Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Discussion Area => Topic started by: STEMO on 30 May 2019, 20:02:35
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......on bangers and cash tonight.
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A red marina, for starters ;D
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And an SD1 in gold.
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And an SD1 in gold.
V8?
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Yep. 3500 SE. :y
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Always fancied a V8 SD1 in the day :)
But I'd only consider one now if I were rich enough to have somewhere warm/dry to store it... ...and then I would probably have something quick instead.
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12 valve auto up for auction @ mathewsons
(https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/61489581_205535643755865_2488257043438239744_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=08d61911710b59faefafba29278cdd0a&oe=5D9CA5D1)
(https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/61612218_205535607089202_5893689947616968704_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=cadfc9ac432b431751bcae96119994bb&oe=5D927A10)
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:-[
A red marina, for starters ;D
Are you taking the piss? :)
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I can see a hint of primrose yellow Triumph Vitesse in the pics.
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12 valve auto up for auction @ mathewsons
(https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/61489581_205535643755865_2488257043438239744_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=08d61911710b59faefafba29278cdd0a&oe=5D9CA5D1)
(https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/61612218_205535607089202_5893689947616968704_n.jpg?_nc_cat=102&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=cadfc9ac432b431751bcae96119994bb&oe=5D927A10)
I spy one of my favourite classic cars in that pic Dave. An Austin Westminster; a truly British car! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
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I spy one of my favourite classic cars in that pic Dave. An Austin Westminster; a truly British car! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
I spy one of my favourite cars in that pic Lizzie. An Opel Omega A; a truly British car badge on a russelsheim opel ! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
the other rusty junk in the photo is of no interest to me ;D
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I spy one of my favourite classic cars in that pic Dave. An Austin Westminster; a truly British car! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
I spy one of my favourite cars in that pic Lizzie. An Opel Omega A; a truly British car badge on a russelsheim opel ! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
the other rusty junk in the photo is of no interest to me ;D
Fair enough Dave ;D ;D :y
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https://mathewsons.co.uk/auctions/auction-dates/vehicles/10459-new-entry-1989-vauxhall-carlton-gsi
https://mathewsons.co.uk/auctions/auction-dates/vehicles/10583-new-entry-1960-austin-westminster-a99
Which one is worth most? ::)
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https://mathewsons.co.uk/auctions/auction-dates/vehicles/10459-new-entry-1989-vauxhall-carlton-gsi
https://mathewsons.co.uk/auctions/auction-dates/vehicles/10583-new-entry-1960-austin-westminster-a99
Which one is worth most? ::)
an E type Jag is worth more than an Omega
finances aside , I know which I'd rather sit in and drive
I'm a knob Uncle Stemo , you should have worked that out by now ;D
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I spy one of my favourite classic cars in that pic Dave. An Austin Westminster; a truly British car! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
I spy one of my favourite cars in that pic Lizzie. An Opel Omega A; a truly British car badge on a russelsheim opel ! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
the other rusty junk in the photo is of no interest to me ;D
Fair enough Dave ;D ;D :y
Possibly a Wolesley 6/110 from the same era, Lizzie. :-*
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that westminster thing reminds me of the Hilman super minx my parents had when i was growing up
it was green , we called it "the tank" ;D
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There was an escort RS in there, too.
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Rusty old Fords make stupid money these days
rusty old vauxhalls ,not so much so :D
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There was an escort RS in there, too.
There were some very nice cars and bikes in that auction. :y
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I spy one of my favourite classic cars in that pic Dave. An Austin Westminster; a truly British car! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
I spy one of my favourite cars in that pic Lizzie. An Opel Omega A; a truly British car badge on a russelsheim opel ! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
the other rusty junk in the photo is of no interest to me ;D
Fair enough Dave ;D ;D :y
Possibly a Wolesley 6/110 from the same era, Lizzie. :-*
Could be Opti, as they all had the same body shell. :-* :y
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I spy one of my favourite classic cars in that pic Dave. An Austin Westminster; a truly British car! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
I spy one of my favourite cars in that pic Lizzie. An Opel Omega A; a truly British car badge on a russelsheim opel ! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
the other rusty junk in the photo is of no interest to me ;D
Fair enough Dave ;D ;D :y
Possibly a Wolesley 6/110 from the same era, Lizzie. :-*
Could be Opti, as they all had the same body shell. :-* :y
Just a hunch really, Lizzie. The Wolesley was more upmarket than a 'humble' Austin, and more were presented with two tone paint jobs like the car here.... :-* :-* :-*
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I spy one of my favourite classic cars in that pic Dave. An Austin Westminster; a truly British car! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
I spy one of my favourite cars in that pic Lizzie. An Opel Omega A; a truly British car badge on a russelsheim opel ! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
the other rusty junk in the photo is of no interest to me ;D
Fair enough Dave ;D ;D :y
Possibly a Wolesley 6/110 from the same era, Lizzie. :-*
Could be Opti, as they all had the same body shell. :-* :y
Just a hunch really, Lizzie. The Wolesley was more upmarket than a 'humble' Austin, and more were presented with two tone paint jobs like the car here.... :-* :-* :-*
Ah, but the Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre was even more upmarket, and one that certainly impressed me back in the day.
My father-in-law owned a Austin Westminster 3 litre, in full two tone grey livery, which I drove during my very early days of driving (after I had broken a tappet on his previous Humber Snip!!), and it was a pleasure to drive. Heavy on the steering of course as, if I remember correctly, there was no power steering. But as it was an automatic with column change, I did not have to double de-clutch as I did learn to do in the Humber!
This whole range was luxurious in it's day, but the Wolsley you mention and of course the Vandam Pas even more so. They were used as ministerial cars and treasured by the upper middle classes. I loved them all, and started me, along with Bentley's, to love big engined cars. Unlike the Opel in Dave's picture, they were of course 100% British built, with transmission, engine, and everything else including the leather seats proudly waving the Union Jack!! 8) 8) :y
Where did those great days of British car making go, with them disappearing in our life times? :'( :'( :o :o
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...................................For the younger members who cannot remember these cars:
2912cc Austin Westminster:
(https://i.postimg.cc/J0NL6nHQ/280px-Austin-Westminster-Mar-1961-2912cc.jpg)
2912cc Wolseley 6/110: (the spot light in front of the driver was definitely not standard and eventually made illegal)
(https://i.postimg.cc/90dpN4P1/280px-Wolseley-6-110-1965-Flickr-mick-Lumix-1.jpg)
2912cc Vanden Plas Princess
(https://i.postimg.cc/DZ1HFNfv/280px-Vanden-Plas-3-litre-first-registered-February-1961-2912cc.jpg)
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...................................For the younger members who cannot remember these cars:
2912cc Austin Westminster:
(https://i.postimg.cc/J0NL6nHQ/280px-Austin-Westminster-Mar-1961-2912cc.jpg)
2912cc Wolseley 6/110: (the spot light in front of the driver was definitely not standard and eventually made illegal)
(https://i.postimg.cc/90dpN4P1/280px-Wolseley-6-110-1965-Flickr-mick-Lumix-1.jpg)
2912cc Vanden Plas Princess
(https://i.postimg.cc/DZ1HFNfv/280px-Vanden-Plas-3-litre-first-registered-February-1961-2912cc.jpg)
So many of these cars ended up in banger racing , big old units that could take ( and dish out) a bit of punishment
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I spy one of my favourite classic cars in that pic Dave. An Austin Westminster; a truly British car! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
I spy one of my favourite cars in that pic Lizzie. An Opel Omega A; a truly British car badge on a russelsheim opel ! 8) 8) :-* :-* :y :y
the other rusty junk in the photo is of no interest to me ;D
Fair enough Dave ;D ;D :y
Possibly a Wolesley 6/110 from the same era, Lizzie. :-*
Could be Opti, as they all had the same body shell. :-* :y
Just a hunch really, Lizzie. The Wolesley was more upmarket than a 'humble' Austin, and more were presented with two tone paint jobs like the car here.... :-* :-* :-*
Ah, but the Vanden Plas Princess 3-litre was even more upmarket, and one that certainly impressed me back in the day.
My father-in-law owned a Austin Westminster 3 litre, in full two tone grey livery, which I drove during my very early days of driving (after I had broken a tappet on his previous Humber Snip!!), and it was a pleasure to drive. Heavy on the steering of course as, if I remember correctly, there was no power steering. But as it was an automatic with column change, I did not have to double de-clutch as I did learn to do in the Humber!
This whole range was luxurious in it's day, but the Wolsley you mention and of course the Vandam Pas even more so. They were used as ministerial cars and treasured by the upper middle classes. I loved them all, and started me, along with Bentley's, to love big engined cars. Unlike the Opel in Dave's picture, they were of course 100% British built, with transmission, engine, and everything else including the leather seats proudly waving the Union Jack!! 8) 8) :y
Where did those great days of British car making go, with them disappearing in our life times? :'( :'( :o :o
Sounds a bargain then. :-*
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...................................For the younger members who cannot remember these cars:
2912cc Austin Westminster:
(https://i.postimg.cc/J0NL6nHQ/280px-Austin-Westminster-Mar-1961-2912cc.jpg)
2912cc Wolseley 6/110: (the spot light in front of the driver was definitely not standard and eventually made illegal)
(https://i.postimg.cc/90dpN4P1/280px-Wolseley-6-110-1965-Flickr-mick-Lumix-1.jpg)
2912cc Vanden Plas Princess
(https://i.postimg.cc/DZ1HFNfv/280px-Vanden-Plas-3-litre-first-registered-February-1961-2912cc.jpg)
So many of these cars ended up in banger racing , big old units that could take ( and dish out) a bit of punishment
Yes indeed, in the 1970's that was the fate of many as I witnessed a few times at Wimbledon Stadium :'( :'( :'( :'(
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https://mathewsons.co.uk/auctions/auction-dates/vehicles/10459-new-entry-1989-vauxhall-carlton-gsi
Carltons got a camshaft missing, but as a bonus has a proper gearbox. :D
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Vanden Plas 4 litre R was the one to go for. :y
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https://mathewsons.co.uk/auctions/auction-dates/vehicles/10459-new-entry-1989-vauxhall-carlton-gsi
Carltons got a camshaft missing, but as a bonus has a proper gearbox. :D
Is there a MANUAL gearbox in the boot then :-\ ready to fit once the Devil's work auto has been scrapped ::)
Cadburys don't make the chains for 24 valve engines anymore ;D
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Vanden Plas 4 litre R was the one to go for. :y
Yep,4.0 RR lump in that one :y
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Vanden Plas 4 litre R was the one to go for. :y
Yep,4.0 RR lump in that one :y
Maybe then but not now, with the straight six Rolls Royce lump having a top speed of 108 mph and mpg at 14.7! :D :D
That is worse than my V6, but at least I can could do 150 mph! ;D ;)
That comparison really does show how car engines advanced from the 1960's to 1990's, let alone to those of today. :y
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Vanden Plas 4 litre R was the one to go for. :y
Yep,4.0 RR lump in that one :y
Maybe then but not now, with the straight six Rolls Royce lump having a top speed of 108 mph and mpg at 14.7! :D :D
That is worse than my V6, but at least I can could do 150 mph! ;D ;)
That comparison really does show how car engines advanced from the 1960's to 1990's, let alone to those of today. :y
Well above the 'magic ton'
Back in the sixties that was a good amount of velocity.... :)
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......anyway Motor magazine managed 112.5 mph in 1965 and zero to sixty in 12.7 seconds. :y
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......anyway Motor magazine managed 112.5 mph in 1965 and zero to sixty in 12.7 seconds. :y
With a tailwind and downhill? ;D :-* ;)
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As I mentioned before engine development for cars has come on a long way.
Even just over 10 years from the age of the 4 litre Vandam Plas, I used to get my 1.6 Ford Cortina estates up to 100 mph, and maintain it. Then in the 1980's my 1.8 Cavalier SRi was easily getting to, and holding, 130 mph. No wonder really why the big, heavy, BMC cars of the earlier decade went into history, especially with their average mpg :D ;)
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As I mentioned before engine development for cars has come on a long way.
Even just over 10 years from the age of the 4 litre Vandam Plas, I used to get my 1.6 Ford Cortina estates up to 100 mph, and maintain it. Then in the 1980's my 1.8 Cavalier SRi was easily getting to, and holding, 130 mph. No wonder really why the big, heavy, BMC cars of the earlier decade went into history, especially with their average mpg :D ;)
the 2.0 cavalier SRi 130 20SEH engine went into Carlton but with a less aggressive camshaft 20SE
"someone" ::) fitted the SRI cam to their Carlton ,ported the head etc ,it was quite nippy. I couldn't possibly say who ;)
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As I mentioned before engine development for cars has come on a long way.
Even just over 10 years from the age of the 4 litre Vandam Plas, I used to get my 1.6 Ford Cortina estates up to 100 mph, and maintain it. Then in the 1980's my 1.8 Cavalier SRi was easily getting to, and holding, 130 mph. No wonder really why the big, heavy, BMC cars of the earlier decade went into history, especially with their average mpg :D ;)
the 2.0 cavalier SRi 130 20SEH engine went into Carlton but with a less aggressive camshaft 20SE
"someone" ::) fitted the SRI cam to their Carlton ,ported the head etc ,it was quite nippy. I couldn't possibly say who ;)
That's interesting Dave. I had two 2 litre Carlton CD's in succession before going on to the Senator and Omega's. The Carlton, without modification, was a great motorway car for me on business and went up to great speeds, which meant once I did a run from Bristol to Whitby in 3.5 hours. :D ;)
The Carlton's were lovely cars, but I always wanted either the 3 litre plain version, or better still, the GSi featured in your earlier picture 8) 8)
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I think the 2L 4 banger Carlton was under rated , it would sit at 70 all day long 8)
sadly with it's thermo viscous fan , it disliked traffic jams or sitting at zero MPH ;D
resolved with a retro fit electric fan
but engine technology has moved on dramatically ,as you say
it's a shame they only fit all the new technology into ugly, jelly mould, FWD tat ;D :D
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In the early '60s dads company Super Snipe came due for replacement and duly made way for a brand new Van Den Plas 3L[gloss black with a gold pinstripe down its flanks.loads of chrome and a bright red interior reg. number was 4567 ET] at the end of the first month as it was being taken to the dealers to have its 3rd gearbox fitted dad told them to keep it and went back to the much loved Super Snipe and stayed with them until they ceased production in '67.
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In the early '60s dads company Super Snipe came due for replacement and duly made way for a brand new Van Den Plas 3L[gloss black with a gold pinstripe down its flanks.loads of chrome and a bright red interior reg. number was 4567 ET] at the end of the first month as it was being taken to the dealers to have its 3rd gearbox fitted dad told them to keep it and went back to the much loved Super Snipe and stayed with them until they ceased production in '67.
Two words to make Lizzie go all misty-eyed and nostalgic ....... :)
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In the early '60s dads company Super Snipe came due for replacement and duly made way for a brand new Van Den Plas 3L[gloss black with a gold pinstripe down its flanks.loads of chrome and a bright red interior reg. number was 4567 ET] at the end of the first month as it was being taken to the dealers to have its 3rd gearbox fitted dad told them to keep it and went back to the much loved Super Snipe and stayed with them until they ceased production in '67.
Two words to make Lizzie go all misty-eyed and nostalgic ....... :)
;D ;D :-* :-*
My father-in-law had the Snipe, and yes I am still very fond of that car as it taught me how to drive a lovely big, heavy, and full leather interior 1950's car with no power steering and a non-synchromesh gear box. The 'modern' cars I drove after that were a doddle, and helped me pass my driving test. My father-in-law, who was such a lovely guy, and an ex-British Army man who drove lorries throughout WW2, knew all about driving vehicles with 'crash gearboxes' and he passed the skills on to me. I miss him, the Humber Snipe, and the Austin Westminster. God let them all rest / rust in peace! :D :y
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In the early '60s dads company Super Snipe came due for replacement and duly made way for a brand new Van Den Plas 3L[gloss black with a gold pinstripe down its flanks.loads of chrome and a bright red interior reg. number was 4567 ET] at the end of the first month as it was being taken to the dealers to have its 3rd gearbox fitted dad told them to keep it and went back to the much loved Super Snipe and stayed with them until they ceased production in '67.
Yes, I for one love the nostalgia of those cars and the ones that had gone before, but it is all too easy to forget how those same vehicles broke down so frequently, with gearbox, big end, carburetor, tappet, distributer, etc, etc problems. On most trips on the road you would always see other vehicles with their bonnets up and men (yes, it usually was in those days! ::) ::)) scratching their heads as they attempted a repair. The average British car had either built in flaws, or ones produced during production when quality control seems not to have existed!
The 1960's cars on to the ones of the 1970's were sometimes / often awful. My first Ford Escort Mk1 had a patch of paint missing from the right front wing; the Ford Cortina Mk2 i had for a short while had a long reach gear stick, which came off whilst driving; my first Ford Cortina Mk3 had various engine problems; the first Ford Cortina Mk4 was supplied to me with the drive shaft linkage not bolted up correctly, until only one bolt was holding it on whilst I was doing 60; the same cars alternator packed up after just 4,000 miles; the next Ford Cortina Mk4 overheated after having it just a week out of the dealers, with me finding a huge chunk of metal shaff inside the inlet pipe over the thermostat; then we went to Vauxhalls of the 1980's and the cars did not let me down!! 8) 8) :D
When I think back to the amount of Morris Minors I saw with collapsed front suspension; Rover 2000 and 3500 broken down at the side of the road, then numerous Ford, BMC (like Mini's, 1100 & 1300's) , Rootes Group, and many other cars I also saw in trouble on my very long business journeys, with RAC or AA vans assisting, was then never ending. That did not ever include all those cars that would not start the following morning after a damp night, as I had myself on quite a few occasions.
How lucky we are with our 1990's and 2000's cars! 8) 8) :D ;)
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Some rose tinted spectacles there I think.
Modern cars still breakdown but the failures tend to be either electrical or major mechanical ones, neither of which are fixable at the roadside. The AA, RAC, Greenflag, National Breakdown etc are just as busy as they always were, and that doesn't include the smaller more recent providers.
Anyone who has worked for manufacturer's warranty providers will tell you that they're busy too; the company I worked for had at least five people on the road, and meeting colleagues at main dealers happened every week. We were at Maidstone Mercedes so often that they told us to just unload cars without checking in first!
You could proably convince me that cars designed in the 90s and 00s were better than ones from 20 years earlier, but the increased complexityand cost of getting work done means that we've gone backwards; for instanc3 the cost ofa replacement clutch can easily kill a £1000 everyday car
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Yes dad was "lucky" in as much as up until '69 all his cars were company cars were company cars replaced at maximum 2 yearly intervals. If they didn't start/broke down he simply phoned a garage to get them fixed.When Super Snipe production ended he wanted a P5B but grandad[his dad] wouldn't allow it so he got a MkIV Zodiac Executive which as it turned out was his last company car.When buying privately he bought a Wolesley 18/85 which was then joined by a 5yr old Silver Cloud III,they were then both replaced by a Mercedes 280CE pillarless coupe which was then replaced[because once in the garage he couldn't open the door wide enough to get out!]by a '74 Escort MK1 1300XL which he owned until he passed away in '77.
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......anyway Motor magazine managed 112.5 mph in 1965 and zero to sixty in 12.7 seconds. :y
With a tailwind and downhill? ;D :-* ;)
I was passenger (about 9 years old)in a A110 Westminster that just touched the magic ton,it took miles and much 4 star to do it though but it seemed proper fast then on 7.50x13 crossplies :-X :-\
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Yes dad was "lucky" in as much as up until '69 all his cars were company cars were company cars replaced at maximum 2 yearly intervals. If they didn't start/broke down he simply phoned a garage to get them fixed.When Super Snipe production ended he wanted a P5B but grandad[his dad] wouldn't allow it so he got a MkIV Zodiac Executive which as it turned out was his last company car.When buying privately he bought a Wolesley 18/85 which was then joined by a 5yr old Silver Cloud III,they were then both replaced by a Mercedes 280CE pillarless coupe which was then replaced[because once in the garage he couldn't open the door wide enough to get out!]by a '74 Escort MK1 1300XL which he owned until he passed away in '77.
Yes, the company car is always the best car, or at least it was (apart from all the mileage I had to do) but now the taxman has, I believe, all but killed that "perk" off! :'( :'( ;) ;)
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Some rose tinted spectacles there I think.
Modern cars still breakdown but the failures tend to be either electrical or major mechanical ones, neither of which are fixable at the roadside.
Yup - once upon a time I could have easily found a coolant leak (which her Mini appears to have sprung in a large way) with a pressure test .. now there are so many coolant hoses & pipes hidden from view in the cramped engine bay that I really only have one hope, and his name isn't Bob! Much less being able to open the bonnet, look at a wet hose and go "Ah, I'll just change that one, take me two minutes..".
As noted elsewhere, I have to do the stem seals as well - a job I know I could have done more quickly on an A-series ;D
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As noted elsewhere, I have to do the stem seals as well - a job I know I could have done more quickly on an A-series ;D
.. but the cost of being able to do that is having a car that stops every time you go through a puddle!
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As noted elsewhere, I have to do the stem seals as well - a job I know I could have done more quickly on an A-series ;D
.. but the cost of being able to do that is having a car that stops every time you go through a puddle!
;D ;D True!
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Some rose tinted spectacles there I think.
Modern cars still breakdown but the failures tend to be either electrical or major mechanical ones, neither of which are fixable at the roadside. The AA, RAC, Greenflag, National Breakdown etc are just as busy as they always were, and that doesn't include the smaller more recent providers.
Anyone who has worked for manufacturer's warranty providers will tell you that they're busy too; the company I worked for had at least five people on the road, and meeting colleagues at main dealers happened every week. We were at Maidstone Mercedes so often that they told us to just unload cars without checking in first!
You could proably convince me that cars designed in the 90s and 00s were better than ones from 20 years earlier, but the increased complexityand cost of getting work done means that we've gone backwards; for instanc3 the cost ofa replacement clutch can easily kill a £1000 everyday car
You may well be right there :D :D ;)
However, I am sure that what I saw with my own eyes and heard within the (adult) driving community around me at the time, then my own experience on the road from the late 1960's, that the type of breakdown was usually more serious with serious engine failures. Maybe the TYPE of breakdown we are now talking about has changed? Here is a Which list of the 10 ten most common breakdowns, which importantly is echoed by the likes of the AA.
https://www.which.co.uk/news/2011/08/top-10-reasons-for-car-breakdowns-263068/
https://www.theaa.com/breakdown-cover/advice/top-ten-breakdown-causes
I suspect, from what you say Nick, that the complexities of modern cars, with all their electronic wizardry, has made all the difference from a reliability point of view, in the positive (carburetors, distributors, capacitors, points, etc have all gone), bujt the systems themselves can have "computer" troubles.
It is an interesting subject, but either way I still love with nostalgic eyes those big, heavy, British, cars of the 1950's into 60's. :D :D ;)
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What the above tells me is that most of what we call "breakdowns" today would have been called "lack of common sense" in the 1960s / 1970s. ;)
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Ignition related faults could very often be repaired or bodged in days gone by, and drivers often knew how to do so, through necessity.
As electronics have taken over this role, they have become much more reliable, but not usually repairable at the roadside when things do go wrong..
Few drivers have any knowledge or interest in how their cars work anymore. They think of them as tools for a job the same as a washing machine or fridge.
Hence the prevalence of Kia,s and the like infesting the roads.
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Ignition related faults could very often be repaired or bodged in days gone by, and drivers often knew how to do so, through necessity.
As electronics have taken over this role, they have become much more reliable, but not usually repairable at the roadside when things do go wrong..
Few drivers have any knowledge or interest in how their cars work anymore. They think of them as tools for a job the same as a washing machine or fridge.
Hence the prevalence of Kia,s and the like infesting the roads.
How true that is. :y
I think the car industry has encouraged that by virtually saying no one but a motor technician - not mechanic - needs to lift the bonnet outside of the servicing intervals. All the youngsters around me never lift their bonnets until something goes wrong, even to check the oil and water! As you say, they have little interest in what makes their cars tick as I believe, unlike my generation, they never think they will ever (need to) work on the engine; I expected to do so to keep my old banger going, and attended evening classes to learn car mechanics, along with an uncle teaching me a lot more about the internal combustion engine, as the car which now would never pass an MOT needed content attention to keep going! As I have touched on in my posts, I HAD to keep maintaining the carburetor settings, cleaning the distributors contacts, checking the HT leads, cleaning the plugs ( to keep the oil deposits to a manageable level!) and just keeping enough oil and water going around the engine.
The modern youngster does not (they think) face that challenge with the cars of today, and with the advancement of electric cars they could well be right! :D ;)
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Ignition related faults could very often be repaired or bodged in days gone by, and drivers often knew how to do so, through necessity.
As electronics have taken over this role, they have become much more reliable, but not usually repairable at the roadside when things do go wrong..
Few drivers have any knowledge or interest in how their cars work anymore. They think of them as tools for a job the same as a washing machine or fridge.
Hence the prevalence of Kia,s and the like infesting the roads.
Yep...often something simple like the points closing up or a cracked HT lead.
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Managed to squeeze 100 out of my mk 3 Zodiak loved that car, bench seat, Gollum er I mean column change, ;D (sometimes) :-\ But it was merciless on fuel even in those days. Remember the colour changing rectangular speedo.
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Managed to squeeze 100 out of my mk 3 Zodiak loved that car, bench seat, Gollum er I mean column change, ;D (sometimes) :-\ But it was merciless on fuel even in those days. Remember the colour changing rectangular speedo.
Always liked the Mk3 Zephyr and Zodiac.
The Mk4 with the long bonnet and short boot was quite odd.
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Managed to squeeze 100 out of my mk 3 Zodiak loved that car, bench seat, Gollum er I mean column change, ;D (sometimes) :-\ But it was merciless on fuel even in those days. Remember the colour changing rectangular speedo.
Always liked the Mk3 Zephyr and Zodiac.
The Mk4 with the long bonnet and short boot was quite odd.
Yes, and on the four pot you could stand between the rad and the front of the engine to work on it. :D
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Managed to squeeze 100 out of my mk 3 Zodiak loved that car, bench seat, Gollum er I mean column change, ;D (sometimes) :-\ But it was merciless on fuel even in those days. Remember the colour changing rectangular speedo.
Always liked the Mk3 Zephyr and Zodiac.
The Mk4 with the long bonnet and short boot was quite odd.
I always liked the ones in Z Cars Opti 8) 8) :y
I also somehow liked Fancy Smith :D :D ;)
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Z cars ones were Mk III Zephyr 6s [I could only afford the Zephyr 4] and all were painted yellow as it appeared "whiter" on screen than white ones would have.The boot on the Mk IVs was[iirc] more spacious than it looked from the outside with the spare wheel[at least on the Zodiac Executive] was mounted under the bonnet and angled backwards over the front of the engine.Ford managed to pull off the trick of making the "wood" in the interior look/feel like plastic formica and the leather seats look/feel like PVC ones!
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Z cars ones were Mk III Zephyr 6s [I could only afford the Zephyr 4] and all were painted yellow as it appeared "whiter" on screen than white ones would have.The boot on the Mk IVs was[iirc] more spacious than it looked from the outside with the spare wheel[at least on the Zodiac Executive] was mounted under the bonnet and angled backwards over the front of the engine.Ford managed to pull off the trick of making the "wood" in the interior look/feel like plastic formica and the leather seats look/feel like PVC ones!
:y :y
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Some rose tinted spectacles there I think.
Modern cars still breakdown but the failures tend to be either electrical or major mechanical ones, neither of which are fixable at the roadside. The AA, RAC, Greenflag, National Breakdown etc are just as busy as they always were, and that doesn't include the smaller more recent providers.
Anyone who has worked for manufacturer's warranty providers will tell you that they're busy too; the company I worked for had at least five people on the road, and meeting colleagues at main dealers happened every week. We were at Maidstone Mercedes so often that they told us to just unload cars without checking in first!
You could proably convince me that cars designed in the 90s and 00s were better than ones from 20 years earlier, but the increased complexityand cost of getting work done means that we've gone backwards; for instanc3 the cost ofa replacement clutch can easily kill a £1000 everyday car
I think some of the breakdowns on modern cars are down to the owners just not bothering with the basics... ...and a proportion of the rest being dealer servicing.
I reckon cars have generally got more reliable, but old school mechanics/tecnicians can't learn the new skills needed, and instead go for a random part swap regime.
The difference being that an ignored problem on a modern car will often lead to a complete breakdown, whereas ignoring a fault on a carb'd car will just mean its runs rougher and rougher until the owner gets annoyed with it enough to get it sorted.
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I reckon a lot of the breakdowns on older cars without engine management were down to the ongoing tinkering that owners indulged in!
How many people have you seen adjusting ignition timing without a strobe? Or turning carb screws 'an extra half turn?' Worn rocker arms set to specified clearances without allowing for the wear?
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I reckon a lot of the breakdowns on older cars without engine management were down to the ongoing tinkering that owners indulged in!
How many people have you seen adjusting ignition timing without a strobe? Or turning carb screws 'an extra half turn?' Worn rocker arms set to specified clearances without allowing for the wear?
I'd hazard a guess most enthusiasts could get mixture and timing "good enough" by ear back in the day.
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I reckon a lot of the breakdowns on older cars without engine management were down to the ongoing tinkering that owners indulged in!
How many people have you seen adjusting ignition timing without a strobe? Or turning carb screws 'an extra half turn?' Worn rocker arms set to specified clearances without allowing for the wear?
I'd hazard a guess most enthusiasts could get mixture and timing "good enough" by ear back in the day.
Ah, but that was never good enough! I spent hours adjusting the two screws, checking the timing, but there always was "just another tiny adjustment"!! When you were working on a 10 year old engine on an old banger with worn carburetor parts, it was a never ending job. :o :o :D :D ;)
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I reckon a lot of the breakdowns on older cars without engine management were down to the ongoing tinkering that owners indulged in!
How many people have you seen adjusting ignition timing without a strobe? Or turning carb screws 'an extra half turn?' Worn rocker arms set to specified clearances without allowing for the wear?
I'd hazard a guess most enthusiasts could get mixture and timing "good enough" by ear back in the day.
Ah, but that was never good enough! I spent hours adjusting the two screws, checking the timing, but there always was "just another tiny adjustment"!! When you were working on a 10 year old engine on an old banger with worn carburetor parts, it was a never ending job. :o :o :D :D ;)
I good mate of mine, now sadly lost touch with, used to do "legal" road rallies, and was always adjusting and balancing his Webber 45s' with just his ear to the engine. With a fag on the go at the same time, obviously.
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I reckon a lot of the breakdowns on older cars without engine management were down to the ongoing tinkering that owners indulged in!
How many people have you seen adjusting ignition timing without a strobe? Or turning carb screws 'an extra half turn?' Worn rocker arms set to specified clearances without allowing for the wear?
I'd hazard a guess most enthusiasts could get mixture and timing "good enough" by ear back in the day.
Ah, but that was never good enough! I spent hours adjusting the two screws, checking the timing, but there always was "just another tiny adjustment"!! When you were working on a 10 year old engine on an old banger with worn carburetor parts, it was a never ending job. :o :o :D :D ;)
I good mate of mine, now sadly lost touch with, used to do "legal" road rallies, and was always adjusting and balancing his Webber 45s' with just his ear to the engine. With a fag on the go at the same time, obviously.
Yes, balancing them and adjusting the mixtures was Ok, but then you needed a whole drawer full of jets and emulsion tubes to change anything else. ;D
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I reckon a lot of the breakdowns on older cars without engine management were down to the ongoing tinkering that owners indulged in!
How many people have you seen adjusting ignition timing without a strobe? Or turning carb screws 'an extra half turn?' Worn rocker arms set to specified clearances without allowing for the wear?
I'd hazard a guess most enthusiasts could get mixture and timing "good enough" by ear back in the day.
Ah, but that was never good enough! I spent hours adjusting the two screws, checking the timing, but there always was "just another tiny adjustment"!! When you were working on a 10 year old engine on an old banger with worn carburetor parts, it was a never ending job. :o :o :D :D ;)
I good mate of mine, now sadly lost touch with, used to do "legal" road rallies, and was always adjusting and balancing his Webber 45s' with just his ear to the engine. With a fag on the go at the same time, obviously.
Yes, balancing them and adjusting the mixtures was Ok, but then you needed a whole drawer full of jets and emulsion tubes to change anything else. ;D
Or a full boot, as was the case here ;D
But he was pretty spot on by ear though, which I was always stunned by.
I work with a guy who used to build F1 engines, then had a business remapping and uprating cars. He's another who can do shit by ear, despite usually having an array of sensor feedback to guide. God knows how/why he got into servers. Well, apart from the fact he blew his unit up one day ;D
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I reckon a lot of the breakdowns on older cars without engine management were down to the ongoing tinkering that owners indulged in!
How many people have you seen adjusting ignition timing without a strobe? Or turning carb screws 'an extra half turn?' Worn rocker arms set to specified clearances without allowing for the wear?
I'd hazard a guess most enthusiasts could get mixture and timing "good enough" by ear back in the day.
Ah, but that was never good enough! I spent hours adjusting the two screws, checking the timing, but there always was "just another tiny adjustment"!! When you were working on a 10 year old engine on an old banger with worn carburetor parts, it was a never ending job. :o :o :D :D ;)
I good mate of mine, now sadly lost touch with, used to do "legal" road rallies, and was always adjusting and balancing his Webber 45s' with just his ear to the engine. With a fag on the go at the same time, obviously.
They were great fun. I won a special stage in a 6v 1172cc VW Beetle in one, (the prize being a pint pot, which tells you the standard of rally. :)), and still have my RAC rally licence in the drawer. I don't suppose it is much use at my age! :-X
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Round where I was brought up, the "legal" ones tended to have a jam sandwich chasing some of the competitors due to speeding.
And the crowd used to cheer when the jam sandwich ended up in the ditch ;D. Evil lot, us Buckinghamshire Boys ;D
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I reckon a lot of the breakdowns on older cars without engine management were down to the ongoing tinkering that owners indulged in!
How many people have you seen adjusting ignition timing without a strobe? Or turning carb screws 'an extra half turn?' Worn rocker arms set to specified clearances without allowing for the wear?
I'd hazard a guess most enthusiasts could get mixture and timing "good enough" by ear back in the day.
Ah, but that was never good enough! I spent hours adjusting the two screws, checking the timing, but there always was "just another tiny adjustment"!! When you were working on a 10 year old engine on an old banger with worn carburetor parts, it was a never ending job. :o :o :D :D ;)
I good mate of mine, now sadly lost touch with, used to do "legal" road rallies, and was always adjusting and balancing his Webber 45s' with just his ear to the engine. With a fag on the go at the same time, obviously.
Yes, balancing them and adjusting the mixtures was Ok, but then you needed a whole drawer full of jets and emulsion tubes to change anything else. ;D
Jet,. emulsion tubes, chokes etc are one offs. My first car had DCOEs from the factory, and I found the linkage needed frequent adjustment. This was because its main design criteria seemed to be the use of the same throttle cable as a 1300 equipped with a single Zenith carb. Once I replaced it with £70(29 years ago) genuine Weber linkage, those problems disappeared: I'd check the balance and mixtures at a service, but they no longer needed adjusting.
And setting mixtures and timing by ear/smell is like doing V6 cam timing without the setting tools: possible, but extremely unlikely
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.....
I work with a guy who ..... blew his unit up one day ;D
In good company then ...... :-X ;)
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I work with a guy who ..... blew his unit up one day ;D
In good company then ...... :-X ;)
Strngely, he's the only one who doesn't really take the piss from my misfortune... ...because he did a proper job.... ...and bankrupted his business in the process.
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And setting mixtures and timing by ear/smell is like doing V6 cam timing without the setting tools: possible, but extremely unlikely
I would tend to have to agree. But he managed to get it pretty damn close when subsequently tested on a decent analyser, consistently.
He did have a Halfords type exhaust analyser, but rarely ever got it out, as he thought it was a bit inaccurate. Which it probably was, bouncing around in the boot of an RS2000 with plod chasing you over the level crossing ;D
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Strngely, he's the only one who doesn't really take the piss from my misfortune...
Who else would possibly take the pi55? ::) ::)
.....
...because he did a proper job.... ...and bankrupted his business in the process.
Oh dear! :(
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I reckon a lot of the breakdowns on older cars without engine management were down to the ongoing tinkering that owners indulged in!
How many people have you seen adjusting ignition timing without a strobe? Or turning carb screws 'an extra half turn?' Worn rocker arms set to specified clearances without allowing for the wear?
I'd hazard a guess most enthusiasts could get mixture and timing "good enough" by ear back in the day.
Ah, but that was never good enough! I spent hours adjusting the two screws, checking the timing, but there always was "just another tiny adjustment"!! When you were working on a 10 year old engine on an old banger with worn carburetor parts, it was a never ending job. :o :o :D :D ;)
I good mate of mine, now sadly lost touch with, used to do "legal" road rallies, and was always adjusting and balancing his Webber 45s' with just his ear to the engine. With a fag on the go at the same time, obviously.
Yes, balancing them and adjusting the mixtures was Ok, but then you needed a whole drawer full of jets and emulsion tubes to change anything else. ;D
Jet,. emulsion tubes, chokes etc are one offs. My first car had DCOEs from the factory, and I found the linkage needed frequent adjustment. This was because its main design criteria seemed to be the use of the same throttle cable as a 1300 equipped with a single Zenith carb. Once I replaced it with £70(29 years ago) genuine Weber linkage, those problems disappeared: I'd check the balance and mixtures at a service, but they no longer needed adjusting.
And setting mixtures and timing by ear/smell is like doing V6 cam timing without the setting tools: possible, but extremely unlikely
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I reckon a lot of the breakdowns on older cars without engine management were down to the ongoing tinkering that owners indulged in!
How many people have you seen adjusting ignition timing without a strobe? Or turning carb screws 'an extra half turn?' Worn rocker arms set to specified clearances without allowing for the wear?
I'd hazard a guess most enthusiasts could get mixture and timing "good enough" by ear back in the day.
Ah, but that was never good enough! I spent hours adjusting the two screws, checking the timing, but there always was "just another tiny adjustment"!! When you were working on a 10 year old engine on an old banger with worn carburetor parts, it was a never ending job. :o :o :D :D ;)
I good mate of mine, now sadly lost touch with, used to do "legal" road rallies, and was always adjusting and balancing his Webber 45s' with just his ear to the engine. With a fag on the go at the same time, obviously.
Yes, balancing them and adjusting the mixtures was Ok, but then you needed a whole drawer full of jets and emulsion tubes to change anything else. ;D
Jet,. emulsion tubes, chokes etc are one offs. My first car had DCOEs from the factory, and I found the linkage needed frequent adjustment. This was because its main design criteria seemed to be the use of the same throttle cable as a 1300 equipped with a single Zenith carb. Once I replaced it with £70(29 years ago) genuine Weber linkage, those problems disappeared: I'd check the balance and mixtures at a service, but they no longer needed adjusting.
And setting mixtures and timing by ear/smell is like doing V6 cam timing without the setting tools: possible, but extremely unlikely.
Sorry, what I meant to ask was what was your first car with
DCOE,s ? Lotus, Or H120 maybe?