A lucky discovery on the new-tyre front!
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New Dunlop crossplies found for the 1953 Austin Devon pickup
Ever since buying the A40 Devon pickup earlier in 2006, I've been on the lookout for some new tyres to fit on it. Whereas Devon saloon come fitted with 16" rims, the pickup and van versions have slightly larger, 17", rims (the front arch openings are slightly larger therefore, something to watch out for when searching for replacement wings). It came fitted with the cheapest crossply remoulds I've ever seen, and several years of propping the pickup up, perhaps aided by under-inflation, had left them in a very poor state. The sidewalls were full of cracks, and one or two of the inner tubes had slow punctures in them.
Checking on some tyre specialist's websites, I found that decent 17" crossply boots would cost at least £60-70 a time, plus postage and VAT on the lot. Tyres from recognised brands would cost double that. As I needed five tyres, it was obviously going to cost a bit when the time came to fit fresh rubber. Luck was shining on me though, as I found six Dunlop 17" tyres, perfect new old stock, for sale, for just the cost of one tyre if I'd gone to a specialist supplier. Even better they were only a few miles away, so I hot-footed it over and piled them into the back of the Merc before the vendor changed his mind.
More tyres needed, this time 16" on the Ford
My luck in finding 17"ers didn't solve a more pressing problem that I had, namely finding some 16" tyres to fit on my Thames E83W pickup, the 1955 example that I'm in the leisurely process of recommissioning. The Ford had been on axle stands for a month or two, while I slurped some Waxoyl over its underside, greased it, and generally adjusted and twiddled things under there. The crossplies fitted to this were of a decent make, but beginning to show some cracking in their sidewalls too - perhaps not bad enough to fail an MOT, but they didn't look pretty and were certainly borderline. The innertubes were also an unknown quantity, having been fitted prior to me buying the truck in 1992/3. So the hunt was on to find some replacement crossplies. Two little-used 16 inch tyres turned up on eBay, and were ideal to fit on the front wheels. This still left me with finding replacements for the back.
For years I'd stored a pair of healthy looking Avon tyres on two old rusty wheels. They looked fine, no cracks or cuts in them, and had always been left inflated, out of the sunlight. My plan was to get them switched from the old rims, onto my Ford's rims. I dropped them off at a local tyre garage and asked them to swap the tyres over, while also fitting those I'd found on eBay onto the front wheels. A couple of days later I rang up to see how they were doing. Unfortunately the steel banding and rubber inside the inner edge of the stored tyres had broken away, rendering them useless. It was a real shame as the tyres had looked A1 but they were in fact scrap. I ordered a pair of brand new tyres from a website, and had them fitted shortly afterwards. With four wheels fitted with tyres, I was finally able to drop the Thames off the jacks and move it.
Other E83W pickup stuff
In addition to sorting out the tyre issue, I managed to get some other work done on it. With it up in the air, I Waxoyled all
the bits you can't normally get at with the vehicle sat on the floor, and attended to the myriad of grease nipples. There are lots of grease points on pre-war designed vehicles like this, and it pays to keep on top of them. A bit of play in the front wheel bearings was quickly adjusted out, and they received fresh grease. Another essential purchase in May was a new 6 volt battery. I found a selection of 6v units at a battery specialist in Crewe for a very reasonable price. With this coupled up, I could now check over all the lights and other electrical gizmos. Most of the lights were u/s but gradually they were all returned to working order. Most of the time was spent hunting down 24w/24w 6v headlamp bulbs, but by going through all my old boxes of bits, I got a set together. The rear lamps were a little random too, so I put in some new bulb holders that I had in, and treated them to shiny new 6v stop/tail bulbs, that I'd also found on the 'net. They had offset bayonet pegs, and fitted my new Lucas bulb holders a treat. The final light to sort out was the brake light. Adjusting the switch couldn't be easier - a chain is fitted, one end to the underfloor light switch, the other end attached to a brake rod. As the brake rod moves during operation, it tensions the chain enough to operate the brake light switch. Adjustment was a simple case of slackening off a locknut, moving the rod's chain mounting away from the switch, and re-tightening the locknut. Now the stop lights dazzle all those behind with just a nudge of the brake pedal. Final job done in May was to check over the vacuum operated wiper (powered by a tube that taps into the inlet manifold) and source a new blade and arm.
Classic car auction
Some friends of mine were selling a couple of classics at a specialist auction, so I tagged along as I'd not been to a car auction before. The weather was blisteringly hot (unlike the downpours we'd be seeing later in the month) and a pleasant day was had. Their cars both found new homes so that was a good result. There was quite a mixture of vehicles due to go under the hammer. One eye-catching machine was an ex-WW2 Chevy truck, that had been converted into a recovery wagon after the war. It looked like it had just been pulled out of a very dusty barn, but looked all the better for it - a true 'barn find'. Bids however were very few and far between (I think most of the punters had come to bid on the shiny good stuff, rather than an epic rebuild project such as the Chevy) and I don't know if it actually sold or not. A dusty Austin-Healey didn't have any problem attracting bids though, and soon sold for good money. As I'm a bit keen on the E83W Fords, it was interesting to see a white van lined up for the sale. It was signwritten and had been used as an advertising vehicle for a company. Close-up the condition wasn't brilliant, especially around the lower edges of the van body and rear arches, but E83Ws are quite sought after and this one was bid up to a fair price.
Showtime!
First show that we planned to attend was the twice-yearly event held at Cholmondeley Castle, a venue we'd first visited back in 2005. The early morning weather was fab, and we had an enjoyable drive over in the Devon saloon, meeting up with various friends over there, parking near one who had brought along his rare AS3 Austin A30. Directly alongside us was a cracking A40 Devon pickup, a mid-green example that I've seen at many shows, and inspired me to buy my own in January. We had a good chat with the owners of this rare commercial, and it was useful to have a close look over a complete example, which will help me with piecing my part-assembled pickup back together.
As often happens at car shows, there were rather too many modern cars in the display areas, diluting the
overall effect of the show and, in my view, short-changing the public who after all pay to see CLASSIC and VINTAGE cars, not cars that can be seen driven by reps up and down the motorway every day of the week. The BMW club, for instance, had a huge stand, but few of the cars on show warranted being there (this opinion was shared with a few exhibitors, not just by me!). Last year it was the Merc club that had lots of 80s/90s humdrum cars on show. Don't get me wrong, I like (and have owned) several of the BMs and Mercs that were seen on display, but I'd never try and pass them off as classics. Fortunately the majority of the vehicles on display were properly old. Highlights this year for me included:
- A very nice 1954 Ford V8 Yank saloon, pre-fins era
- Unusual and rare Datsun Fairlady Roadster
- Austin Seven van, packed with fruit on display
- A Lambretta scooter with matching side-car
- Ford RS200 group B rally car
- Austin Healey Sebring Sprite
- Great early Minis, including a super-tidy pickup
As with last year's event, it is Well worth going out over the small bridge and having a look at the parking area for classics that hadn't pre-booked. There were some really nice old cars out there, with a few super-rare 'modern classics' that also caught my eye ...
A quick stroll found, amongst others, an SS100 Jaguar, 1954 Dodge Royal finished in grey, BMW Z1, GT6 Mk2, Zagato bodied Alfa Romeo SZ, 308 Ferrari, Chevy Chevelle Malibu SS (see photo), Mercury Cougar, 2 litre Bristol, and a very well-travelled Citroen 2CV from 1966.
Weirdest production car at the show could well have been the low slung, swoopy, and oh-so-seventies Marcos Mantis, which looked light years away from the J Type Morris van that was parked alongside, its owner's dog sat behind the wheel. The gold Mantis even made the De Lorean parked close by look fairly normal! A few highly modified cars were seen driving into the display arena, including a heavily re-worked Corsair, and Mk1 Cortina, but they weren't really my cup of tea.
The autojumble is always worth a look, and this year I snapped up a very trim front wing for my favourite little Ford pickup. The stallholder didn't know what it was off, and had it displayed for sale with a Pop grille. Some swift negotiating and I secured the wing for a decent price, and then put some thought into how I'd get it home. It was quite oily and I didn't want to risk damaging the leather seats in the Devon, either with oil or with its sharp edges. Salvation came in the form of David K., who was there with his time-warp Chevy pickup truck. Whereas many people apply gallons of polish to their old motors, he prefers the oily rag approach, giving it a wipe over with 20/50 from time to time to keep moisture at bay. The Ford wing easily fitted into the back of his Chevy, and he dropped it off for me on his way home - thanks again!
We were also booked to go to the shows at Kelsall (nr Tarvin, Chester etc) and at Smallwood (nr Holmes Chapel and Congleton). Sadly the deluge of rain that battered northern England later in the month rendered the display fields at both venues totally unusable. Kelsall was shut down after an early start, and when we drove over to Smallwood on the bank holiday Monday, the 'cancelled' signs were much in evidence. It must be tough being a show organiser when this kind of thing happens.
More photos from Cholmondeley will be on here soon!!
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