Sommaire pour April 2018 de Classics World

A recent shuffle of the Kelsey Media classic fleet resulted with me getting the keys to the V8 powered Jaguar XJ8 currently being run as a staff car by Paul Walton, editor of Jaguar World, one of our sister titles. The reason for the swap was that Paul wanted to feature our long-term project Series 3 XJ6 in a photo-shoot with a Classic Range Rover. So it seemed a fair exchange to take his XJ8 for a couple of weeks while Paul arranged a suitable location for the shoot and waited for the rain to stop. This proved an interesting swap, as it gave me the opportunity to test two very different Jaguar saloons almost back to back. I’d dropped off our Series 3 off at Kesley’s Peterborough office in…

Classics Monthly has learned that a rare Rover 200 BRM LE has been traded in under Ford’s manufacturer backed Scrappage scheme. Unlike the Standard Ten which was spared from the crusher last year in Scotland, the 200 BRM is too young to qualify for the exemption which saves historic tax exempt vehicles from the scrapyard’s weighbridge. Ford introduced the clause late last year to stop cars 40 years or older from being taken off the road. Spotted by an anonymous Suffolk enthusiast, the 200 BRM, one of just 797 examples built for the British market from a production run of 1115 examples, was part exchanged for £2000 off a new Fiesta by its long-term owner. Alan Hodgson, BRM owner and club administrator of the forum on www.theBRM.co.uk told us that…

The seeds of what would become MiniSport were sown not long after the Mini itself was launched, when in 1961 Brian Harper – at the time working in the family bus and truck business –acquired a brand new Tartan Red Mini 850. After using the Mini for everything from commuting to hill climbing and rallying, Brian realised the car’s incredible potential and soon enough upgraded to a Downton-tuned 997 Cooper. Both Brian and wife Heather competed in the car, with both picking up their share of silverware, while the stock of spare parts inevitably started to grow. And then beginning with a neat mod to cure the sticky standard throttle linkage, business moved from parts to upgrades, the pair starting the company in 1967 and then opening a shop in…

Way back in 1969, on May 20 to be precise, Maureen and Alan Harris purchased their 1951 MG TD from A.H. Motors Ltd, of Hullbridge in Essex for the princely sum of £285. The logbook showed how the car had four previous owners from new, all of them based in Essex. In June 1972 the couple’s MG underwent a professional refurbishment costing what now seems a bargain £325. This not untidy sum for the day included re-chroming part of the external trim, overhauling the brakes, fitting four new tyres, an exchange radiator, new windscreen, fitting a new clutch, replacing oil seals in the back axle, installing a Formica dashboard, revamping the interior with new carpets and a repaint in Jaguar dark blue. With all the work completed, the car was…

Since last month’s diary progress on the Jaguar has been continuing at a snail’s pace. Unfortunately the member of staff working on my gearbox has been unwell and this has slowed down the disassembly and inspection. After the 'box was reduced to its component parts, a detailed inspection revealed a good news/bad news story. The good part is that the gear clusters are okay, but the hard facing has worn through on the countershaft and this will require replacement together with the front and rear oil seals. Although the large main shaft bearings were all right and could have been reused, I thought it would better to replace these once the 'box was apart. David Manners had all parts in stock, so they were ordered and arrived four days later…

To all regular readers – yes, I know what you’re thinking. When I am going to stop messing about with all the little niggles and get on with sorting the Land Rover’s long list of serious mechanical faults? Probably when I stop being annoyed by the nasty cosmetics that have been done to the vehicle and run out of satisfyingly quick and easy jobs to do. It’s no secret that I’m new to the wonderful world of Land Rovers. And so far I love the whole experience but that may well change when I get stuck into the serious oily bits. Replacing the front swivels looks daunting but I’ve been getting lots of friendly advice on the various L-R forums and the scene seems very open and welcoming. I have…

When the electric aerial failed on the XJ40 Sovereign a couple of years ago, I really wanted to replace it with a genuine Jaguar part. However, after telephoning all the usual suppliers and finding out the part was no longer available, I was forced to fit an after market replacement. When fitting the replacement aerial the connections in the boot had to be modified and an extra switch fitted to raise and retract the mast when the radio was turned on and off. All very irritating but at least it worked; that is until a few months ago when the after market antenna packed up. While I was recently moaning about this problem to Naki Kouyioumtzis at Black Cherry Jaguar (www.blackcherryjaguar.com), he told me how he occasionally gets good working…

When compared to modern day machinery, classic cars are reasonable easy to work on providing you have mastered the basics and more importantly, have access to a decent toolkit. Although most hands-on owners will have accumulated a reasonable sized tool kit over the years, anyone new to the hobby may be confused as to what tools to buy first, so lets start with a few basic tips. The old adage of ‘getting what you pay for’ applies to workshop tools probably more than anything else and it’s worth paying that little bit extra and purchase good quality tools that will in some cases last you a lifetime. Although it’s often tempting to buy a ready assembled toolbox containing every thing from a set of ring spanners to a selection of…

There’s nothing more frustrating than having to frequently top up the engine coolant, especially if a leak is hard to trace. Coolant can escape through the smallest of holes in the pipework, via broken gaskets or through tired and rusty hose clips. However, it’s difficult to look for the cause of those leaks, especially when the engine is hot and the coolant is under pressure, as this is when it’s more likely to leak. So the following steps provide some general guidance on how to safely trace a leak and fix it. There are numerous possibilities as to the cause of a coolant leak, so we’ve covered some of the basic checks, including leaking hoses and gaskets. For more details on coolant leaks from the radiator and water pump, see…

Buying an Amazon can get confusing, so let’s separate the wheat from the chaff and start with looking at body codes and model numbers. Body codes will be one of three numbers: P120 (four door), P130 (two door) or P220 (estate). Model numbers come next – if all is present and correct, a castellated badge on the wing will tell you what specification the car is; 121 (bottom of the range, single carburettor), 122S (mid range, twin carburettor) or 123GT (top of the range, limited run two door sports model only). For estates, replace the first ‘1’ with a ‘2’ to get the model range – so 221 and 222S (there was no 223GT). ON THE ROAD Performance of even the fastest factory 120 is nothing to write home about…

Within a year of its introduction, Freelander production topped 60,000, easily overtaking the Discovery, itself lauded as a game changer for Land Rover. This boost in volumes laid the foundations for a brand that could truly play with the big boys. This is all the more interesting when you consider how the programme that would eventually produce one of Land Rover’s most popular models actually began. The driveline arrangement of transverse engine reveals that the Freelander began as a Rover Cars project in the late ‘Eighties. ‘Pathfinder’ was originally conceived as a family-orientated MPV similar to the Renault Scénic but morphed into Project ‘Oden’, and was intended to be offered as a two- or four-wheel drive vehicle. The four-wheel drive version was tested at the off-road section of the Gaydon…

As a former policeman and paramedic, I have an interest in classic emergency vehicles and my modest collection currently includes an ex-West Yorks Police MkIII Cavalier and a similarly specified Range Rover. Both were factory built as police vehicles and still retain all the relevant markings and equipment they were fitted with in service, with the exception of the radio equipment, which has been removed. I also own another couple of ex-emergency vehicles in various stages of restoration and up to this year have never had any trouble insuring any of them on a classic policy. However, when I came to renew the insurance for the Cavalier this year, I was told the car couldn’t be covered on a classic policy if the blue lights were still active. Even after…

The aluminium shrouds for the big Healey are finally back from having the new edges stitched onto to them. This is really good news, as not having these parts at my workshop has slowed the job up, so it’s full steam ahead now. When it came to building the car up I started with the rear shroud and fitted the water channel for the hood, as this is a big piece of steel work and can affect the fit. The shroud wasn’t a bad fit first time it was offered up but required a bit of fettling around the boot area before it would sit right. I then started on the left-hand rear wing and marked up the skin where the mounting holes were and then offered it up to…

Well over a year ago I took the pricy plunge and ordered a complete new interior for the Lowlight from Newton Commercial. The original interior was pretty grotty but may do for my Convertible project, which has lost everything and where some patina will be retained. As things turned out this was rather premature and the whole lot has been bunging up my bedroom for ages! Having finally fitted the Minor’s split screen I’ve now been able to start on the inside of the car. However, before fitting the interior there are still plenty of little jobs to do such as finishing the wiring, which is much easily done without the seats in place. The first of these little jobs was to fit LED lights on the inside of the…

Arriving in the summer of 1959, it’s fair to say the early Mini was a bit of a disaster area. Water leaked in through incorrectly designed floor/sill seams, oil seeped out onto the clutch, weak dampers and hopeless synchromesh added to a list of woes that were largely cured by 1962. An estate version arrived in 1960 together with a van and a Pick-up came along in 1961. The 1071cc Cooper S followed the first Cooper in 1963 and the Mini went upmarket when the covers came off the big booted Riley Elf and Wolseley Hornet variants. Hydrolastic suspension was introduced on the saloon in 1964 and the 970 and 1275cc Cooper S models effectively replaced the 1071cc the same year. The 970 would be discontinued in early 1965 after…

Vehicle lighting serves two important purposes. It allows the driver to see where they are going and it lets other road users see the vehicle during the hours of darkness and in inclement weather. Early motorcars relied on acetylene fuelled brass lamps carried over from horse drawn carriages to light the way ahead and this crude form of lighting was gradually phased out by low powered electric headlamps. From those early days automotive lighting developed slowly. The first dual filament bulb came on the scene in the early ‘Twenties and the next major development arrived in the ‘Fifties with the introduction of an asymmetrical headlight bulb containing a low and high beam filament in the same sealed housing. By the end of the decade, six-volt systems had largely been replaced…

Rust or corrosion occurs in a number of different metals that make up a vehicle. Copper brake pipes can turn green with copper oxide and aluminium develops a white flaky exterior finish. One of the worst is steel, which turns into the crumbly iron oxide that we dread to discover bubbling up underneath the paintwork of an exterior panel or spreading through the sills and eating its way around the wheel arches. Having an understanding of how rust appears can help to appreciate what needs to be done to avoid it. In the January 2018 issue of Classics Monthly, we covered the practical aspects of dealing with and avoiding corrosion and showed how to apply paint, protective wax and other treatments. There wasn’t the space to delve too deeply into…

The Boxster was the first production Porsche boxster (flat four or six) engine with water cooling and that was necessary to meet forthcoming emissions and noise regulations that the old air-cooled engine could never meet. The new M96 motor was also Porsche’s first production boxster unit with four valves per cylinder and twin overhead camshafts. In some respects, the M96 was similar to the previous air-cooled units. For example, the crankcase is split in two and an auxiliary shaft driven from the crank drives the cams by chains. The block is open plan with liners but to save money, Porsche decided to cast just one cylinder head and use it on both banks. This means on one side the chain is at the front of the engine and on the…

Most histories of Land Rover begin with The Rover Company’s Technical Director, Maurice Wilks drawing his Jeep-inspired concept for a utility vehicle in the sand of Red Wharf Bay, Anglesey, to illustrate his ideas to his brother, Spencer, the company’s Managing Director. The story may be apocryphal but there is no doubt that by the summer of 1947, Rover was working on the project with war surplus Jeeps fitted with Rover car engines and a simple utility body serving as prototypes. Following approval by the Rover board, and working through the austerity winter of 1947, the outline of the vehicle – now named the ‘Land-Rover’ began to take shape. Development work continued with a batch of pre-production vehicles before the model debuted at the Amsterdam motor show in April 1948.…

Introduced in 1971, the Series III featured an all-synchromesh gearbox while exterior changes included the wing-mounted headlamps that debuted on the Series IIA and a plastic grille. Gone too was the utilitarian dash of earlier versions to be replaced by a more modern facia with upper and lower crash rolls and a handed instrument panel. Faced with growing competition from Japanese manufacturers, notably Toyota, Land Rover introduced new variants, notably the ‘Stage 1’ Land-Rover V8 fitted with a reduced power version of the 3.5-litre engine. Use of the LT95 transmission marked the return of permanent four-wheel drive. The V8 demanded that the grille panel was moved forward to be flush with the front wings, thus defining the model’s new appearance. To increase its appeal, a range of bright colours from…

The Little Chef brand finally disappeared from Britain’s roads on Wednesday, January 31, at the beginning of the firm’s 60th anniversary year. Founded by Sam Alper in 1958, the Little Chef chain numbered 439 outlets at its peak in the late ‘Nineties. By 1995, the Happy Eater chain – which had been in the same ownership as Little Chef for some time – was rebranded Little Chef, and the AJ Chain was also later acquired and rebranded. Nearly half the branches trading in 2000 had closed by 2006, and at the end of that year, the group – by then comprising 235 branches – went into administration. It was rescued, but a further 38 restaurants were closed at this stage. Further contraction followed with outlets either closing or being converted…

HANDY SIZED COMPRESSOR This is the perfect compressor for any tasks involving fixing, spraying, inflating and dust/debris blowing while on the move. The CHAMP3 packs a powerful seven cfm with a max operating pressure of eight bar and a simple to use on/off automatic pressure switch control. Boasting an easy to carry design with a comfortable grip, handle and durable steel frame also providing air storage, this is a convenient, tough, lightweight (25kg) and highly portable air compressor. The CHAMP3 also comes included with 1.6 metre of cable and a hose or cable storage plate and costs £167.98 Inc. VAT. For more information, visit www.machinemart.co.uk GP BATTERIES BEAM TASK P36 LIGHT It’s time to upgrade your toolkit with the flashlight from the award winning range. The Task P36 is a…

Once known on its home turf as the obelico, or navel, because it seemed at one time everyone in Italy owned one, the Fiat 500 is now recognised as the first practical city car. Built by the Fiat Car Company between 1957 and 1975, the 500 was successfully marketed as a low cost run-around and very quickly found its niche. The Fiat 500’s diminutive size – it only measures 9ft 9in from bumper to bumper – allowed this cheeky little four-seater to duck and dive its way through the high level of traffic that Italian cities are still noted for even today. Launched as the Nuova 500, this little Fiat had all round independent suspension and was propelled by a 479cc two-cylinder, air-cooled engine with a power output of just…

Although it was basically a re-skinned longer wheelbase Cortina, the frontal aspect of the 120E Corsair was a radical departure from previous American influenced Fords and this mid-sized Ford was notable for its clean lines and neat styling. Developed under the code name Buccaneer, cynics reckoned the project name had been chosen due to the sea faring links associated with Liverpool, as Ford was planning to build the new model at its Halewood plant. This of course was nothing more than fanciful thinking, as the Blackburn Buccaneer jet fighter had just become operational and the aircraft’s name was attracting a lot of attention in the media. Development of what was to become the four-door Consul Corsair (two-door versions were built as special orders for the UK market) got underway at…

Just a couple of days after dropping off the Rover V8 engine to Motortech’s workshop, I went back again to collect my engine, which was now in pieces. Having been dipped to remove all the oil and gunk and clear the water and oil galleries, the aluminium block looked like new. I’d spent hours scrubbing away at it but my efforts hadn’t come close to making it look this good. Aside from some scratches, probably from being in a Range Rover that was too vigorously off-roaded, the cylinder liners in this engine are good and haven’t slipped. So Graham just had to hone the bores, which were now smooth and shiny all the way to the top. Although the condition of the crank was okay, it was reground and should…

When I picked up the 944, I knew that there were a few small jobs that would need doing. However, for various reasons I needed to collect the car prior to the work being done. Fortunately, Phillip Raby, the cars’ seller, prides himself in the condition of the vehicles and kindly suggested I take the car to a trusted local garage and he would arrange payment for the work. Not only that, the car would also be sold with a six-month warranty. Getting a warranty on a car that is almost 30-years old is a real bonus in my books! As mentioned last month, the jobs needed doing to the car were replacing the fuel ‘jumper’ and the oil filter’s heat shield. But the problem was who to entrust the…

Old Jag’s eh! Don’t you just love ‘em? Fix one problem and another quickly rears its ugly head and tries to empty your wallet. With the XJ6’s MoT due a few days after this issue goes to press, I can guarantee there’s going to be no shortage of copy to produce the Spring episode of Project Jaguar XJ6, but before we start worrying about that here’s what’s been happening since last time. We left off last month showing how the head gasket on our Jaguar had been replaced while the car was at West Riding Race & Restoration’s workshop. After handing over our Jaguar to proprietor Dave Bye, I asked if he could give the car a once over while it was on the ramp and received an urgent ‘phone…

The origins of the automotive anti-lock braking system can be traced back to Gabriel Voisen, a French engineer who developed the first working system as an automatic override system for aircraft brakes in the late ‘Twenties. These early systems were designed to prevent aircraft wheels locking up under heavy deceleration and employed a mechanical flywheel and valve system to reduce pressure in the hydraulic lines supplying the aircraft’s brake cylinders if a wheel slowed too rapidly. A drum attached to each flywheel rotated at the same speed as the aircraft’s wheel. If a wheel slowed, so did the drum, leaving the flywheel spinning at a faster rate. This caused the valve to divert a small amount of brake fluid past the master cylinder into a small reservoir, so lowering the…

The Land-Rover’s construction was based on a steel box-section chassis, the architecture being imposed on the designers due to a shortage of the basic material and lack of funding to replicate the Jeep’s pressed C-section frame. Power came from Rover’s 1.6-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine with a modest power output of 55hp (41 kW) and developing 80 lb/ft (108 Nm) of torque. The gearbox also came from a Rover car and it was coupled to a new permanent four-wheel drive transfer gearbox with slip control provided by a freewheel arrangement. It could be locked when conditions got tricky. The axles also came from the cars parts bin with the front axle simply being the rear flipped over and fitted with steerable ‘Tracta’ joints. The suspension followed Jeep practice with leaf springs…

The debut of the Discovery in 1989 also marked the start of Land Rover as a distinct brand so to avoid conflict between brand and model, the utility offering was named Defender, the installation of the 200 Tdi turbo-charged, direct-injection, intercooled diesel engine marking the change. In the Defender the engine developed 107hp (80 kW) and 195 lb/ft (264 Nm) of torque. The model range was now called 90, 110 and 130 and a distinguishing decal treatment showcased the new name. The re-introduction of the County, available on the 90 Hard Top as well as Station Wagons enhanced the range. A more powerful and refined engine, the 300 Tdi appeared in 1993. Following on from a limited edition of the 110 model for the USA, a V8 injected 90 was…