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Classic car events at Malvern Showground & Hooton Park[Back to Monthly Updates page]Plus work on my old Fordson, and a Morris Z vanMalvern Showground, WorcestershireAt the beginning of October I pootled on down to the show at Malvern showground, at the foot of the Malverns. Last year was the first time I'd been to this show, and this year was just as interesting, probably because it tends to get a different selection of cars to those I regularly stumble across at shows local to me. One of the first cars to catch my eye, being unloaded from its trailer, was a Frisky 3 wheeler, an unusually shaped vehicle designed for the cost-conscious motorist back in the days of black & white TV and Woodbines.
Looking like something from one of those 50s sci-fi films, where the alien invaders look set to take over the world, the Scootacar is a great looking machine. In the main show area there was a goodly choice of proper old cars to look at, ie not the kind of thing that can still be found on backstreet used car lots, but being touted as the next classics. Interesting stuff from the 50s and 60s included a small collection of Austin A40 Sports cars and other Austin Counties cars, Rover P4s, Riley RMs, Victor F-Type estate, Mk2 Consul, Borgward Isabella coupe and estate, Wyvern, Daimler Majestic saloons, various Jaguars (E-Types, Mk2s etc), Bond Equipe, Jowett Jupiter, PA Cresta and loads more. Earlier cars were also well represented, with vintage and post-vintage Rolls Royce, Austins, Standards, an interesting selection of 30s Vauxhalls, a beautiful Alvis (in the auction), and the usual suspects from Austin and Morris. Photos from Malvern can be seen by clicking here. Talking of the Malvern auction, this was the first old-car auction I'd been to so was keen to see how much things go for. The entry wasn't enormous, but there was a reasonable selection of 1950s-1970s cars, mostly in tidy or restored condition. The automobilia sold quite well, but none of the cars actually sold under the hammer from what I could tell - each Lot was followed by the suggestion that a deal could be done afterwards 'in the office'. So which cars actually ended up selling is anyone's guess. I'll upload all the photos I took at Malvern onto the site shortly.
Every day I get a ruck of emails, mostly from visitors who land on one or other of my classic car websites. Mid-month I received a note from a familiar sender, who I remembered as being the person I sold our Austin A30 to in 2002. This lady lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and shipped the little A30 over to her home, buying the car un-seen based on some photos I sent her. From what I can tell, the A30 found a good home and provides entertaining motoring around the roads of Atlanta, being joined in the garage by an E-Type Jagoooarr (XKE) some time later. The A30's new owner is planning to move house to London, bringing her classics with her, so with a bit of luck I'll get chance to renew acquaintances with our old baby Austin. Work on the Thames pickup
Many old commercials were brush painted so I was happy enough to do this on my old pickup. To be a real minter I'd have to strip the thing down completely. My aim was to get the thing usable and presentable, and this looks to be on track at the moment. If I can get it bolted back together and more-or-less MOTable by the end of the year I'll be happy enough. Next year I hope to have the Ford van painted, and make some progress on the Dodge lorry, both of which have taken a back seat. Morris Z Van While visiting a local guy who has quite a range of classics, I gave him a hand with changing the oil in his Morris Z van. These little 5cwt commercial vehicles have always appealed, and if I didn't have rather too many old crocks of my own, I'd be tempted with this Morris. Compared to my 10cwt Fords, they have a number of advanced (for the day!) features, such as hydraulic brakes (mine are cable operated) and a 12v electrical system (mine is just 6v). However they are both powered by the pre-war sidevalve engines of their respective manufacturers, so I'd guess that road performance would be fairly comparable. The oil pressure on this particular Morris barely registered on the gauge, slightly surprising for an allegedly rebuilt engine. First thing to try was drain off the gloopy old oil and replace with new. Despite this the oil pressure barely registered at all, even after swapping over gauges in case one was faulty. Subsequent investigations were made by the vans owner, and, after having removed the sump, the problem made itself plain. On the bottom of the oil pump was a flat contraption that should sit in the sump oil. The oil level had been left low for a looooooooong time, so long in fact that the alloy pickup thing had corroded away to nothing. With this replaced, and a new cylinder head fitted (the original had a crack), oil pressure was restored. Hooton Park autojumble
It was in the grounds of this ex-airfield that the autojumble was held, some stalls outside, and others tucked away inside the MT sheds. The weather was lousy during the morning, when I was there, although may well have improved later on. The parking arrangements are such that you have to park a little way away, and wait for a bus service to transport you to the event itself. Transportation was laid on by a local preservation group, the service being run by two well-laden buses - an early 80s Leyland Atlantean and a 1963 ex-London Transport AEC Routemaster. I got a ride on both, the latter being (I think) the first RM I'd been on. I didn't buy anything, although I did meet up with someone else who is a fan of E83W vans and pickups, and had a chat with him. On leaving the event, 'er indoors and I headed straight over to Holmes Chapel for the vintage toy fair that was taking place at the leisure centre. |
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