Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[baconsdozen]

Many years ago I bought very cheaply a Mk7 jaguar from a scrapyard.It had been towed in,stuck in first gear and it stayed that way in the yard. I bought the thing for spares,as far as I knew the box could only be removed with the engine and that was more than I was prepared to do.
For curiosity I had the top off the box and realised that when 1st gear was engaged the balls on the gear almost popped out behind the gear (ie it was going too far forward).I was able to push then back in with a screwdriver and an old penny was drilled and fitted on the selector shaft so the gear didn't go quite as far the next time 1st was engaged.
To my suprise it worked fine and with little work the car sailed through an MOT.I drove the thing about for a couple of years,I wish I'd have kept it.
Have you ever had a similar Eureka moment?.
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Thirty years selling imperial hand tools for old machinery(Now happily retired).

[clan chieftain]

Never had a Eureka moment but had plenty of @@@@@sake. Good cheap repair though. That must be the cheapest repair ever.
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The Clan Chieftain

[Jim.Walker]

I think mine came when I bought a very tidy landcrab from a dealer for rather less than half price because it kept "losing" fourth gear.
I expected to have quite an expense sorting it.
The "eureka" was a bit delayed. I suppose you could say retrospective, because I found the remote selection box at the bottom of the gear-lever was full of oil. Clearing out the oil brought 4th gear back into play, but it "disappeared" again when the box filled with oil coming down the operating cables.
I drilled a small hole in the bottom of the box, as a temporary measure to use the car. It never dripped oil and did not fill up. The car was used for years afterwards with no problem.
Eureka! And it cost me nothing. I already had a 1/8th drill
Jim.
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Quote from my late Dad:- You only need a woman and a car and you have all the problems you
are ever likely to want". Computers had not been invented then!

[pigtin]

Bought a VW type3 Karmann Ghia in the 60s. Seemed cheap and I found why. Something was inhibiting the performance.
It has a 1500s engine and I found something that looked like a sixpence laying under one of the carbs. It was the plug from the bottom of the carb pump chamber. It had fallen out from both carbs and one was missing. I replaced it with (guess what?) a sixpence.
The performance then improved considerably.
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Due to the onset of my mid eighties I'm no longer sprightly and rarely seen in my Austin special. I have written a book though. https://amzn.eu/d/7rwRRqL

[gresham flyer]

I purchased a non running MG Midget for spares.
When I looked at the spark plugs the electrode gap was wide open,I set them to 0.25thou and the engine ran perfectly.
Did someone nobble the car so it did not run i.e in an auction.
One will never know.!!

I then decided to restore the rest of the car.

Gresham Flyer

[peppiB]

Not a car but a wheelchair. Earlier this year I purchased a power chair as 'spares or repair' 6 years old and £4700 (plus VAT if you weren't exempt) new I paid £65. Got it home and found the seat was incorrectly fitted (half an hour to put right) and the batteries simply needed a long charge. It now works fine, and as it has electronic suspension (clever stuff) and puncture proof tyres, it is now used more than my original one.

Jim - that 1800 gear problem is well known nowadays. Mine had the hole drilled 7 years ago when I bought the car

[emmerson]

I bought a non-runner Granada at auction for pocket money. It was described as having a major auto-box fault.The engine started, but had no power when drive was engaged, and sounded very strange, and wouldn't rev, even in neutral. Then the penny dropped, and I shoved it over the pit, chopped a hole in the silencer, and away it went!
For some reason the silencer had blocked, but the previous owner thought it was an expensive fault and put it in the auction.
Never been that lucky again though.

[Rick]

When we were moving house, I bought a 760GLE auto estate with a gearbox fault for £125 (it was slipping in gear). A check of the fluid level revealed very little in there, so I paid up, poured in some fluid, and drove home no problems. We gave it some hammer during the move, loading it up inside and out with junk, then sold it on for £100 when we were finished.

RJ
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[Jim.Walker]

[colwyn500]

I just worked out what mine was. My brother bought a Fiat 500 from a ropey local dealer. When he arrived back, seeing it had the same effect on me as watching Morecambe and Wise used to have.

We knew nothing about cars let alone air-cooled ones. Even our more knowledgeable mate couldn't help; being more used to Vauxhall Crestas and Ford Zephyrs.

It took a while but eventually I realised that there must be meant to be some sort of pipe to take cool air to the rear-mounted engine. Wasn't it great when you could just nip down to the local Fiat dealer and get parts for your classic Fiat? Pipe bought and fitted, the car immediately started running properly and thus started a lifelong love affair with Fiats.

[peppiB]

[Jim.Walker]

[mikeC]

I bought an eight year old Lancia Delta for peanuts because the engine was throwing oil all over the place - I seem to recall it used a sumpfull just to get it about 60 miles home. A rudimentary check once home revealed a blocked breather; a quick service and that car gave me three years good service, and I sold it for several hundred pounds more than I paid - and there was not a trace of rust on the underside

[poodge]

A friend of mine bought an FC Victor 3.3 in the mid 70's with a "stuffed clutch".10 minutes work with a couple of spanners had the clutch rod adjusted properly,and he ran that car for several years!