althebass
RMS Regular
Hi!
I've been on the lookout for a new daily recently. Duties to include a 6 mile each way daily commute and picking the kids up on the way home.
I had thought of a wee Audi A2 as something cheap, cheerful and a bit different.
I was open minded though and spurred on by my boss I started looking at vintage stuff. (I work in a workshop specialising in prewar servicing and restoration.)
I viewed a few Austin 7s and was initially keen, a saloon would seat 4 and do the job for getting to work but I've always fancied a Model A, having lurked on various hot rod forums for years.
They are much more like a proper car, much as I like the wee Austins.
I had wrongly assumed they were all LHD and out of my price range so hadn't really considered one but got a nice surprise when a customer in work offered me a 1930 5 window coupe (complete with rumble seat) for £low teens k.
It was made in Manchester, RHD and was sold new in Belfast. However, the deal didn't quite come together in the end so I hit the classifieds hard, my mind set on a Model A.
I found this on Car&Classic, also made in Manchester and RHD:
It had been for sale for a while. Having been messed about and with a house move looming the seller had reduced the price and was keen to do a deal.
I chatted with the owner, him knowing several friends/customers of ours here through Austin 7s and vintage car clubs.
Mechanically the car has been more or less completely overhauled in recent years, including engine and gearbox rebuild, axles, shocks and brakes rebuilt too.
"Not show shiny but really solid and useable" said the seller "hasn't been welded where they all go, chassis not cracked" and he said that he would be happy to press it into daily use. I took him at his word, made him an offer and we settled on a deal.
In my experience since starting working at this stuff this year the people are very honest, genuinely nice people. Most are quite mad but they are all incredibly enthusiastic about the cars and love younger people getting involved. They all know each other too so I did a few checks and wired the seller the full amount.
Whoop whoop! I own a vintage car!
Oop oops! How will I get it home from Ripley, Derbyshire?!
No point messing about if I'm going to daily this thing is there!
Booked flights for me and sprog 1 to East Midlands Airport for Saturday morning and booked the night boat home from Liverpool Saturday night.
Time for an adventure! Maybe I've been watching too much Roadkill but I had absolutely no doubt that we would probably be fine!
Insured and breakdown covered we set off armed with fruit and so many many layers. (No heater in a Model A!)
Got a photo of Kirkistown from the plane!
Looks like Monet took it
East Midlands is beside Donnington Park Circuit and we could hear bikes practicing whilst waiting for our taxi.
About 35 mins later we were greeted with this!
A very nice man called Steve and our transport home!
The car seemed at least as good as described and started easily from cold.
Sh*t's getting real now!
This car isn't really suitable for motorways. It'll cruise happily all day, over dirt roads, at 50 but really whilst 60/65 is doable it's not really fair on the car.
Most cars this age have small bore size engines with a really long stroke, and therefore piston speed even though they only rev to 3kish.
Steve gave us an old map and outlined our route. Virtual handshake and we're away!
F*ck!
Centre throttle and a 3 speed crash box with no synchro. At least I'll be able to drive it by the time we cover the 120 miles or so to the boat. Ish.
Drove round the corner to fill it up and compose ourselves.
We were excited I promise!
The dash/scuttle IS the fuel tank, filled in the middle just in front of the screen
That means you don't need a fuel pump, it just gravity feeds to a wee updraft carb!
The fuel gauge is just a float you can see through a wee bit of glass in the dash and when its high tide you can see the fuel sloshing about
We used the route marked on the map to find the next town, then looked it up on google maps.
Drove there with no hassles, surprisingly and stopped for chips and to check out our new ride!
The car is very original and virtually rust free. No holes and no filler, just good solid metal. Unbelievable at 90 years old.
Result!
Apart from that f*cking up my plans to chop it into something like this :
It's really too good for that so I'll drive as is and probably fit a flat head v8, overdrive and leave the bonnet sides off.
Following Steve's route we hopped from town to town under Manchester and over 'Snake Pass' with no drama.
Got to the boat a few hours early and just chilled out.
Few swals in the cabin and not a bad sleep and we were home. Risked a bit of M2 off the boat but it was early enough on Sunday morning and quiet.
That could have gone a f*ck of a lot worse!
Immediate plans are better headlights (horrific nightmare) and losing the orange indicators. I'll give it a wire brush and some POR-15 underneath, waxoil to death and coat the top coat/patina in something like ACF to stop it getting worse. Other than that just drive away at it!
Reason for needing a new daily?
The M3 is being stood down and caged for the track.
Ali
I've been on the lookout for a new daily recently. Duties to include a 6 mile each way daily commute and picking the kids up on the way home.
I had thought of a wee Audi A2 as something cheap, cheerful and a bit different.
I was open minded though and spurred on by my boss I started looking at vintage stuff. (I work in a workshop specialising in prewar servicing and restoration.)
I viewed a few Austin 7s and was initially keen, a saloon would seat 4 and do the job for getting to work but I've always fancied a Model A, having lurked on various hot rod forums for years.
They are much more like a proper car, much as I like the wee Austins.
I had wrongly assumed they were all LHD and out of my price range so hadn't really considered one but got a nice surprise when a customer in work offered me a 1930 5 window coupe (complete with rumble seat) for £low teens k.
It was made in Manchester, RHD and was sold new in Belfast. However, the deal didn't quite come together in the end so I hit the classifieds hard, my mind set on a Model A.
I found this on Car&Classic, also made in Manchester and RHD:
It had been for sale for a while. Having been messed about and with a house move looming the seller had reduced the price and was keen to do a deal.
I chatted with the owner, him knowing several friends/customers of ours here through Austin 7s and vintage car clubs.
Mechanically the car has been more or less completely overhauled in recent years, including engine and gearbox rebuild, axles, shocks and brakes rebuilt too.
"Not show shiny but really solid and useable" said the seller "hasn't been welded where they all go, chassis not cracked" and he said that he would be happy to press it into daily use. I took him at his word, made him an offer and we settled on a deal.
In my experience since starting working at this stuff this year the people are very honest, genuinely nice people. Most are quite mad but they are all incredibly enthusiastic about the cars and love younger people getting involved. They all know each other too so I did a few checks and wired the seller the full amount.
Whoop whoop! I own a vintage car!
Oop oops! How will I get it home from Ripley, Derbyshire?!
No point messing about if I'm going to daily this thing is there!
Booked flights for me and sprog 1 to East Midlands Airport for Saturday morning and booked the night boat home from Liverpool Saturday night.
Time for an adventure! Maybe I've been watching too much Roadkill but I had absolutely no doubt that we would probably be fine!
Insured and breakdown covered we set off armed with fruit and so many many layers. (No heater in a Model A!)
Got a photo of Kirkistown from the plane!
Looks like Monet took it
East Midlands is beside Donnington Park Circuit and we could hear bikes practicing whilst waiting for our taxi.
About 35 mins later we were greeted with this!
A very nice man called Steve and our transport home!
The car seemed at least as good as described and started easily from cold.
Sh*t's getting real now!
This car isn't really suitable for motorways. It'll cruise happily all day, over dirt roads, at 50 but really whilst 60/65 is doable it's not really fair on the car.
Most cars this age have small bore size engines with a really long stroke, and therefore piston speed even though they only rev to 3kish.
Steve gave us an old map and outlined our route. Virtual handshake and we're away!
F*ck!
Centre throttle and a 3 speed crash box with no synchro. At least I'll be able to drive it by the time we cover the 120 miles or so to the boat. Ish.
Drove round the corner to fill it up and compose ourselves.
We were excited I promise!
The dash/scuttle IS the fuel tank, filled in the middle just in front of the screen
That means you don't need a fuel pump, it just gravity feeds to a wee updraft carb!
The fuel gauge is just a float you can see through a wee bit of glass in the dash and when its high tide you can see the fuel sloshing about
We used the route marked on the map to find the next town, then looked it up on google maps.
Drove there with no hassles, surprisingly and stopped for chips and to check out our new ride!
The car is very original and virtually rust free. No holes and no filler, just good solid metal. Unbelievable at 90 years old.
Result!
Apart from that f*cking up my plans to chop it into something like this :
It's really too good for that so I'll drive as is and probably fit a flat head v8, overdrive and leave the bonnet sides off.
Following Steve's route we hopped from town to town under Manchester and over 'Snake Pass' with no drama.
Got to the boat a few hours early and just chilled out.
Few swals in the cabin and not a bad sleep and we were home. Risked a bit of M2 off the boat but it was early enough on Sunday morning and quiet.
That could have gone a f*ck of a lot worse!
Immediate plans are better headlights (horrific nightmare) and losing the orange indicators. I'll give it a wire brush and some POR-15 underneath, waxoil to death and coat the top coat/patina in something like ACF to stop it getting worse. Other than that just drive away at it!
Reason for needing a new daily?
The M3 is being stood down and caged for the track.
Ali
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