Category: Car

Unexpected Find

I have been asked a few times how do I tune my carb up. The simple answer is try not to. It’s a dark art that I have mentioned many times before in past posts. Over the course of last weekend I was looking for something that I have lost, last seen in the garage. It’s highly unusual for me to loose anything in the garage I must say. Through my rummaging and looking around I found a printed copy of the Holley ‘Classic’ series carb manual. This print out originally came from a PDF file that I had downloaded years ago and forgot all about when i got my Holley 600CFM carb. My first thought was this would make a good page for some official help with these carbs. Although I didn’t find what I was looking for, I did find something I wasn’t looking for. When I got back inside I scanned all my back up files on my PC and it wasn’t there. I delved deeper into archived drives and searched the back ups of my old mobile phones before they were wiped and traded in. There it was sitting in a download folder from about four devices ago with some other random stuff. I copied the file back to the blog storage and decided to convert the PDF into a page to be viewed on my blog here, or copy and paste this link below into your browser:

Holley Carb Classic Series Manual (onemanandhismustang.com)

The page article is quite long with lots of pictures and a step by step process to follow. It covers the initial installation, removal, adjustments, fine tuning and repairs should you need it. Here are a few screen dumps of the page itself. The original is about sixteen pages of PDF and these few small clips gives you an insight.

There are diagrams and how to install the ‘Classic’ series 600CFM on different makes of cars and setup. There is a wealth of information within the manual regardless of make and model. The Holley 600CFM carb is not proprietary to Mustangs, it can be fitted many makes and models and the variations are covered within the manual itself.

There are clear and easy to use diagrams which help with trouble shooting as well.

To make things easier I have also uploaded the the original PDF file that have re-found and downloaded at the time I got my carb. This can also be downloaded from the button below.

Holley Carb 2Download

Not all carbs are the same as they have different adjustments, chambers fittings and mountings. However the principle is the same, the fuel and air need to be mixed at idle, normal driving and heavy load or acceleration. The Holley manual gives a good overview of how they work. For basic carbs there are single, two barrel or twin valves and perform the mixing of the fuel and air for for the engine to work. Mostly this style of carbs either two or four barrels are common in standard older road cars, before the introduction of fuel injection processes that are considered to be more economical. What is the difference between the two and four barrels and do we really need another two barrels?

The primary differences between a Holley two barrel and a four barrel carburettor is their design, functionality and application, which will affect the air-fuel mixture delivery to the engine making it more efficient and delivering more fuel and air mix, in turn more power and or torque.

Holley Two Barrel Carburettor

  1. Number of Barrels: As the name suggests, a two barrel carburettor has two venturi or barrels through which air and fuel are mixed and delivered to the engine.
  2. Air-Fuel Flow: It has a simpler design with fewer moving parts and typically provides a lower volume of air and fuel mixture. This makes it suitable for engines that do not require high levels of fuel flow, like those in everyday street vehicles.
  3. Fuel Efficiency: Generally, two barrel carburettors are more fuel-efficient, as they deliver a steady and controlled amount of fuel suitable for normal driving conditions without excessive fuel consumption.
  4. Performance: They offer adequate performance for smaller or less powerful engines and are not designed for high-performance applications. They are often found in standard passenger vehicles, where fuel efficiency and drivability are prioritized.

Holley Four Barrel Carburettor

  1. Number of Barrels: A four barrel carburettor has four venturi, essentially doubling the potential air and fuel flow compared to a two barrel carburettor. This configuration includes two primary and two secondary barrels.
  2. Air-Fuel Flow: This type of carburettor can provide significantly more air and fuel to the engine, which is beneficial for high-performance applications where more power is required, such as in racing or muscle cars.
  3. Fuel Efficiency and Performance: While they can deliver more fuel, four barrel carburettors can also be more fuel-efficient under normal driving conditions because the secondary barrels only open when additional power is needed. This allows the engine to run on the primary barrels during light load conditions, conserving fuel.
  4. Application: Four barrel carburettors are designed for performance-oriented vehicles that require greater fuel flow to achieve higher power outputs. They are more complex, with additional components to manage the secondary barrels’ opening.

In summary, a single or two barrel carburettor is typically used in standard vehicles for everyday use, offering simplicity and fuel efficiency. In contrast, a four barrel carburettor is used in high-performance applications, providing the capability for greater power output and higher fuel flow when needed.

Drag racing cars use high CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) carbs by default as they deliver more power due to the higher amounts of fuel that can be produced and mixed with more air. Various configurations of carbs on spacers or types of opening in the manifold will produce more low down torque or higher top speed. Drag racing crews often state that carbs use less fuel than EFI (Electronic Fuel Injection). During drag racing the carb valves are held wide open to give the maximum intake of fuel and air for combustion to give power and torque, the racing crews are not particularly worried about idle or general driving. The carb can also be paired with super chargers to compress even more fuel air mix into the engine giving even more power. That is whole nother story for another day.

Carb manufacturers often use similar terminology such as these:

Primary Valves

  1. Function: The primary valves are the main components for regular engine operation, handling most of the air-fuel mixture delivery during idle, cruising, and light acceleration.
  2. Components: They include throttle plates (butterflies) that open as the driver presses the accelerator, allowing more air to enter the engine. The fuel is mixed with this air in the venturi, a narrow section that increases the velocity of the air and helps atomize the fuel.
  3. Operation: These valves open gradually in response to the throttle position, providing a smooth and controlled fuel delivery for efficient engine performance.
  4. When a carb fitted car starts up they are usually running a ‘choke’ to give even more fuel (rich) mixture while the car warms up. This process is normally a mechanical or electrical plate that closes or partially closes the air intake on the primary valves

Secondary Valves

  1. Function: Secondary valves provide additional air-fuel mixture during heavy acceleration or when extra power is needed, such as during rapid acceleration or high-speed driving.
  2. Components: Like the primary side, the secondary side also has throttle plates, but these are typically larger to allow a greater volume of air and fuel mixture when open. Some carburettors use mechanical linkage, while others use a vacuum mechanism to control the opening of the secondary valves.
  3. Operation: The secondary valves open either mechanically (linked to the primary throttle plates via a cam) or via a vacuum system that senses engine load and demand for additional air and fuel. They remain closed during normal driving to conserve fuel.
  4. Secondary cams can be custom adjusted to come on earlier or later as required for the type of power delivery required.

Differences of primary and secondary valves

  1. Size and Flow: Secondary valves are usually larger than primary valves, allowing for increased air and fuel flow during high-demand situations.
  2. Control Mechanism: The primary valves are directly controlled by the accelerator pedal, while the secondary valves may use a mechanical linkage or vacuum actuation to open. This setup allows for a more progressive and efficient increase in power.
  3. Fuel Delivery: The primary circuit handles most of the fuel delivery, ensuring efficient operation under normal conditions, while the secondary circuit kicks in for performance situations, providing an extra boost of power.
  4. Under snap or sharp acceleration there are additional jets that squirt the primary and secondary valves to boost the initial fuel mixture. If this wasn’t the case when the valves open, the initial suck in of air would run to lean and not give enough power to the cylinders.

Manufacturers of Carbs

Holley and Edelbrock are two of the most popular brands of carburettors, especially in the aftermarket performance market. While both companies produce high-quality carburettors, there are distinct differences in their design, tuning, and performance characteristics. I will concentrate on these two manufacturers for now. There are many other specialist manufacturers of carbs for specific types of applications out there as well, but they tend to be much more specialised.

Holley Carburettors

Design and Features:

  • Modular Design: Holley carburettors are known for their modular design, which allows for extensive customization. They typically feature replaceable jets, power valves, and accelerator pumps, making them highly tunable.
  • Mechanical or Vacuum Secondaries: Holley offers models with both mechanical secondaries, which are linked directly to the throttle, and vacuum secondaries, which open based on engine demand.
  • Double Pumper Options: Holley’s double pumper models use dual accelerator pumps, providing an extra fuel shot for aggressive throttle applications.

Pros:

  1. Customization: Highly customizable due to the wide range of interchangeable parts, making them suitable for fine-tuning specific performance needs.
  2. Performance Focused: Holley carburettors are often favoured in racing and high-performance applications due to their tunability and ability to support significant horsepower.
  3. Availability of Parts: Extensive availability of aftermarket parts and tuning accessories.

Cons:

  1. Complexity: The high level of tunability can make them more complex to set up and adjust, which can be daunting for beginners.
  2. Maintenance: Requires more frequent maintenance and tuning to keep them running optimally, especially in high-performance environments.

Edelbrock Carburettors

Design and Features:

  • Simple Design: Edelbrock carburettors feature a simpler design with fewer parts compared to Holley, which can be advantageous for ease of use and reliability.
  • Mechanical Secondaries: Typically, Edelbrock carburettors use mechanical secondaries that are linked to the throttle position, providing a more straightforward operation.
  • Electric Choke: Many Edelbrock models come with an electric choke, which simplifies cold starts and improves drivability in various conditions.

Pros:

  1. Ease of Use: Generally easier to install and tune, making them more user-friendly, especially for less experienced users.
  2. Consistency: Known for their reliability and consistency in performance, with less frequent tuning needed.
  3. Fuel Efficiency: Often more fuel-efficient than Holley carburettors, making them a good choice for street-driven vehicles.

Cons:

  1. Limited Customization: Less tunable than Holley carburettors, which might limit their performance potential in highly customized or extreme performance applications.
  2. Parts Availability: While parts are available, there is a less extensive aftermarket for tuning components compared to Holley.

Summary

  • Holley carburettors are ideal for those seeking maximum performance and customization. They are well-suited for racing and high-performance applications but require more knowledge and maintenance.
  • Edelbrock carburettors are user-friendly and reliable, making them a good choice for enthusiasts looking for a straightforward installation and consistent performance, especially in daily drivers and lightly modified vehicles.
  • There is are parameters to the carb sizing. A to big a CFM will cause ‘bore wash’ where fuel is unburnt in the cylinders and washes the oil lubrications for the cylinders walls. This will also be wasteful of fuel as it’s just being unburnt. This could also cause the engine to flood and some very poor running.
  • If the carb is to small not enough fuel air mix is provided and will cause poor running even running hot.

I have found some videos of a carb working under loads. These videos show, start up, revving, initial fuel shot under revving, and full throttle. The second video has a whining sound in the background, this is probably due to a super charger. Regardless of the make, the principles of how they work are exactly the same.

Sound On!

Carb Calculations

To fit a carb you can replace the like for like of course, but to get more power you don’t just slap the biggest carb on the engine you can. To big a carb will cause very poor running and give you the exact opposite you wanted and make the car worse. To small a carb will starve the engine of the full power potential. There are various online calculators to work out the optimal CFM carb size you need for a particular engine size, speed and efficiency.

That formula can seem complicated for calculating the correct CFM for carb on a particular engine. Broken down with an example looks like this:

CFM (optimal) = Cubic Inches x RPM x Volumetric Efficiency ÷ 3456.

Any ordinary stock engine will have a volumetric efficiency of about 80%. Most rebuilt street engines with the usual average bolt-ons have a volumetric efficiency of about 85%, while race engines can range from 95% up to 110% efficiency.

Example: Using a 355 CID engine x 5,500 max rpm = 1,952,500

Take 1,952,500 x .85 = 1,659,625

Then 1,659,625 ÷ 3456 = 480 CFM

Even with about a 10% cushion, a 500 CFM carburettor will handle this engine great. If you try this formula yourself, be honest with how much rpm the engine will see. You’d be better off with a carb smaller than needed rather than something oversized that can lead to poor drivability and performance.

Higher Tuning

There are various ways to improve, or fine tune a carb to the exact requirements. This will be changing of ‘jets’ or ‘cams’ as required.

  1. Pilot Jet: Located in the float bowl, the pilot jet provides fuel for starting, idling, and the initial 20% of throttle range. It draws fuel through small holes as air flows through the carburetor.
  2. Main Jet: Larger and usually screwed into the needle jet, the main jet controls the air/fuel mixture from around 75% throttle to full open throttle (100%).
  3. Needle Jet: This critical component controls fuel flow between 20% and 75% throttle. It consists of the hollow needle jet and the jet needle, which adjusts fuel flow as you open or close the throttle.
  4. Air Screw: A small brass adjustment screw near the carburettor inlet, the air screw works with the pilot jet for starting, idling, and initial power delivery (up to 20%). It allows slight adjustments based on atmospheric conditions.

Cams: are a mechanical parts that will determine when (usually) the secondary valves open and close. The cams can be made to bring on the deployment of valves earlier, later, wider or smaller openings.

Float bowls: will determine when the idle reserves of fuel or secondary valves reserves of fuel, again critical for smooth running.

Tip:

More often than not, when playing with carb settings do little bits at a time to see what happens. Ask your self why do i need to adjust the carb, is it running poorly because of poor fuel? Then adjusting the carb to sort it out will all need undoing again when you put good fuel back in.

Don’t change everything in one go as you will be in for a whole heap of hurt chasing your tail finding out what is wrong. Adjusting mixtures can have a similar effect of changing jets. Different cams or adding spacers and altering timings, you won’t know if one item has had a negative effect or a combination of things if the car runs badly.

I have gone into the depths of carbs and how they work, pro’s and cons of spacers, four hole or open hole, EFI controlled versions all in this page here, or copy and paste the link to your browser below.

How A Carburettor Works

There is just so much you can talk about and to be honest, and it’s a bit of a dying art to tune these carbs up, screwdrivers, spanners, vacuum gauges, experience, feel of the response in the car and probably most importantly – by ear. Take a look at the page above to see the intricacies of a carburettor.

Share my Content

Ringshall Car Show ’24

Last weekend was going to be a new show for me that I had seen on a few fliers at a previous show. The weather apps all said there would be no rain but there would be one hundred percent cloud coverage. I had no reason to doubt the apps as they had been correct for the last few shows. The show was due to start at nine thirty and finish at one in the afternoon.

I walked out the house and the air was damp, but not raining. I waited a while whilst I uncovered the car and put the cool bag in the trunk. I backed the car out and started my thirty minute journey to the show. As I got onto the main road the air thickened and a few misty drops of rain hit the care. Do I turn round or go back home? I had a couple of miles to travel before I reached a round about to make the decision. The dampness stopped and I decided to carry on.

Just before the village I came round a corner, there it was; PC plod with a camera at a quarter to nine on Sunday morning. The car was hidden down the side out of the way and he was standing by a tree. Honestly there are murderers, terrorists, muggers and weirdos out there which get away scot-free, but a motorist is easy pickings to raise money easily, every time. Nothing better to do than stand in a sleepy village looking for somebody doing the terrible crime of 31mph in a 30mph. It just annoys me, when you get yobs speeding around the towns and doing donuts causing a disturbance, they do nothing. Anyway, ten minutes later I arrived at a village hall and was directed onto a field.

The field itself was a couple of football pitches side by side, yet they parked as on the very left hand side and right at the back of the field. I couldn’t see any reason to park us around the edges to be honest. It would have been better to have us lined up nearer the village hall to save walking across a desolate field.

I parked up and got out spoke to the guys next to me and we had a good chat about the rain forecast, there wasn’t going to be any according to our apps. Yeah right, almost on que the dampness turned into a very light misty light dampness more so than rain. Instead of breaking out the factor fifty, I got the fleece from the trunk. Throughout the next few hours it was the same, the misty rain and then a dry spell. I found a couple of friends and we caught up for a chat. I told them I needed counselling as I was stressing over the rain or potential rain about to come. The sky showed some brighter clouds were moving our way. I decided to stay as the dry spells were warm and the light breeze was drying the rain of the car. The down side was that the rain was leaving little spots on the chrome. The Woolly Mammoth was out and used for drying a couple of times.

There was about fifty or so cars that turned up and left over the morning’s few hours. There were some nice cars and a few three of four year old Jaguars or Mercedes as well, I ignored those as they can be seen at every supermarket car park.

There was an old Gypsy caravan this was the first time I had seen inside one. I don’t know if it was original or not, but it was quite cool.

There was a nice Trans Am in gold, which wasn’t the common black and ‘Smokey & The Bandit’ livery. This for me was my favourite car of the day.

After a wander around I sat down at the rear of the car and got to speaking with a number of nice people.

There was a young guy who’s twelfth birthday was on the show day. His family asked him what he wanted to do for the day and he chose to go to the car show. As a treat I let him sit in the car for a few pictures. A couple of stalls on the field and a few inside the village hall were aimed at the general public and not car people of petrol heads. The turn out would have been better I’m sure with a better weather for sure. I had to finish up with this picture of an adoring dog waiting for its owner to move on and explore more of the hedgerows.

I left the show just before twelve thirty as the rain had stopped, which gave me a window to drive home in the dry. Once I got back to the house the quick detailer was out and I removed the rain spots from the car before I put her away in the garage. The dehumidifier was checked and on to remove any hidden moisture on the car.

Potential for a good show, and I would attend again next year, as long as it don’t rain.

Share my Content

Mustang Owners Club of Great Britain National Show 2024

This year is the sixtieth year celebration for the launch of the Mustang at the New York Trade Fair in ninteen sixty-four. There have been numerous events around the country to celebrate such an achievement for the iconic Mustang. The Mustang Owners Club of Great Britain (MOCGB) are no exception. The biggest show of the year for many Mustangs owners is the MOCGB National Show, this year it was held at Meldreth, Cambridgeshire on sixteenth June twenty twenty four, on Fathers Day in the UK.

This year, I was determined to go to my first MOCGB national show, even though it’s a little bit of a drive for me, about fifty miles away from my door to the event. For the last ten days I had been watching the weather forecast with interest. Rain forecast on the day and all the way up to the days before. My village was expecting rain on the Sunday morning for a couple of hours, seven till ten. But, the event was due a light shower in the morning and no more rain after nine. I was going to go for it with even with the chance of rain, I hatched a plan.

I had set my alarm for six thirty, aiming to leave at seven, with an ultimate plan of getting to the event early before the gates opened at ten missing the rain. I can’t lie, I was worried as the apps were conflicting each other, if it was raining when I woke up I wouldn’t be going. I woke up at four thirty and opened the blinds a little bit so that I could see out the window from the bed what the weather was doing, or more importantly, what it was going to do. I wasn’t sleeping, do I or don’t I go? Constantly refreshing the weather forecast apps (yes more than one) hoping they would show me what I wanted to see, compared to the real time visual outside. It was getting darker as the minutes passed by, so I got up and got ready as quickly as I could, skipping any breakfast to save time. I filled the cool bag up with the drinks and lunch, grabbed the car keys and stepped, or should I say, staggered out the house a little before five thirty. I needed fuel and so did the car. The usual stop of the Shell garage when travelling in this direction opened at six, with only a slight detour to get to it of the main dual carriageway. I pulled into the garage as it was opening up and lights going on, perfect timing. I filled up and grabbed a can of Red Bull on my way to counter to pay. I drank up on the way to the car and would wait for the rush to kick in shortly. I threw the empty can in the trash before I got back into the car and buckled up.

I was back on the main A14 again within a couple of minutes of leaving the garage and could see in my mirrors the dark clouds following in behind me. The journey was a little tense as a few little pockets of rain hit the car, not enough to put the wipers on, just enough to give me the hump a bit, but I was keeping in front of the rain just. What is even worse than rain? A cyclist hogging the road for no reason. A cycling event was taking place early on a Sunday morning, To be fair to them it wasn’t at a peak time during the day. Some of the these dayglow ‘lycra louts’ were riding two or even three abreast on the left lane of a triple lane carriage way. This A14 is perhaps one of the busiest roads within this and the adjoining county. The only good thing was the roads were fairly quiet at the moment, but cars were swapping lanes avoiding them.

Around half seven, I was just a mile away from the event when the rain started, not heavy enough for the roads to start filling up with puddles as these were now minor back roads. Then a few minutes later the rain stopped just as I pulled into the area main concrete car park, more perfect timing. The master plan had worked, I pretty much beat the rain to the event leaving before the rain hit my village and arriving as the rain was leaving the event. The weather apps both now promised no more rain for the rest of the day. We shall see!

I parked up to dry the the car off and went over to speak to the guys who were still setting up the stand with their merchandise.

I was asked if I was going to enter my car for the judging, I said ‘OK’, thinking it was like most other car shows, if they like it, you get a trophy. They told me to move the car round into the judging area just in front of the main parking area which was separated by barriers. As I was so early, I had the choice where to park, so I parked right in front of the main stand, something I didn’t think through at the time.

However, this judging was going to be a whole new level up for me. The sun was making more frequent little appearances as I was giving the car a better wipe over to make it look more presentable. During this once over stage I was handed a form to fill in; the usual stuff, name, Mustang model, reg number etc. Under those main details were categories with sub categories. Exterior; workmanship, body, paint, bumpers, trim, chrome, gaps, door shuts etc, Underside; exhaust, suspension, fuel tank etc. Interior; seats, trunk, mats, carpets, dash, steering wheel, Wheels & Tyres; cleanliness, condition, wear, so on and so on. I can’t remember all the various categories to be honest. Then there was a last column for the judges to put their comments and scores. This was a pretty serious Mustang version for their style concours judging. However, they do allow for some sensible mods for the older cars. That means you start with one hundred points and then judges knock marks off for things that were wrong or dirty etc. The higher the final score the better. The judging was due to start at eleven(ish) where they started at the far end, working left to right as you look out over to the field. I had to work fast and clean the car for a third time but properly all over again. My trunk looked like I had slept in it on the way down there and needed a good tidy up. I cleaned the spare wheel, wiped over the inside of the paintwork with quick detailer. I took out the chair and show board and arranged everything still left in the trunk as neatly as my OCD would allow. I carry everything I need for detailing, such a quick detailer, hard wax, spray wax, tyre finish, glass cleaner, degreaser, engine dressing, rubber treatment, you name it it’s in the trunk. I don’t carry the full bottles as I decant the products into smaller bottles, they last a couple of shows before they need a top up. That way I save space and it’s easier to store more products.

I got to talking to some others who had now now pulled up and started cleaning their cars too, they were cleaning door hinges to remove excess grease, cleaning their exhausts, even inside the exhausts tips too. I was now cleaning everything with a full on hot flush going on and looking like I had literally just got out of that messy trunk. I managed to ruin a couple of good microfibre cloths while multi step cleaning of various areas. I only take good cloths with me to shows and not the more general ‘work’ cloths, that will now change going forward – just in case. Time was running out, but I did as much as I could for a couple of short hours. The judges eventually got to my car.

There was nothing more I could do except now go for a wander around the field to look at all the other amazing Mustangs; classic, modern, resto mod and everything in between. With these first few pics I was trying to take in the scale of the show. This first pic I took was earlier in the morning, before the majority of the other cars arrived. I think as the sun came out and stayed out, those that were in two minds to come or not, then decided to go to the show a little later on in the morning.

Due to the now accurate weather forecast a few promised cars didn’t make it to the show unfortunately. However there was some stunning cars here, something for everybody.

There is no particular order to these cars I just wandered up and down the lines. The sun was becoming more prominent and longer lasting spells as the day wore on. I spoke to my wife who informed me that it poured down in our village about half an hour after I left.

There was a few non Mustangs that gate crashed the show but still Fords such as Falcons and the odd truck.

Amongst the Mustangs there was some other really nice non Ford American muscle arrive and a lonely VW;

Adam and Lance from Mustang Maniac attended with their 1973 Convertible and GT350 respectively.

There was some stalls around the outside, selling their wares, food, a bar with a break out area with support for the East Anglian Air Ambulance charity too.

After I got back to the car it was time to check out some more of the other cars that had be judged and then a well earned sit down, something to eat and chat to lots of nice people.

At around three in the afternoon the winning trophies were to announced and given out.

There were different categories Concours 1964.5 – 1968, Concours 1969 – 1993, Concours 1994 – 2016, Triple Six motorcycles Choice of Show, Father’s Day award (chosen by the kids), Best modified and Mustang Maniac’s Choice of Show.

The proceedings started with the the 1964.5 to 1968 category reading out in reverse order the points awarded; 3rd was announced, 2nd was announced then with 96 points my name was called out, I had won! There were pictures taken at the time of all the winners, but to be honest – I looked a mess from the morning’s charging around, I never really recovered from it, so I look a bit rough and have seen thge photo’s. 🤦‍♂️ I was asked a few questions and I answered, the MC got my first name wrong as well, “Matt” instead of “Mart”! I didn’t care to be honest, I was trying to take it all in.

I took the trophy back to the car which was only a few paces away and put it pride of place on the air intake.

The rest of the trophies were given out to the other very deserving winners. Shortly after that there was the raffle which went on for ages as some people had already left meaning that their unclaimed winning ticket were redrawn.

As I was in the middle of the main area I couldn’t leave until the area had cleared and it was safe for me to drive out. That oversight was my own fault for parking where I did. The area cleared eventually and I left just after four. Although I left at the end of the show, I maintained a silly grin on my face all the way home which must have looked strange if you saw me in the car.

To win this type of trophy on an important anniversary for the Mustang means so much to me. Thanks to the Mustang Owners Club of Great Britain for putting on a great show and for being very well organised.

When I got home I cleaned the car before covering it up in the garage and took a last photo.

I took the trophy in and placed it on the mantlepiece for the wife to admire with me. She liked it for a while, then I got the “OK, that can go in the garage with the others now”. It’s still there (for now), as I think my wife has given me one week’s grace as I’m so proud of it! I deliberately don’t post when I have won any of my other trophies or prizes as it can sound conceited, but on this occasion I hope you will forgive me.

What a great day and a memory to last a lifetime.

Share my Content

No Going Back

There has always been a little bit of niggle with my car but never really an issue, but nice to sort out. The issue was that my car has always needed a few cranks to turn over before it fires up after standing for a while (weeks). I have spoken to the guys at Mustang Maniac who suggested a non return valve to stop the fuel draining away could be a quick fix. The long term would be a fuel pump and return line, a little bit of overkill what I was describing as an issue. They don’t actively sell the valves, but they gave me one of theirs that they sometimes fit for certain cars with my ‘issue’. This particular design is subtle and and not a big hulking beast in the middle of a fuel line which can look rather cumbersome and out of place. In fact the outside of the valve is just about the same size as the outside diameter of the fuel pipe. I now had a mini project to complete and was looking forward to this one, even though it was fuel related.

While I was at it fitting the valve I decided to clean out the inline fuel filter which was looking a bit grubby after sitting in the garage over the winter months. Where the hard line fuel pipe comes through the inner fender apron there is a rubber pipe that goes to the inlet of the mechanical fuel pump. My fuel filter sits on that line. Most filters are plastic, or more factory correct would be the large metal cylinder design. Mine is a glass (quite thick) and unscrews at each end to allow easy access for removing the filter itself.

I removed the jubilee clips at each end and removed the whole fuel line, to be safe I also capped of the hard fuel line as it comes through the inner apron (circled below right).

Important: When removing the fuel line, if you suspected that there is fuel in the pipe, be well prepared to catch it and temporarily block it off. You don’t want a gravity spewing the fuel all over the floor leaving you in a dangerous situation.

With the complete length removed, the old clips on the pipe and fuel filter were removed in order to start the cleaning and refit. The old pipe had lemon clips holding the filter in place and needed to be cut off. These clips would be replaced with new reusable low profile clips.

I had also gotten a new length of E10 fuel resistant hose, just for the sake of replacing it with a fresh piece of pipe. I only ever used E10 fuel once very early on in by restoration, and I won’t ever use it again. The reason was that the E10 fuel caused me issues, 1) the car ran like an asthmatic 7 cylinder with very rough running and idle, 2) it’s nasty and has a devastating toll for all the fuel components which the devils blood itself comes into contact with, nothing is spared; plastic, rubber or metal.

Fuel filters are of a single flow direction, make sure you get it right when fitting back to the car.

With the filter in bits I cleaned the filter itself with 99% isopropanol alcohol. The filter wasn’t that dirty to be fair, but there was a fuel particles which were removed with a small soft nylon brush. Once the filter was cleaned it dried very quickly and was ready for reassembly and fitting.

The glass case and end fittings were also cleaned with an isopropanol soaked non lint cloth. I also took the time to polish the metal end fittings as they clean up nicely. (Notice the big bold ‘IN’ and ‘OUT’ on each end.)

The total length of the original fuel line was measured, (the rubber either side of the filter, to the fuel pump and the apron). I made a the calculations to incorporate the non return valve, there now needed to be three lengths cut to the correct lengths instead of the two previous lengths. (Fuel pump to filter, filter to valve, valve to apron hard line.)

The picture here below, shows the filter ‘IN’ (notice the ‘N’ is back to front), and the direction flow of the non-return valve. This flow direction is critical to get the fuel filtered correctly and allow the fuel to flow to the carb.

The hose fasteners are of a new design being trialled from Mustang Maniac which are simply clipped into place. The clips just slip over the pipe and are pinched closed over a raised retaining ridge in the centre. Once they have been pinched closed enough the clip will just click and lock into place. To remove the clips you can use an awl or small screw driver to lever the clip back up from under the larger of the two raised ridges. The fastener will then just spring open again allowing removal.

You will need a very good pair of pliers to hold and grip the clip in order to close it enough without slipping. These fittings are a very, very tight fitting. They look the part, but I’m not sure I would use them again in a confined space. They are fine for connecting fittings like this fuel line when you have plenty of space to work and accessibility. Cut the lengths of hose allowing enough flexibility between each of the component parts.

I started measuring from the fuel pump and worked backwards towards the apron. The non return valve should be placed before the fuel filter, this would keep a reservoir of fuel within the filter.

The completed fuel line is completed. For each end of the new fuel line configuration I will used standard jubilee clips. This then allows for an easier fitting with a screw driver and easier access. More importantly it will allow me to loosen the the complete line without disturbing the clips. Once the line is loosened at each end I will be able to unscrew the filter and clean with the rest of the fuel line configuration in place.

With the new fuel line configuration in place it looks neat and now serves a dual purpose for filtering and non return.

The fuel flows and retains the fuel up to the carb allowing easier starting. The actual design of the non return valve is slightly irrelevant, but its functionality is the important thing. This slimline design is subtle and neat and doesn’t look to out of place for a stock looking engine bay. The whole thing took around an hour or so to complete. The hardest part was to cut the lemon clips off with damaging the fuel filter. The upgrade has been in place for a couple of months now and it has made a significant difference to the starting of the car in scenarios both cold and hot. This was well worth the effort in my opinion. However, with my naturally suspicious nature it determines that I always carry a spare length of new E10 fuel line just in case of emergencies, or maybe if the valve decides to play up. That way it’s a very simple quick and easy temporary fix for a replacement on the roadside if you need to, then sort it out properly when you get home.

I’m really pleased with the look of the part and the improved functionality that I now have.

Share my Content

Rickinghall Car Show ’24

A small little village about thirty miles away from me called Rickinghall was hosting a show on the nineteenth of May. The show was supposed to be the second of a double header weekend but but last minute I didn’t get to the Saturday show, I will be posting in a couple of weeks about the reason why, as it’s car related.

The weather was sunny as I woke up and was looking forward to the drive. I would need the SatNav to get there as I’m useless at directions. Those that know of my directional skills or lack of, will know just how much of an understatement that is! I was thoroughly enjoying my drive along the country roads window open with the sound of a V8 filling the quiet roads. A few miles out from the venue I was followed by another classic car. Like me when I’m driving behind another car, he was sitting a good few yards back from me, obviously thinking of stone chips from the country roads. We got close to the entrance and I followed a McLaren MP$-12C supercar into the venue. To be honest I was expecting a little village green effort, but I’m glad to say I was very wrong. This was a large field with lots of cars on show and plenty of parking for the public. Although I got there about forty minutes before the opening to the public, I was still a good two thirds of the way down the field.

The McLaren I followed in parked up and I repeated the manoeuvre a respectable space away from him. I got out and had a great chat with the owner and we admired each others cars. The McLaren is a pinnacle of automotive excellence hand built, and parked next to it was a sixties car that was mas produced and originally thrown together on the production line, just to get them out the factory. Throughout the day it was so interesting to see the people who wanted a super car, and those who wanted an old classic.

There was some really nice banter between us about who had the shiniest car. We both polished the cars each checking out the others standards, after finished inspections – we called it a draw! 🙂

After some refreshments I decided to take a wander around the show which was going to take a while. The cars were still arriving and some visitors also starting to wander around too. The chairs were out and the factor fifty sun cream was on.

The plan was to just wander up and down the rows of cars. There was many cars here like eight year old modern cars often seen in supermarket car parks, I tried to avoid those. The show was organised in conjunction with the Jaguar owners club, so there was a awful lot of them in an area near the front of the field, again I avoided a lot of those more common cars.

This 1915 Model T was over a century old and still going strong. Simply beautiful.

There was amazing Lotus Europa which I haven’t seen at any shows and was a pleasure to see. This got my runner up vote of the show. Did you know? The Lotus Europa is only 2 1/4″ taller than the mighty GT40. Needless to say, my 6’4″ bulk wouldn’t get in it. let alone get out of it.

There was the odd Yank there and a few replicas, surprisingly my Mustang was the only one there.

There was a quite a few BMWs as well, again lots of run of the mill stuff which I skipped over most of them, apart from the unusual ones.

My favourite of the show is this Citroen, when this car came out it shocked the world, and to a degree it still does! I believe this is quite a rare example, I must confess I don’t know much about them. The owner was a nice guy who opened the car up to let me take a pic inside.

Back to the rest of the cars. The Gordon Keeble in the first two pictures is one of only 98 built!

At the end of the field was the refreshments in a classic Airstream and a few food stalls and a bit of music all day, not that I could hear it down the other end of the field.

Inside the village hall was some craft stalls and and somebody who made lights out of a fire extinguishers! I had my eye on the Ford one, I still might get it from their Facebook page.

I wandered back to the car after a comfort break and finished up with the tractors and some incredible detailed working models.

I sat in my chair for a well earned rest after a longer walk around than I expected.

It was such a nice show I stayed pretty much until the end which was half an hour before the closure at four in the afternoon. The camera struggled a little with the bright light and contrast a bit, so you will have to forgive me on that. The journey home was as relaxing as the journey there, unrushed and enjoyable without some sort of SUV trying to overtake me on a country road. Once I parked up at home the dogs were going mad to see me so I had to go in give them a cuddle before I changed into something a little loose fitting before I wiped the car over and put her away. Rickinghall was a great show, well organised, not expensive for the visitors to get in (£3 per adult) either, so I will be back there again next year – as long as it don’t rain that is.

A slightly longer post than normal with lots of pictures. Hope it wasn’t a too much of chore to scroll through them all.

Share my Content

Rougham Tower Car Show 2024 (part 1)

I just had a busy weekend with a friend of mine dropping by to try out some new car detailing products which I will be reviewing shortly. Saturday’s weather was intermittent sun with the odd chilly spell, so Craig and I broke the usual detailing don’t rules where we cleaned my car in the bright sunny spells with the car being warm to the touch and not in the shade. The snow foam episode was intended just for my car, but the odd breeze also left dried water spots on his black car parked next to mine, that meant it was now going to be a two car wash day. The products we tried were good and I think I may have discovered a new favourite car shampoo, although I still have one more product to try before I can fully stand behind that statement. The day wore on and the weather forecast for the first show the next day’s car show was looking good. The best of it was the first show of the year was only seven miles away from me at a new venue (for me) organised by the Bury Retro Car Club called Buff The Ruff at Rougham Tower Museum, as it’s now known, but it was one of the fully functioning working airbases in the Suffolk and Norfolk areas.

Rougham Control Tower (originally known as RAF Bury St Edmunds), is a former RAF station, situated 3 miles east of the Suffolk market town of Bury St Edmunds.  The airfield was built between 1941 and 1942, and had three intersecting concrete runways.  The main runway was approximately 2000 yards long, and run in an East to West direction. The airfield was designed for a United States Army Airforce unit (USAAF) bomb group.  Fifty concrete hardstands were constructed just off the encircling perimeter track.  Two T2-type hangars were erected, one on each side of the airfield. Accommodation was provided for some 3,000 personnel in Nissen and other temporary type buildings. There were a number of squadrons based here; 47th Bombardment Group (Light), 322nd Bombardment Group (Medium), 94th Bombardment Group (Heavy) with their mighty B-17 Flying Fortress.

An excited big kid (me), went to bed with the weather still looking good for the Sunday. The alarm didn’t need to wake me up as the blind in the bedroom was up so the sunrise woke me and gave me a good excuse to check the weather. The sun was out and there was some blue stuff up there with the odd cloud moving slowly. I loaded my cool bag with some drinks and packed lunch, along with some sun cream!

I loaded the car and backed it out and the sound of the engine was something I had really missed. The journey was literally only ten minutes away as it was just off a main road and the first junction I came too, the car hadn’t really gotten warm after such a short journey. I got to the entrance a easy forty minutes before the official opening time of ten. I made a few changes of parking location, as I didn’t want to park under a tree. The second space I picked was the entrance to the field where the majority of cars were going to be parked up, so I had to move to nice spot I liked just in front of the main tower itself.

I took over three hundred photos on the day and quite a few of them were from the museum. The day I will split across two posts, just to make the page view a little more manageable.

There were a couple of groups of WWII enactment, mostly German with a few USAF guys wandering around. Just as you drove into the area there was a ‘dug out’ with a couple of ominous machine guns pointed at you, and a German SS guard by the barrier.

The main tower was over three floors, the top floor you had to go outside to get to the steps to take you up. The rooms were filled with models, equipment, bits of old planes, photo’s and information on the base and it’s history.

They had the odd mannequin showing the rooms, some of which looked a little creepy!

Going up the stairs to the next level, the building was almost trying to tell you a story of it’s own if that makes sense?

By the time I had spent a while looking around there were some cars arriving in convoy and managed to grab some unusual above pictures.

Outside there was some more US Jeeps parked up and a rather cute sibling!

Just to left of the of the Tower as you exit there are some bunkers or buildings which also housed some pretty awesome exhibits.

In part two’s post, the next hut along had a very interesting guy who was telling me about the weapons and he even let me hold a few as it was very early in the day and not many people looking around. Did I get to use the sun cream? Find out in the next post!

Share my Content

Taking Charge

Over the course of the winter my pride and joy is tucked up in the garage with the dehumidifier and temperature controlled garage, which is vitally important. To supplement the car’s cosy environment is the next most important thing, the trickle charge to the battery. Couple of reasons being it keeps the battery at an optimum level and prolongs the life of the battery. I use the CTEK mxs5 which has served me well for the last eight years 24/7 and I haven’t had any problems, until now. The wall mounted charger showed that all was good and the unit was on the maintenance cycle as expected when I popped into the garage to check up and have a day messing around in there.

A couple of months or so ago I went to the garage and noticed that the unit’s quick connection (which has a traffic light set of LEDs) was flashing red, this is a visual sign of low power in the car’s battery. I just put it down to a recent power cut during a storm which had messed up the maintenance charge process. I reset the charger and the process started up again, and I thought no more of it. I went back in a couple of weeks ago and all looked OK. Something told me to check the battery level, I got in the car turned the ignition on and the volt meter was showing just over 11 volts not the 12.5 volts that should have been available. Those that know these old cars are aware that there is an ‘Ammeter’ not a volt meter in the instrument cluster. I didn’t like the idea of a direct battery feed going to the dash, it didn’t tell you a great deal either as they either didn’t work or just in the middle of the gauge. Safety in mind I swapped out the Ammeter for a volt meter which I made on my own. (If you want to know how I swapped the stock Ammeter to a modern voltmeter that also still looks stock, click here.)

I tried to turn the car over which was rather slow, but eventually she fired up before what seemed like an eternity of ever slowing turn overs until I reckon the last but one revolution of the starter motor managed to fire the car into life.

I ran the car for a few minutes to get a little power charge into the battery while I finished up what I was doing in the garage. After shutting the car down and reconnecting the charger back up, I closed up the garage and wandered back into the house where I assumed the horizontal position on the sofa to start researching the issue. I found a forum where it seems there is a generic failure where these units show the maintenance cycle, but it’s not actually trickle charging the battery, so the battery runs low. I got into some heavy reading looking for the replacement, and to see if anything new was on the market since I bought that last one. I have previously given the CTEK unit 10 out of 10 and after (nearly) nine years it’s still a deserved score, and they still make them. With that in mind I was certain that I was going to do a like for like CTEK swap out, but another brand ‘NOCO’ caught my eye. I did the usual comparison, review readings and there was virtually nothing in it between the two manufacturers for the price and functions. So I ordered the NOCO for one reason only. I have also reviewed the NOCO Genius 5 here or cut and paste this link to read it:

NOCO Genius % battery charger (onemanandhismustang.com)

That one reason? Taken from the NOCO website;

“Thermal Comparison: the new integrated thermal sensor automatically monitors and adjusts the charging cycle based on fluctuations of ambient temperature, limiting the chance of under-charging or over-charging, providing a more accurate and fully charged battery. Avoids under-charging in cold weather down to -4F and avoids over-charging in hot weather up to 104F.”

My garage can get hot sometimes in the summer, so this ‘Thermal Comparison’ for me was the winning function, just pipping the CTEK. To replace the CTEX with the same model would have been literally five minutes, going to another supplier was something I knew would take a little bit of time to get it nice and neat under the hood, back to how I wanted it, out of sight out of mind.

The NOCO doesn’t look as fancy as the CTEK, but it’s function for me at the end of the day, I don’t have to look at it all the time, so it’s not really an issue or is it?

Once unpacked there is a rubbish bracket that clips to the NOCO and is held in place by a rather tacky looking velcro strap. You have to thread the strap under the unit into the bracket’s loop all of which is a bit cumbersome. Perhaps it’s a quick release, but it would have been nice to have a wall mount without the velcro. For £80 I would have wanted something a little nicer looking to be honest. When I walk into the garage and see it, it just bugs me. Surely it would have been cheaper for a slightly longer bit of plastic for the all mount, than to make and brand a bit of velcro.

The cable length under the hood wasn’t long enough, so I had to cut the wires and splice a longer cable in (same amp rating), so that I could route the cable where I wanted it to be out of sight but also easy access at the front of the car once in the garage. This supposedly half hour swap of charger took me about three hours by the time I took the car battery out, remade the cable, re-routed the cable, cleaned the area thoroughly, reinstalled the car battery and clamp, mounted the unit on the wall and cleaned up.

So far the new unit looks to be doing it’s thing as I would expect. However, I did notice that the maintenance cycle (slow green pulse LED) took a while to initiate as I suspect the charger was stabilising the battery from what it had been left with from the CTEK.

The one function I’m missing though is the LED lights on the CTEK connector. This was a simple traffic light idea for the status of the battery charge.

It’s not the end of the world of course, but a rather nice to have which I think NOCO should investigate for an option accessory purchase, I’m happy to test and review the item if you are reading this NOCO. I’m yet to decide on the final position of the new charger, so it’s not the neatest of fittings I have done. But for now it will serve a purpose until I can fully trust the new charger.

It wont be long now before the first car show is ready, so I will need to get the car out, fill it up with fuel and give it the de-winterising of the products I applied for protection. That usually takes me about a day all in. Hopefully I will be a little more regular with the posts again once the car shows start.

I have more reviews to add so look out for those too. I can’t wait to get my car out and go for a drive.

Share my Content

Christmas AI

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

Each year I try and create a little Christmas message with my car as the centre point. It takes a little while to mess around in Photoshop, but I think they look OK for an amateur. This year I have tried something a little different with varying results using the big buzz term ‘AI’ or ‘Artificial Intelligence’. The images were created pretty quickly – around 20 seconds or so on average across the various websites.

I visited quite a few sites by the end of the session, some sites required you to create an account which was rather annoying while others were free with adverts. Some were just so confusing I didn’t bother continuing with them. Each site had the same copy and pasted instructions, ‘Christmas scene with 1966 Ford Mustang blue coupe’. Looking closely at the images there was a theme of the ’65 grill bars for the Coral. Some of the Coral horses were a bit strange, but acceptable.

The winner I chose was this one, I only added the text at the top. It meet with my expectations of a Christmas scene and a car, it just looked festive. The only issues (apart from the scale of the car) that I spotted was the ’65 grill bars and the ‘F O R D’ on the hood had an extra letter!

This runner up was a very good image apart from ‘Christmas’ wording being repeated. The grill had a single spot light, extra hood letter and what looks like ’65 quarter emblems. Without the extra light and wording this could have been the winner.

For third place this image had very good rendering. I was particularly impressed with the reflection of the tree in the paintwork, and it just didn’t look like an after thought pasted into the image.

In fourth place, I’m not sure what lettering was on the hood, but I think it might say ‘Lincoln’. This was a great render, but it just looked like a car had been pasted onto the background, I still liked it though!

Then we have this, which wasn’t too bad for a cartoon style (I think), but it has been chopped off at each end.

Not sure what this effort was all about! Half fastback with dodgy rear quarter lights and no hint of Christmas.

I don’t think the Ford stylists have much to worry about with this ‘Coupeback‘ design. Have I just made up a new word up in the Mustang community! Has it been used before, although I haven’t seen it anywhere.

All these AI images are heavily dependant on what you put in as a prompt, what style of image you select can have a significant affect on the results. Adding extra words like, snow, no red tyres, or decorate the Christmas tree helped improve the images. I spent far to much time playing around with the many excellent variables. I had a bit of fun laughing at some of the results, then on the other hand some were pretty impressive. Where will all this go in the future? I don’t know, but one thing is for sure – it’s here to stay and it will get better!

See you all in the New Year.

Share my Content

Stonham Barns Classic Car Show 2023 (part 1)

The last two car shows I hadn’t attended as the weather was supposed to be raining. My app said rain, my wife said rain so therefore it will rain and I wouldn’t go. The show in particular I was most hacked of about not going to was the Helmingham Hall show which is always a good show and I even pre-paid the £10 entrance fee, but as it’s for charity I didn’t mind. It threatened rain at our house but it didn’t and was a nice day and I ended up painting. I did hear from a friend who braved the day that there was rain for about half an hour at Helmingham. Not that I was glad it rained, but just because I could sort of justify it to myself that I didn’t go. Anyway the weather was due to be nice for the Sunday show, I got the bag packed on the Saturday night, I even tempted fate and put some sun creme in the bag!

The sun came up and stirred me awake as I forgot to pull the blinds down, then what seemed like five minutes later the alarm went of. I was greeted by broken clouds, the nice white ones and not the ominous really dark grey jobs. I got the car out and had a nice steady cruise up until I got to some speed restrictions of 50mph, where I slowed a little to abide by the restrictions. Low and behold some dick head lorry driver tried to push me along as I obviously was going much to slow for the inpatient idiot. At one point I couldn’t even see the lorry’s number plate due to his tailgating, which is a offence now in the UK. Nearing a turn right the traffic was busy to cross the junction and there was a queue, unfortunately the lorry driver had to wait, just like me which did make me smile.

The minor country roads are OK once you crossed the busy junction, but this time there was a traffic jam to get to the show about a mile away from the entrance, I sat in traffic for about forty minutes. Not ideal, and a couple of cars turned around in front of me and obviously decided not to attend. I eventually arrived at the venue and followed the other cars in. Bury Retro Car Club usually has a nice tarmac hard standing pitch every year which is great. This time there was the first cock up, although the barriers had the Bury Car Club sign hanging on it, the traders had seen the marked up on the floor and pitched up already by the time myself and the rest of the club turned up, about fifteen minutes after me. I asked where to park and the marshal had no idea and said to park up in front of one car also from the club waiting for some information. We decided to park in front of the stalls as they didn’t want to move.

The organiser found us about thirty minutes later and came up with a compromise to park by the white marque tent, it wasn’t ideal, but we agreed and parked up.

After we parked up and had another chat I decided to go of and take some photos. Throughout the day I took just over three hundred and seventy photos, of which I will use around three hundred and forty, so I will split this show into three posts. I have the Mart’s Car of the show in part three, and a runner up this time which I will share in part two’s post, it was a close run thing to choose. As usual this event had the official cars of the show which is totally corrupt, I will explain in part three.

This little field was in front of us and few cars hadn’t turned up at the time I wandered over.

The main field was the second cock up; they had arranged the cars in a couple of rows where they were parked bonnet to boot (hood to trunk) and the lines were a bit all over the place. So in no particular order as I was zig zagging the lines taking the photos. So in this show there is a number of rear end of car photos as you couldn’t get a good one from the front.

This volks wagon had a 2.5lt Subaru engine bolted in the back of it and sounded rather awesome as it pulled in.

One of favourite super cars was the Ferrari 308 and this was a great example. I could have picked this as my car of the show, but it’s just a bought Ferrari and they made thousands of them. Still a very pretty car to look at. The paint was badly swirled and could do with a really good detail and paint correction.

A few cars up was this Audi 1000 Saxomat which has two clutches, I had never seen one of these before, and very VW Beetle-esq for styling. The radiator was at the back of the engine bay.

This guy had a second Saab that he turned into a trailer during lock down for Covid! The guy had done a good job even matching the wheels.

The weather was playing games one minute it sunny then it cloudy, but at least it wasn’t raining. The cars were still coming in and the show was getting quite busy.

Share my Content

Culford Car Show 2023 (part 2)

The sky had started to turn a nasty shade of dark grey in the distance and the air felt cooler, although the sun was trying to stay out. But as yet still no rain, but it didn’t look good. I started off on my wander round again, picking up where I left off just after the Ferraris corner taking the rest of the photos. As this was a ‘Classic’ car show, I didn’t bother to take photos of cars that were only five or ten years old, all of which can be seen in any super market car park doing a weekly shop. I have one question; why? I can understand an exotic car sports car, but your dad’s taxi just doesn’t do it for me.

With the wind still blowing around I was glad I wasn’t under the trees this time. I could see the sap on the paint on some of these lovely cars.

It was a busy as the day even as the day wore on, although the grey sky looming ominously closer might have put people of, it didn’t.

This F350 nearly got my vote of the day, I think it was the biggest vehicle there.

My blog wouldn’t be complete without a grouping of Mustangs, old and new.

Marts Car Of The Show:

This stunning 1960 Aston Martin DB4 GT.

I eventually got back to my car for a sit down and a well deserved rest after all the walking. I spoke to really nice people throughout the day. Including a couple who had their own photography business who I hope will get in contact with me. After a few minutes it happened, a few spots of rain. The reaction was quite funny to see, the car owners rush to wind windows up and shut soft top roofs, me included. The few spots only lasted for a couple of minutes then the sun came out. The rain drops had disappeared within a few minutes as the still warm cars along with the welcome return of the sun and the continuing light breeze helped the process of evaporation.

As I was talking to my friends back at the car, a ‘Health & Safety’ marshal came round and told us that the way out would be the way we came in, but not to move before three thirty, which was around two hours away. It got to three pm and few cars fired up, the marshals tried to stop them, but they carried on. A few minutes later there was a number of cars firing up ready to go, me included as I didn’t want to get caught in the queue of traffic to get out, maybe it might rain again. I think a lot of people had the same idea.

I pulled up home and gave the car a quick wipe over before I put her away in the garage and covered her up. All this rushing around and it didn’t rain anymore for the day. I was happy as it was a great show, chatting to wonderful people and catching up with great friends again. Looking forward to next year already for another really well run car show.

Share my Content