its classic rides. There’s a picture gallery of the event to see at doningtonhistoric.com  .…

One of the biggest national rallies of 2018 will be the Morris Minor Owners’ Club’s weekend of June 23-24 at Kelmarsh Hall in Northants (NN6 9LY). It’s going to be massive because this year marks seven decades since the arrival of Lord Nuffield’s ‘poached egg’. The MMOC’s Tracey Cramond comments: ‘We’ve got a special display of 70 Morris Minors, and the MG Octagon Car Club will be joining us, alongside the Morris Vehicles’ Association and the 6/80 & MO Oxford & Cowley Club. ‘We’ve got music, clowns, Punch & Judy, a Spitfire aerial display plus a line-up of modified Morris Minors. It’ll be huge!’ More at mmoc.org.uk.…

We’re looking south-east across Lulworth Cove on Dorset’s Jurassic coast. The view hasn’t changed much in 40 years, with the immense, informal car park still capable of quadrupling the population of the cove whenever the sun comes out. We don’t know whether to be jealous of the shirtless day-trippers or glad that we’re not queuing for a table in the café or trying to find room on the beach. Several of the latecomers have given up and picnicked in the car-park or the hill on which the photographer is standing. Such a large array of cars provides a fascinating cross-section of late Seventies UK traffic: out of every 100 vehicles, roughly 75 or 80 are British. Of those, 28 to 30 will be Fords, then perhaps 18 or 20 from…

Yes, it’s a future classic. It is a wonderous thing! Rob Stevenson Certainly not. I worked for Mazda when they were launched. They were shockingly badly built, with paper thin metal. The amount of corrosion warranty work after just a couple of years was incredible. Not to mention the engine warranty claims. Steer clear of the Mazda rotary rot-box. Matt Beale I worked in a Mazda dealership when they were launched. Our warranty claims went through the roof because of engine failures. Al Romeo Buy a kerploded one with a good chassis for next to nothing, have the engine rebuilt, operate and service correctly and never worry about it. Luke Benson Most of the issues arose as people didn’t understand the engine and the basic maintenance required to keep it…

1 AUG 2014 Rotten on arrival The stripped down body is unbolted, placed on homebuilt trestles, and the chassis rolled out. 2 DEC 2014 Rolling project The chassis rust is now repaired and new outriggers have been made. New Kelsey Hayes wire wheels and whitewalls. 3 APR 2015 A little Italian inspiration The bodywork rust repairs are completed and the bodyshell is generously coated in ten layers of Ferrari Rosso Corsa Red. 4 JUL 2015 Wing and a prayer The painted rear wings are polished in Gerry’s homemade spray booth. Each of wings’ mounting tabs got a hand-made rubber mounting block. 5 FEB 2016 Skip trip The missing back seat was a concern until Howard found a garden bench in a skip. It got cut to size, welded and once…

When I follow a new Land Rover Discovery in something small, low and old like my Stiletto, I sense its driver has no idea I’m there. I have a great view of its asymmetrical rear end (an aftermarket tailgate with the number plate in the middle is now available), but the only view the Disco’ driver will have of me will be in the reversing camera. One can feel ever more nervous in a classic car as the cars with which it shares the road get ever vaster, but that’s not the point I want to make. It’s one of beauty, of making the roads attractive. The Discovery, the Range Rover, the Range Rover Sport, the Range Rover Evoque and its slightly longer near-clone the Land Rover Discovery Sport, plus…

‘Prices of many Seventies cars have jumped. A coincidence?’ Excuse me, but I have my ranting shirt on this month and want my say on the classic topic of the day – the just-implemented exemption of classics over 40 from taking an annual MoT test. As I write, we’re still a week off the exemption coming into force and already it’s getting like the Wild West out there – dozens of online ads for pre-’78 classics gleefully proclaiming ‘tax and MoT exempt’, usually with an exclamation mark attached. It doesn’t help that often as not the cars in these ads are also described as ‘rat-look’, where a truer description might be ‘neglected’. And sale prices of Seventies cars have jumped recently, whereas Nineties ones have slipped back. Is that a…

Martin Nancekievill runs the Leyland Princess Enthusiasts’ Club with president Kevin Davis. ‘Most members are based in the UK,’ says Martin. ‘But they’re so spread out we tend to use national multi-marque events as an opportunity to get together. The LPEC contains a lot of expertise which is accessible through the website. We also email a quarterly magazine to all our members. The club is currently putting together a spares department and is involved in parts remanufacturing too.’ SELECTED SPECIALISTS SGS Engineering, sgs-engineering.com The Re-gassing Service, hydragasand hydrolastic service.com…

Peugeot is back on form and is being deservedly lavished with industry awards. Granted, the company stylist has found his pen at last and the interiors feel very upmarket but a comparison with my similarly sized old Pug people-mover leaves you wondering where the progress is. Despite being shorter, my £800 banger is like the Albert Hall inside, while the new car is cramped and claustrophobic for seven people. I have enormous windows that provide a commanding view of the earth yet a seat in the new car makes it feel like you’ve been stuffed into the corner of a coal bunker. While we’re on the subject, all of the soft seats in the box-shaped 806 move this way and that and can be removed to provide van levels of…

1971 Triumph TR6 Engine 2498cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 104bhp@4500rpm Torque 146lb ft@2000rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph 10.7sec Top speed 109mph Fuel economy 28mpg Work done Crankshaft fitted; core plugs fitted; pistons fitted; camshaft fitted. Also in Matt’s garage 1992 TALBOT EXPRESS Ferried us to Thetford Forest for a weekend away with friends over May Bank Holiday. 1993 PEUGEOT 205 JUNIOR Bottom coolant hose has sprung a big leak… off the road and awaiting a replacement. With the TR’s engine block thoroughly cleaned and fitted with fresh oilway bungs ( PC , June 2018) it was time to start putting the freshly-machined rotating internals back in. First up was the crankshaft – the original – which had only required minor remedial work at Ivor Searle Ltd ( PC , May 2018) and been…

1960 Morris Minor Convertible Engine 998cc/4-cyl/OHV Power TBC Torque Unknown Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph Yes Top speed Sufficient Fuel economy Some Work done Boot lid painted, rear bumper fitted, wiring finished, MoT’d. Also in Matt’s garage 1969 MORRIS TRAVELLER Happily bumbling along. 1970 MINOR SALOON Edging closer to the front of the queue. 1992 MINI CITY E Mr Bean replica is for sale; email me if you’d like to own it. I can scarcely believe it. My Morris Minor Convertible, the static object that’s been draining my time and bank account for the past three years, is finally on the road. In a flurry of plans coming to fruition, I took the repaired, prepared and epoxy-primed bootlid to Tom at Nene Valley Body Repairs in Oundle, Northants, and once again…

1 Tell-tale gap It’s likely the pillar finisher isn’t correctly positioned on internal metal. 2 Basic tools only First of the hand-made sections. The hole is for the door release rod. 3 Once, twice… No matter how much trial-fitting you do, you can never do too much. Keep your cool and your patience. 4 Fold role All the strengthening folds and creases were created using a variety of hammers and dollies. Gary’s metal folder is not suitable for thick aluminium work. 5 Critical work The old steel section is being used to correctly align its replacement. Its position will affect the window lifting mechanism.…

1978 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow 2 Engine 6750 cc Power ‘Adequate’ Torque Not disclosed Gearbox 4-speed automatic 0-60mph 10.7sec Top speed 113mph Fuel economy 17mpg (hopefully) Work done Sourced and fitted a replacement four-speed gearbox… that was no good. Also in Dave’s garage 2003 ALFA ROMEO GTV A really fun daily driver. I replaced the engine in my Silver Shadow ( PC , June 2018) with a newer one from a Silver Spirit that should give up to a 10mpg increase in fuel economy… but in my enthusiasm I had made a huge oversight. While I knew this engine would fit as it was used in the final versions of the Corniche, I had failed to check that my existing gearbox would simply bolt on to the back of it and…

A smoothly-operating window is a thing of joy that gives a quality feel to any classic. One that’s arm-achingly stiff, drops inside the door with a crash or sounds like fingernails down a blackboard, however, contributes to the depressing feeling that the whole car’s days are numbered. Thankfully, the operating mechanism usually needs nothing more than simple adjustment and a basic service. The mechanism leads a hard life. A lot of force is exerted in winding the glass up and its home inside of the door tends to be a damp environment. To cap it all, they seldom see a spanner or a blob of grease until they start to pack up completely. There are two basic types of mechanism. One uses crank-arms to raise and lower the glass and…

In the first part of our B-Series engine overhaul, we showed you how to strip your engine. Now, we’ll explain how to examine the individual parts and determine what’s good to go again, what requires machining and what’s fit only for the bin. If your engine has covered a decent mileage, a visual inspection is likely to condemn most components. There’s a good chance it’ll need everything: a rebore with oversize pistons; a crank grind with undersize bearing shells; a camshaft and bearings; a head skim; valves, seats, guides, pushrods and cam followers; rockers and shaft; timing sprockets, chain and tensioner; an oil pump; a flywheel skim. B-Series parts are cheap and readily available, so you can take a blasé ‘if in doubt, replace it’ approach. A machine shop can…

Alloy wheels are jolly splendid. Being lighter than their mild steel counterparts, they help to keep the unsprung mass of the suspension as low as possible, allowing it to react more quickly to bounce and rebound forces and resulting in better tyre-to-road contact. Alloys also have a lower rotational mass, allowing more rapid changes in speed. Some people think they look better than steel wheels, too. The biggest drawback of alloy wheels is that the aluminium alloy they’re made of is relatively soft. This makes them far more susceptible to damage than steel wheels. Scraping them against curbs when parking and hitting potholes at speed – an increasingly significant problem in the UK – are the most common culprits. If your classic car is used as it should be, alloy…

The Department for Transport decision to make cars that were built more than 40 years ago exempt from the MoT, with owners voluntarily electing to have their car checked if they feel it needs one, has been greeted with almost universal incredulity in the non-classic media. Print and broadcast media headlines ranged from ‘BACK FROM THE DEAD More than 115,000 old cars could legally be back on the road WITHOUT an MOT next week’ in The Sun to, ‘MOT shock – Why 500,000 old cars won’t need one but your new car will’ in The Express . Strong stuff indeed. The exemption story was covered in some depth on the BBC’s flagship The One Show on May 15 with…

Beaulieu Spring Autojumble was a sunny jamboree and I even sold a car. Farewell Pug 106 Roland Garros. My friend Tracey Seagrove has her Morris Minor back after two years’ hard work by Matt Tomkins. I’ve been filming for our Skill Shack channel… ‘How to buy a classic car’. Coming soon to skillshack.co.uk. Noise of the month: the mighty BRM V16 at the National Motor Museum… what a howl! I spent time with Edd China and Al Cox filming their new show Built By Many. Read Edd’s report next issue.…

Without unexception Organisers of the fifth Festival of the Unexceptional are expecting record crowds for the event, on July 14. Six experts of unexceptional motors – including Edd China and our own Danny Hopkins – will be judging fifty of the most ordinary classics at the event in the grounds of Stowe House, Bucks. 50 years of museum steam Tyseley railway museum would like to recreate a pre-1968 car park, to celebrate fifty years of operations. The museum opened its doors to the public on September 29, 1968, with displays of steam locomotives and traction engines. On the same date this September, organisers are inviting visitors to wear Sixties clothing and aim to fill the parking area with pre-1968 classics. Visit vintagetrains.co.uk. RIP Gordon Well-known Rootes enthusiast Gordon Jarvis has…

Subaru Impreza Group A Rally Car £22.99 ISBN 978-1-785211-10-2  Learn about the competition history and anatomy of the Group A rally Imprezas, with insight from drivers and co-drivers, and look at what is involved in running a Group A Impreza today. haynes.com Mazda MX-5 Miata £30 ISBN 978-1-787111-93-6 The definitive history of the second generation Mazda MX-5 , this book was researched and written in Japan with the full cooperation of the factory. A must-have for any owner. veloce.co.uk Lancia Delta Integrale £35 ISBN 978-1-787110-76-2 A beautifuly produced hardback, this book is a fitting tribute to one fo the most iconic rally cars of all time. It covers the complete history of the car and all the special editions along the way. Insights from chief engineer and chief test driver…

You’d think that the world’s biggest Peugeot gathering would be in France, but it actually happens in Gloucestershire, at Prescott Hillclimb. This year’s Peugeot Festival (peugeotfestival.co.uk) takes place on Sunday July 1 and it’s organised by the Peugeot Sport Club UK. The group’s Chris Hughes says: ‘All Peugeots are welcome, regardless age. This year we will be marking 30 years of the 405 and 20 years of the 306 Rallye and lots of other Peugeot owners’ clubs are set to join us.’ As well as a Run What Ya Brung up the hill there will be a show and shine challenge.…

SAT, JUN 16 HANTS Simply VW at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, SO42 7ZN (beaulieu.co.uk). WILTS Bath Festival of Motoring, Walcot Rugby Ground, BA1 9BJ (bath festivalofmotoring.com). BEDS Bolnhurst Rally, MK44 2ER (bolnhurstrally.org.uk). SAT-SUN, JUN 16-17 SURREY Double Twelve Festival at Brooklands, KT13 0QN (brooklands museum.com). ESSEX Battlesbridge VW Weekend, SS11 7RF (battlesbridge.com). SOMERSET Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallett, BA4 6QN (bristolclassiccarshows.com). YORKS Classics at Raby Castle, DL2 3AH (markwoodwardclassic events.com). SUN, JUN 17 LONDON Classic & Cake at Duke of London, TW8 8AT (dukeoflondon.co.uk). CO DURHAM Classic Cars at Raby Castle, DL2 3AH (markwoodwardclassicevents.com ). STAFFS Classic Car Show at Trentham Gardens, ST4 8JG (classicmotor shows.co.uk). YORKS Classic Car Show at Castle Howard, YO60 7DA (classicshows.org). HANTS Hot Rod & Custom Day at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu,…

The rot has set in. I’ve bought a welder Three years ago, my wife forced me to learn to drive. She also unwittingly unleashed my latent need to collect old cars, the dreadful consequences of which haunt her to this day. The first purchase was a relatively sensible Volvo 940 estate; the last of the ‘proper’, redblock, steam-powered Volvos. Driving an enormous greenhouse while seated in a leather armchair was all well and good, but I wanted more. I constantly browsed eBay, but the dream bangers of my youth were now far beyond my reach and extremely rusty to boot. Then I saw an advert for a Porsche 924. It was white with the Bridget Riley, op-art nightmare Pascha interior and it was £800. £800! There had to be a…

THE MOT LITE It’s true you can only apply for exemption when you tax a vehicle but if your MoT is due after taxing and your car has historic status on the V5, you can legally drive it on the road without an MoT and, in the words of the head of MoT at the DVSA, ‘formalise’ it at the next taxation. This info comes from an interview with him in a recent Enjoying MGmagazine. I had this confirmed in an email from the DVSA after an earlier one had contradicted him. I couldn’t fill in a V112 exemption form in April as the form hadn’t been updated and my MoT runs out in May. My MGB had passed first time for the past 11 years, so I’m probably more…

The DVLA used to be staffed by people. The benefit of qualified human judgement meant that its Dickensian systems more-or-less functioned. When they didn’t, issues could be solved via a telephone conversation, or face-to-face at a local office. Then, in 2013, all employees were sacked and replaced by an angry BBC Micro computer in Swansea. This was connected to a printer, allowing it to send threats of fines and car repossession to mild-mannered motorists. As long as you hadn’t actually done anything wrong, these could be counteracted. Recently, though, the angry BBC Micro has been connected to the internet. The subsequent avalanche of data is more than its glitchy 8-bit brain can handle. It’s gone haywire, showering the country with false accusations and hysterical abuse concerning car tax, SORN declarations…

The idea of motoring along one of Britain’s most scenic coastlines in spring sounded just fine to me. ‘Can you go and play with the chaps from the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway?’ asked editor Hopkins. How could I refuse? I prepared for a blast down the M5 and a run along the stunning A39 from Minehead towards Ilfracombe. It was to be a truly historic day out. The two passenger carriages from the water-powered Victorian railway had been lifted off their bases for refurbishment, leaving a flatbed platform on which cars could be placed for transportation up the cliff for the first time in fifty years. The first recorded occurrence was in 1905, when one of the key financiers of the railway, Sir George Newnes, took his car to…

1959 Riley One-Point-Five Price: £5600 Just 41,800 miles on the clock from new. Refurbed and modified in style of works racer. Priced to reflect glassfibre wings and usual iffy second gear. 1989 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6L Price: £1595 One owner from new, full service history and only 13,000 miles. Condition to match and what looks a bargain price. Find another! 1965 Daimler 250 V8 Price: £10,750 Older restoration with photos and some history. Solid body, excellent chrome, stainless exhaust. Recent water pump and servo.…

More and more of these cars are coming out of long-term storage, but there are maybe just half a dozen projects that crop up each year. Most need bodywork; in many cases they just need re-commissioning. The most common mechanical issues are with the suspension, which needs to be re-gassed rather than just pumped up. The front caliper pistons and the rear wheel cylinders will probably have seized, but everything is easy to fix. There are pretty much no new-old-stock parts left and even some used items are hard to find. Fortunately, all the service items are readily available. The exhaust silencing is the same for all models, but the downpipes, which are engine-specific, are easy enough to track down. You might have to get an exhaust system made specially…

1971 Jensen Interceptor II Engine 6313cc/V8/OHV Power 330bhp@5000rpm Torque 425lb ft@2800rpm Gearbox 3-speed Auto 0-60mph 7.4sec Top Speed 136mph Fuel economy 14.4mpg Work done 383 V8 engine out of the car and in bits (quite broken). In Danny’s shed 1950 RILEY RMA Paint done, engine next. 1956 RILEY PATHFINDER Final welding imminent. 1972 TRIUMPH 2000 MoT’d, Strombergs rebuilt, driven around Britain 1987 MAZDA 626 COUPÉ To be sorted by summer. 1997 SAAB 9000 CDE 2.3 To be sorted by winter. The course of true restoration never did run smooth and yet again my marathon Jensen Interceptor restoration has hit a bump. It appears that when we broke the engine in last year, we also broke the engine. It is a nightmare, an expensive one, and I have had to have…

1998 BMW 323i Coupé Engine 2494cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 168bhp@5500rpm Torque 181lb ft@3950rpm Gearbox 5-speed automatic 0-60mph 9.0sec Top speed 139mph Fuel economy 28mpg Work done Two oil-related issues fixed on the E36 coupé – the ‘To-do’ list is getting shorter! Like any new purchase, my 323i is throwing up plenty of little jobs early in ownership as I get the car into shape. I’ve dealt with all its routine maintenance needs but there were still a couple of minor faults to fix. The first was a persistent oil leak from the valve cover, which was letting oil dribble down the block before coating the anti-roll bar. Not serious but certainly messy. Apparently this is quite a common problem with BMW’s M52 six-pot motors and happily it’s easy to repair. The moulded…

It started in a country pub.. Meeting all year round on the first Monday of the month at the Duke’s Head in Tadworth, Kent (KT20 5SL), the Classics at the Duke gathering has been going for five years since it was set up by Ray and Janet Punchard. ‘We previously went to a different gathering but that folded so we found a welcoming pub and set up our own. Aimed at pre-1985 classics we get a good spread of British and American cars. It’s an informal social with no fees; we also support other events in the south-east, with some of us travelling together for a day out.’ Ray: 07774 886715.…

It was the first car I ever drove. Me and a mate were going down a narrow lane and met a Ford Granada MkII coming the other way. I found a gap in the hedge and went through it, but ended up on top of a grass bank, see-sawing with all four wheels off the ground. When the Granada driver stopped laughing, he helped us lift the Mini off the bank. John Watts The office secretary once called me to tell me she had just witnessed the driver’s door of my Mini falling off by itself outside. It had been on one hinge for a while as the A-panel and hinge post were like cheese. I just locked the door in place and then got in and out via the…

I was on a ferry with my Volvo on Lake Tanganyika in Africa and was woken in the middle of the night. They to asked me move my car so they could open the hatches to load dried fish onto the tiny deck in the pitch dark. First, we had to move the ‘deck’ passengers who were sleeping under the cars! Robert Hodgeson My girlfriend (now wife) and I were going from Turkey to Greece in 1985 with a 1980 Renault 4 TL. The poor girl was puking all night. I had a few drinks with bikers from Austria. Alexander Puck I spewed all the way from Amsterdam to Newcastle. It was my ninth birthday. Ewan Knight I remember watching everything being brought in over the Pacific R eef from…

James Bacchus 1959 SPRITE The three-cyclinder cacophony that heralded my arrival at the British Motor Museum was all that was needed to swing Matt Tomkins into the action he loves best, some A-series first-aid. Just minutes later, with the loan of some spark plug indicators, we identified number two cylinder was observing a day of rest on the Sabbath, terminating the HT lead in the side-entry cap. I was worried this might herald a tough week for my newly-purchased 1959 Austin-Healey Sprite. But other than a repeated and total failure of the car’s charging system (isolated and then ignored) the Frogeye kept pace at all times. I’d bought it on a bit of a whim, but after we bonded during my 1725-mile drive, this may become a long-term relationship Matt…

REVIEW Near sellout Amazing result at SWVA sale on April 27 South West Vehicle Auctions has been on a bit of a roll of late and pulled off a storming result in April, selling all but four of the 76 cars on offer. What helped was a good mix of the affordable classics the market is hot for at the moment. In fact it had quite a glut of low-mile Nineties not-hot hatches, which may explain why a fair few went for tempting prices. Even more tempting was a ’97 Peugeot 306 Cabrio, its short MoT and need for the handbrake sorting balanced by a genuine 57k. Well worth a punt at the £1000 paid. Well exceeding expectations – an estimate of £2500-  £3000 – was a 1968 Ford Anglia…

One year with a Vanden Plas taught me two things: firstly, an Ambassador puts modern executives to shame for comfort. Secondly, ownership is enhanced when you belong to any of the helpful clubs. Make sure your suspension displacers get regassed – it makes a world of difference. I drove mine to Switzerland and back and thanks to that soft ride, I suffered no aches at all. They’re also better handling than you might imagine – there isn’t much in the way of power but I was rewarded with more than a few smiles as I descended the Alpine hairpins. Hydragas gives better handling composure and grip than a Granada of the period.…

1980 There are detail changes to the trim in October, including an array of interior upgrades, but nothing mechanical. 1981 The final Princess saloons are built in November, ready for the Ambassador hatchback to take over early in 1982. 1982 Ambassador on sale: 1.7 L or HL, 2.0 HL, twin-carb HLS, Vanden Plas; all can be specified with 4sp manual or 3sp automatic. 1983 Power steering standard across the range. By November it’s all over, with the Maestro and Montego picking up the baton.…

What is the best value British-built family classic? I would have to favour a first-generation Land Rover Freelander. It will never be cheaper and if you find a good one, it will repay your investment many times over. The original Freelander was built between 1997 and 2006 and was Land Rover’s first stab at a compact SUV. Having looked for a buddy manufacturer with which to develop the project, codenamed CB40 (after Canley Building 40, where the concept was initially developed), Rover went it alone, Honda deciding to go its own way and develop the CR-V independently. As with the MGF, Rover raided its own parts bin to put the Freelander together. It sat on a modified Maestro floorpan and used K-series and KV6 engines… and had easily recognizable Rover…

1967 MGB ‘GT6’ Engine 2498cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 150bhp (est) Torque 150lb ft (est) Gearbox 4-spd manual +o/d 0-60mph 8sec (est) Top speed 110mph (est) Fuel economy 20mpg (est) Work done Finished engine installation, tuned, sorted brakes, revived electrics, fitted tyres, MoT’d. Also in Sam’s garage 1934 AUSTIN RUBY Fluids changed and rodents rehoused for Spring motoring. 1952 JOWETT JAVELIN New rear wings thanks to the the Jowett Club at the PC Restoration Show. 1965 VOLVO ‘AMAZON’ Engine bits are back from Coventry Boring. 1968 MORRIS 1800 See the entrails of its B-Series engine on page 130. 1994 ŠKODA FAVORIT Passed an MoT with flying colours. Totally majestic. I’ve suffered a powerful and debilitating lack of enthusiasm towards my MGB ‘GT6’ project. The underlying issue, I think, is my general disinterest in…

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 Pattern sections of door frame made in aluminium. Side window fitted. Also in Gary’s garage 1980 SAAB 99 TURBO Ex-Saab press car in need of complete restoration. The push towards getting the Peerless road legal continues and once again I find myself tackling an Achilles Heel of Peerless Phase 1 construction; the passenger door and window mechanism frame. Before I got stuck into that, though, I fitted the rear passenger side window and frame. This is fixed to the B-pillar using a strip of piano hinge. Inside the pillar’s outer finisher is a metal strengthener with a strip of wood to act as packing. I…

1972 Triumph GT6 MkIII Engine 1998cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 98bhp@5300rpm Torque 108lb ft@3000rpm Work done Floorpans cleaned and repainted. The reassembly of my GT6 is inching towards completion. When Ben and his team at Complete Car Care finished their marathon welding and spraying performance, they sprayed the boot floor with a fresh coat of Triumph Pimento red paint. Looking at the floor in the cabin, I felt something needed to be done to smarten it up, too. The floorpans were covered in flaking paint and surface rust. After a clean up with a wire brush followed by a wipe over with thinners, I brushed on a coat of rust-resistant grey primer. Next day the primer had dried sufficiently for me to finish the job by applying two coats of Hammerite Smooth Red…

1 Vernier scale This displays even smaller increments. We can see the thimble is measuring a little more than 0.19mm. See which marking on the vernier lines up with a marking on the thimble. Here, only the ‘2’ lines up. The reading is actually 8.692mm. 2 Vernier caliper The vernier caliper works on the same principle, but with less accuracy. Here, the position of the ‘0’ on the top scale shows that the reading is over 8.00mm. Only the 6.2 mark lines up on the vernier scale. The reading is therefore 8.62mm. 3Imperial gauges Each main increment on the barrel is 0.100in, divided into four 0.025in increments. Each increment on the thimble is 0.001in. So this reading is 1in, plus 0.100in, plus 0.024in. Only the ‘1’ lines up on the…

1 Avoid damage Dents are often caused by ham-fisted fitting of the hubcap. Lightly grease the ‘ears’ of the wheel and the rim of the cap. Push it on – don’t kick it or strike it with your hand. 2 Remove heavy dents Push out a heavy dent with your thumbs before applying the tyre lever. Don’t knock it out. The main thing is not to push the metal out too far, or it’ll stretch beyond its original profile. 3 Know when to stop After about ten minutes of massaging with the lever, the dent is invisible. Some slight unevenness can still be felt with fingers, though. The metal’s bound to have stretched slightly. Judge when it’s as good as it can be, then stop.…

If your club’s contact details have changed, please let us know! A 750 MOTOR CLUB 01379 741641, 750mc.co.uk AC OWNERS’ CLUB 07768 363250, acownersclub.co.uk AMERICAN AUTO CLUB (UK) 0845 644 0345, americanautoclubuk.com AMBULANCE PRESERVATION SOCIETY southambpres.wordpress.com CLASSIC AMERICAN AC (GB) 020 8286 1120, classicamericanautoclub.co.uk/ PRE -’50 CLASSIC AMERICAN 01530 831170, pre50aac.com AEC SOC aecsociety.com ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA REGISTER giulietta.com ALFA ROMEO OC aroc-uk.com ALLARD OWNERS’ CLUB allardownersclub.org ALVIS OWNER CLUB alvisoc. org ALVIS REG 01509 412289, alvisregister.co.uk ARMSTRONG SIDDELEY OC 01225 723809, siddeley.org A-SERIOUS (A-SERIES ENGINED CARS) http://aserious.freeforums.org ASSN OF OLD VEHICLE CLUBS OF N IRELAND 028 9146 7886, aovc.co.uk ASTON MARTIN OC 01865 400400, www.amoc.org AUDI 100 COUPÉ S CLUB GB 01702 461513 audi100coupes.angelfire.com AUDI OC 07788 588449 , audiclub.co.uk CLUB AUDI…