Old Motor

[entwisi]

Originally Posted by cashman

Twas a good mate,a mechanic who had one Gremlin, sure it was a zephyr wi a V6 engine?

In which case it was the Mk 4 Zephyr/Zodiac. These were initially designed to be front wheel drive and had HUGE bonnets but used V formation engines to shorten the block. however a chicken out by bosses meant that they went rear wheel drive at teh last minute but as they'd spent a fortune on designing the new engine it stayed meaning the engine bay looks almost empty

All the previous Zodiacs used straight 6's ( also used by Scimitar in the SE4 )

MK3 Zephyrs were either 4 or 6 cylinders ( 1.7L and 2.5 respectively)

whereas Mk2 " 4 cylinder" cars were named Consul....

[cashman]

Originally Posted by entwisi

In which case it was the Mk 4 Zephyr/Zodiac. These were initially designed to be front wheel drive and had HUGE bonnets but used V formation engines to shorten the block. however a chicken out by bosses meant that they went rear wheel drive at teh last minute but as they'd spent a fortune on designing the new engine it stayed meaning the engine bay looks almost empty

All the previous Zodiacs used straight 6's ( also used by Scimitar in the SE4 )

MK3 Zephyrs were either 4 or 6 cylinders ( 1.7L and 2.5 respectively)

whereas Mk2 " 4 cylinder" cars were named Consul....

Cheers ian, thats probably the car, twas a long time ago.

[Eric]

Originally Posted by Gremlin

Is your Caddie anything like the one below Eric?

Apart from the color ... mine's baby blue .... exactly. I'll have to get my camera and dust it off.

[walkinman221]

Originally Posted by Gremlin

This rust bucket seems to be in regular use, it was parked at Winfields last week.

Yep austin cambridge saw it tonight on Asda car park.

[entwisi]

That car has been knocking around for years, I see it regularly up baxenden.

Its not pretty but it makes me happy to see it still plodding on.

[jaysay]

I remember the first car I had myself was an Austin Healey Frog Eyed Sprite, white with red interior, the reg was ENA 107, was a great little motor, nout like belting along on a sunny afternoon top down with the latest squeeze sat next to ya

[Gremlin]

Originally Posted by cashman

Cheers ian, thats probably the car, twas a long time ago.

I think that right Ian,
My Zodiac was a six cylinder model and had the Aquaflow cylinder head.
Another two cars I wished I still owned were a 1933 BSA four wheeler with pre select gear box, it was a one owner and had been stood for many years after the owner died, his widow eventually gave it me for digging out some land for her with an old 3 cylinder John Deere digger, that was in 1962.
The other was a Triumph Roadster similar to the one John Nettles drove in Begerac. We didn't realize in those days what the cars would be worth in later years if we kept on looked after them.
I let the BSA go to a farmer to make a cart when the core plug popped. I couldn't be bothered to repair it because my girl friend preferred the Zodiac for her rides out. It also had a big bench seat in the front so we could snuggle up as we drove, the big bench seat in the back was reserved for when we parked up.

[entwisi]

@jaysay, you'll be kicking yourself if you look what a decent frog-eye brings now....

@Gremlin, yep, front bench seats are ace aren't they.... ( Although Julie never had the pleasure as I'd moved onto a 1968 Vitesse by the time we met.)

[Gremlin]

I was driving about in a 1962 Vauxhall Cresta (it was Peter Bodens but he was banned from driving) when I met the second wife and she liked the bench seat.

When Peter got his licence back I got a Spitfire, then another then the last model GT6 which is a Vitesse with a two seater sports body. By then the first wife had left me and so the bench seat wasn't needed as she was good enough to leave me a settee, a table and a bed, plus two knife's and forks and a great load of debt. You wouldn't believe how much a woman can spend on the drip in two years of marraige.

I have had 27 cars in all and would be a rich man if I had stuck to a push bike.

[entwisi]

Mk2 Ford escort 1600 ghia ( PEY 309 S ) - crashed at bottom of lonsdale street
MK2 Ford escort 1100 pop plus " The beast", driving like it was stolen everywhere
Mk1 Ford Escort 1300GT - I rally prep'd this and drove it like a maniac but is one of the cars I'd have again tomorrow without a thought ( GRP 959N)
MK3 Ford Zephyr 4 - Black, fins, Bench seat, column change, pose tool and bought because it was SOO SLOW another I'd have back without a thought (214GUV)
MK3 Ford Zephyr 6 - ex plod, was too far gone to restore so stripped to keep the 4 going ( Can't remember as it only lasted 12 months but think it was C reg )
MG BGT - rubber bumper rubbish car, one of my worst ever buys ( LRN 380N)
Mk1 Triumph Vitesse 2 litre - rusty, but an absolute hoot to drive, roof unbolted for wind in the hair motoring ( LTJ425F)
Moss Malvern kit car ( Morgan copy ) Herald 13/60 based - car was cursed and brought nothing but bad luck - given away to simply get rid of it!
Austin A40 - 1959 and about as slow as you can possibly imagine, even snails overtook this - ( Can't remember its reg for some reason) - car was written off after vandals let the handbrake off and it rolled down the hill into another car
Ford Fiesta 950 pop plus ( bought so SWMBO could learn to drive) only owned 5 months before I skidded on black ice and bent it beyond economical repair
Citroen BX - first "modern" car - utterly reliable but equally forgettable
Rover 418 SLD - bought when I got my first non local job - written off by a Merc Vito hitting it at 40+ mph whilst I was stopped at lights ( M412 SLD)
VW Golf 1600 - cheapo bought as temp replacement for above - given to mate who was down on his luck
Alfa Romeo 155 2.0 Twin Spark - (K441ANE added shortly after purchase, private plate still with me today) - was LPG'd in 2000
Saab 9000 - also LPG'd - L43 NEC but wore the PP above most of its time
Volvo V70 T5 - also LPGd some P reg thing, ( wore PP all its life with me )
Audi A8 4.2 QS - also LPG - too fragile, constanly something wrong with it, my only other "Bad buy"
Honda Accord 2.2. CDTI - current motor - wearing the PP as usual - boring, cheap to run, 5 YO with 171K on the clock

[Eric]

Here we go 007.jpg This is the first time I've tried this; so it probably won't work.

[Eric]

Wow ... it worked Now if only I can remember what I did, I can get some pics of the Caddy .... This is not an old motor; it's my other toy.

[Eric]

006.jpg

Hey .... another one worked.

[jaysay]

Originally Posted by entwisi

@jaysay, you'll be kicking yourself if you look what a decent frog-eye brings now....

@Gremlin, yep, front bench seats are ace aren't they.... ( Although Julie never had the pleasure as I'd moved onto a 1968 Vitesse by the time we met.)

No doubt Ian but I got rid about 38 years ago, would think one in good nick would bring thousands today

[entwisi]

a good one is around 8-10 k.....