What's made you smile today?

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Hey Jim, take care man! Glad to hear no serious damage done.

Following Mrs J's recent birthday and with the "southern" branch of the family - daughter and her "gang" - up here just now we had a celebratory family day away in North Berwick yesterday. North Berwick is a place very dear to my wife's heart as she spent all her summer holidays there when a child. Her father would take a rented flat for the summer and install her, her sister and mother there whilst himself traveling on the train to Edinburgh for business through the week. She has very sentimental memories of the outdoor pool https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAmoyw9W-Fk now all filled in and made into a dingy park - and cups of hot Bovril to try to combat the cold water. The concrete walled tidal pool is still there on the sea shore and you can see it in this wonderful video made by this chap. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQi0XWys_5E In fact at 9mins 22sec into the video if you look to the right of the street shown, between the two bright yellow street lights, second of the two storey houses up the street with the white painted window surrounds? that's the exact rooms they stayed in!

We took Becky for the journey, can't say we did it in half an hour though, more like an hour each way, but we were glad we took her as the only parking space we could find on the sea front was so tight we only just managed to get her "shoe horned" into it. No chance the Ibiza would have been able to park there. Although we went out on the new fast road we decided to return on the old coast road and it was a real trip down memory lane with lots of memories of beach barbeques and times out with friends when we were young. Becky went splendidly and didn't miss a single beat all day despite having to do a crash stop when a chap reversed out of his driveway, without looking, directly in front of us!

PS. Should have said also that my intrepid Mrs convinced my daughter and grandson to go swimming in the sea pool with her. The shrieks as they entered the, to my touch, freezing water had to be heard to be believed! I wasn't surprised Mrs J did this as she's a serious swimmer (80 lengths of our local pool twice a week!) but I was surprised the youngsters did it. I wasn't even going to stick my big toe in!

 

[Cheest]

I reached the 40 mile mark today. Sunny up here all day, set off on the bike to Cannich, a very steep bicycle run indeed, that was 20 miles. Coffee and a goody, then back home the other side Easdale single track road 20 miles. Interesting run back home, taking in the scenery and went down an embankment full of jabby bushes and nettles :eek Got off lightly by just some scratches to my arm.

Lost my handlebar end mirror, that was the only casualty. My wee bike computer came off as well, but I managed to find that. The difficulty was getting my bike back up the embankment on to the road again. I had the long leg padded Lycra shorts on so that saved my legs. The adrenaline was still pumping so with effort bike back on the road. Chain came off, easy fix. Back to my journey again and I’m laughing at my own stupidity :

I am going to live vicariously through you for the next couple of months, until I retire. Cycling was a passion of mine for decades, though commuting to work for eight years took some of the shine off for me. Getting hit from behind by a car fourteen years ago took most of the rest off. I'm slowly working my way back into it. I find I still have the form and stamina but not the strength or speed I once had. Maybe a lot less grit, too. Hearing a car approach from behind makes me a bit apprehensive until it passes.

I'm getting together with a few of the guys I used to ride and race with in a few weeks for a short ride and breakfast in my new locale. What my area lacks in hills is made up for in wind.

 

[StevenRB45]

The adrenaline was still pumping so with effort bike back on the road. Chain came off, easy fix. Back to my journey again and I’m laughing at my own stupidity :

As long as you can get back on and laugh about it you're good.

I gave up cycling when I got the mortgage, because the only cycling I did was downhill MTB and you have many big crashes if you're doing it properly as it were. I'm lucky enough to have never broken a bone but not for the want of trying...

 

[jimboy]

As long as you can get back on and laugh about it you're good.

I gave up cycling when I got the mortgage, because the only cycling I did was downhill MTB and you have many big crashes if you're doing it properly as it were. I'm lucky enough to have never broken a bone but not for the want of trying...

Aye, you tend to take your life into your hands when jumping on a bike, especially so these days. Apart from my own mistakes I’ve haven’t had a bad accident involving a vehicle, close calls mind you. I’m really no professional at this, but my goal is to hit the 50 mile mark easily. It’s a learning process for me, having the the right gear on longer runs is a must in my case. Compression clothing helps. Warm up and stretching before a run.

After a long run my muscles are aching, and at my age as a learner, I need down time/rest. I’ve also discovered magnesium cream helpful. Rubbing this stuff on my legs instant calming. Today after my run on Friday, I never surfaced from my bed until midday. I consider myself very lucky up here in the Highlands as the roads where I trundle along are pretty well vehicle free most of the time, but every now and again along comes a stupid driver or two. Some scenic routes are just amazing, erm so much so I’ve come to a sudden stop. Happy trails right enough……..

 

[The Panda Nut]

35 year old tin of Humbrol modelling paint still good when opened, and is a perfect match for the red roof bars on Panda 1. Pity they couldn't do a better job in the first place.

 

[The Panda Nut]

Complete with 3cm slot

 

[StevenRB45]

Took in a little local car show in County Durham before heading off for an eye test at Barnard Castle.

This was a very unexpected spot..
It's a very rare bird indeed, being a UK built, right hand drive, rear wheel drive Citroën.



Got to say while I whinge about hills my way, hills between here and Barnie are something else. Son was in the back yelling "Whee" as we crested steep valleys at pretty much flat out to hold the speed at reasonable level before dropping down into the next valley like a roller coaster.

Oddly enough the normally slightly dull brake discs on the Mazda are shining bright and I may have felt the need to pop the bonnet like I did in my old Fiat days at the end of the trip to check I'd not over exerted the car and popped something.

All good, but as ever when I cover distance not on the motorway these days felt like hard work..clearly gone soft in my old age.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Looking in detail at your car show picture Steven, I can see a Citroen Acadiane van in the background and I had a Dyane for a number of years back when I was newly married. A wonderfully adaptable vehicle. You could remove the back seat in it's entirety simply by turning a wee lever on the floor and use it like a bench seat for picnics etc. I've long harboured a dream to build a hot rod out of an Acadiane with a Daimler 2.5 V8, which I've always thought was one of the "prettiest" engines ever made. Just a dream now I'm afraid.

I've long felt a very strange attraction to the wee Citroens and, if I came across one going for a song I don't think I would be able to resist.

My best friend, he who was in the picture I posted recently of my old 850 mini, had a 107E Ford like the dark blue one beside the RWD Citroen. It was like the 100E but they fitted the later OHV engine like the one in the new Anglia instead of the somewhat asthmatic side valve found in the 100E. I'm also wondering what the white car between the light blue MK2 Escort and the Acadiane is?

Did you notice what the engine is in the dark blue Ford? It might just be the original fitment but maybe a 1300 or 1600 crossflow looking at the position of the air filter? It looks a bit special with it's wide steelies and period spot/fog lights - Looks a beautiful car doesn't it.

 

[StevenRB45]

Did you notice what the engine is in the dark blue Ford? It might just be the original fitment but maybe a 1300 or 1600 crossflow looking at the position of the air filter? It looks a bit special with it's wide steelies and period spot/fog lights - Looks a beautiful car doesn't it.

How about that? It was a lovely looking car, had the bonnet open when I got there but to be honest no idea what I'm looking at in cars of this era. Very nice thing though and engine was chromed...which I'm reliably informed makes it faster.



This was more my era...and is lovely retro thing he even has one of those alarms on the dash that looks like two cameras in a plastic box, old style tax disc etc proper back to day one spec.



This is the white one hiding...



Oddly enough the white one just visible over the roof is my car..with it's fresh "best hammered dad wagon in show trophy".

And the other esco...




My favourite was this which I think is technically a street freak..


Even the truck it came on was heavily chopped about the dvla says its 72 Dennis in red (probably old fire engine??)


Of course...I got stuck at Fergie..the greatest tractor in the world.


And a cheeky Aston...



Not forgetting the Van..

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

So the white one was another MK2! It was the wee lip on the front of the bonnet that confused me about what the white car was.

The engine on show in the blue one is a "Kent" crossflow, probably a 1600. Crossflow because the carb/inlet manifold is on one side of the head with the exhaust on the other, as you can clearly see here. It's also probably a GT spec as that looks like a twin choke downdraught Weber carb. The engine in the "Kent" family before it was the 1500 "non crossflow" - As used in my 1966 MK1 Cortina 1500 GT - which had carb/inlet and exhaust all on the one side - N/S as it happens.

And Oh, a "little Grey Fergie" Excuse me while I mop the drool away. Ground breaking stuff. First tractor to have a 3 point hydraulic implement linkage on the back - if I remember correctly. Funnily enough I've driven quite a few different tractors when younger, David Brown, Fordson, Nuffield, to mention just some and I've ridden on the drawbar (illegal now I think?) of a Field Marshall with it's memorable exhaust note, but I've never driven or hitched a ride on a Fergie!

The truck hauling the hot rod is definitely what they call a "Rat Rod" and is not especially a style I like. My preference being more for "Street Rods" or outright racing machines. Although I like many different genres of Hot Rod I've always been attracted to Bucket "T"s in particular: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmMebfzfEe4

 

[StevenRB45]

The truck hauling the hot rod is definitely what they call a "Rat Rod" and is not especially a style I like. My preference being more for "Street Rods" or outright racing machines. Although I like many different genres of Hot Rod I've always been attracted to Bucket "T"s in particular: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmMebfzfEe4

The truck I was looking at it thinking "the axles look modern like maybe a mobile library but the cab is clearly not modern hence running the reg plate through DVLA.

The build quality of the truck wasn't great bottom of the windscreen was full of expanding foam. But the Hot Rod itself was beautifully detailed..I'd not drive it, don't particularly like it as a car but absolutely appreciated the work that had clearly been put in and the details in it. Apparently the DVLA think it's a 1922 Singer, sort of thing done badly it would be awful but in person it's like looking at an old steam engine rather than a car.

Oddly enough my dad's 1st car was a 1600e Cortina bought together with his twin brother. Sounds like a good first car, but one of those ones where the idea is nicer than the reality. Apparently it was so rotten the front struts would regularly make a bid for freedom through the bonnet. He spent many an afternoon under that. So he replaced it with a brand new Mini which was scrapped due to terminal rot at 7 years old, different times...

 

[portland_bill]

Some lovely pics.
All the talk of Mk2 Cortinas remnded me of the one I learnt to drive in. When I got to 17, my mother sold her DAF (automatic of course) and picked up a reasonable Cortina Mk2 1600. It was an odd one, on the change between the old and new engines, so had a 1600 crossflow, but a long gangly gear lever, like the early cars. Passed my test in it first time, drove it a lot. Mum kept it for several years, but we had to get rid eventually when the welded repairs to the floor met in the middle. Strangely never rotted around the strut tops, might be the only one that didn't.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Oddly enough my dad's 1st car was a 1600e Cortina bought together with his twin brother. Sounds like a good first car, but one of those ones where the idea is nicer than the reality. Apparently it was so rotten the front struts would regularly make a bid for freedom through the bonnet. He spent many an afternoon under that. So he replaced it with a brand new Mini which was scrapped due to terminal rot at 7 years old, different times...

I'm becoming much more friendly with the young man who owns the wee garage out where my younger boy lives. We've reached the stage now where, if my boy is short on funds, he trusts me enough to let my boy have work done and take the car away knowing I'll settle any outstanding balance with him next time I'm dropping by even if it's a week or so later. He's not just a mechanic but also an enthusiast with a beautifully converted small truck which is now his camper and a really "tough" looking Land Rover Defender as his everyday car. He also has a serious looking motor cycle but I've not been near enough to that to see what it is. Talking about the 1600E, when I was round at his garage about a month or so ago there was a very nicely restored one up on his ramp which was a treat to see. Back in those days I preferred the look of the GT or Lotus versions, especially the mark one. The MK2 1600E always looked a bit "heavy" and "blingy" to me? But lovely to see such a nice one today.

Thinking back to these older cars makes you realize how things have come on with underbody protection on today's cars. Welding in reinforcement plates for strut top mounts on many vehicles was a really common job as was the repairs to sills with "oversills" being available for many vehicles off the shelf at many factors. "Tin bashing" custom sections for box section repairs was common too. Trouble was often that when you cut the old sills off you found nothing left underneath to weld the new sills to! Minis were bad enough but I remember the horrendous rust that developed on the "step" in front of the rear subframe on the 1100/1300 Austin/Morris which could get very expensive to repair as it often involved structural work on the subframe mountings. I ran a Datsun 120Y estate, exactly like this one even down to being the same colour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR-x9FONxMg It was a cracking wee car, a sort of Japanese Anglia/Escort if you like and it drove so well. The engine and gearbox were a delight to use but the bodywork? Oh deary me! I was always welding bits into it! Eventually my pal at that time, who was a panel beater, offered to replace both the front wings and respray them for me. The next day after dropping it off at his workshop he phoned me to say "can you call round? I've something to show you". He'd cut away the front wings which had exposed the extent of the rot to the entire front structure of the vehicle. His opinion was that it was so extensive that plating was out of the question so the poor thing had to go to the scrappy! Thankfully I'd not yet bought the replacement wings! One thing I remember very clearly about that car was that it was the first car I'd come across which took a "modular" approach to spares being very "strong" on replacement assemblies rather than individual components. For instance it was not unusual in those days to rebuild things like dynamos, alternators, wiper motors, carburetors and many other sub assemblies. The wipers packed in on it and when I stripped the motor down all it really needed was a clean up of the commutator and a set of new brushes. "Sorry sir, the motor is only available as a complete unit"! In the end I buffed down a set of Lucas brushes until they fitted the holders and it worked fine but all the "official" spares seemed to follow that "complete unit only" ethos.

 

[mowermender70]

paj yes lovely cars, to modern for me as said first car dad gave me his e type 1936 morris 8 series E then got a wolsey 8 1946 ohv engine headlights on side of rad otherwise it was a morris 8 by the time i was18 had got standard 8 1956 (we fitted a triumph spitfire engine and a tr4a gearbox put the wire wheels and brakes from crashed spitfire as well oh they were the days

 

[The Panda Nut]

1100/1300 Austin/Morris which could get very expensive to repair

I remember my sister had one gifted from our Aunt. At one stage you could watch the road surface whizzing by as the floor sagged down from the sills with anyone in the front seats.....

 

[The Panda Nut]

Funnily enough I've driven quite a few different tractors when younger

Me too, comes from Dad working for the Potato Maketing Board and a lot of time around farms and agricultural shows with him. I drove a vast (for the time) Ford at the head of a parade at the Kent show in 1974 at the tender age of 17, just. I used a variety at work in Parks and Gardens over many years, but the last time I sat in a tractor was about 5 years ago. After an entire hour trying every trick in the book, I had to admit defeat as I could not work out how to start it. Where's the fun in that! I suppose thats better than today as I am not sure I could even climb in!!!

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Me too, comes from Dad working for the Potato Maketing Board and a lot of time around farms and agricultural shows with him. I drove a vast (for the time) Ford at the head of a parade at the Kent show in 1974 at the tender age of 17, just. I used a variety at work in Parks and Gardens over many years, but the last time I sat in a tractor was about 5 years ago. After an entire hour trying every trick in the book, I had to admit defeat as I could not work out how to start it. Where's the fun in that! I suppose thats better than today as I am not sure I could even climb in!!!

I was brought up in the Scottish border country with a farm next door to us and, although my father was a professional person, we ran a medium sized market garden so there were always small tractors and cultivators around with larger tractors at the farm next door - I absolutely loved watching the Marshal being started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEurohAwrmA

Then at one of the boarding schools I was incarcerated in there was a TVO David Brown which towed the gang mowers for mowing the pitches. it was started up on petrol and switched over to Tractor Vapourizing Oil when fully warmed up. Forgetting to switch it back to petrol before driving it back to the sheds would invariably attract a kick up the backside from the groundsman - My backside suffered greatly from the groundsman's boot, my house master's slipper and the headmaster's cane. Nowadays they call it child abuse!

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

I meant to say also that I used to take the lads in my gardening squad to the Highland Show at Ingliston every year as a treat for working hard. It was a grand occasion and greatly looked forward to by all. Some of those tractors though? Like you, I'd have a very hard time just climbing up into the cab these days and then there's all that GPS stuff and an instrument panel that looks like something out of the space shuttle! Wouldn't like to have to pay the maintenance bill on one of those eh?

 

[StevenRB45]

I meant to say also that I used to take the lads in my gardening squad to the Highland Show at Ingliston every year as a treat for working hard. It was a grand occasion and greatly looked forward to by all. Some of those tractors though? Like you, I'd have a very hard time just climbing up into the cab these days and then there's all that GPS stuff and an instrument panel that looks like something out of the space shuttle! Wouldn't like to have to pay the maintenance bill on one of those eh?

But would it need the maintenance an older machine does?

I have a small issue with "classics" in that while it's nice to see them and they are interesting I don't have much time for "they don't build them like they used to".

In terms of 30s and 40s cars absolutely true, alot of craftsmen ship in those even the mass produced ones. As soon you as start getting into the 50s and 60s stuff that was churned out by the thousand by people who didn't particularly care then I find it an odd thing to say.

By the time you get to the stuff Ford people seem to gaga over now (Ordinary Mk3 Fiesta, mk4 Escort anyone?) crap then, crap now definitely applies.

I think the blue Escort I put up sums up why I find the situation odd.

Someone will be looking at that going "they don't build them like that anymore, none of that modern crap they build now will be around in 30 years". But there was a board in front of it telling you the history, its done 62k from new...has always been garaged and still required a restoration. The car I went there in has done 90k miles, had no mechanical repairs at all in that time, not even between service oil or coolant top ups...no special treatment at all and driven hard. You subject the Escort to that it would be scrap, as most of them ended up.

I suppose where I'm going with this is..yes it is nice to be able to fix a car yourself with basic tools..but it's nicer if it just runs.

 

[portland_bill]

Absolutely.

My Panda is now 15 years old, and although 'only' 81k on the clock, is running very nicely, with no signs of rust underneath.

Very few 60s-80s cars ever got that old.