Month: September 2013

Royalty – Your Choice….

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Two lots of royal horse power to choose from

The weekend was very busy, and as a treat the wife we went to Harrods in London for a meal. After parking the car we walked towards the store and group of people were looking in the window as they normally do. this was little different as it was men looking, I of course need to see what the fuss was all about. This could be a pretty woman in various states of attire, latest gadgets or cars. The fuss was justified because they had James Hunt’s McLaren F1 1976 World Championship car on display. The main reason for the commotion was down to the fact that the women trying to pry the men’s faces of the window while looking at this glorious car. In fact I did see one poor bloke being pulled by the sleeve away from the window, just like you would pull a dog away from your favourite plant when it’s about to cock its leg all over it! This was the original Championship winning car that has been left pretty much untouched since that wonderful era. Some of the photos were taken through the window, sorry for any reflection, and then a few more taken inside. I did have to lay it on a bit thick to the security guard who was keeping an eye on things as I wanted to get closer. To be fair he did let me get onto the stand as I said I was going to put this on my blog. This is a rare chance to see the car up close and in its full glory. The car is still a classic by todays standards with the very distinctive Marlboro livery in place before the advertising route for tobacco all got banned. What I am particularly pleased about is the stone chips on it – the side pods show that this car was indeed the real deal and not a mock up.

Why was the car here? It was a promotion for the new movie about to be released in September call “Rush” by Ron Howard. The film focuses on the rivalry between Lauda and Hunt. I dare say this will be a blue ray added to the collection when it’s released.

jh22

A little background:

James Hunt was born James Simon Wallis Hunt on August 29, 1947, Belmont, Sutton, Surrey, England, UK. Died June 15, 993, Wimbledon, London, England, UK. After a fatal heart attack. He was a British race-car driver who won the 1976 Formula One Grand Prix World Championship by one point over his Austrian arch-rival, Niki Lauda. Hunt began racing his own car in Formula Ford events in 1969. He quickly graduated to Formula Three races,  his aggressive driving style and several accidents earned him the nickname “Hunt the Shunt.” In 1972 he joined Hesketh Racing, and in 1974 the team moved up to F1 competition. Hunt scored the team’s only F1 victory, in 1975, before Hesketh was shuttered later that year. He signed with the McLaren team in 1976, and in his first season with that team, he edged out Lauda for the F1 title when the Austrian refused to finish the Japan Grand Prix on a rain-soaked track that he considered unsafe.

Although many people considered Hunt’s title to be tarnished as Lauda had missed part of the season after being seriously injured in a fiery crash, his blond good looks, irreverent charm, and playboy personal life made him a popular favourite and brought a glamorous image to the sport. In his seven years on the F1 circuit, Hunt totalled 10 victories and 14 pole positions in 92 Grand Prix races. After a partial season with Wolf Racing, he retired from the sport in 1979, and he thereafter worked as a sportswriter and BBC commentator.

I have an article on James Hunt that I have cobbled together from various sources or click here.

Royal Mews:

Later that day we had tickets to the Queens Coronation exhibition at Buckingham Palace. I have been there so many times recently it feels like I live there. Anyway, we also had ticket to see the Royal Mews. Now the only horses I like are the virtual sort under the hood, the more the better. But, the mews was more interesting than I was expecting it to be. There were the Royal Ceremonial Coaches there as well as the Queens limo. I have seen these coaches and limo so many times on the telly I have lost count, but it’s not until you see these things close up you realise just how big they are and the amount of craftsmanship involved. I took a few pictures there as they really were interesting.

The Queens own ride has its own unique colour that “only the monarch has and is allowed to use.” I thought the car was black, but it’s a deepest of deep burgundy reds. As for the state coach all in gold it must be about fifteen foot tall and twenty-four foot long. The hand painted works of art on the coach is some serious paint job along with the huge wheels, they are some serious rims!

The Queens own ride
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How Dashing….

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Another little job that’s in your face!

What I mean by that is that the main thing you look at in the car, besides the road, is the dash area. If the dash looks tired and old then it just feels like that. I knew I had work to do in that area and this weekend was the result of that work.

This dash area was a job I have been thinking about for a long time now, and the main cause of concern was the Ammeter to Volt meter conversion for my dash that I wanted. My replacement American Autowire loom did not recommend or even allow the fitting of the ammeter as a standard option straight out of the box. My 100amp one wire alternator would be pushing out over twice the 47amps that the original produced. That on its own was enough to make me nervous and I didn’t want that gauge there for a little safety. My options were; I could leave it in place as a dead dial, or fit a clock there, not ideal but an option never the less. My research has led me to a couple of people who have done similar and got them working, so it’s hats of to them for doing it. But in my opinion they just didn’t look right for the era of the car. I eventually found a VDO model that was for outside or inside case mounting. I took the plunge and bought it from the far east. It took me a little over five hours to complete the task, but I was checking everything was going to plan before I started the drill work etc. The full guide and walkthrough of the process I took can be found under my Photo Menu – Inside The Car – Ammeter to Voltage GT Dash Conversion or click here. There is nothing worse than having half the dial showing. The finished result is I think it looks great and above all it works and a better gauge than the Ammeter fitted as stock. While I had the unit apart I also reconditioned the dials, the orange fluorescent paint was a perfect match to the original colour that could be seen at the top of the needles and wasn’t faded.

Sunday, the rain has stopped and there is a little sun if you look hard for it. So I managed to push the car out and rub down some door pillar work I started a couple of weeks ago but again not aas exciting as the dash work but it all needs to be done regardless. Let me know what you honestly think of the conversion, was I right to stay black and white or even have the needle going up instead of hanging down?

Different view
completed dash
secure nuts removed from rear allows the workings to be removed
Plastic to stop over spill and splashing

Quick links: Photos Menu – Inside the Car – Ammeter to Volt Meter GT Dash Conversion click here

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The Tale of Two Muffler Shops

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I don’t make a habit of doing reblogs but it seems that I will have done two in a week. I had to share this from my good friend Debbie on the other side of the pond. I thought that this really needed to be seen to be believed. I don’t know this mob that decided to make a total balls up of this exhaust job but they ain’t as good as they thought. If it were my car I thing I would have gone mental at such shoddy fitting. I reckon untrained baboons could have made a better job!

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Shattered & Tinkering

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I have now come to realise that I just can’t live without my cell phone! This week I was waiting for my train home and dropped my phone from the little bench I was sitting on. It couldn’t land on the side or the bit where the cover was on could it? No, it had to land on the very corner that the cover came off and hit the concrete with a delicate “dink”, because it only feel about eighteen inches it didn’t even bounce. But that little impact shattered the screen from the top left corner to half way down the screen on the other side. I even surprised myself with the torrent of new swear words that flowed instinctively from deep within my subconscious thoughts, the flood of words formed into incomprehensible sentence without breathing, one  word per crack it would seem. With that in mind it still worked so I should be thankful for that, sadly the screen was difficult to read obviously. I ordered a replacement glass screen that evening from eBay, every time I looked at that screen I was reminded of the fact that I really should pay more attention to what I am doing, along with the fact that I should apologise to a few fellow passengers who were near by. Those poor now scared for life souls must have thought that I was some sort of nutter trying to recruit people into my fledgling cult using a strange chant, using a strange language mixed in with copious amounts of Cockney Rhyming Slang! Friday night I replaced the glass which took me almost four hours in total. The reason it took so long? I was tired and just didn’t want to damage it, I wasn’t sleeping because I was worried about my phone. Now my phone is back to its former glory and works again, and my life is a once again organised into some sort or order, but I can’t help feeling the phone has been tainted in some way. When you have a minor fender bender in the car, you never feel the same towards the car again, or is that just me? Off the back of this traumatic event of mine, I need to ask a question though; Can you live without your cell phone? I came to realise that my functioning life was on that phone and I definitely can’t live without it; My contacts, my personal emails as well as the emails for this blog, my diary, things to do, passwords & website logins (all encrypted via an app of course), birthdays, anniversaries, text messages, photographs and in fact just about everything is on there. It felt like my hand had a finger removed because I didn’t use the phone as much, let alone being the extension of my arm that it usually is. I have now backed up my phone and the important things I need just in case I damage it beyond repair or it doesn’t turn on one day.

On a Friday afternoon at work we tend to ask each other what we have planned for the weekend, things like going to see parents, BBQ’s, chilling out, going to the movies etc, when they get to me I get “What are you doing on the car this weekend Mart?” Now either I am predictable, or I have just conditioned their thoughts to expect me to be working on my project or obsession depending who you talk to that know me. This week I was asked if I was going to be out “Tinkering” with my car? That was an expression I haven’t heard for a long time and I don’t normally associate the term with “working on the car” as I tend to call it. Does anybody else have a little phrase they use for their car work? I would love to know.

On my Twitter account I saw a reference to a great story from 1966. That year Ford provided their latest model Convertible Mustang for a promotional exercise in conjunction with the Empire State Building. The car was perched on the 86th Floor and taken up to the top floor by means of only the passenger lifts, no helicopter or winches were used. It’s an incredible read and amazing what they managed to do with a team of Ford engineers, six hours overnight and a few small lifts! It stayed up there on the building for the next five months.

I have posted the rest of the photos and the full story of it in my “Articles” menu or you can click here for the quick link.

This weekend I have been doing a little bit of tidy up work where the door pillar on the right hand side. There were a few little rust holes that needed treating and the seams strengthening. I got the Dremel out and slowly sanded down the seam filler for a good base for the filler to cover up the imperfections. Next weekend I hope to get the car out and rub it down smooth ready for some anti-rust treatment primer.

Quick Link: Empire State Building and Ford Mustang, click here

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Cars, coins and stamps are now more profitable luxuries than art, wine and jewelry

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I found this interesting article and thought I should share it with the lucky ones who have classic cars or future classics.

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His & Hers

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This weekend was a chillaxing weekend for a change and I decided to look at some Classic Cars at a Show in the town of Buntingford (UK), each year the organisers manage close the main street and get the cars all parked up along the narrow road. It was my first time there and I doubt it will be my last either as everybody was quite friendly when talking to them about their cars. It was nice to see families out and not just the petrol heads who needed their octane fix! There were hundreds of different cars there from every era. The war years, modern-day cars, hot rods, trucks, kit cars & bike all gleaming in the sun. While I was at the show I meet Adam from Mustang Maniac who was there with one of their new additions to the garage, a lovely 1965 v8 Coupe. I have taken quite a few pictures but these were the better photo’s from all the cars. What took my eye at the car show? A couple of Cobra replicas that were identical except for under the hood area. One was red the other blue. I could only assume (and would like to think) that they were his and hers!

There were some classic Jaguars

D Type
E Type
XK140

Pre War(s) Cars (I think)

War Years (not so sure about the machine gun though!)

Hot Rods & Trucks

Muscle and Mustangs

Classic UK Cars

Jensen
Jensen engine

Some Of The rest

Review:

I have also completed my TomTom Go 600 SatNav Review which can be found under the accessories menu. I have managed to get the main information together and user guide that most of the other reviews seem to miss out with some photos of it in use. Most reviewers seem to want to trash this SatNav for some reason. But I want something that works and not just have the function to change colours or the shape of an icon for the car – but these people never they never moan when it takes them down a dirt track because it don’t work properly.

My car:

Most of what I have done on the car today has been in man cave, I have been rubbing down some filler trying to achieve that perfect finish for the paint.

Quick Link: TomTom Go 600 review click here

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Open and Shut Case

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A great weekend for weather and lots got done on the car. To start with I finished replacing the other door hinge pins and re-aligned the doors again. After that I adjusted the hand brake so it now works properly instead of dragging just a little bit! I replaced the steering ram rubber gator that was split and ripped in half. Then on top of all that – I treated the inside under dash with a little more anti-rust treatment. I have placed all the pictures for the hinge pin replacement in the “Photo Menu – Bodywork Section” or click here for the link. Again all these things you will not see but have to be done. I just thought I would share this picture of Mustang with virtually no body work that is totally open the elements, hence the good weather means a day of this sort of thing!

I am going to have a little rant now; If I offend anybody it’s obviously not you that I am referring too. There are a very small percentage of lorry drivers out there who drive dangerously and think they own the road. Before any lorry drivers start getting on their high horse let me explain. The vast majority of lorry drivers are great drivers, it’s a difficult job I appreciate that, it takes a lot of skill and I dare say can be quite boring driving hundreds of miles on motorways all day and night. But boredom is one of the things I want to investigate here. I have to use a main dual carriageway road to get home. To get onto that road it’s via a main down ramp onto the main road with a little slip road. This week coming home there was not many cars on the road and it was just getting dusk, I was on the slip road accelerating up to speed and the lorry was coming up beside me, I was indicating and my lights were on, his were not I might add. Now he didn’t move over to allow me out, there were no other cars the other side of him. He just sat beside me until I almost run out of slip road, I even hooted at him, in the end I had to break and let him past. I should have swerved as soon as I could, that way I would have been in front of him, but that is not nice etiquette for the road. When I pulled out from behind him, still there are no cars close by. I gave him some horn treatment to express my displeasure and indicated via a hand gesture it was not a kind thing, or accepted thing to do. What did he do? Yep, horn back at me, flashing his lights and then started swerving in both lanes! He left his lights on full beam even though other cars were flashing him coming the other way. What was that all about? Now this has happened to me in the past as well and I get really annoyed about it. OK, so it not usually as bad as this performance from this individual who has an IQ the size of his wheel radius, but the not letting me out part I mean is just pathetic. There is a new law that has been passed in the UK that makes it illegal to tailgate now. But, when In slow-moving traffic the lorries sit so far up my ass I get imprints of the number plate on the back of my seat, it’s dangerous so back off! So I have a few points to make 1) My brakes are better than yours for stopping quickly. 2) If you have to stop that quickly the trailer will be out of control and cause an accident. 3) If you don’t react quickly enough you will slam into me, causing an accident. 4) If your tired and don’t notice the traffic you will have an accident. 5) Your forty or forty-four ton lorries will pulverize anything that they hit when you have an accident. 6) You don’t have to swerve out at the last-minute to overtake another lorry that will take you ten minutes to get past, just because you are going a quarter of a mile an hour faster. 7) If my car misfires and slows suddenly you will go into the back of me and cause an accident, probably killing me. Get my point here? Do these bad lorry drivers play these games to give them something to do? I know for a fact that lorry drivers do not want to change gear or slow down, a good friend of mine is a lorry driver and he has told me this many times as it effects the mpg figures. He also admits that there are some very poor drivers out there that give them all bad names. Most of the time if I am slowing to turn off I will flash the lorry in to allow him in front of me, to which I get a thank you back. That is how it should be. But, why do these people do it and make life dangerous? There are eighteen gears in most lorries, if you don’t want to change gear – don’t be a lorry driver. If you want to play life and death – join the army. There are always reports of lorries killing people in accidents, just as there are cars killing people. But with that amount of vehicle and weight, the consequences are that much more dangerous and carnage usually follows. Please give as car drivers a little room, your lorry is not a weapon. I do all I can do avoid you guys and let you get on with your jobs. Don’t get me wrong, there are thousands of lorry drivers out there who are great drivers, let me out fine and I have no issues what so ever. Perhaps the drivers I have issues with are non-UK drivers and their standards are not up to the UK standards. I don’t know, but I am sick of having to play “Road Roulette” with lorries. Apologies to all the good lorry drivers out there, but I just had to get it off my chest. Yes, car drivers are probably just as bad and it could be said about them too. Rant over.

As a result of this I am thinking is it just me? I have created a little poll to get your opinions. Please vote, nothing but the percentages will be displayed.

Take Our Poll

Quick links:

Door Hinge Pin Replacement – Photos – Bodywork Section – Door Hinge Replacement, or click here.

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