Table of contents for April 2018 in Practical Classics

This 1960 Singer Gazelle is among 20 barn finds in the Carole Nash display. It had been hidden in a stable and covered in blankets since the Seventies. The Sporting Bears’ Dream Rides Garage will this year include a 175mph MG SV-R – available for rides on March 23 in exchange for a charitable donation. Twenty finalists will compete in the Lancaster Insurance Pride of Ownership, where visitors will be asked to choose between a range of classics. This SAAB 92 prototype (Chassis number 009) is one of just 20 manufactured just after 1945. It’ll be on display alongside two other 92 model barn finds. There’ll be live demonstrations, tips and advice at the Skill Shack Restoration Theatre, hosted by Mike Coman from Gilbert-Michaelson Restorations.…

The Volvo Enthusiasts’ Club has relaunched and is looking forward to a busy year ahead. Club founder Kevin Price comments: ‘We’ve set up a new website, the magazine has moved to full colour and we have re-introduced overseas reps as well as technical co-ordinators for key models. ‘Membership renewals are healthy and we’ve got a busy season coming up. We will be supporting a lot of regional and national events – we’ve always been a very active club and 2018 will be no exception. We’ll be putting on our annual national gathering, enjoying weekends away and drives out.’ • volvoenthusiastsclub.org…

Spot of trouble A Jowett Javelin might be viewed by a ca r dealer in 1959 much as one of the last Saabs would be today – a nice car, but one whose maker went bust some years earlier and one they’d be glad to see the back of… no warranty offered. Vauxhalls Atlantic crossing? All the cars in this row bar the MG Magnette resemble miniature American sedans of the Fifties, and none more so than these Vauxhall E-series Wyverns. All that brightwork added some sparkle to some tough years for the industry. Life story Records tell us that this 1.5-litre SS Jaguar, FWB 60, was registered in Sheffield in 1938. This slightly battered example would seem pretty ancient at the time the photo was taken. Sadly, there’s no…

What would you take to space? A Mars rover or a classic Volvo? I work on the Mars ‘rover’ for Airbus. I can safely say that it is slower than a Volvo, having a maximum speed of 2.3 metres per minute. Tim Trufitt Anything with a Rover tag ain’t gonna last more than five minutes. Simon Braggins Lower atmospheric pressure on Mars means Rover K-series head gasket failure would occur far earlier than on Earth. Also, hydrolastic suspension probably won’t work properly, because of physics or something. David Stevens The Martians would definitely think there was no intelligent life on earth if you sent the Volvo. Ian Allen The Volvo would never get into space anyway. It’s far too heavy. Leslie Button Given the lower gravitational pull on the Moon’s…

‘It is 50 glorious years since the epic tragi-comedy that was British Leyland ’ Did you know that it’s 37 years since the indicator stalk on the Boston Bainbridge was changed from grey to black plastic?’ ‘Nah, it never is!’ ‘Let’s celebrate!’ Is it just me, or we are going anniversary craaazy, over obscure birthdays of almost anything? The words: ‘Happy Anniversary’ can be both poignant and joyful. Maybe a family celebrating 40 years of mum and dad’s happy marriage, or a terrible reminder of that bitterly regretted evening you met that someone in Casper’s Nightclub. The result? Two decades of marital boredom stuck in a commuter box on a Halesowen housing estate after having to replace your MGB with a succession of Kia Sedonas. Maybe anniversaries are designed to…

Antipodean delights This month’s corroded collection of crusty classics comes from Rab Lewin in Australia, who was told about this incredible scrapyard near Christchurch from New Zealand. We’ve never seen anything quite like it. Our showcase begins with one of the many examples of Ford Anglia that have survived there. Mercedes-Benz W111 Pullman We wonder who could have been chauffeured in this Benz. Maybe a rock star on a tour of New Zealand? Rover P4 75 Cyclops Another rare collectible in the shape of a ‘Cyclops’ from 1949. Now sadly beyond help. Take your pick… Hundreds of cars were present, some stacked on top of each other in rows. A Ford Pop sits atop a Landcrab at the front of this section. Austin Westminster Rab states that it was literally…

That age-old question of why you’d sell a car at auction was raised recently, and soon got a timely answer. Beyond the obvious convenience of not having to field the many responses an ad might elicit, then staying in for people who might or might not turn up, there’s always a chance of a bonus payout to weigh against the opposing chance of a no-sale. And it does happen. I was with a friend at an auction who was selling his rare and relatively low mileage Fiat saloon. We’d actually met up as he wanted a second pair of eyes on the Minor Traveller he was considering as its replacement. That turned out to be a project masquerading as a usable example, so it wasn’t too hard to drag him…

Danny Hopkins I, quite unexpectedly, sold three cars early in the year. The rapid departure of Maestro VDP, Sierra L and Saab 9-3 Convertible reduced my working fleet from five to two, the ‘two’ being my Triumph 2000 and Land Rover Discovery V8. The Triumph is a precious family heirloom and doesn’t deserve a daily 70 mile commute and the Disco is a sub-20mpg fun wagon. I had bought a 29k mile Variomatic Volvo 340 of 1983 vintage over Christmas, but that had been off the road since 2008 so I was tickling it gently back to legality. I needed a car, a classic car (because that’s all I drive), and quickly. Then the phone rang and Malcolm Ralph was on the other end. ‘I need someone to buy my…

1960 Morris Minor Convertible Engine 998cc/4-cyl/OHV Power TBC Torque Unknown Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph Hopefully Top speed Anyone’s guess Fuel economy Some Work done Wiring started, battery fitted, door bottom repaired. He’s cooking on midnight oil. Also in Matt’s garage 1969 MORRIS MINOR TRAVELLER A recent weekend away with friends meant it came out to play with a trip to the Shuttleworth collection. 1972 MGB GT Still providing sterling service as a daily driver. 1992 MINI CITY E Away at CBR Motor Bodies for final paint rectification. 2001 CITROËN C15 Parts hauler and general runabout, surprisingly good to drive. Must fix the dodgy fuel gauge though. Plenty of midnight oil has been burned since last month, and in its light I’m seeing real progress. I’ve started to fit the new…

1972 Mercedes-Benz 280SE 3.5 Engine 3499cc/V8/OHV Power 197bhp@5800rpm Torque 211lb ft@4000rpm Gearbox 4-speed automatic 0-60mph 9sec Top speed 130mph Fuel economy 18mpg Work done Headlining and door card re-trim, new driver’s side carpet, new cold-start control valve. Also in Matt’s mews 1960 VÉLOSOLEX Still on sabbatical. In my experience, every resto project has a horrid bit. A bit where the armbands deflate and you’re left wading through the bog water of rust, black oil and spending incontinence. That was, as of a month ago, where I was at. But where I’m at now is much, much worse. Last time I wrote, I told you how wonderfully it was running after I fitted the 123 Ignition set-up. Which it was. For about a month. After it passed its MoT, I let…

1958 Austin A105 Westminster Estate Engine 2639cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 102bhp@4600rpm Torque 142lb ft@2400rpm Gearbox 3-speed auto 0-60mph 17.8sec Top speed 97mph Useful Contacts AH Spares, ahspares.co.uk Autosparks, autosparks.co.uk Anglia Car Auctions, angliacarauctions.co.uk Burlen, sucarb.co.uk CBR Motor Bodies, cbrmotorbodies.co.uk CL Panelcraft, clpanelcraft.com Coventry Boring, coventryboring.co.uk Doug Taylor Metal Finishing, dougtaylor.co.uk Dynamat, dynamat.co.uk Furniture Clinic, furnitureclinic.co.uk Hamilton Classic, hamiltonclassic.co.uk Lennox Childrens’ Hospice, lennoxccf.org.uk Ready Rads, readyrads.co.uk Tudor Wheels, tudorwheels.co.uk Vintage Tyres, vintagetyres.com Woolies, woolies-trim.co.uk There’s nothing like a deadline to push a project forward. The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) is planning a 1000-mile trial around Britain, meaning the A105 now has a date to keep; Wednesday April 18 at Brooklands Museum for the start…

Check your hoses Inspect hoses for ageing, cuts and chafing before use. Occasionally turn off the cylinders with pressure in the hoses: if the gauges drop, check for a leak with soapy water. Dress for the occasion Wear flame-retardant overalls, leather gauntlets and gas-welding goggles. Make sure there are no flammable materials in your workspace before you start. You will need Flameproof overalls, goggles, gauntlets, apron and boots; dry powder or foam fire extinguisher; oxygen and acetylene bottles; regulators, hoses and flashback arrestors; torch, nozzles, cleaner and flint lighter; filler rod; hammer and dolly. Cylinder storage Store cylinders safely near your workshop entrance, with a full list of flammable gases and fluids. With the popularity of MIG and TIG, you’d think that gas welding has no place in the modern…

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…

1001 Drives ISBN 9781844039647 £20 Foreword by Charlie Boorman, this lavishly-illustrated tome will have you booking your next road trip as you turn each page. Great for the coffee table or a gift for the adventurer in your life. MT octopusbooks.co.uk Ford Design ISBN 9781845849863 £45 An exploration of Fords design studios over the past 70 years, this book delves into the lives of designers, modellers and engineers to tell the story of the people behind the blue oval and some of their greatest achievements. MT veloce.co.uk Gullibles’s Travels £30 (£35 posted) ISBN 9781900113120 The full story of PC contributor Guy Loveridge’s 70th anniversary tour and the original 1947 Austin Sixteen test route itself, containing great images and an even better story. MT facebook.com/automobiliaauctions…

Cotswold Classic Car Club teamed up with the Classic Motor Hub near Cirencester to welcome about 400 cars at its traditional New Year’s Day meet. The place was absolutely buzzing. A brace of Bristols rubbed shoulders with Rover P6s and Triumph TRs, while an AC Aceca and Lamborghini Jalpa were next to a Renault GTA. But of all the classics there, I’ll take the fabulous Studebaker Golden Hawk please. • cotswoldclassic carclub.com, classic motorhub.com…

The Cambridge Oxford Owners’ Club has come up with a training scheme for members to learn how to keep their cars safe. Cars over 40 years old won’t need to take an MoT from May but club chairman Taff Gillingham comments: ‘We think the new legislation is unwise. We have to do what we can to maintain standards and w’re hoping other clubs will follow our lead by launching similar programmes.’ • More at co-oc.org…

AT LAST - SOME 480 LOVE Until your recent Buying Guide on the Volvo 480 (PC, March 2018), we hadn’t seen anything in a classic car magazine about this car for a very long time. In the Volvo 480 Club Europe there are thousands of enthusiastic owners. There are also several Facebook groups for owners. My husband and I have four 480s and I organise UK meetings via the web forum. Sylvia Lawson-Brown, Norfolk Dart charge In your recent Daimler SP250 service article, you omitted to mention a very important point. If you remove the o/s/f wheel, at the rear of the inner wing is a panel that can be removed to give better access to the oil filter. If you still have the original oil filter housing, you’ll need…

‘My grandson loves to ride around in the cars’ 1934 Riley 9 Lynx, 1936 Riley 12-4 Lynx, 1936 Riley Merlin Robin Blacksell, Milford Haven I bought my 1934 Riley 9 Lynx (L) 20 years ago and took three years to restore it from a box of bits. I enjoy projects – the process of research and then actually doing the work is really satisfying. The second Lynx – a 1936 12-4 – was also bought in pieces. It came to me in tomato boxes. I restored the car from scratch, and it took seven years. It shouldn’t have taken that long but when you’re restoring a car, you may as well do it properly! The floorpan was the most difficult part. I had to make a template for it and…

By the time you read this, Christmas 2017 will have come and long gone. Did you get any old-car-related presents? At this moment, I’m pondering what it is I shall start dropping subtle hints about for this year, or might order for myself to save disappointment. Just last week there was a sudden urgency for a new trolley jack. Mrs S has very kindly given me my two current ones, the older of which is, I have just worked out, at least 20 years old, maybe more. Sometimes it gets a bit oily because the seal on the pump-up part is past its best, and occasionally it needs a top-up of jack oil to regain its full height potential. But suddenly it wouldn’t work any more. The pump-handle fitment would…

1968 Morris Minor panda car Price: £1495 Stored since 2006. Runs but needs sills and floor welding and cosmetics. Has police radio, magnetic signs and even helmets! 1963 Bond Mark G estate Price: £3250 Rare mini-estate with 250cc engine, resprayed 2013, new exhaust and leather seats. Only 31,000 miles and MoT’d until June. 1984 Pontiac Sunbird Price: £5995 Believed to be the only one in UK. 2.0 auto, shares parts with Cavalier. Recent new top and respray, but electric windows not working.…

Matt George Five years ago I owned another Peugeot 205 – a 1989 1.8 XLD model. Sadly a head-on collision consigned G711 JKY to the great scrapyard in the sky not long after I sold it, but I still have happy memories of the 17,000 miles I spent behind the wheel of that little French motor. So when I sold my sporty BMW 318is to make room for a more economical machine, with my daily commute (a 30-mile round trip) in mind, it didn’t take me long to decide that another 205 diesel was the way to go. Like all the best ideas, this one came together when relaxing in the pub of a Friday evening. While idly searching t’internet I turned up a number of candidates, with this 1993…

1997 Land Rover Discovery 1 3.9i Engine 3947cc/V8/OHV Power 182bhp@4750rpm Torque 230lb ft@3100rpm Gearbox 4-speed automatic 0-60mph 11sec Top speed 105mph Fuel economy 16mpg Work done Fully serviced. New tyres bought and fitted. Used and thoroughly enjoyed. Also in Danny’s garage 1950 RILEY RMA Welding continues. See it lead loaded at the PC Resto Show. 1956 RILEY PATHFINDER Looking to go for dipping and coating sometime this year. 1970 JENSEN INTERCEPTOR Still being brilliantly fettled at PALE Classics. Ready soon. 1972 TRIUMPH 2000 A new set of GAZ dampers await fitting by Dale at Moordale Motors. 1983 VOLVO 340 GL AUTO New Variomatic belts sourced. Big service done… but still not working. 1987 MAZDA 626 GT COUPÉ Still needs steering column cowling and switches. 1991 MERCEDES 190E 2.0 New battery…

1970 Morris Minor 2-door saloon Engine 1275cc 4-cyl OHV Gearbox 4-speed manual Work done More rot discovered and fixed. Moving forward slowly still. My two-door saloon has been absent from these pages for a year or so, and there’s a very simple reason for that. I’ve been too busy on other projects. Retired to my parent’s driveway after the differential became incontinent, I’d planned to rebuild the axle off the car, reunite the two and drive it back to PC HQ for a pre-booked MoT. Alas, when removing the axle, I started poking about. The sills and spring hangers were rotten. Without the spare time to do the job myself, and knowing it would inevitably escalate into more work than expected, I called friend and expert welder Andy Clark, who…

1972 Triumph GT6 MkIII Engine 1998cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 98bhp@5300rpm Torque 108lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual + overdrive 0-60mph 10.1sec Top Speed 112mph Fuel economy 27mpg Work done GT6 refit continues apace, moving to the rear to fit chrome and lights. Also in Nigels’s garage 1977 RELIANT SCIMITAR GTE All’s well but I’ve not been using it so much in the past few weeks as the roads have been covered in salt. The refit process after the GT6’s extensive body repairs and perfect paint job has moved backwards – literally. Having started fitting external trim and lights at the front, I’ve progressed back down the car’s exterior to tackle the washers and wipers, followed by bumper, lights and trim at the rear. Fitting the wiper spindles through the scuttle was just a…

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 teaches 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 Cope and drag, furnace, crucible, long tongs, old spoon, casting sand, talcum powder, craft knife, hacksaw, file, abrasive paper, metal polish, scrap aluminium, heat-proof gloves and overalls, eye protection. Learn from errors Don’t be disheartened if it’s not perfect first time. The sand can be sieved, moistened and reused. Aluminium offcuts can be melted down again. Patience… You’ll get a good shine from the method we describe on the third page. For a chrome-like finish, pretend you’re flatting paintwork. Finish with 1500-grit wet-and-dry paper used wet, then start polishing… Shrinkage If you’re making something that needs to be dimensionally accurate, remember that cast aluminium shrinks by about 6% as it cools. Last issue, we showed you how to create a simple furnace from a metal bucket lined…

You will need Multimeter, light oil, multipurpose grease, contact cleaner. Disconnect battery Always do this when working on your electrical system to protect against accidental short circuits. Check electrics Check that all electrical connections in the wiper circuit are clean and tight. Make sure the wiper power feed is protected by a fuse of the correct rating. If the fuse blows repeatedly, find the reason: a short circuit, a fault in the motor or a seizure in the mechanism. Check guide tubes The rack needs to run smoothly inside the tubes. Check them closely for kinks and dents. Lucas windscreen wiper mechanisms were fitted to the majority of British cars from the Forties to the Eighties. Rover, Standard Triumph, Jaguar, the Rootes Group, BMC and others relied upon the system,…

Each hall will be filled with activity, with more than 150 clubs demonstrating restoration work on their stands. Among the many attractions, the Enthusiasts of British Motor Vehicles will be adapting a Morris Minor for use by its disabled owner and converting it to automatic, while the Triumph Dolomite Club will be bringing a bare shell to demonstrate what to look for when restoring a Dolly. The Live Stage will be at the heart of the action, with the Practical Classics project 2CV being rebuilt live, marking 70 years of the French people’s car. Starting with a bare chassis on the Friday, the team will aim to have the 1954 car finished and started for the first time since it last hit the road, in 1975. Once done, the PC…

Montego way A pensioner is to embark on a 1800-mile solo road trip around the UK in his Austin Montego to raise money for charity. Frank Hewson, 74, will set off from Hull, as he drives to four corners of Britain in his 1987 Mayfair to raise funds for Diabetes UK, the Heart Foundation, Kidney Research, Cancer UK and Children in Need. To support Frank, email fh@diggerwoodcroft.karoo.co.uk . London calling A course to help classic owners learn how to maintain their cars has been set up in SW London. The Classic Car Care Class is run by the Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Workshop at the Macbeth Centre. Students will get access to tools and equipment, as well as guidance from qualified tutors. hfals.co.uk New charity start-up A newly registered…

Parts solution A dedicated website where bespoke parts can be ordered, produced and mailed out has been launched. Machining-4U.co.uk can pair up the restorer with a manufacturer who will make their obsolete part for a fee. Since its launch in France, it has already delivered more than 8000 orders. Unique Escort Comp To celebrate 21 years of Corgi models Vanguards range a competition to win a one-off model of an Escort MkII Mexico with wide body and a standard road RS Mexico interior, black Minilites, a brace of 4 Cities, usual Mexico stripes all painted in Ford’s new Nitrous Blue. The model will be presented to the winner at the PC Resto show.Visit corgi.co.uk/competitions for more. Scrappage continues More classics are falling victim to manufacturers scrappage schemes including a one-owner,…

Fergus McIver loves to take his Toyota Corona and Nissan Skyline to his local, so he decided to set up a breakfast club there for fellow enthusiasts. He says: ‘We held the first in October 2017 and the response was encouraging, so one now takes place on the third Sunday of each month, all year round. No need to book; just turn up between 8.30 and 11.30. There’s food available and the variety of cars has been amazing.’ • More at tinyurl.com/y6urygrs…

We recommend… ‘Obviously, our own modest restoration show on March 23-25. I can promise you it’ll be the biggest and best ever.’ FRI-SUN, FEB 23-25 WARKS Race Retro at Stoneleigh Park, CV8 2LZ (raceretro.com). SAT, FEB 24 LINCS Lincoln Autojumble, Caenby Corner, DN21 5TJ ( lincolnautojumble.com). SUN, FEB 25 ESSEX Coffee & Cars at the Museum of Power, CM9 6QA (museumofpower.org.uk). NOTTS Newark Autojumble, Newark Showground, NG24 2NY (newarkautojumble.co.uk). HANTS Classic car meet at the White Lion Antiques Centre, Hartley Wintney, RG27 8AE (thewhitelionantiques.co.uk). MANCHESTER Morris Minor Day at the Greater Manchester Museum of Transport, M8 8UW (gmts.co.uk). TUE, FEB 27 LONDON VAG night at the Ace Café, NW10 7UD (ace-cafe-london.com). WED, FEB 28 YORKS Micro Maniacs monthly meet at the Railway Inn, Rodley, LS13 1NR (micromaniacsclub.co.uk). SAT, MAR 3…

1987 Skoda Estelle I noticed this Estelle parked in Guildford because my mum had one. We were regularly asked if we’d broken down when we lifted the ‘bonnet’ to load our shopping in. Karl Muncila, Guildford Mercedes 170 I saw this Mercedes with its bonnet up in La Rochelle, France, during shooting for the German TV series, Das Boot , set in WWII. John Hamill, Stockton on Tees 1965 Volvo Amazon Capable of clocking up a million miles, this Amazon’s made it as far as Aldi in Beverley. Peter Wannop, Tickton Morris Minor and VW Beetle Parked by the side of the road in Havana, Cuba, two people’s cars wearing the same colour paint. Can anyone identify the car in the background? David Roberts, Isle of Man…

Last issue, I lamented the tendency of small and simple jobs on classic cars to escalate into large and complex ones. I used my Volvo ‘Amazon’ as an example, a recent cam timing check having led to engine removal and a weighty shopping spree. The matter has since escalated. Heaving the engine out and in disturbed a rusty heater pipe, causing a slow leak. I learned this on the M4, when the needle of the temperature gauge climbed slowly but assertively from its centre mark. I coasted to a service station and fashioned a repair with a redundant inch of heater hose and two cable ties, refreshing the radiator with a litre of Volvic. There was something not quite right about the cooling system after this. The thermostat seemed slow…

MITSUOKA If a classic Jag’s too much of an oxide-time bomb, or it’s just too large for your car port, buy a Ryoga. Not only will it question the correct functioning of onlookers’ size perception, it should move across their field of vision without grinding to a halt in a cloud of expensive malfunction, having been glued to Nineties Nissan Primera/Sunny fundamentals. MX-5 The British sports car: over the years, the dream has melted its wiring loom, burst its head gasket, rotted in half, and generally been incontinent on the world’s driveway. Mazda’s retort was the MX-5, the sports car whose styling cues cleverly tickled the insects-in-the-teeth gland. A whizzy twin-cam 1.6, later 1.8, engine living at the correct end of the car, driving the opposite end, gives the car…

REVIEW A bidding fever Extraordinary scenes at ACA’s January sale I’ve never witnessed a sale like it. A record 2000 people came to Anglia Car Auctions to party, and bid like crazy. There were 216 vehicles on offer and almost 89 per cent of them sold. That’s a lot in itself, but the most telling number is that just six went for below their estimate. That’s unheard of. Also, ahead of the PC Restoration Show it was good to see that ACA’s gamble of including 43 project cars in the sale paid off – all but one of them sold. It’s hard to pick out headline results as there are so many, but the ’72 Minor Pick-up gets a nod due to the sheer number of…

OCT 1963 P6 is unveiled at the London Earls Court Motor Show as the Rover 2000, with a 90bhp 1978cc four-cylinder petrol engine. OCT 1966 2000TC arrives, with new rear light units, negative earth electrics, optional wire wheels. Automatic gearbox offered on 2000. APR 1968 Rover 3500 goes on sale, with a 144bhp Buick-derived V8 engine. Available as an automatic only. DEC 1968 All cars now have through-flow ventilation and fixed rear quarterlights – latter reinstated a year later due to popular demand.…

FEB 1970 Wire wheels are no longer available on the TC (few tears were shed, as wires were rarely specified by customers, even non-business ones). OCT 1970 Series II debuts at Paris Motor Show. Changes include a black honeycomb grille, vinyl-covered C-pillars and circular instruments. OCT 1971 The 3500S is launched; it’s a manual-gearbox 3500 with a vinyl roof. OCT 1973 The 2000 engine is replaced by a 2200 unit. A vinyl roof is now optional on all cars. MAR 1977 The last P6 (VVC 700S) is built, one year after its successor the Rover SD1 arrives. UK production total runs to 322,302 units.…

1954 Citroën 2CV Engine 375cc/2-cyl/OHV Power 9bhp@3800rpm Torque 17lb ft@1800rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph N/A Top speed 40mph Fuel economy 682kg Work done Car purchased and brought to the PC workshop. Also in James’s garage 1971 CITROËN DS I scuffed the paintwork on a wall. Stupid boy. 1972 SAAB 96 V4 Serious problems with column gearshift. 1980 CITROËN DYANE Putting in daily service with my dad. 1988 CITROËN CX 22TRS Temporary engine swap. More news soon. It’s back to basics in 2018. Having spent last year deep in the restoration of my DS, one of the most technologically advanced cars of all time, I bought an example of the model Citroën offered at the very opposite end of the range. In true PC style, we plan to transform the wreck…

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 Interior stripped; engine removed; wings removed. Also in Matt’s garage 1972 TRIUMPH 2000 Alternator ME failure SPE has stopped MILES play – a new one is on the way. 1992 TALBOT EXPRESS It’s been too cold for camping lately! We will hopefully be out and about again soon. 1993 PEUGEOT 205 JUNIOR Doing the task I bought it for… see Bangernomics on p89. At the conclusion of my previous Staff Car Saga on the TR6 ( PC , January 2018) I laid out the short-term plan for the car. It was to be a two-pronged attack – remove the engine; and begin to address the bodywork. I’m…

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 Diff carrier and diff fitted. Exhaust front section made. Also in Gary’s garage 1980 SAAB 99 TURBO Former press car has key role in New Year’s resolutions. The festive holidays put paid to my hopes of having the new driveshafts and balanced propshaft returned early in the New Year. A call from the engineering company in January confirmed the driveshafts were ready, but the prop still needed an adaptor to be made for the Layrub coupling before it could be balanced. It was for the best, because it allowed me to concentrate on other matters. The remaining parts of the diff to be assembled were…

You will need Vice, pin spanner, motorcycle fork oil, replacement seals. Oil type The general-use grade is SAE15 ‘fork oil’, but try SAE20 if you want a firmer ride. Your manual may specify the oil capacity, but 500ml is usually enough for a pair. A damper that gurgles is short of oil. On-car check Bounce each corner of the car. Once released it should rise, then fall back to its original position. If it bounces up and down several times, then the damper is weak. Symmetry Overhaul or replace dampers in axle pairs. Make sure it’s a matching pair. Telescopic dampers are filled with oil. As they age, this can leak away through worn seals or gradually lose its original viscosity. Either problem markedly reduces the damper’s ability to ensure…

At long last, a new year, and a new start as New Year’s Day arrived, bringing Wheeler Dealers to the UK shores for the first time with me alongside Mike Brewer as co-host. My first ever Wheeler Dealers car? The mighty Ford Escort RS Cosworth. And what a car to start with! The stars were aligned for us, too, as Mike found one, by fluke, locally near LA. Bear in mind only a few were ever imported to the US anyway. It was like it was meant to be. Plus, it was the correct Imperial Blue with black Recaro interior. Nineties perfection. I always felt a degree of pressure taking on the role of mechanic on the show, but that feeling went the moment I saw the Cossie. Once that…