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[johnnydog]

Just one of the many 'anorak' details about Triumphs in my head after 44 years of owning them...!!

[cam.in.head]

pretty much the same as me regarding vivas . got my first experience changing an engine in 1982 in a 72 hc ( which was already badly rotten at 10yr old)
and then  began learning about cars from that day on !

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

pretty much the same as me regarding vivas . got my first experience changing an engine in 1982 in a 72 hc ( which was already badly rotten at 10yr old)
and then  began learning about cars from that day on !

Sounds about right.

My first car was 9 years old I owned it. There was a little bit of steel left but it comprised mainly of Isopon, wire mesh, cardboard, and newspaper. Some of which was 5 years old itself.

[STEMO]

Everyone was an expert at hammering baby milk tins flat to make a new floor.

[Rangie]

My first car was an Austin A40 the original floor had been replaced with an Hillman Imp bonnet, bought for £30 & sold a few months later for £30 and then bought a 1964 PB  Vauxhall Velox for £160.

[Sir Tigger KC]

Everyone was an expert at hammering baby milk tins flat to make a new floor.

My mates obviously had more money than me, as they still take the piss out of me for repairing a hole in my Renault 5 using a side of a big ice cream box and filler. 

Couple of rattle cans of paint from Halfords and it wasn't a bad job for a first time effort.    No YouTube in those days either! 

[Lizzie Zoom]

My first car was an Austin A40 the original floor had been replaced with an Hillman Imp bonnet, bought for £30 & sold a few months later for £30 and then bought a 1964 PB  Vauxhall Velox for £160.

That brings back so many memories Rangie!

I too had a Farina bodied A40 in 1970, that was then 10 years old.  Paid £30 for it as well, kept it for two years until I got my first fully costed company car, but during that time sold the number plate for £30 and then eventually sent the car for scrap.

When I first went to change a wheel and jacked up the car, the chassis stayed on the ground, and the body went up in the air!!  The cross members under the passenger seat had completely rotted away, and the sills, both sides, were stuffed with newspapers and fillers!   That lovely car though still sailed through two MOT's, via a friendly garage tester who just lightly tapped the chassis with a tiny hammer, and I went miles in her!   I still wish I kept that A40.

 So simple to work on, with the help of training by a retiring chief mechanic for the GPO (they looked after all those green Austin and Morris vans around London) uncle, and evening classes.  This taught me to strip down an A series engine to pure parts, nuts and bolts, then after replacing and resealing the valves, reassemble for it to last two years more.

Oh, the memories, including a slipping clutch in its last days, that meant in strong head winds the car could not do more than 30mph, almost going backwards!!

Now I have a 21 year old Omega that is in a far, far, better condition than that ten year old A40, which had the sill challenges, holes in the front wings, and a worn interior, with no modern electrics, like a radio even!!    It certainly highlights the point made in this thread that the cars of yesterday generally became rust buckets in a very short time is so true.
Indeed the quality of finish when new was sometimes  appalling.  Like my second company Ford Escort Mk1 which had a serious patch of missing paint on the top of a front wing.  Then a following brand new Ford Cortina Mk4 estate which had the prop shaft held on by just one bolt, which led to loud knocking as I travelled at 60 mph!  The garage had to admit it had left the Dagenham Ford Plant in that condition, and no inspection since had spotted it!

Yes, standards yesteryear with British cars, especially in the 1960's, 70's and into the 80's were terrible.

[Nick W]

Everyone was an expert at hammering baby milk tins flat to make a new floor.

I've never done rust repairs without welding. Some of that is because the previously installed tins had rusted through.


The Mini we reshelled my sister's car into turned out to have floor pans made out underseal tins. I only discovered that when trying to weld in extra seat crossmembers for the Capri seats.


My Superminx repairs became I much bigger job when the chisel started bouncing on the structural white silicone

[Rangie]

My first car was an Austin A40 the original floor had been replaced with an Hillman Imp bonnet, bought for £30 & sold a few months later for £30 and then bought a 1964 PB  Vauxhall Velox for £160.

That brings back so many memories Rangie!

I too had a Farina bodied A40 in 1970, that was then 10 years old.  Paid £30 for it as well, kept it for two years until I got my first fully costed company car, but during that time sold the number plate for £30 and then eventually sent the car for scrap.

When I first went to change a wheel and jacked up the car, the chassis stayed on the ground, and the body went up in the air!!  The cross members under the passenger seat had completely rotted away, and the sills, both sides, were stuffed with newspapers and fillers!   That lovely car though still sailed through two MOT's, via a friendly garage tester who just lightly tapped the chassis with a tiny hammer, and I went miles in her!   I still wish I kept that A40.

 So simple to work on, with the help of training by a retiring chief mechanic for the GPO (they looked after all those green Austin and Morris vans around London) uncle, and evening classes.  This taught me to strip down an A series engine to pure parts, nuts and bolts, then after replacing and resealing the valves, reassemble for it to last two years more.

Oh, the memories, including a slipping clutch in its last days, that meant in strong head winds the car could not do more than 30mph, almost going backwards!!

Now I have a 21 year old Omega that is in a far, far, better condition than that ten year old A40, which had the sill challenges, holes in the front wings, and a worn interior, with no modern electrics, like a radio even!!    It certainly highlights the point made in this thread that the cars of yesterday generally became rust buckets in a very short time is so true.
Indeed the quality of finish when new was sometimes  appalling.  Like my second company Ford Escort Mk1 which had a serious patch of missing paint on the top of a front wing.  Then a following brand new Ford Cortina Mk4 estate which had the prop shaft held on by just one bolt, which led to loud knocking as I travelled at 60 mph!  The garage had to admit it had left the Dagenham Ford Plant in that condition, and no inspection since had spotted it!

Yes, standards yesteryear with British cars, especially in the 1960's, 70's and into the 80's were terrible.

.

Wish I'd kept the number that was on the A40 (5016VW) could have been worth a few quid now had mine in 1971, the PB Vauxhall was a 1964 model (CLF410B) lovely car .

[Lizzie Zoom]

My first car was an Austin A40 the original floor had been replaced with an Hillman Imp bonnet, bought for £30 & sold a few months later for £30 and then bought a 1964 PB  Vauxhall Velox for £160.

That brings back so many memories Rangie!

I too had a Farina bodied A40 in 1970, that was then 10 years old.  Paid £30 for it as well, kept it for two years until I got my first fully costed company car, but during that time sold the number plate for £30 and then eventually sent the car for scrap.

When I first went to change a wheel and jacked up the car, the chassis stayed on the ground, and the body went up in the air!!  The cross members under the passenger seat had completely rotted away, and the sills, both sides, were stuffed with newspapers and fillers!   That lovely car though still sailed through two MOT's, via a friendly garage tester who just lightly tapped the chassis with a tiny hammer, and I went miles in her!   I still wish I kept that A40.

 So simple to work on, with the help of training by a retiring chief mechanic for the GPO (they looked after all those green Austin and Morris vans around London) uncle, and evening classes.  This taught me to strip down an A series engine to pure parts, nuts and bolts, then after replacing and resealing the valves, reassemble for it to last two years more.

Oh, the memories, including a slipping clutch in its last days, that meant in strong head winds the car could not do more than 30mph, almost going backwards!!

Now I have a 21 year old Omega that is in a far, far, better condition than that ten year old A40, which had the sill challenges, holes in the front wings, and a worn interior, with no modern electrics, like a radio even!!    It certainly highlights the point made in this thread that the cars of yesterday generally became rust buckets in a very short time is so true.
Indeed the quality of finish when new was sometimes  appalling.  Like my second company Ford Escort Mk1 which had a serious patch of missing paint on the top of a front wing.  Then a following brand new Ford Cortina Mk4 estate which had the prop shaft held on by just one bolt, which led to loud knocking as I travelled at 60 mph!  The garage had to admit it had left the Dagenham Ford Plant in that condition, and no inspection since had spotted it!

Yes, standards yesteryear with British cars, especially in the 1960's, 70's and into the 80's were terrible.

.

Wish I'd kept the number that was on the A40 (5016VW) could have been worth a few quid now had mine in 1971, the PB Vauxhall was a 1964 model (CLF410B) lovely car .

Indeed.  Mine was 1721 JW, and was on a vehicle up to a few years ago, but now is not registered for some reason.

[cam.in.head]

this is what i meant about older cars rusting badly and after repairing many of them over the years and like you said not very old either and needing sills , floor repairs etc . thats why doing rust repairs on anything post 1990 is a  breeze !
modern cars die now with electrical issues over rust .

[biggriffin]

I've got
 2014 Vivaro van 136k
2013 Insignificant elite 85k
2006 Nissan Micra 112k
2010 Fiesta 111k

[LC0112G]

2013 Mercedes C180 Estate - Daily runabout - 40MPG
2001 Vauxhall Omega Elite 3.0 - Dead and will probably go to the scrappy next summer - 30MPG
1990 Vauxhall Carlton - Sunday car - 20MPG.

[Faisca_40]

1989 Opel Corsa A(Vx Nova) 1.2S(with 1.3 engine)
2001 Opel Astra G 1.4 16v caravan (is going to the scrapyard )
1998 Opel Omega B 2.5TD
Had a 1998 Rover 200 with the 1.4l, 103Hp sold it last week, was a good looking car but that engine is a no...

[countrywoman]

New to my fleet 1954 Austin Hereford (the Herferod)