Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[drdean]

Hi All

I know that most of the people that frequent these pages are quite hands on and I've even been known to have a go fairly simple repairs on my car.

However, now and again I REALLY need help and would love to be able to hand the car over with the keys and have it back a few days later all fixed.

So can anyone recommend a good mechanic or garage in Essex (preferably Basildon area) who would be willing to work on a Ford sidevalve car (based on 103E Pop)?

Cheers
Dean

[smiffy220]

What neads doing to it mate? My cousin is in Wickford and is pretty handy, if not my father also in Wickford might know someone, although don't suppose he'd want to work on it himself as he has 2 cars already occupying his time!
Dave
_________________
Born to rally, forced to work!

1980 Opel Manta 2.0 SR Berlinetta
1934 Morris Cowley Four (my late fathers)

[Richard H]

I don't know any garages in Basildon, but it you bring it to Southend MJ Steptoe Motor Engineers in Ness Road, Shoeburyness (01702 290433) would know what they're doing, they are classic car owners and old school mechanics. Not the cheapest, but honest and knowledgeable.

[Churchill Johnson]

Dean i'm just the bloke your looking for why my old dad taught me all he knew and i still no nothing, he used to sell cars in London just after the war on old bomb sites, silk stockings dropped in the oil filler mostly on Fords gets picked up by the con-rods and stops the rattle, well for a little while,then an old bean can cut open a bit of gum-gum and wire cures a blowing silencer, and as for re-cutting the tyre tread that's a doddle,oily slipping clutch no problem remove the starter shove some petrol over the flywheel wait until dry the a couple of handful's of Fullers earth dry's up the oil refit starter and away you go,a few hessian sacks under the back seat and a handful of sawdust in the diff will stop a rear axle moaning!, bad stater a gallon of av-gas in the tank will sort that out why we used to buy old war time aircraft just for the petrol normally had to dilute it with parrafin to lower the octane rating , no worries about the tax disc we used Watneys brown ale labels, chassis and or sills rotten easy fix mix up a bit of concrete smooth it off and when set a coat of paint works wonders my uncle showed me this trick,leaking rad half a box of oats cures this,seats sagging wrap an old bike inner tube in hessian and shove it under the cover lovely ride!, giv me ring any time Gov. ill take anybody for a ride on my tandem

[drdean]

Hi Guys

Thanks for your replies.

Wow Churchill you sound like a real expert.

It's incredible just how many 'fixes' were used in the old days. Garages must have got away with murder. It reminds me of Del Boy fixing the oil warning light problem on his car by taking the bulb out.

I've managed to get my car running again with the help of a new distributor and coil. It must have been a weak spark problem. Intermediate faults are always hard to detect. No spark at all would have been far easier to diagnose.

But it would still be nice to know if there are any local mechanics or garages that are willing to work on old cars. The trouble is that classic car maintence is a dying area of expertise. I had to call the AA out once on my car and he joking asked where could he plug in his laptop...

Cheers
Dean

[Churchill Johnson]

Nice to see you can take a joke but if i was not so busy i would give you a look you can always give me a nudge on here if you have a problem and i may be able to help having worked on sidevalve engines and having owned an Austin 10 [1939] and a Reliant [1956] and me poor old dad had the usual E93a Ford pop.

[PAUL BEAUMONT]

And I thought that you were serious Churchill, though 6 days late!!
I'll never trust anything Churchill says again!!

[Churchill Johnson]