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Let's Read About Your Old Car
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peter scott



Joined: 18 Dec 2007
Posts: 7113
Location: Edinburgh

PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2021 11:34 am    Post subject: Let's Read About Your Old Car Reply with quote

Misbehaviour on a Visit from Peter_L

Back in May 2018 Peter who lives in Canada had arranged to revisit some of the places he had passed through in his youth when he and a friend had taken an epic trip around the periphery of Britain (3,700 miles in 12 days) in a Mini. We had agreed to meet up when he came to Edinburgh and we had a nice time reminiscing about motoring 50 years ago and other adventures from our respective pasts.



I thought it would be good to take the old car out to a country pub for lunch. It was a nice day and before we set off Peter took my picture beside the car.



All seemed well until we got onto a dual carriageway section and when overtaking some lorries the car became hesitant and I began to wonder if she was going to make it without embarrassing me. She did get passed without too much trouble and we got to the pub OK. (Even if my parking skills left something to be desired.)



After lunch we took a meandering trip on the back roads but there was still the odd sign of misfiring. I must confess that this was not the first time I had had this problem but had previously been through all the usual suspects of plugs, points, coil and carb cleaning and I had thought that I had cured the problem after finding a particle in the jet well of one of the carbs.

Anyway, with the odd misfire we got back to Edinburgh but on passing through a rather congested section the misfire was so bad that when there was a section where I could pull in I thought it was time to stop and investigate. Nothing jumped out at me but Peter questioned an in-line ignition suppressor that I had previously ignored. We moved it about and got home without much problem. Much to my delight the suppressor had been the problem all along.

Peter S.
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1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon
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Rick
Site Admin


Joined: 27 Apr 2005
Posts: 22429
Location: UK

PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2021 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great stuff, I think a friend of mine who rebuilt a pre-war AC told me years back that he had problems with suppressor spark plug caps.

RJ
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Peter_L



Joined: 10 Apr 2008
Posts: 2680
Location: New Brunswick. Canada.

PostPosted: Tue May 11, 2021 3:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

First I have to thank Peter and Pam for being such gracious hosts.

In May 2018 no one could have foreseen the huge change in life that was less than 2 years away. I passed my test in 1963 and at a recent count have driven well over 2 million miles in over 20 countries, all the lower U.S 48 and throughout Canada.

2018 was my first return trip to the UK in 16 years and the changes were slightly more, or perhaps worse than I had learned. However it didn't entirely detract from the enjoyment of Britain's diverse road network.

The Mini BHE167B went on to be rebuilt 3 times, fitted with a 1300 engine and motored trouble free to Southern Italy, Yugoslavia and Greece over the years 1969 to 1971 before being replaced by the Mk III Cortina Estate, which in what was now typical fashion was rebuilt with the 2.8V6 engine, uprated suspension and brakes, some serious interior changes that provided sleeping accommodation and a roof rack that was part of the vehicle body. As a solo vehicle this Cortina made its way to Sicily, Turkey, Greece and North Africa, but by 1979 my wife and I were beginning to prefer the luxuries provided by a Caravan, so our next excursions to Greece and Sicily were with the Caravan..... Moving to Canada provided a whole new touring play ground and within a few years and two Pontiac Grand-Am's later we had driven all of the lower 48 and 8 of Canada's Provinces. Of course age waits for no man or woman and from the Grand-Am we moved to the Dodge Journey which provided easier access. Tents and Caravans had been replaced by hotels but the "travel bug" never left.
The world disaster of COVID has also been a personal disaster as it prevented a 2020 visit to the UK and Europe and having passed 75 years there is much more behind than in front. The Mini and the Cortina are only two of the vehicles I owned between 1963 and 2002. I lived the life when insulating tape and some wire could fix many problems, times when Mini, Anglia, Escort and Cortinas were serviced and repaired at home. As I write this, almost 57 years to the day after buying my first vehicle, an Austin Mini Van, my latest Dodge Journey is sat waiting for $5 part that requires the whole engine/transmission to be removed and is a task that I had absolutely no interest in even attempting.

I guess I can say...... "Life has been quite the ride"..........
Stay Safe Everyone.
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Brent29



Joined: 07 Jun 2018
Posts: 57

PostPosted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 12:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

An incredible journey for that Mini back then.
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roverdriver



Joined: 18 Oct 2008
Posts: 1210
Location: 100 miles from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

PostPosted: Wed Jun 30, 2021 7:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great story, Peter. Interesting how a different pair of eyes can help find a problem and sort it..
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Clactonguy



Joined: 20 Mar 2018
Posts: 104
Location: clacton on sea

PostPosted: Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:31 pm    Post subject: old car story Reply with quote

bought an old rover p6 v8 auto. was tired for 13 years before a garage got it and then I wandered along and paid far too much for( as you do with first classic car) lots of issues form sticking brakes. leaks. cutting out all tyres. fluids. hoses .brake pads. callipers and servo . master brake cylinder . thermostat etc. replaced. along with new carpet . sound material etc and we get the picture. despite all it has given us many hours of pleasure at shows and many admire its looks etc . ongoing issues with fuel problem (ethanol?) but hopefully get a perfect car one day. Always nice to chat to others with classic cars as we all have something in common. no idea how to attach a pic sorry.
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lowdrag



Joined: 10 Apr 2009
Posts: 1585
Location: Le Mans

PostPosted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 7:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nothing as eventful as doing the circumference of GB, but we have had a lot of fun over the last 37 years, my E-type and I. In her life she has been gunmetal, bordeaux red, yellow (painted by hand with brush marks to show it) and that was how I acquired her. Several years later she started to bend in the middle so a rebuild was called for and serious touring commenced in 1991 when we crossed to Caen from Leicester and drove down to the Pyrenees, across to La Grande Motte, up to Briancon , then Geneva, making our way back to Caen and home, all of this taking 2,5000 miles and 12 days. A real Tour de France. We got the bug, and over the ensuing years she has seen so many countries, from Sweden in the north through most countries including Croatia and Bosnia, the ferry to Italy and so on. She has seen every pass in the Alps at least once and some considerably more, and in all this time she let me down definitively just twice, both times the bronze bush in the dynamo destroying the commutator, but a call to the UK had a new dynamo overnighted and we were on our way again in a day. In 2013, with over 100,000 hard miles behind us, she was rebuilt for the second time, and changed from my 1980's choice of Silver Blue back to her factory colours of gunmetal with red interior. We have, like most, done little mileage over the last two years despite this being the 60th anniversary and she will have her 60th birthday on the 13th September this year. We are having a party to celebrate. Sadly anno domini means that I doubt we shall do any more serious touring, but weekends away are still our goal. She is very much a part of the family.
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Ray White



Joined: 02 Dec 2014
Posts: 6282
Location: Derby

PostPosted: Tue Aug 31, 2021 10:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Most people only know of the E Type as a glamorous style icon... but in fact - as Lowdrag has demonstrated - it is actually a damn good car. Very Happy
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