Drum's motorised conveyances

Talk about your cars etc here. Keep it sort of sensible and on topic please.
User avatar
Drum
Not Your Average Hoarder
Posts: 4802
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 11:02 pm
Has thanked: 2971 times
Been thanked: 2117 times

Re: Drum's motorised conveyances

Post by Drum »

mercrocker wrote: Tue Oct 22, 2019 3:56 pm Worst thing about that pic is the 5.5C. Fuck that, yet.
It's cold up here in the Scottish glens.
User avatar
mercrocker
Numb3rP14t3Fun
Posts: 16794
Joined: Fri May 17, 2019 2:53 pm
Has thanked: 12084 times
Been thanked: 8521 times

Re: Drum's motorised conveyances

Post by mercrocker »

The external aluminium flashing on the window sills at work were too hot to touch at midday today. Finally dried the Cowley out enough to put in the garage. It was a bit nippy at 5am, though - I had to put a cardigan on. Mind you, we don't have a nice view.....
There's a great long bar in Rock & Roll heaven.......
User avatar
fried onions
Posts: 3316
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 6:29 pm
Location: In my safe space (the garage).
Has thanked: 1449 times
Been thanked: 2372 times

Re: Drum's motorised conveyances

Post by fried onions »

The temperature disparity between various parts of the country is noticeable. When I used to go to Gosport from the NW, in winter you could always feel it was warmer in the south. Better for cars as I suppose less salt is spread on the roads.
Squire Dawson


HUMBER - built stronger to last longer.
User avatar
mercrocker
Numb3rP14t3Fun
Posts: 16794
Joined: Fri May 17, 2019 2:53 pm
Has thanked: 12084 times
Been thanked: 8521 times

Re: Drum's motorised conveyances

Post by mercrocker »

Nah, we have just as much fucking salt. They ran out one year and have made absolutely sure it won't happen again by over-stocking and zealously scattering it as soon as the postman gets his gloves out. We even had year-round salt at work - a compound (which was once a very purposeful 1930s General Motors plant until it was flattened) was used to store thousands of tons of salt brought in from some foreign country or other.

Turned out it was useless for road gritting purposes but equally adept at rotting cars out. It sat there for nearly three years, winter and summer, covered only by a flapping top sheet which covered about as much as the Fat Slags' thongs. Salt leached across the road every rainy day and was then thrown across the dock estate by 900 HGVs a day. Flipping wonderful....
There's a great long bar in Rock & Roll heaven.......
User avatar
captain_70s
Posts: 1018
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 5:34 pm
Location: Glasgae
Has thanked: 118 times
Been thanked: 893 times

Re: Drum's motorised conveyances

Post by captain_70s »

Not had the first frost of the year yet here in Glasgow town, my parent's place up at Strathdon is iced up almost every night.

Certainly speaking to Aberdeenshire folk it seemed your average 1960s/70s lasted 7 years if you were lucky. One fella scrapped his Victor at 4 years old after two big fails on rot.

Even with me powerwashing the Dolomites weekly when in daily use they still ended up pretty fucked after a couple of years.
1976 Triumph Dolomite 1850HL - Field based greenhouse.
1977 Triumph Dolomite 1300 - Lean green oil dripping machine.
1983 Triumph Acclaim L - Japanglish daily runner.
1989 Volvo 740GLE Estate - Mobile storage unit.
User avatar
paulplom
The Geordie Lord, Mario!
Posts: 25912
Joined: Fri Aug 23, 2019 7:01 am
Has thanked: 10186 times
Been thanked: 5434 times

Re: Drum's motorised conveyances

Post by paulplom »

Scrapping his car at 4 years old! The poor fucker was probably still paying for it.
My 1st van was a 1999 ex royal mail escort. I watched my friendly mot man poke a hole in the passenger sill at 4 years old. It need brake pipes at 5 years. Slowest piece of shit I've ever driven as well.
User avatar
LynehamHerc
Boomer, gammon, senile old fart and Eurosmasher!
Posts: 20506
Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2019 1:37 am
Location: Here
Has thanked: 13632 times
Been thanked: 3588 times

Re: Drum's motorised conveyances

Post by LynehamHerc »

If I remember correctly Victors weren't that cheap either. I remember looking at one in the showroom in 1973 when we went to buy our first car. My dad eventually bought a second hand Viva HC, MWT565K, which I nearly wrote off the day I passed my test.
User avatar
mercrocker
Numb3rP14t3Fun
Posts: 16794
Joined: Fri May 17, 2019 2:53 pm
Has thanked: 12084 times
Been thanked: 8521 times

Re: Drum's motorised conveyances

Post by mercrocker »

To be fair, I don't think Victors relied on salt to complete the factory corrosion programme. I can remember walking to school past a neighbour's house in 1964 and his F Type was already leaving cornflakes on the driveway after he had gone to work. MOT tests were only due at seven years of age back then and many cars failed their first one on structural corrosion. Mind you, old apple cores and dubbin were probably considered acceptable repairs in those days....
There's a great long bar in Rock & Roll heaven.......
Bertram
Posts: 107
Joined: Thu Apr 11, 2019 7:17 pm
Has thanked: 6 times
Been thanked: 17 times

Re: Drum's motorised conveyances

Post by Bertram »

paulplom wrote: Thu Oct 24, 2019 6:24 am Scrapping his car at 4 years old! The poor fucker was probably still paying for it.
My 1st van was a 1999 ex royal mail escort. I watched my friendly mot man poke a hole in the passenger sill at 4 years old. It need brake pipes at 5 years. Slowest piece of shit I've ever driven as well.
I'm pretty sure the Royal Mail Escorts were made to an even lower standard than normal Escorts. Both sills on my work's one were properly rotten by four years. The garage that did the MOT fixed it with sills chopped out of two different Escort cars from the scrapyard and didn't even cover up the shitshow with underseal.
User avatar
Eddie Honda
Rainman The Google Fu Master
Posts: 21168
Joined: Tue Apr 09, 2019 10:45 pm
Location: 寄居町
Has thanked: 13144 times
Been thanked: 12815 times

Re: Drum's motorised conveyances

Post by Eddie Honda »

mercrocker wrote: Fri Oct 25, 2019 4:25 pm MOT tests were only due at seven years of age back then
I get your point, but surely it was 10 years?
Post Reply