adrian
Flying Squad
Somehow I suspect all the pubs will have dry cellars today. Apparently 42,000 people and no trouble. What a wonderful tribute.
Hairy Bikers and Other Petrol Heads
- Thread starter Eastsidepilot
- Start date
Eastsidepilot
Western Thunderer
R.I.P. Donald Sutherland.....Well I always see him as a Tank Commander so he's in the Petrol Heads Thread 
Col.
Col.
Tim Hale
Western Thunderer
Hi,
I am not sure if this falls into the 'petrol heads' category but we just turned a corner when we decided to become fully 'long in the tooth' with the purchase of of a Morris Minor with full membership of the MMOC.
Hyacinth* has a few foibles, the radiator has to be replaced and it needs some serious TLC (mostly polishing), but Mum had a baby blue 2-dr when she lived in Frome and this is from Frome, unfortunately not the same. It was bought to replace the unridden electric bike which is a potential health risk (too many recent falls) and we can both partake in visits to garden open days and garden centres moreover not many elderly men have fallen off a Minor.
Waiting patiently forever in the spare bedroom wardrobe is a wickerwork picnic set, pair of director chairs but no tartan rug. However more appropriate there is also a multi-pack of Autosol and an Autoglym care set........retirement gifts as West Dorset seems to be the epicentre of both the elderly and car events, is it a coincidence?
SWMBO insists that I will no longer be permitted outside her sphere of influence unless properly attired, the Crocs, shorts and t-shirts will not be worn in the Morris.
That seems to be enough, it is time for my nap.
*For tis blue
Tim
I am not sure if this falls into the 'petrol heads' category but we just turned a corner when we decided to become fully 'long in the tooth' with the purchase of of a Morris Minor with full membership of the MMOC.
Hyacinth* has a few foibles, the radiator has to be replaced and it needs some serious TLC (mostly polishing), but Mum had a baby blue 2-dr when she lived in Frome and this is from Frome, unfortunately not the same. It was bought to replace the unridden electric bike which is a potential health risk (too many recent falls) and we can both partake in visits to garden open days and garden centres moreover not many elderly men have fallen off a Minor.
Waiting patiently forever in the spare bedroom wardrobe is a wickerwork picnic set, pair of director chairs but no tartan rug. However more appropriate there is also a multi-pack of Autosol and an Autoglym care set........retirement gifts as West Dorset seems to be the epicentre of both the elderly and car events, is it a coincidence?
SWMBO insists that I will no longer be permitted outside her sphere of influence unless properly attired, the Crocs, shorts and t-shirts will not be worn in the Morris.
That seems to be enough, it is time for my nap.
*For tis blue
Tim
MarkR
Western Thunderer
I'm only seventy three, here on the beautiful west Dorset coast, so not sure about the elderly! But the sunshine certainly does seem to bring out the classics, big Healeys, Jaguars and other treasures.
Mark
Eastsidepilot
Western Thunderer
Of coarse it does Tim, I owned one once for a few months, great fun, oh and don't forget the string backed gloves or was/is that just sports car owners
Col.
JimG
Western Thunderer
I had the shooting brake version in the 1960s. We got it second hand in exchange for an 850 Mini (baby daughter and two dogs didn't quite fit in a Mini 
) and did it up - Rail Blue body (Valspar hand painted by my wife), yellow front radiator panel and brown wheels - inspired by the local Blue Trains on Clydeside. I remember taking the head off the engine and seeing a lot of wear, didn't fancy doing a complete top end rebuild, so slapped the head back on again and the car ran for several years thereafter with no problems. I do remember that it handled very well.
Jim.
) and did it up - Rail Blue body (Valspar hand painted by my wife), yellow front radiator panel and brown wheels - inspired by the local Blue Trains on Clydeside. I remember taking the head off the engine and seeing a lot of wear, didn't fancy doing a complete top end rebuild, so slapped the head back on again and the car ran for several years thereafter with no problems. I do remember that it handled very well.Jim.
alastairq
Western Thunderer
The Morris Minor [Moggies are Morgans......I insist!] has to be an all-time favourite for the more elderly amongst us oldies. Mainly on the grounds that it is far easier for an over-70 frame to get in & out of, than something more 'sporty' [so-called...so many sports cars aren't really, more like fake Nike trainers? Jagwar E-types, for example....need so much 'modification' to be remotely able to be sporty..]...
The simplicity of the Minor also appeals to the olds, in our over-hyped technological world.
I'm still over 6 foot tall...and a lot less flexible of leg and back than I once was....But my brain still thinks I'm 40-something....Hence I have to undergo frequent reality-checks when I look at 'old' motorcars to live with.
I once owned a A-H Sprite....Now I truly struggle to get behind the steering wheel of one [certainly not a factory-original steering wheel!]
I also struggle with MGB GT's [wouldn't want a soft top, need the headroom in wintertime], as my powers of levitation wane with the advancing years.
Same thing with 'bucket' seats! They bring on a whole new meaning to the term 'wedgie!' At least, for me they do.
All of which leaves me to contemplate the Minor, as an over-40 YO replacement for my current daily.
Ecumenical, easy to fix [despite the silly master cylinder!]...no bling, or extraneous items not associated with simple driving from A to B.
More importantly to a pensioneer, the spares are cheap and easily obtained [although prone to the rubbish quality and failure rate associated with modern manufacturing....supply meeting demand, I suppose, when most of the old cars only run when it ain't raining, snowing, windy or a weekend?}
My first, and second, motorcars as a late teenager were Morris Minors..including a Traveller.
I very nearly got one for 700 quid, just pre-covid....but I didn't have the spare cash at the time, so an old chum got it instead. All it needed was a small bit of fixing up [he is a retired bus fitter, and can turn MGB GT's into roadsters]...and flogged it on as he didn't have a place for it in his Land Rovery life]....New owner drove it over 100 miles to get back home, without any qualms whatsoever.
But I am a bit of a hippo-krit...seeing as I own & drive a Dellow. [A real sportscar..able even in this day & age to participate in motor sports of the roughest kind, without modification.....Totally uncompromising, so not in any way comfortable by any standards]...
Mind, to get into it and drive, I have removed all the padding from behind the driver's seating area....
Oddly, I can get into it, with a bit of manipulation, as the steering wheel , although large, is 'close to the chest' sort....so my knees fit behind it easily enough.
Once ensconced, it's a bit like combining driving with Yoga classes...
Still running sidevalve Ford power too...
Which makes it very cheap to run, maintain, fix, etc....Plus, being a Dellow, it is small, but indestructible.
Not too cold in winter, as the engine keeps the lower extremities warm enough [sweltering in summer, however]
Some form of sunglasses advisable, however, as there are no sun visors...
It does have a 'hood'....which is all rather pointless if as tall as I am...since my head puts a bulge in it when it's up, and I cannot get in or out if I have a passenger .....
But Morris Minors?
Yes, I'd have one, if cheap enough and solid enough underneath.
A 2 door is probably best, as the door is longer, for me......but a 4 door is acceptable.
Not bothered about travellers or vans, pickups, etc as they have acquired a gucci fashion status so their usual prices [for a roadworthy runner] are really over-inflated.
Not bothered either about convertibles either...as there are too many 'conversions' out there....a lot of which aren't done 'properly'...although owners will insist they are!! {Not in my experience]
Nope, I reckon I could stomach parting with no more than a grand and a half for one....and then it would have to require little in the way of mechanical fettling or welding. [Being an oldie, the crawling around with a welder underneath isn't much of the pleasure it once was..]
Not bothered about paintwork or chrome...[it's a nuisance anyway, as one feels compelled to polish it]....
Nether would I ever dress up to 'look the part'....[As a so-called ''civil servant'' for 20 years prior to giving up bothering to earn a living.....not once did 'they' ever manage to get me to wear a tie!]
So, to save the planet, bin the electrichoover car, and buy a Minor instead.
The simplicity of the Minor also appeals to the olds, in our over-hyped technological world.
I'm still over 6 foot tall...and a lot less flexible of leg and back than I once was....But my brain still thinks I'm 40-something....Hence I have to undergo frequent reality-checks when I look at 'old' motorcars to live with.
I once owned a A-H Sprite....Now I truly struggle to get behind the steering wheel of one [certainly not a factory-original steering wheel!]
I also struggle with MGB GT's [wouldn't want a soft top, need the headroom in wintertime], as my powers of levitation wane with the advancing years.
Same thing with 'bucket' seats! They bring on a whole new meaning to the term 'wedgie!' At least, for me they do.
All of which leaves me to contemplate the Minor, as an over-40 YO replacement for my current daily.
Ecumenical, easy to fix [despite the silly master cylinder!]...no bling, or extraneous items not associated with simple driving from A to B.
More importantly to a pensioneer, the spares are cheap and easily obtained [although prone to the rubbish quality and failure rate associated with modern manufacturing....supply meeting demand, I suppose, when most of the old cars only run when it ain't raining, snowing, windy or a weekend?}
My first, and second, motorcars as a late teenager were Morris Minors..including a Traveller.
I very nearly got one for 700 quid, just pre-covid....but I didn't have the spare cash at the time, so an old chum got it instead. All it needed was a small bit of fixing up [he is a retired bus fitter, and can turn MGB GT's into roadsters]...and flogged it on as he didn't have a place for it in his Land Rovery life]....New owner drove it over 100 miles to get back home, without any qualms whatsoever.
But I am a bit of a hippo-krit...seeing as I own & drive a Dellow. [A real sportscar..able even in this day & age to participate in motor sports of the roughest kind, without modification.....Totally uncompromising, so not in any way comfortable by any standards]...
Mind, to get into it and drive, I have removed all the padding from behind the driver's seating area....
Oddly, I can get into it, with a bit of manipulation, as the steering wheel , although large, is 'close to the chest' sort....so my knees fit behind it easily enough.
Once ensconced, it's a bit like combining driving with Yoga classes...
Still running sidevalve Ford power too...
Which makes it very cheap to run, maintain, fix, etc....Plus, being a Dellow, it is small, but indestructible.
Not too cold in winter, as the engine keeps the lower extremities warm enough [sweltering in summer, however]
Some form of sunglasses advisable, however, as there are no sun visors...
It does have a 'hood'....which is all rather pointless if as tall as I am...since my head puts a bulge in it when it's up, and I cannot get in or out if I have a passenger .....
But Morris Minors?
Yes, I'd have one, if cheap enough and solid enough underneath.
A 2 door is probably best, as the door is longer, for me......but a 4 door is acceptable.
Not bothered about travellers or vans, pickups, etc as they have acquired a gucci fashion status so their usual prices [for a roadworthy runner] are really over-inflated.
Not bothered either about convertibles either...as there are too many 'conversions' out there....a lot of which aren't done 'properly'...although owners will insist they are!! {Not in my experience]
Nope, I reckon I could stomach parting with no more than a grand and a half for one....and then it would have to require little in the way of mechanical fettling or welding. [Being an oldie, the crawling around with a welder underneath isn't much of the pleasure it once was..]
Not bothered about paintwork or chrome...[it's a nuisance anyway, as one feels compelled to polish it]....
Nether would I ever dress up to 'look the part'....[As a so-called ''civil servant'' for 20 years prior to giving up bothering to earn a living.....not once did 'they' ever manage to get me to wear a tie!]
So, to save the planet, bin the electric
Richard Gawler
Western Thunderer
One from the family album, Easter 1956. Dad was a Representative and this was his company car.
Mike W
Western Thunderer
For about 26 years I had a Jensen with independent front and deDion rear. It was a prototype but handled very well indeed. It was intended for the Ameican market, so quite softly sprung but I had to be careful with a lightweight alloy body, crossply tyres and 330bhp of Chrysler 383cui V8 and a 4 speed manual box could make the back end break away very easily. A truly lovely car.
Mike
Mike
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MarkR
Western Thunderer
The Dellow is a lovely classic, did they use war surplus rocket tubes for the chassis, or perhaps they were used on HRG sports cars, another classic, I've only ever seen two on the road.
adrian
Flying Squad
By sheer co-incidence I also "learnt" to drive in a brown P6 2200TC. I say learnt in the loosest possible sense because my Dad usually fell asleep in the passenger seat and it wasn't just on a local drive, it was a 30-40 mile drive cross country so I was driving and navigating all by myself!! Then he bought a Mustard Yellow P6 3500s - now that was fun!!
alastairq
Western Thunderer
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Indeed, most production Mk 1 & 2 Dellows of the early 1950's used surplus RP3 rocket bodies [tubes]....which explains why there are random joins in the chassis side members. Not to mention oddly positioned slots and holes...[not for Dellow purposes, in other words]
The RP3 rocket tubes [3 inch diameter] were also made of the finest chrome moly steel.....something that was in very restricted UK supply post-WW2.
Also, due to the rationing of [new] steel for manufacturing purposes [Companies had to show they were producing mainly for export, and not home consumption, a reason why Standard sold more Vanguards abroad [esp Canada, I believe?] than in the UK, at the time.
Dellow's parent company [Delson, who made automotive fasteners for the auto industry...nuts and bolts, etc, to you & me] in Alvechurch [Brum]...employed, I think, a lady to conduct materials procurement, etc....and it was rumoured it was she who discovered lorry loads of RP3 rocket bodies at Govt. surplus sales, which proliferated back then. Promptly bought the lot, too. Names escape me for the moment.
Initially, the two people who combined to start Dellow, used surplus Austin Seven chassis [often, vans]...on which to build their ''prototypes''.....
These, however, became in short supply due to the reasons mentioned above....Hence the timely usage of RP3 rocket bodies.
The original concept stemmed from a successful trials special produced by Delingpole & Lowe, essentially an Austin Seven chassis, but with Ford engines & running gear [from what folk know as the 'upright,' pre & post WW2 Fords]...As things go, folk liked what they saw, and asked the two fellas if they could make more of them?
Dellows in production form came about creating a competent trials, rally , etc, two seater car, which could still be used for normal domestic duties throughout the week.
Dellows were not alone in following the above formula, of the time.
Colin Chapman started his famous company [Lotus] following a similar initial path....
As did many other specialized sports car manufactures....of the time.
If one cares to look at the Dellow Register website, under the 'history' section, one will also find mention of the 4 Dellows purchased by Fords [Engineering] of Bedford...who made, amongst other things, milking machinery, for farms. the 4 Dellows were purchased for their reps, who would ply their trade visiting farm customers....the Dellows being deemed, by their knowledgeable boss, to be the only cars that would withstand the pounding of unmade farm tracks...unlike, for example, Austins & Morris Minors of the day.
The company is still in existence, the CEO being the grandson of the above-mentioned boss.
My Dellow is one of those [KTM 372]
The car is also the one used in the cover photo of a book which covered the history of the MCC [Motorcycling Club, the UK's oldest motor sporting club]
There is an HRG connection as well......since Dellow Motors were also the Midlands agents for HRG cars.
Incidentally, the use of Ford engines & running gear [ modified by Dellow to suit]...was a simple answer to the problem of what does one do if something mechanical breaks?
Can it be mended or replaced, very cheaply & easily?
Being Ford, their usage answers all the questions..nothing fancy about Dellows....
timbowales
Western Thunderer
The South African nicknames for Fords were Fix Or Repair Daily in English and
Foute Orals Reparasie Dagliks in Afrikaans (faults everywhere, daily repairs)
Foute Orals Reparasie Dagliks in Afrikaans (faults everywhere, daily repairs)