Table of contents for June 2016 in Practical Classics

‘The heart of the magazine was always the workshop’ Please forgive a little self-indulgence here as I celebrate 20 years of continuous contribution to Practical Classics with a look back at our various workshops. Because for me the PC workshop has always felt like the heart of the magazine, where we made more mess and memories than ever came out of the office. When I first got involved with the magazine way back in 1996 the workshop was nothing more than a double lock-up behind a Peterborough printing works, and ‘facilities’ consisted of a petrol station round the corner. It always seemed to be winter there as well, except for when current Classic Cars editor Phil Bell and myself were sweating profusely for two days while building our own engine…

FIVA has expressed concerns over the continuing survival of more modern classics manufactured with digital componentry. It will be raising the issue at its Heritage Forum in Chantilly in September, and is hoping to find a workable long-term solution to digital ageing in automotive components. The FHBVC is conducting a National Historic Vehicle Survey for the first time since 2011. For the purpose of the study a historic vehicle is classed as one manufactured pre-1985. The survey can be completed online at www. hvc.co.uk Further advice has been issued regarding the exemption of classic cars as a category for which the presence of asbestos must be notified at sale. While it is unreasonable to remove all traces of asbestos from a historic vehicle, the same does not extend…

Ever wished you could live in your garage? Then you could do worse than follow the example of this home recently built in Bulgaria. A firm of architects in Sofia has created the perfect home for classic car enthusiasts by incorporating its client’s treasured classic into the original design brief. ‘Pagoda House’ (as it’s called), features design elements created to reflect the investment banker client’s classic Mercedes-Benz SL. ‘Our client had two key demands for the house,’ said Viara Jeliazkova and Georgi Katov of I/O Consultants. ‘He wanted a home in which he could showcase his classic Mercedes car while also housing his growing family.’…

Late at night, after the rest of the team have gone to the pub, I indulge in a filthy habit. I get some parts from one of my various stashes (Jensen, Triumph, Vauxhall) and take them to our aqueous parts washer. Then I clean them. Gently at first, but with increasing vigour, until the filth is gone and the shine comes through. Watching the scum disappear from aluminium and steel flanks and nooks makes me happy. Having a box of shiny parts is simply satisfying. But don’t tell anyone about this… let’s keep it between ourselves… I quite like steam cleaning engine bays as well… but that’s more of a power lance thing.…

Trigger Mortis £18.99 ISBN 978-1-4091-5913-1 The latest James Bond ‘continuation’ novel, by Anthony Horowitz, pitches 007 into the world of motor racing. Set in 1957, the plot sees Bond trying to stop a British F1 driver from being assassinated by SMERSH at the Nurburgring. RG www.orionbooks.co.uk Porsche Boxster £34.99 ISBN 9781903706343 This is a comprehensive look at the evolution of Porsche’s popular roadster, focusing on Boxsters up to the 2005 model year. It only goes the end of the 986 version but Boxster enthusiasts will want this on the shelf, even at the hefty price tag. It is a luxury product befitting the brand. DH www.veloce.co.uk The History of the Sunbeam Alpine £13.49 ISBN 139781445647586 John Willshire charts the history of the Alpine, its development and production. The book includes…

21 SAT MAY LONDON Waterloo Classics, Lower Marsh St, SE1 7RJ (waterlooclassics.com). LONDON London To Brighton Mini Run (www.london-tobrighton.co.uk). 21 SAT MAY HANTS: Spring Autojumble at Beaulieu, SO42 7ZN (beaulieu.co.uk). 26 T U M AY WARKS South Midlands Classic Car Meet at the Stratford Armouries Museum, CV37 0JA (01789 242468). 28 SAT MAY LINCS Lincoln Autojumble, RAF Hemswell, DN21 5TJ (lincolnautojumble.com). GLOS La Vie en Bleu, Prescott hillclimb, GL52 9RD (prescotthillclimb.comprescotthillclimb.com). MIDDLESEX Enfield Pageant, EN2 9HW (whitewebbsmuseum.co.uk). 29 SUN MAY CUMBRIA Classic Cars in the Park, CA11 9TH (markwoodward classicevents.com). LEICS: Skodafest, Stanford Hall, LE17 6DH (skodaowners.org). WARKS: Festival of T’sport, Gaydon,CV35 0BJ (british motor museum.co.uk). 30 MON M AY HERTS Classics in the Park at Knebworth Park, SG1 2AX (classicmotorshows.co.uk). WORCS Ragley Hall classic car show, B49 5NJ (classicmotorshows.co.uk).…

‘Drive a famous hill, but not in a competition’ Prescott and Shelsley Walsh Hillclimbs are wonderful venues but you rarely get the chance to drive them if you’re not competing. This summer you can drive each in a non-competitive environment and raise money for local charities. The Prescott Open Classic is organised by Cheltenham Cleeve Vale Rotary Club and takes place on May 15 while the Shelsley Summer Solstice occurs on June 18 to boost the co ers of St Richard’s Hospice. Each o ers the chance to drive a famous hill or you can just turn up and watch everybody else having a good time. They’re both worth the trip, not least of all for the drive through beautiful country lanes en route. Tel: 01242 602643 (Prescott) or 01905…

‘The Three Cranes pub still has its tiled exterior mural to this day’ No frills, we’re British The first Standard 8s were so basic they didn’t even have a bootlid – you folded the back seat down for access. Luxurious they were not! Spivtastic The Jaguar MkV was the very last Browns Lane o ering to use the Standard-derived SS pushrod ‘six’, but an all-new chassis formed the basis for the XK-powered MkVII, VIII and IX. Tin-top Traveller Morris Oxford Series IV Traveller replaced the ‘woody’ version and was made alongside Series III saloon. It was an early example of a mid-size, four-door family estate. St Sampson’s Square, York, 1961 This pretty square now has large trees planted around a pedestrianised oblong where the cars once parked, removing some of…

We spotted this oddly appealing Nissan Pao in St Ives… I quite like these retro-styled Japanese cars. The Nissan Figaro is another favourite. Sean Burton K10 Micra running gear, so a solid enthusiast backing for advice if you need it. They also made the Be-1 and the S-Cargo on the same base, and obviously the Figaro. Personally I’d like either one of these or a Be-1 with the engine rebuilt to March Super Turbo spec – 108bhp in a car weighing about 670kg would be a hoot and a real Q-car. Matt Gadfield Pleasingly terrible. Ed Hughes There’s one Japanese maker that does a Micrabased car in the style of the MG 1100 and another like a miniature S-Type Jag Sean Burton It’s not my cup of tea, but not…

‘The bureaucratic ridiculousness made me rule it out on ethical grounds’ I carefully abandoned my Jaguar XJ40 at Marrakesh airport. Selling it in Morocco or dispatching it Thelma and Louise-style into a ravine would’ve led to a hefty whack of import duty, so I fought my way backwards through airport arrivals to surrender it at the customs office. The process was simple. I handed the keys, the V5 and the airport parking ticket to the man in charge and he stamped a declaration that allowed me to pass though customs without unpleasant probing. I never worked out if the process was officially sanctioned, or if the customs officer had just become the owner of a Jaguar. The way his eyes lit up upon sighting the Jaguar key fob hinted at…

It’s fun and bouncy. You sit on the Jeep rather than in it and with no doors or seatbelts it’s a case of gripping tightly. Unsurprisingly the Jeep feels agricultural with sti controls – everything seems held in place by a strong spring. It’s not fragile and there’s little in the way of controls. Step on the floor starter then grab a gear. First gear is a dog leg back to the left, release the umbrella handbrake poking out of the dashboard and try to pull gently away – it takes practice with the heavy clutch. First is low so you’re almost immediately going for second and it’s not a gearbox that likes to be rushed. The steering is more precise than expected but the wheel needs e ort to…

Half a century ago Ford, in a bid to gain the maximum use from the Zodiac MkIII, created an entirely new class of car. For nearly a decade ‘E’ badging on a Dagenham or Halewood o ering denoted transport for the executive set. This was most famously seen on the Cortina 1600E, a car for the ‘successful young married businessman seeking a four-seater sporting saloon with more comfort and status than is normal’ but there were many other ‘E-class’ Fords. So, each of our magnificently managerial seven represents a di erent stage on the corporate ladder – and each has that essential ‘executive appeal’. Zodiac Executive MkIII In January of 1965, marketing directors who dreamt of MkX Jaguars but were restricted to a maximum of £1500 for a company car…

You can buy a project SL for very little money but the cost of reviving it is likely to prove prohibitively expensive – which is why some will wallow in scrapper status for a while yet. Bruce Greetham says: ‘Parts costs tend to be high so even a DIY rebuild is expensive. A gearbox rebuild is £1500 while a failed head gasket plus an engine bay loom can easily swallow more than £2000. Corrosion is rarely an issue so most project SLs have been neglected, meaning they’ve got worn or damaged mechanicals. It might be worthwhile on a car is in the right colour combination but the wrong paint and trim could significantly reduce the value of the end result.’ You’re unlikely to need to replace any of the instruments…

1982 Wartburg 353 Engine 992cc/3-cyl/TS Power 50bhp@4250rpm Torque 69lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph 18.7sec Top speed 87mph Fuel economy 28mpg Work done Imported from Germany, rebuilt fuel system, rebuilt brakes, changed balljoints, fettled electrics, greased, fussed and pampered. 8 (days) TIME 280 (£) SPENT 0 MILES Also in Sam’s garage 1969 VOLGA M21 Recommissioning is now well underway. It’s massively cool. 1979 VOLVO 245 MoT time. It’ll breeze through in a Volvo-like manner. 2011 CITROËN C15 Modern sporting motoring at its finest. Really, really good. I often used to wonder why I didn’t own a Wartburg 353. Surely everybody should? It has a smooth and peppy three-cylinder two-stroke engine, independent suspension and a clutchless gearchange. It has a glassy and spacious cabin and a ride quality that would titillate…

1959 Peerless GT Engine 1991cc/4-cyl/OHV Power 100bhp@4800rpm Torque 117lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 4-spd manual + o/d Top speed 120mph 0-60mph 10.8sec Fuel economy 28mpg Work done Crank fitted, tolerances measured and thrust washers fitted. Oil pump cleaned. Parcel shelf template created. ‘I even tried several applications of barbecue cleaner to the oil pump pick-up’ Last month I reported on what I thought were degraded main bearing caps. In spite of asking TR Register members online, which drew not a single response or opinion, I appear to have the only caps to su er such degradation. Although I’d sourced a set of secondhand caps, they would still require line boring to ensure the bearings ran true. A few days later, I was in discussion with TR guru and all round decent bloke,…

1955 Austin A135 Princess MkIII Engine 3800cc/4-cyl/inline Power 57bhp@2100rpm Torque 161lb ft@900rpm Gearbox 4-spd manual + o/d Top speed 70mph 0-60mph 2 weeks Fuel economy 35mpg (est) Work done Cash spent, paperwork read, club joined and parts bought. Also in Theo’s garage 1963 TRABANT 600 SALOON Outlay has begun on five crossplies and a new battery. 1969 KALMAR KVD442 Currently staring at me and asking to be mended. 1972 FSC ZUK CAMPER The ugly made uglier with a dire camper body. In appalling condition! 1982 BARKAS VAN Still in Sam’s shed. ‘The Princess came with a pile of history and paperwork’ Having bleated on about being clogged up with a mange-ridden assortment of dead and dying vehicles last time ( PC , March 2016), I found a good strategy to…

1977 Reliant Scimitar Engine 2994cc/V6/OHV Power 138bhp@5000rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual + o/d Work since last report New silicone coolant hoses. A few months ago I was pondering whether to convert the Scimitar to run on LPG, as I want to drive it as much as I can, but it’s thirst for fuel was becoming a bit of burden. My gas-powered musings drew responses from Technical Editor Sam and PC reader Stephen White. Both expressed similar views, essentially: ‘don’t do it, you’ll spoil a perfectly good classic’. Heeding their views, I’ve decided against the conversion and my Scim’ will continue to be purely petrol-powered. Meanwhile the normally faithful Scim’ has su ered a minor lapse in reliability. Parking up recently, steam was seeping round the edge of the bonnet. The culprit…

DIFFICULTY RATING You will need Socket set, spanners, screwdrivers, levers, soft mallet, clean rags, circlip pliers (optional). Canoodle your crank Have a clean towel ready for the removed crankshaft. Wrap it up safely, once removed. Cleanliness Keep your working environment – and yourself – as clean as possible at all times. Gently, gently… A soft-faced mallet’s essential for gentle persuasion. Never use a hammer. A two-stroke engine is a marvel of simplicity. It makes do without valves, a camshaft, timing gears, an oil pump and various other mechanisms that those accustomed to four-strokes take for granted. As a result, most two-strokes can be easily stripped down, inspected and rebuilt in your shed in a weekend. Many microcars use tiny two-stroke engines that have more in common with motorcycle engines than…

Sam Glover TECHNICAL EDITOR You name it, Sam’s probably owned it, broken it and worked out how to mend it. John Simpson MASTER MECHANIC Big John has worked at the greasy end of the motor trade since leaving school. Theo Gillam TECHNICAL EXPERT Theo teaches automotive engineering and makes amazing things in his shed. Ed Hughes WORKSHOP GENIUS Ed keeps a fleet of obscure classics on the road. He’s never owned a modern car. Nigel Clark WEEKEND TINKERER Nigel’s DIY achievements rival those of many professional mechanics. Kim Henson CLASSIC CAR GURU Kim’s been restoring cars for over four decades. BMC vehicles are his speciality. VAUXHALL VICTOR Do I need to fit an overdrive? Insulation Replace missing or degraded sound insulation. Various superior modern alternatives are available. Ignition timing See…

Castle Combe in an Austin Somerset? My day out with Kim Henson and the Motoring Writers’ Guild was fun. Nick Mason’s Ferrari was a teensy bit faster. Drive it Day. First outing for my newly restored Ford Fiesta 1.1. Made it to Bicester, but didn’t make it into classic parking without a debate on the gate! Vauxhall launched the latest Astra by inviting the world to the Luton Heritage Centre to sample Astras past… classic cars working for their keep. Caught a film in the Mobile Cinema. A beautifully restored Bedford, one of seven built by the Ministry of Technology in the Sixties. A perfect movie venue. Spent the month commuting happily in my 1977 Cavalier 1600 GL. A great, competent classic. When was the last time you saw one,…

Classic detailing made easy The latest Skill Shack tutorial looks set to be the most popular yet. We get stuck into the world of shiny! The UK’s top experts explain how to wash, polish and protect your car’s paint. www.skillshack.co.uk Fabricating a career Contour Autocraft has launched the Iain Macleod Training Award (IMTA) for anyone aged 16-21 interested in sheet metal fabrication. The winner gets a two-week course and qualification. Email imta@contour autocraft.com MGLive! 2016 For the Love of Cars presenter Ant Anstead will host MGLive! at Silverstone on June 4-5, with guests including Wheeler Dealers’ Mike Brewer. More info at www.mglive.co.uk…

MG prototype for sale. The MG EX234 prototype is to be sold at auction at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on June 24. The car, originally intended to replace both the MGB and MG Midget, was abandoned when MG decided the outgoing models were still selling well enough. Outside number 10 The Practical Classics feature on ministerial Rovers attracted criticism on the P5 forum that a white P5 never appeared outside number 10. In response, owner Martin Robins photographed his car outside number 10 Downing Street… Chippenham. A good retort we think! TR Drivers Club Rallies The TR Drivers Club have arranged two national events this year. ‘The Bullet Run’ rally is taking place from June 17-19 and the National Rally at Billing Aquadrome on July 1-3. Details at www.trdrivers.com…

IN THE NEWS The government announces new ‘panda’ crossings with push-button controls for pedestrians. We would come to know them by the name of another monochrome animal. Private Eye appears on the newsstands for the first time and birth control pills become available on the NHS. Britain joins the newly-formed OECD, a free-trade and development body that included much of Western Europe with other wealthy countries such as the United States and Japan. It’s still going strong. AT THE FLICKS Beyond Private Eye , the pill and the appearance of The Avengers on TV, further signs of the forthcoming permissive Sixties turn up at the cinema. Dirk Bogarde takes a huge professional gamble by starring in Victim as a…

Vive les Véhicules de Collection! My issue of Practical Classics has just arrived and after reading ‘Originality on a Plate’ felt I should tell you what happens over here in France. Just before Christmas 2015 I spotted a Mercedes-Benz 190E for sale online and bought it. Being over 30 years old, it’s entitled to Véhicule de Collection status, only needs its local MoT test every five years and it can wear old silver on black number plates. This is the first Mercedes we have ever owned and are so impressed with the build quality that we’re now looking for something even older. We don’t pay road fund licence and fuel is cheaper, so we can run several classic vehicles at low cost. Richard Sanders, France CHIEF CONSTABLE’S SD1 Your Rover…

Steve Adams says he left school in 1970 with no qualifications but became an apprentice mechanic at a British Leyland dealership a year later. Buying and running a trade-in MGB on a tight budget taught him a lot and began a life-long interest in MGs. Steve had set up his own bodyshop within ten years and undertaking full restorations. He began LPG Auto Conversions in 2001 specialising in fitting liquefied petroleum gas to a variety of new and classic cars . STEVE’S CLASSIC CV 2000-2006 1950 MG TC It took Steve just six months to restore this TC for his father, despite the fact that it was the first time he’d ever restored a car with a wooden framen ash frame car. He owned it for five years before he…

‘The company does its share by employing 30 people’ Chatting to Quentin Willson surrounded by railway carriages on a Saturday night in Yorkshire does seem like a strange dream sequence from the darkest inroads of the Larkin mind, but it’s true. You might even want to know why. Quentin was a speaker and I was a guest at a dinner marking 25 years of a North Yorkshire-based dealer – the Classic & Sportscar Centre. Longterm customers, suppliers, friends and family were among the invitees. The venue was the National Railway Museum, and it was a black tie event. A world away from the time I first visited the new business in Huddersfield, to borrow some Jowetts for a Popular Classics feature. MD Nick Szkiler and I have kept in touch…

This restoration was selected for both the quality of the work and the ingenuity of the restorer in completing it. As well as appearing in Practical Classics it is also entered into Britain’s most prestigious car restoration competition, Restorer of the Year. The competition runs for 13 issues and automatically includes each and every restoration story featured on the pages of this magazine in that time, at the end of which the best cars are chosen by you, the readers of Practical Classics . Watch this space for further information and details about Restorer of the Year 2017!…

11 WED MAY Brightwells, Easters Court, Leominster, Herefordshire (01568 611122, www.brightwells.com) 21 SAT MAY Bonhams’ Aston Martin Works Service sale, Newport Pagnell, Bucks (020 7468 5801, www.bonhams.com/cars) 21 SAT MAY Silverstone Auctions, Wing Building, Silverstone Circuit, Northants (01926 691141, www.silverstoneauctions.com) 2 THU JUN Dorset Vintage & Classic Auctions, Athelhampton House, Dorchester, Dorset (01963 363353, www.dvca.co.uk) 4 SAT JUN Barons Auctions’ British Heritage sale, Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey. (08454 306060, www.barons-auctions.com) 11 SAT JUN Historics at Brooklands, Brooklands Museum, Weybridge, Surrey. (01753 639170, www.historics.co.uk) 18 SAT JUN Anglia Car Auctions’ classic sale, King’s Lynn, Norfolk. (01553 771881, www.angliacarauctions.co.uk) 18 SAT JUN Classic Car Auctions, Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, Leamington Spa, Warks. (01926 640888, classiccarauctions.co.uk)…

1983 Austin Ambassador VP Engine 1994cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 101bhp@5250rpm Torque 120lb ft@3250rpm Transmission 3-speed auto Top Speed 99mph 0-60mph 14.4sec Weight 1250kg Work done Rescued, trailered, inspected. Much tea drunk. Also in James’ garage 1971 CITROËN AMI 8 Unstoppable, as always. 1980 CITROËN DYANE 6 Best car in the Walshe fleet. 1988 CITROËN CX 22 TRS Refusing to start. Grrr. 1988 CITROËN CX GTI TURBO Restoration has begun again. It’s official: The Maxi wasn’t a one-off. This lifelong Citroën obsessive has become completely captivated by British Leyland. The failures of BL are plentiful and well documented but – and I’m sure you’ll forgive me – I’ve only recently become enlightened by the great achievements of the period’s brave band of designers, engineers and factory workers. I got sucked into believing they…

1969 Sunbeam Stiletto Engine 998cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 62bhp@6000rpm Torque 60lb ft@4000rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual Top Speed 100mph 0-60mph 13.4sec Fuel economy 35mpg Work done Body restoration completed, interior returned to standard, radiator re-cored, carbs rebuilt, front suspension straightened, front brakes converted from discs to drums. Really. Also in John’s garage 1934 SINGER NINE LE MANS Plywood bulkhead built, engine unseized. 1961 SAAB 96 TWO-STROKE Running beautifully, flew through MoT. 1965 ROVER 2000 Has just replaced John’s 1967 example, which he sold and immediately missed. ‘The paint has a shine and depth never seen from the factory’ My Stiletto is finished! Last time it appeared in PC , work had belatedly started on the re-beautification of its bodywork. All four crumbly lower corners needed new metal and there was the excessively-filled left…

Almost every classic car I’ve ever bought has come with its valve clearances, carburettor float level or ignition timing incorrectly set. Often all three. The reason is a mystery to me. Masochistic former owners, perhaps? Incompetence? Dodgy servicing data on the internet? All can be set in half-an-hour using feeler gauges, a ruler and your ears, respectively. Plus – critically – a workshop manual with specific servicing data for your engine. The transformation in performance, economy and engine-sweetness can be spectacular. Have you just bought a classic? If so – do investigate. I’ll bet you a pint of oil that at least one of the three is significantly awry.…

DIFFICULTY RATING You will need Trolley jack, axle stands, oil pan, AF spanners and socket set, screwdrivers, feeler gauges, long steel bar or lever, test lamp or multimeter, oil can, grease gun, brake cleaner. Drain tubes Regularly remove and clean out the bulkhead drain tubes. Blockage will lead to festering dampness and corrosion. Hinges and catches Lubricate all hinges and catches with engine oil or aerosol grease. Wipe away excess. Add a few drops of oil to the door locks via the holes marked ‘OIL’. Wheels and tyres Check the tyres for cracking, splits and damage. Pressures should be 24psi all-round for crossplies or 28psi for radials. Vauxhall’s PA models look oh-sodi erent from typical Fifties British saloons. Beneath the space age exterior, however, is a totally conventional and straightforward…

If your club’s contact details have changed, please let us know! A  750 MOTOR CLUB 01379 741641 AC OWNERS’ CLUB 07768 363250 AMERICAN AUTO CLUB (UK) 0845 644 0345 www.americanautoclubuk.com AMBULANCE PRESERVATION SOCIETY www.southambpres.org.uk CLASSIC AMERICAN AC (GB) 020 8286 1120 PRE -’50 CLASSIC AMERICAN 01530 831170 AEC SOC yellowayreliance@hotmail.com ALFA ROMEO GIULIETTA REGISTER www.giulietta.com ALFA ROMEO OC www.aroc-uk.com ALLARD OWNERS’ CLUB David Moseley, 19 Bramham Gardens, London SW5 0JE ALVIS OWNER CLUB www.alvisoc. org ALVIS REG 01509 412289, www.alvisregister.com ARMSTRONG SIDDELEY OC 0121 459 0742, www.siddeley.com, www.siddeley.net A-SERIOUS (A-SERIES ENGINED CARS) http://aserious.freeforums.org ASSN OF OLD VEHICLE CLUBS OF N IRELAND 028 9146 7886, www.aovc.co.uk ASTON MARTIN OC 01865 400400 AUDI 100 COUPÉ S CLUB GB 01702 461513 AUDI OC 07788 588449 , www.audiclub.co.uk CLUB…

Plant Oxford celebrated 15 years since the production of the first new MINI on April 26, 2001. Production workers are pictured with two of the earliest cars. The Drive It Day event at Cowley celebrated the Rover SD1’s 40th and Rover 800’s 30th. Numbers were boosted after the cancellation of Pride of Longbridge. The Drive it Day Sunday Scramble at Bicester Heritage attracted more than 3500 people on April 24. 1500 cars and 30 classic car clubs were also in attendance. The 1978 3.0 S Capri from The Professionals ‘VHK 495S’ sold for £55k at H&H’s Duxford sale on April 20. It beat the former Minder Capri that went for just over £52k. The latest Skill Shack video tutorials are now online. They include a complete leather care guide and…

Don’t come unstuck DEI HI-TEMP SPRAY ADHESIVE £17.60 Design Engineering’s Hi-Temp Spray Adhesive is designed to provide a secure, high strength, heat resistant bond to almost any surface within minutes - it will ‘grip’ in as little as 30 seconds with a full bond achieved in approximately 15 minutes. The bond is both water and heat resistant. It worked brilliantly when we tried it on underbonnet noise-resistant felt. nimbusmotorsport. com A new way to weld? TECHNOMIG 180 DUAL SYNERGIC £516 A Microprocessor controlled MIG-MAG/FLUX/BRAZING inverter welding machine. It can weld steel, stainless steel AND aluminium… plus it can also braze weld galvanized sheet. The fast synergic adjustment of the welding parameters are the secret ace up its sleeve. Set the material thickness and start welding: the…

Tell us about your club If you run a club and you want to be in the mag, get in touch. If you’ve got a major event, weekend or tour coming up, we want to know about it. We want to hear about club changes, heroes deserving recognition and regional, multi-marque clubs, too. Email practical. classics@bauermedia.co.uk or ring the office. Club hero: Koren Maddison, 1100 Club Dave Wilkins nominated Koren. He says: ‘She’s a volunteer with a busy day job but keeps on top of new members and renewals, often knowing a member’s circumstances or status without even having to look it up. She’s often first port of call for enquiries, one minute selling the Club and the next helping someone to sell their car. She tirelessly seeks out new…

Figaro’s quarter century bash Here’s your starter for 10: what was the first car to be built with a CD player fitted as standard? Answer: the Nissan Figaro, which celebrates its 25th birthday this year. To mark the occasion the Figaro Owners’ Club is holding a big weekend at Wroxall Abbey Estate on June 4-5. www.figaroownersclub.com. Open invitation to Irish classic Ireland is known across the world for its stunning scenery and the people there are famously hospitable. So why not take your classic across the Irish Sea and take up West Limerick Vintage Club’s Brendan O’Brien open invitation? All classic car clubs are invited to take part in the group’s annual vintage show on September 4. west limerickvintage club.com Emergency! Emergency! The British Motor Museum is holding a Festival…

This restoration was selected for both the quality of the work and the ingenuity of the restorer in completing it. As well as appearing in Practical Classics it is also entered into Britain’s most prestigious car restoration competition, Restorer of the Year. The competition runs for 13 issues and includes each restoration story featured on the pages of this magazine in that time, at the end of which the best cars are chosen by you, the readers of Practical Classics. Watch this space for further information and details about Restorer of the Year 2017!…

Last month I let you into the world of the long-term test cars that keep the sta of a new-cars magazine mobile. The idea of this, of course, is to run stories of how the cars measure up in real life rather than just in a road test. In the past these stories could make for some very entertaining reading, because cars used to su er spectacular and expensive failures on a regular basis. Today the tales are bland, because modern cars hardly ever go properly wrong and, however hard you try, sustaining a story over 600 words about the failure of a multimedia system to pair instantly with a smartphone is futile work. Copy was much juicier when suspension dampers punched through the body, pistons melted or exhaust mountings…

Matt G says‘400 cars resting in a field you say? Incredible! I’d love to know how this gathering came about. It’s a shame that most won’t see the road again, though.’ Jaguar E-type nose and Jaguar Mk2 Eric Ohmit from Bu alo, USA, sent us this collection of mostly Sixties classics, from a local salvage yard he frequents called British Automotive Salvage. Here are the remnants of an E-type, with a complete MkII next door and what looks like a MkIV Sunbeam Alpine behind. Jaguar E-type, Jaguar Mk2 Jaguar XKs This row of Jaguars has been here for years. The lineup features an E-type (sold as an XKE in the USA) alongside a very complete looking Mk2 and a couple of sad looking XJ saloons. Everything you see is for…

‘Most classics seem to have doubled or even tripled in price’ What with this issue marking 20 years since I started contributing to Practical Classics (see my Starting Handle on p8 for further anniversary memories), it’s seems an obvious chance to take a good look back and see just how our market has changed since then. While trying to avoid the fact that some of the cars now being featured hadn’t even been built back then; that just makes me feel old. Back then we didn’t even have a Marketplace section in the mag, but the Price Guide was a still a monthly fascination, and I was still buying more classics than I really knew what to do with. The most recent at that point was a long-stored 30,000-mile Singer…

1988 TVR S1 Price: £5999 Under 54,000 miles on the clock. Good chassis, seats have been recovered in leather, but will need attention to the lacquer peel and some cracks by bonnet scoop. 1962 Volvo 122 S Price: £5995 Restored and ready for summer shows. Twin-carb engine, lovely interior and chrome all good. Showing 32,940 miles on the clock, it’s good to go. 1987 Volkswagen Golf GTI MkII Price: £3250 Eight-valve small bumper model, resprayed three years ago and now presenting in completely original and unmodified condition. Cambelt replaced recently.…

1995 85 7.3-litre SL 73 AMGs are built. Five-speed auto transmission replaces old four-speeder in SL 500 and SL 600. 1996 A facelift brings a revised dash and exterior design tweaks.SL 280 and 320 four-speed auto is superseded by a five-speeder. 1998 More powerful and e cient 2.8 and 3.2 V6s replace old straight-sixes. SL 500 gets new M113 engine. 2001 Runout 280 and 320 Alanite and Almandine launched; 50 of each are built. 100 SL 500 Silver Arrows are also made.…

‘Logistics came together – the shafting was on’ 1972 Triumph 2000 Engine 1998cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 84bhp@5000rpm Torque 100lb ft@2900rpm Gearbox 4-spd manual + o/d 0-60mph 14.9sec Top speed 98mph Fuel economy 25mpg Work done New driveshafts fitted, front seats revived, lift purchased for the garage. 1 (day) TIME 1910 (£) SPENT 756 MILES In Danny’s shed 1950 RILEY RMA Restoration started. 1956 RILEY PATHFINDER This car needs work: help! 1970 INTERCEPTOR II Chrome door handles ready. Now to fit up the doors. 1976 CAVALIER 1600 GL My daily. New hoses, clutch bearing and exhaust gasket. 1987 FORD FIESTA 1.1 Latest acquisition… being reconditioned and revived. 1992 SAAB 9000 TURBO Gearbox rebuilt. Will return. 1998 ASTRA 1.6S Former Vauxhall press car, 47k miles: yours for £900. My grandfather’s Triumph 2000, which slept…

1978 Austin Maxi Engine 1748cc/4-cyl/OHC Power 72bhp@4900rpm Fuel economy 29.3mpg Works done First welding work in 38 years. The past 2000 miles will have been a bit of a shock for poor Webster the Maxi. As you may have previously read, I rescued the car after 18 years o the road, the previous owner having covered a mere 30,000 miles. I’ve been driving it for the last five months almost daily, in order to shake out any faults – and it’s been, well… faultless. I celebrated by tarting up the bodywork. As the car has never been welded before, it made no sense for me to use it as target practice for my amateur welding talents, so PC workshop wizard Tomkins did a great job tidying up two small areas…

1982 Mini City Engine 998cc/4-cyl/OHV Power 41bhp@5000rpm Torque 50lb ft@2500rpm Gearbox 4-speed manual 0-60mph 19.7sec Top speed 84mph Fuel economy 40mpg Work done Now has MoT certificate and taxed!. Also in John’s garage 1964 SUNBEAM RAPIER Still awaiting some bodywork attention and tidying. 1966 SUNBEAM ALPINE Used on sunny days as the weather gets better. It’s been a bit of a sprint to finish the Mini ready for the Practical Classics Restoration Show, but it now has an MoT certificate and it’s also taxed and insured. I was worried about getting insurance cover because of the modifications I’ve carried out, but after shopping around Lancaster came up with the best quote and cover o ered… £125 fully comprehensive with agreed value of £7000, limited to 3000 miles a year. Remember…

1972 Triumph GT6 MkIII Engine 1998cc/6-cyl/OHV Power 98bhp@5300rpm Torque 108lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox 4-spd manual + o/d 0 -60mph 10.1sec Top speed 112mph Fuel economy 25mpg Work done GT6 cylinder head overhaul and Scimitar coolant hoses. ‘The new inserts are hard enough to resist a good hammering’ As part of its engine refresh, I’ve had the GT6 cylinder head converted for unleaded fuel. Remarkably, when I stripped the head there was little sign of valve seat recession although the car’s covered many miles on unleaded without the use of additives, so perhaps we worry more than necessary about the lack of lead in today’s petrol. When I wanted to do the same conversion for my TR6 head ten years ago, Richard at Ward Engineering did a first class job and it’s…

DIFFICULTY RATING You will need Basic tool kit. Optional: compression tester, cooling system tester, combustion leak tester, cylinder leak tester, infrared thermometer. Lotions and potions Treat miracle cures as ‘get you home’ products only. Repair the head gasket or cooling system as soon as possible. Soiled oil? Oil contamination can also be caused by a leaking wet-liner seal, a leaking oil cooler built into the radiator or a cracked block. Warm engine Not all faults are evident with the engine cold. You may need to perform some tests with the engine running and up to temperature. Leaking head gaskets can be tricky to diagnose. A sudden rise in coolant temperature, a lack of power and a plume of steam from the exhaust is the kind of message one can’t miss.…

DIFFICULTY RATING You will need Jack and axle stands, basic tool kit, DIY wheel balancer (optional). Balance weights You can pick up secondhand balancing weights at scrapyards and autojumbles. Trial and error Swap the wheels around on the car and see if the vibration moves with them. Clutch wobble? If a vibration that’s linked to engine RPM appears after a clutch change, the new pressure plate may be out of balance. Have you ever set o on a long journey, settled at a happy cruising speed… and then suddenly remembered about that annoying shaking you’d forgotten to deal with? Wobbles and vibrations aren’t just bad for your sanity. They also accelerate the wear of anything they’re a ecting – be it suspension joints, transmission components or the steering system. Vibrations…

Ah, the Turner two-stroke diesel engine. Proclaimed to be able to replace the petrol-swilling unit under almost every Fifties’ bonnet, it was an all-alloy, exotic thing of wonderment that would surely take over the world. From 1954, numerous ads would trumpet the ‘smooth, silent power’ and o er all manner of ‘simple and speedy’ conversions. Ahem… To target their main market, the all-petrol Land-Rover range, Turner undertook a 5,000 mile trans-African journey, Operation Enterprise, in a sole Landy but before the expedition arrived in Kano, Land-Rover announced their own oil-burner, Turner’s hopes were dashed, and the crew had to make their own way home. By 1958, the two-stroke venture was over. Of the handful of engines produced, only a few remain (I actually have one) but the ever-optimistic adverts live…