14 Sep 2018, 2:33pm
Flip front, same as E-type. I'm pretty sure it is an E-type bonnet with a D-type body.
Mick O'Malley's - Tribute A352 - "D Type"
17 Sep 2018, 6:13pm
A mixed day...
Saturday's sortie in the A352 was once again to Shelsley Walsh. The scenic early morning blat up the largely deserted A38 through Tewkesbury was enjoyable as ever, apart from a hint of a misfire under load at low revs. More of this anon.. I stopped for fuel and, on coming out after paying, I was buttonholed by a guy who positively raved about my machine. He said he'd turned back having seen it in passing, and was convinced it was genuine until I put him right. Very Flattering!
On arrival, I was directed, as ever, to 'Row A' where black number plated cars gather. The guy next to me had bought his Elan Plus Two with frontal damage and had rebuilt it to his own design, also installing a 1.8 MX5 mill and five speed 'box. A cracking job he'd made of it too.
I'm not a huge fan of US metal but there were two absolute pearlers there, both with history. The first was the winner of the 1948 Indy 500 which also took pole in '55. The four cylinder Offenhauser made the ground shake as it powered off the line in a cloud of oil smoke. Apparently it ran at The Brickyard with only a two speed 'box in period, and a 15:1 compression ratio. The hole in the grille was for the remote starter, basically an enormous electric drill with a female splined 'bit' which fitted over the protruding nose of the crankshaft.. What a glorious machine.
The second beauty, a Camaro, had a rather sadder history. Its first of only two owners was KIA in Vietnam in his F4 Phantom
.
On the way back, between Worcester and Tewkesbury, a persistent and worsening backfire and loss of power at low revs manifested itself.. I pulled into a lay-by and investigated, imagining the points had closed. I opened them up a little but it wouldn't restart, so I was ignominiously towed back behind my ex-neighbour's Land Cruiser. Replacing the condenser with a known good one effected the repair - I'll carry a spare from now on!
Regards, Mick
Saturday's sortie in the A352 was once again to Shelsley Walsh. The scenic early morning blat up the largely deserted A38 through Tewkesbury was enjoyable as ever, apart from a hint of a misfire under load at low revs. More of this anon.. I stopped for fuel and, on coming out after paying, I was buttonholed by a guy who positively raved about my machine. He said he'd turned back having seen it in passing, and was convinced it was genuine until I put him right. Very Flattering!
On arrival, I was directed, as ever, to 'Row A' where black number plated cars gather. The guy next to me had bought his Elan Plus Two with frontal damage and had rebuilt it to his own design, also installing a 1.8 MX5 mill and five speed 'box. A cracking job he'd made of it too.
I'm not a huge fan of US metal but there were two absolute pearlers there, both with history. The first was the winner of the 1948 Indy 500 which also took pole in '55. The four cylinder Offenhauser made the ground shake as it powered off the line in a cloud of oil smoke. Apparently it ran at The Brickyard with only a two speed 'box in period, and a 15:1 compression ratio. The hole in the grille was for the remote starter, basically an enormous electric drill with a female splined 'bit' which fitted over the protruding nose of the crankshaft.. What a glorious machine.
The second beauty, a Camaro, had a rather sadder history. Its first of only two owners was KIA in Vietnam in his F4 Phantom
.On the way back, between Worcester and Tewkesbury, a persistent and worsening backfire and loss of power at low revs manifested itself.. I pulled into a lay-by and investigated, imagining the points had closed. I opened them up a little but it wouldn't restart, so I was ignominiously towed back behind my ex-neighbour's Land Cruiser. Replacing the condenser with a known good one effected the repair - I'll carry a spare from now on!
Regards, Mick
29 Sep 2018, 4:11pm
Cotswold Airport Show
Today's sortie in the A352 was to the above venue, where the show was billed as 'Revival', so I donned my white boiler suit, shirt and tie, and cheesecutter cap. On the way, via Cirencester, the pesky nylon retainer for the gear lever spring gave up the ghost. I've experienced this before, in multiple Triumph gearboxes, and was prepared for the extremely vague feel. The first time it happened was in my Spitfire in the 70's, when I managed to burn away from the lights in reverse, catastrophe being only narrowly avoided
.
On arrival I managed to get into the interesting vehicle parking area, despite not having the necessary pass. After fending off the first wave of interested punters, I walked the rows and came across Alex parked in almost pole position, his car looking as spruce as ever. I was a little underwhelmed by the show itself, but as it's in its infancy I imagine it will grow, and I was delighted to find a reasonably priced doughnut seller
.
Amongst the static aircraft was this Chipmunk, a type in which I used to fly from White Waltham as an RAF Cadet in the 60s. Happy Days!
Amongst the punters' cars two stood out for me: this Riley Elf in cream over chocolate:
and this Alfa GT Veloce:
The Trabant behind it had a VW Golf power train - a lot of fun to be had in that!
Despite my trepidation regarding the iffy gear-linkage, the journey home was uneventful. A good day out: roll on next Saturday at the Combe!.
Regards, Mick
Today's sortie in the A352 was to the above venue, where the show was billed as 'Revival', so I donned my white boiler suit, shirt and tie, and cheesecutter cap. On the way, via Cirencester, the pesky nylon retainer for the gear lever spring gave up the ghost. I've experienced this before, in multiple Triumph gearboxes, and was prepared for the extremely vague feel. The first time it happened was in my Spitfire in the 70's, when I managed to burn away from the lights in reverse, catastrophe being only narrowly avoided
.On arrival I managed to get into the interesting vehicle parking area, despite not having the necessary pass. After fending off the first wave of interested punters, I walked the rows and came across Alex parked in almost pole position, his car looking as spruce as ever. I was a little underwhelmed by the show itself, but as it's in its infancy I imagine it will grow, and I was delighted to find a reasonably priced doughnut seller
.Amongst the static aircraft was this Chipmunk, a type in which I used to fly from White Waltham as an RAF Cadet in the 60s. Happy Days!
Amongst the punters' cars two stood out for me: this Riley Elf in cream over chocolate:
and this Alfa GT Veloce:
The Trabant behind it had a VW Golf power train - a lot of fun to be had in that!
Despite my trepidation regarding the iffy gear-linkage, the journey home was uneventful. A good day out: roll on next Saturday at the Combe!.
Regards, Mick
29 Sep 2018, 5:32pm
Another local event I didn't know about !
We need to get an events page up and running, I'll pm JG again to see if get something up and running.
We need to get an events page up and running, I'll pm JG again to see if get something up and running.
29 Sep 2018, 7:33pm
Pleased you got home ok Mick, good to meet up again. I will definitely be at the Castle Combe Autumn Classic Race Meet next Saturday hopefully try and park up next to each other
A few pics from today
A few pics from today
1 Oct 2018, 6:46am
Another local event I didn't know about!
I only knew of it from the forthcoming events section of 'Classic Car Weekly', it's not the first time either.Regards, Mick
1 Oct 2018, 10:25am
Don't forget its the Prescott Autumn Classic next weekend. I know it clashes with Castle Combe but this one is on both Saturday and Sunday. Its a bit like a mini Goodwood Festival all be it with a big American contingent. I've been the last few times and its well worth a look , weather permitting.
2 Oct 2018, 7:10pm
The forecast for the Saturday isn't very good at the moment.
Sunday looks bright and sunny for the second day of the Prescott event.
Sunday looks bright and sunny for the second day of the Prescott event.
2 Oct 2018, 7:37pm
Agree the forecast looks like rain on Saturday so I will probably go to Combe in the daily driver but if it looks like it is going to be dry I will go in the Formosa
7 Oct 2018, 12:33pm
Wet and Dry Combe
I went to the Classic yesterday in the Micra with no. two son, arriving at 0930 in heavy rain. Watched lots of practice as it gradually dried out, then the racing in the afternoon, of which the pre '66 Jaguar event was brilliant. Also visited the GT40 display (there were 12), a couple of which were fired up in the tent - thunderous!. Tucked in the corner amongst them was this fabulous beast which cost its owner £14,000,000. Divine.
A great day out, but can't have been much of a success for the organisers, as we punters were thin on the ground. Good doughnuts again
Regards, Mick
I went to the Classic yesterday in the Micra with no. two son, arriving at 0930 in heavy rain. Watched lots of practice as it gradually dried out, then the racing in the afternoon, of which the pre '66 Jaguar event was brilliant. Also visited the GT40 display (there were 12), a couple of which were fired up in the tent - thunderous!. Tucked in the corner amongst them was this fabulous beast which cost its owner £14,000,000. Divine.
A great day out, but can't have been much of a success for the organisers, as we punters were thin on the ground. Good doughnuts again
Regards, Mick
7 Oct 2018, 3:35pm
Didnt see you Mick, I was up on Camp Corner under my umbrella with sides keeping out of the rain, didnt venture out much just down to the paddock at lunch time
7 Oct 2018, 5:56pm
Prescott or Repairs?
Once the early frost had melted, I uncovered the A352 and decided which of the above to pursue. I'd been to the US themed Prescott meeting once before and, having been underwhelmed, I plumped for repairing the floppy gear change which manifested itself last weekend. I unscrewed the gear knob, drilled out the four rivets, and removed the gaiter. This revealed that the large spring had eaten its way through the nylon retaining cup, as expected.
I'd already bought the repair kit so I sorted out the bits I needed, removed the old ones and began re-assembly. When building, I'd cut and shut the gear stick to replicate the forward angled look of a D-Type's and found, to my dismay, that I couldn't force the cup over the weld in situ, so decided to remove the stick. I'd built in an access panel in anticipation during construction, so, drilling out three of its four rivets and swivelling it out of the way, I just about managed to manoeuvre my hands in, remove the small retaining bolt, and take the lever down to the cave
I ground the sharp top edge off the spring, and a little of the weld, clamped it in the vice, and used a ring spanner and hammer to gently tap the cup into position.
Reassembly was straightforward apart from the fiddle of replacing the bolt with such limited access. A quick test drive confirmed all was now well.
Regards, Mick
Once the early frost had melted, I uncovered the A352 and decided which of the above to pursue. I'd been to the US themed Prescott meeting once before and, having been underwhelmed, I plumped for repairing the floppy gear change which manifested itself last weekend. I unscrewed the gear knob, drilled out the four rivets, and removed the gaiter. This revealed that the large spring had eaten its way through the nylon retaining cup, as expected.
I'd already bought the repair kit so I sorted out the bits I needed, removed the old ones and began re-assembly. When building, I'd cut and shut the gear stick to replicate the forward angled look of a D-Type's and found, to my dismay, that I couldn't force the cup over the weld in situ, so decided to remove the stick. I'd built in an access panel in anticipation during construction, so, drilling out three of its four rivets and swivelling it out of the way, I just about managed to manoeuvre my hands in, remove the small retaining bolt, and take the lever down to the cave
I ground the sharp top edge off the spring, and a little of the weld, clamped it in the vice, and used a ring spanner and hammer to gently tap the cup into position.
Reassembly was straightforward apart from the fiddle of replacing the bolt with such limited access. A quick test drive confirmed all was now well
.Regards, Mick
7 Oct 2018, 6:01pm
Well done!
13 Oct 2018, 5:13am
Teals For Sale.
Regards, Mick
The only kit car there this year was a Marina based Teal, nicely done but £30k? What a joker!
Just a quickie: There were two Marina based Teals for sale in Wednesday's Classic Cars Weekly, both with the pattern Bugatti wheels that were an option in period. One, at a dealership, was £12,995, the other, a private sale, was £24,000. It'll be interesting to see if either advert has been price amended in next week's issue......Regards, Mick
13 Oct 2018, 4:35pm
The alloy wheels offered by Teal were ok but they were only 15". The wires generally fitted are 18" and look so much better. I have seen a couple of cars with alloy wheel covers in 18", with the alloy spoked style which look quite convincing. I haven't seen the advert but £12995 is very good if its an aluminium car, the early Teals were fibre glass and no where near as nice or desirable.
18 Oct 2018, 7:10pm
Hi Mick, I shall be heading up to Prescott on Sunday for a brekky, are you going ?
19 Oct 2018, 4:03am
Sunday
Tiredness permitting (I'm out all day Saturday), I'll be there.
Regards, Mick
Hi Mick, I shall be heading up to Prescott on Sunday for a brekky, are you going ?
Tiredness permitting (I'm out all day Saturday), I'll be there.
Regards, Mick
21 Oct 2018, 12:41pm
Breakfast at Prescott, with lots of Green Cars
Today's sortie in the A352 was to the Prescott breakfast club meeting, as mentioned above. The morning drive down along almost deserted roads was delightful, the six-pot loving the cool moist air. I arrived to be hailed by Alex, whose Formosa was gleaming in the early sunshine. After initially being directed to the Jaguar area, I confessed my car's humble origins and moved to a slightly more appropriate location, amongst some classic British metal.
There was an excellent turnout, especially of Morgans, Porsches and Jaguars. Amongst the others were a few (to my eyes) real gems, including this '57 MGA, under whose bonnet lurked a 3.5 litre Rover V8, a beautifully executed conversion.
Two others, also green, caught my eye, an MG and a Volvo.
Wandering back to my car to field some more interested enquiries, I was asked by a lady if it was a Tojeiro. After I'd explained its fraudulent genesis she told me of her childhood when the Ecurie Ecosse transporter was often parked outside her home. It turned out that she was John Tojeiro's daughter. She had her grandson, who looked about three years old, in tow, who announced that he was going to be a racing driver when he grew up. A thoroughly delightful encounter which really made my day.
Regards, Mick
Today's sortie in the A352 was to the Prescott breakfast club meeting, as mentioned above. The morning drive down along almost deserted roads was delightful, the six-pot loving the cool moist air. I arrived to be hailed by Alex, whose Formosa was gleaming in the early sunshine. After initially being directed to the Jaguar area, I confessed my car's humble origins and moved to a slightly more appropriate location, amongst some classic British metal.
There was an excellent turnout, especially of Morgans, Porsches and Jaguars. Amongst the others were a few (to my eyes) real gems, including this '57 MGA, under whose bonnet lurked a 3.5 litre Rover V8, a beautifully executed conversion.
Two others, also green, caught my eye, an MG and a Volvo.
Wandering back to my car to field some more interested enquiries, I was asked by a lady if it was a Tojeiro. After I'd explained its fraudulent genesis she told me of her childhood when the Ecurie Ecosse transporter was often parked outside her home. It turned out that she was John Tojeiro's daughter. She had her grandson, who looked about three years old, in tow, who announced that he was going to be a racing driver when he grew up. A thoroughly delightful encounter which really made my day.
Regards, Mick
21 Oct 2018, 1:43pm
Sorry I didn't catch up with you today Mick but I did have a long chat with Alex about his Formosa. Looked stunning in the autumn sun, a credit to Jeff H and his skills laying on the paint, I wish I'd taken my camera!
Soon as my 250 TR project is done I'll be placing my order for a Formosa, right up my street that design.
Soon as my 250 TR project is done I'll be placing my order for a Formosa, right up my street that design.
22 Oct 2018, 8:20pm
Hi Lucky, good to meet you on Sunday and a good conversation, pleased you liked the Formosa and I shall continue watching your current build progress with interest
22 Oct 2018, 8:36pm
Sorry I didn't catch up with you today Mick but I did have a long chat with Alex about his Formosa. Looked stunning in the autumn sun, a credit to Jeff H and his skills laying on the paint, I wish I'd taken my camera!
Soon as my 250 TR project is done I'll be placing my order for a Formosa, right up my street that design.
Soon as my 250 TR project is done I'll be placing my order for a Formosa, right up my street that design.
Thank you ..good to hear ...
9 Nov 2018, 7:27am
Fame at last......
My 'Asda car park' shot is included. Yippee!
f:0" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Old No.7/A352
Regards, Mick
My 'Asda car park' shot is included. Yippee!
f:0" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Old No.7/A352
Regards, Mick
9 Nov 2018, 8:24am
The one I built for the Danish guy ( car 16 ) looks really good in those pictures too .....
13 Nov 2018, 8:34am
Daily Driver - ish.
Yesterday's sortie in the A352 was to Argos in Sainsbury's to pick up the second Ebay purchased aeroscreen for my Monaco. The car park was heaving: when I mentioned this to the assistant she said it was the Xmas rush! No sooner had I got home and put on the covers than the heavens opened.
The forecast for Sunday AM is looking good so I may go for some autumn colour setting pictures.
Regards, Mick
Yesterday's sortie in the A352 was to Argos in Sainsbury's to pick up the second Ebay purchased aeroscreen for my Monaco. The car park was heaving: when I mentioned this to the assistant she said it was the Xmas rush! No sooner had I got home and put on the covers than the heavens opened.
The forecast for Sunday AM is looking good so I may go for some autumn colour setting pictures.
Regards, Mick
14 Nov 2018, 7:17am
That is one very cool looking car. Still love the colour, great choice.