Old Cars

[Archev]

Ahh the good old Sunbeam imp sport. Happy memories. I bought this one at a few weeks old and started a new job days later with a car supplied- they wanted to provide a new Vauxhall Viva but I talked them into buying the Sunbeam from me - happy days. Then about a month later on the drive home from the other side of Scotland, I wrote it off big time - hit another car, tumbled over many times down a bank and was pulled out through the back window hatch and woke up in hospital an hour or two later with a wee cut on my knee. You can imagine I got a couple of the crappiest, oldest, smelliest Vivas in the company after that to tour around supervising farm building work . Then after I proved I could behave (and drive ) again I got a new Vauxhall Chevette hatchback. Happy days.

 

[Ron61]

I'm sure everyone has one car they fell in love with, this is mine a 1600GT facelift I paid £1050 for. What a cracking car this was, 0 to 60 11.4 seconds but you know what it had character. I'd have it back as my everyday driver in a heart beat. It eventually died after owning it for 7 years when the back axal went. I rebuilt the engine and replaced the gearbox plus lots of other things and I absolutely loved every second of owning it.

 

[ZSDave]

I passed my driving test in a Austin A40 Farina mk1.

I passed my driving test in an Austin A30 Van!

Dave

 

[Lovemyev]

I passed my driving test in an Austin A30 Van!

Dave

Take's me back a bit, my mate had the A35 salon in grey !.
It was really small inside if I remember correctly.

 

[ZSDave]

My A30 van was green. I bought it for £40 (including 4 x brand new Michelin ZX tyres) from my boss in the mid 1960s. It was cheap to run, I think it was an 803cc engine. I put a lot of miles on it before "trading up" to a Ford 100 E saloon, which wasn't a patch on the van.

I think the A30 was the last vehicle I owned with a starting handle - apart from a couple of tractors that I owned at various times!

Oh happy days.

Dave

 

[Ian Key]

My A30 van was green. I bought it for £40 (including 4 x brand new Michelin ZX tyres) from my boss in the mid 1960s. It was cheap to run, I think it was an 803cc engine. I put a lot of miles on it before "trading up" to a Ford 100 E saloon, which wasn't a patch on the van.

I think the A30 was the last vehicle I owned with a starting handle - apart from a couple of tractors that I owned at various times!

Oh happy days.

Dave

Your mention of the Michelin ZX tyres reminds me of my brothers Marina. He bought it with 2mm on the Michelin ZX tyres and sold it two years later still with 2mm of tread.
Defiantly hard wearing but a b@£**d in the wet

 

[Archev]

My A30 van was green. I bought it for £40 (including 4 x brand new Michelin ZX tyres) from my boss in the mid 1960s. It was cheap to run, I think it was an 803cc engine. I put a lot of miles on it before "trading up" to a Ford 100 E saloon, which wasn't a patch on the van.

I think the A30 was the last vehicle I owned with a starting handle - apart from a couple of tractors that I owned at various times!

Oh happy days.

Dave

Chokes and starting handles - it was a different world with a language all its own. We really must have a starting handle museum before anyone thinks this is just a wind up.

 

[Lovemyev]

Chokes and starting handles - it was a different world with a language all its own. We really must have a starting handle museum before anyone thinks this is just a wind up.

I remember noting all the chrome front bumpers, with the keyhole slot cut out in the centre of the bumper, to accept the starting handle .
At the same time, my Dad had a Vauxhall FB Victor with a starting handle back up !.
It had a bench front seat and a three speed gearbox, controlled by a column change.
He let me drive it ( before I had a licence ) on private land !.
The number plate worth be worth more now, than the car was worth at the time .

 

[Archev]

I remember noting all the chrome front bumpers, with the keyhole slot cut out in the centre of the bumper, to accept the starting handle .
At the same time, my Dad had a Vauxhall FB Victor with a starting handle back up !.
It had a bench front seat and a three speed gearbox, controlled by a column change.
He let me drive it ( before I had a licence ) on private land !.
The number plate worth be worth more now, than the car was worth at the time .

Aye, from an early age I was in control of the floor mounted main beam switch on my dad’s Austin A40 van with rear windows and I-saw childs cushions in the back Again both the van and the registration number pretty valuable if the scrap yard had held back sixty odd years

 

[Hairyfool]

My aunt had the A30 as her 1st car with the big indicator switch in the middle of the dash. Every morning she insisted on turning over the engine on the handle twice to circulate the oil before getting in to start it on the starter.

 

[Archev]

My aunt had the A30 as her 1st car with the big indicator switch in the middle of the dash. Every morning she insisted on turning over the engine on the handle twice to circulate the oil before getting in to start it on the starter.

The mysterious rituals of the older vehicles and their drivers was a wonder to behold.
My Grandfather was a ploughman in Ayrshire with horses in the earlier days. Then he was promoted to tractorman when the farm modernised. I vividly remember visiting as a very young lad and watching as he filled a cup type item on the single cylinder diesel tractor with paraffin before his very precise starting palaver. He then waited a few minutes before swapping it over to the diesel. I remember the smoke, the noise, the severe vibration but I cannot remember the maker’s name. He referred to the machine as Puffing Billy but had an alternative designation for days it was a wee bit more recalcitrant !!

 

[jamesie]

My first car was a Sunbeam Stiletto......basically a souped up Hillman Imp. A real bugger to get started and a bit of a rot box. But I loved it!

 

[Archev]

My first car was a Sunbeam Stiletto......basically a souped up Hillman Imp. A real bugger to get started and a bit of a rot box. But I loved it!

My Commercial Cob ( Hillman Imp van) was indeed a rot box.
However, I also had a Hillman Husky which was an estate car based on the Hillman Imp with four seats and windows. This proved to be a grand replacement for our first 850 Mini when our son arrived on the scene. Only 875cc but towed a camping trailer with four adults plus son and pram all over Aberdeenshire and Skye. The clutch gave cause for concern just after that ??? But four hours later the engine was blocked up, car pushed away from it, clutch replaced and we were on our way home - oh yeah - I knew the clutch was problematic when we had set off so I had a clutch and some tools in the trailer

 

[Ian Key]

The mysterious rituals of the older vehicles and their drivers was a wonder to behold.
My Grandfather was a ploughman in Ayrshire with horses in the earlier days. Then he was promoted to tractorman when the farm modernised. I vividly remember visiting as a very young lad and watching as he filled a cup type item on the single cylinder diesel tractor with paraffin before his very precise starting palaver. He then waited a few minutes before swapping it over to the diesel. I remember the smoke, the noise, the severe vibration but I cannot remember the maker’s name. He referred to the machine as Puffing Billy but had an alternative designation for days it was a wee bit more recalcitrant !!

My father went to Pershore agricultural college in the late 40's and they had a tracked tractor that had to be started with paraffin. They were warned not to put their thumbs round the starter handle in case it kicked back. One morning there was an almighty scream as one student forgot about the thumb rule and suffered with a dislocated thumb.

 

[Hairyfool]

When prop starting aircraft we were told grip hold of our belt in the small of the back with the spare hand. Balancing a heavy pull with one hand by the opposite hand going in the opposite direction is almost instinctive and could be very messy if the engine caught.

I never found what the problem was on my IMP but the carbon thrust bearing rarely lasted very long. I got very practiced at pulling the engine out balanced on the trolley jack.

 

[Archev]

My first car was a Sunbeam Stiletto......basically a souped up Hillman Imp. A real bugger to get started and a bit of a rot box. But I loved it!

My Commercial Cob ( Hillman Imp van) was indeed a rot box.
However, I also had a Hillman Husky which was an estate car based on the Hillman Imp with four seats and windows. This proved to be a grand replacement for our first 850 Mini when our son arrived on the scene. Only 875cc but towed a camping trailer with four adults plus son and pram all over Aberdeenshire and Skye. The clutch gave cause for concern just after that ??? But four hours later the engine was blocked up, car pushed away from it, clutch replaced and we were on our way home - oh yeah - I knew the clutch was problematic when we had set off so I had a clutch and some tools in the trailer

My father went to Pershore agricultural college in the late 40's and they had a tracked tractor that had to be started with paraffin. They were warned not to put their thumbs round the starter handle in case it kicked back. One morning there was an almighty scream as one student forgot about the thumb rule and suffered with a dislocated thumb.

ouch - very ouch !
I once (and once only) drove my series two diesel Landrover up a very rough hill track and had the wheels try to take over the steering very violently
No matter what I drove from that day to this has had both thumbs and fingers side by side on the outer edge of the wheel

 

[PJ60]

Who remembers going on holiday with several containers of oil,water and tool chests taking up more room than you holiday clothing.
I was thrilled once when I got to Blackpool (140miles) without opening the boot. My Vauxhall Viva's engine life was about 25k-30k miles before it needed recon.

 

[Pat]

When I upgraded from a Morris Marina to a Ford Sierra I actually asked the salesman where the choke was ? He replied, it's an automatic choke, you don't have to do anything, I couldn't believe it !

Yeah. My dad's first 'proper' car .. 2.0GL Sierra Y-plate ... 80+MPH in 3rd gear (No I never told him!) BUT the automatic choke caused him to pull his hair out! The 1.6L Cortina he had that he let me drive at 17 ... rear wheel drive and all - mucho funno to 'I can't possibly die - I'm only 17! ' (Turns out I was right )

Or the 850CC Mini with the LONG gear lever right into the gearbox..oh my word.

'Proper' cars.

 

[Lovemyev]

Or the 850CC Mini with the LONG gear lever right into the gearbox..oh my word.

Oh yes - I remember it very well !.
The old gear change was like a total bucket of snot .
When the engine stabilizer bushes where worn, the gear stick would almost disappear through the floor, as you changed from first to second gear !.
The first gear was a total crash gear with no synchromesh at all, so you would have to crash it into gear, if the car was still moving, as you pulled up to the traffic lights.
As a result of this, the first gear would become badly worn and very noisy.
The car would make a hell of a knocking noise through the transmission while pulling away, then it would make a loud "Bang" as it jumped out of gear !.
All these metal filings would be then sucked up via the oil pump and then the crap was sent via the oil pump and then on to the crankshaft bearings.
The oil pressure was affected and the crankshaft would rattle it's brains out.
End result, car require a new engine and a new gearbox of course.
I have lost count of how many of these I have pulled out in my younger days !.
The early Mini's had a stater solenoid button, that was located next to the gear.
It was activated by pressing down on the rubber button and it would then activate the starter motor.
They did have a cabin heater, but they where crap !.
The windscreen wipers did a good job of cleaning the glass AND the scuttle panel and would over shoot the sides of the windscreen, because there was that much free play in the wiper mechanism.
Arahhhh .... Great times, happy days ( I think ).
Very basic, but basically shite .

 

[ZSDave]

The mysterious rituals of the older vehicles and their drivers was a wonder to behold.
My Grandfather was a ploughman in Ayrshire with horses in the earlier days. Then he was promoted to tractorman when the farm modernised. I vividly remember visiting as a very young lad and watching as he filled a cup type item on the single cylinder diesel tractor with paraffin before his very precise starting palaver. He then waited a few minutes before swapping it over to the diesel. I remember the smoke, the noise, the severe vibration but I cannot remember the maker’s name. He referred to the machine as Puffing Billy but had an alternative designation for days it was a wee bit more recalcitrant !!

That sounds like a Field Marshall. The "official" way of starting was with a cartridge (big bang) but could also be started with a cigarette. Always a bumpy ride with that single cylinder diesel.

Dave