Howdo all, being a long time lurker, it's about time I introduced myself so here it goes ;D
Ian's the name hailing from deepest darkest (well it is dark now) Kent.
I have always had an interest in older/retro partly because they were the car's I've grown up with, but mostly because I understand them and could fix them. Unlike newer cars where I open the bonnet and just don't know what I'm looking at
As I don't drive these days due to poor health, I can't tell you what my daily drive is or what mod's I have done to it..
But I can give you a bit of my car history.
This is by no means a full list (44 cars in 14 years driving), more of a "the cars which stick in the mind" kinda thingy..
Fiat 126
My first car, hand painted in turquoise celly"
Chevette
(one of 4) De-bumpered, big tyre's at the back, black kadet
seats with headlining and door panels trimmed in black and skull
material. A great fun car, shame I wrote it off
Mk 1 Jetta 1.3
Very fast for what it was, ran it for 3 months with a blown
head gasket poring the mayo mix from a catch can back
into the engine every 50 miles!! It always started!!
Wrote it off with a large shovel.. Was having a bad day!!
Morris Ital estate
Paid (I think) £40 for it with long T&T just over 55000 on the clock, and the end's the sills missing!!
Mk 1 metro (one of 5!)
Metro turbo interior, rear bumper relived of it mounts and welded onto the body, front bumper removed and front panel re-skinned smooth with frenched indicator/side lights.
Re-painted in a very drunk state in grey primer and scallops/flame type things done with blackboard paint!!
When I sobered up the next day the scallops on the bonnet looked just like the Batman symbol that was projected onto the clouds!!
You can guess what the poor metro got named ;D
Mk 3 Cav..
Leather seats, all the trimmings... An electrical world of pain!!!
Really a "too newer" car for me!
HB Viva
Full of filler, knew I was in trouble when the gearbox X-member fell off while the car was stashed in my lock-up!!!
Mk 2 Cav estate.
Even with a camshaft that sounded like road works going on under the bonnet, it never let me down. One of those cars I wish I never sold..
Even more so as I sold it to a mate who rolled it 2 days later!!!
Volvo 740 saloon 2.3
A great motorway car, you can even fit a full 18 gallon beer cask in the boot!!
The engine finally died at just over 254000 odd miles.
Peanut 309.
Paid for by doing a head gasket on an old Escort.
Another one of those "always started and ran great" kinda cars even if someone had driven a lamp post into the back of it in the past!!
This was my last car before I had to give up driving (best to quit while it still my idea ;D), but being the last means I do have a photo of it..
Moving on quite a few years, now married my Wife fancied a pick-up to do boot fairs in. It's amazing how many books you can fit in the back of of a P100!!!
Bought in a hurry for far too much, when MOT time came we knew it had no chance of passing but stuck it in anyway..
A rear X-member that was only held up by the shocks and was missing a couple of inches each side due to rust signed it's death warrent.
Ive still got the turbo (it was a TD) sitting on the shelf in case it comes in handy.
It also came in handy for collecting Wheel Horse tractors ;D
These days any car work I do is helping my friends keep their cars on the road.. It's always a pleasure to work on Pete's moggy
Ian's the name hailing from deepest darkest (well it is dark now) Kent.
I have always had an interest in older/retro partly because they were the car's I've grown up with, but mostly because I understand them and could fix them. Unlike newer cars where I open the bonnet and just don't know what I'm looking at
As I don't drive these days due to poor health, I can't tell you what my daily drive is or what mod's I have done to it..
But I can give you a bit of my car history.
This is by no means a full list (44 cars in 14 years driving), more of a "the cars which stick in the mind" kinda thingy..
Fiat 126
My first car, hand painted in turquoise celly"
Chevette
(one of 4) De-bumpered, big tyre's at the back, black kadet
seats with headlining and door panels trimmed in black and skull
material. A great fun car, shame I wrote it off
Mk 1 Jetta 1.3
Very fast for what it was, ran it for 3 months with a blown
head gasket poring the mayo mix from a catch can back
into the engine every 50 miles!! It always started!!
Wrote it off with a large shovel.. Was having a bad day!!
Morris Ital estate
Paid (I think) £40 for it with long T&T just over 55000 on the clock, and the end's the sills missing!!
Mk 1 metro (one of 5!)
Metro turbo interior, rear bumper relived of it mounts and welded onto the body, front bumper removed and front panel re-skinned smooth with frenched indicator/side lights.
Re-painted in a very drunk state in grey primer and scallops/flame type things done with blackboard paint!!
When I sobered up the next day the scallops on the bonnet looked just like the Batman symbol that was projected onto the clouds!!
You can guess what the poor metro got named ;D
Mk 3 Cav..
Leather seats, all the trimmings... An electrical world of pain!!!
Really a "too newer" car for me!
HB Viva
Full of filler, knew I was in trouble when the gearbox X-member fell off while the car was stashed in my lock-up!!!
Mk 2 Cav estate.
Even with a camshaft that sounded like road works going on under the bonnet, it never let me down. One of those cars I wish I never sold..
Even more so as I sold it to a mate who rolled it 2 days later!!!
Volvo 740 saloon 2.3
A great motorway car, you can even fit a full 18 gallon beer cask in the boot!!
The engine finally died at just over 254000 odd miles.
Peanut 309.
Paid for by doing a head gasket on an old Escort.
Another one of those "always started and ran great" kinda cars even if someone had driven a lamp post into the back of it in the past!!
This was my last car before I had to give up driving (best to quit while it still my idea ;D), but being the last means I do have a photo of it..
Moving on quite a few years, now married my Wife fancied a pick-up to do boot fairs in. It's amazing how many books you can fit in the back of of a P100!!!
Bought in a hurry for far too much, when MOT time came we knew it had no chance of passing but stuck it in anyway..
A rear X-member that was only held up by the shocks and was missing a couple of inches each side due to rust signed it's death warrent.
Ive still got the turbo (it was a TD) sitting on the shelf in case it comes in handy.
It also came in handy for collecting Wheel Horse tractors ;D
These days any car work I do is helping my friends keep their cars on the road.. It's always a pleasure to work on Pete's moggy
