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1960 Humber Super Snipe
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Giggles



Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 302
Location: Tucked up under a patchwork quilt somwhere in Suffolk

PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:06 am    Post subject: 1960 Humber Super Snipe Reply with quote



Back in June this year we took our 1960 Humber Super Snipe to a Hot Rod show at Billing, which is about 2 hours away from Ipswich. We had a super time, until we were about 30 miles from home when my husband (Sniper) realised that there was a strange knock sound coming from the engine, this then became a loud bang-bang-bang followed by a puff of blue smoke and then we coasted to a stop in a layby on the A14.

Well I blame a friend of our's as he had told some friends of his just how good the Super Snipe was and how many miles we do in and how Sniper takes it all over the country. (Cheers Bumper!)

Anywhere, the car was recovered and brought home on a recovery truck that evening.


The following evening Sniper spent under the bonnet and found that the big end had well and truly gone. Quite common with Humber once they turn 80k and we had just turned 80k that weekend! Confused


The crankshaft was then sent to a local engineering company for repair or whatever it is that they do when the big end goes, but I don't do oily bits..



Hmm nice big space, some of our rodding friends kept telling us that we'd easily get a V8 in there! Rolling Eyes Yawn, yawn.

Any way 2 weeks later Snipers decides to play rolly-down-a-big ditch with the daily and manages to write it off. Now in an ideal world he would have been able to use the Super Snipe for a couple of weeks until the insurance money had paid up, but seeing as that was off the road he had to buy something else pretty quickly and decided on this as it was cheap:

As much I didn't like it, it does have it uses... like picking up repaired crankshafts.

It took 2 months for the work to be done and bearings to be sourced, but at least it was done and with a bit of help from Sniper's brother it was fixed! Very Happy

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Giggles



Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 302
Location: Tucked up under a patchwork quilt somwhere in Suffolk

PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote


The engine went back in and a quite a crowd of on lookers appeared as Sniper fired it up for the first time.

(Just to prove that Sniper did some of the work. You can guess who was on tea making duties!!)

Anyway, after a couple of tests runs round the block the Super Snipe was returned to her lock-up orund the corner and someone felt very smug that between him and his brother they'd rebuilt the engine fairly quickly.

In the mean time Sniper had decided to buy the Fairlane with the insurance money! Shocked And not tell anyone!! But that's another story.

The MOT had now run out on the Super Snipe and it was one of those jobs that if we weren't careful wouldn't get done. I got an email from someone on another chatroom that works for Classic Car Weekly asking us how the engine rebuild was going and if it was running OK, would we like to take it to a photo shot that this guy was hoping to do. This was the push that Sniper that needed to get the MOT booked and so it was booked in for the following day Wink and passed first time! No problems.

The Super Snipe needed the engine running in so what better than a quiet run up the A140 one Saturday morning for a photo shot. Sniper said he found it difficult keeping the speed down as the car just wanted to go and boy did it sound lovely! I think it made him realise that the engine had been not quite right for a few months.




And the article appeared in print! You can just about see it in the top left hand corner.

We've still only done around 300 miles sinece the rebuild, so Sniper is having to keep the speed down, which is a good thing and this has made he realise that the Snipe is too good to rod or anything like that, hence why we bought the Fairlane. And we've still got the Volvo, probably until MOT time, then it will probably go, although on the Retro-Rides forum they all wet their pants when they see it! Confused

WE've had the Super Snipe for nearly 4 years and apart from replacing the battery and a couple of other small jobs, we've not had to do anything else. I hope that's not another kiss of death! Wink
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Giggles



Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 302
Location: Tucked up under a patchwork quilt somwhere in Suffolk

PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:35 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We spoke to several of our Hot Rodding and Kustom friends while the Snipe was off the road and most of the Kustom guys and a few of the Rodders said don't put the V8 in, as it's an honest car and too good to rod. We took the Snipe to a Rod show a couple of years ago at Old Warden, when a group of the die-hard rodders, (you know the ones that only drive flat-heads and steel rods) fell in love the car and again beeged Sniper not to ruin it by V8'ing it.

It's quite strange that even within the Rodding scene, there are those that say stuff a V8 in anything and there are those that appricate a classic for what it is. I'm sure Job Rated has come across this too.
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Job-Rated



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 1010
Location: Sugarbeet County

PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Congratulations on a superb example. Can't wait to see it 'in the flesh'.
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Rick
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Joined: 27 Apr 2005
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for posting the write-up and photos Giggles - very interesting read, and a stunning car - I nearly bought a late Super Snipe mannnny years ago, but at the time I was broke so running it would have ruined me Smile

Found this pic not so long ago:



Rick
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Giggles



Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 302
Location: Tucked up under a patchwork quilt somwhere in Suffolk

PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's a great photo, thanks for posting it. I love old photo's. And it's a series 2!

The number of people that tell us that they never would have had whitewall tyres when they were new! Confused

I've just noticed, we've got different wing mirror and our ariel is in a different place.
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Rick
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 11:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

in the old b/w photo, is that a lip on the road on the leading edge of a sunroof? it isn't too clear. Yes you can now prove that Humbers were sometimes fitted with whitewalls 'back in the day' Smile

were wing mirrors and the aerial standard fitment, or aftermarket fittings?

R
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Uncle Joe
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

When do we get to see a photo of the Fairlane? Or has one already been posted?
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Job-Rated



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
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Location: Sugarbeet County

PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's one I took at a show earlier in the year...I hope Giggles doesn't mind... Rolling Eyes


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Giggles



Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 302
Location: Tucked up under a patchwork quilt somwhere in Suffolk

PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 5:58 pm    Post subject: Super Snipe & Fairlane. Reply with quote

I don't mind. Razz

The MOT ran out on the Fairlane at the end of September, there are a few jobs that need doing on the Fairlane before it goes in like sorting out the electrics and fixing the non excisting fuel gauge, speedo and lights. The drivers side window has been fixed with a new sheet of glass and when time allows Sniper will try to solve the mystory of why the window does wind down fully.

Then it'll be fiddling with the interior and maybe adding a few scallops here and there.

Said too much now, Sniper's not going to be happy. Whopps!
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Uncle Joe
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is that the actual one then? Looks very tidy.

I suppose that you have visited Woody's website?
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Giggles



Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 302
Location: Tucked up under a patchwork quilt somwhere in Suffolk

PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Our' is the red one, Sniper was thinking about a simular paint to scheme to the white one.

We've not looked at Woodys website yet, but will do.
Cool
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Job-Rated



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
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Location: Sugarbeet County

PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Uncle Joe, you have PM.
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Uncle Joe
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 8:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi J-r, yes, I've just seen it and replied....
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Giggles



Joined: 25 Nov 2007
Posts: 302
Location: Tucked up under a patchwork quilt somwhere in Suffolk

PostPosted: Sat Jun 07, 2008 10:29 pm    Post subject: Fairlane update. Reply with quote

I guess I probably should start a thread for the Fairlane, but never mind.

Since we bvought the Fairlane in August last year, hubby has taken it off the road to do a few little jobs to it, like you grease monkeys do and ended up deciding that it really could do with being rewired.

Good old Father Christmas brought him a wiring loom and slowly hubby has been rewiring the beastie. The Fairlane is kept in a barn about 9 miles away from home, so at times it has been difficult for him to escape the madhouse to the peace of the barn to work on the Fairlane.

But never the less, the job of rewiring is nearly complete and today him and our 5 year daughter went to comission the wiring. (His words, not mine. He's a sparky by trade Wink )

Well, it's breathes and scared the lady who's barn he rents! (To say it's a bit loud is an under statement Razz But he likes that way) The only thing doesn't appear to work is the indicators, but he thinks he knows what the problem is there and would have sorted it, but little legs decided she was hungry and needed to come home for lunch. Confused (This was after she'd eaten a packet of crisps, an apple and a handful of raisins)

Once the indicators are working, the next job is to sort out the passagner door lock that doesn't want to shut, make it not so noisey that it scares the neighbours and the MOT tester, look at the brakes and speak nicely to our friendly MOT man.

To be continued............
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1960 & 1963 Humber Super Snipe's
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