Is it time to go backwards

philw696

philw696

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Yeah a year on a Sports Moped going everywhere flat out :)
Passed my Car test within a couple of weeks of my 17th was gutted I couldn't get a test on my birthday.
 
mjheathcote

mjheathcote

Centenary Club
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9,046
It was just easier to work on older cars.
You wouldn't think to take your cylinder head off your modern car to gas flow it, and probably today it's pretty perfect anyway with modern design and development.
Fuel injection has eliminated carb swops.
The list goes on.
I stripped down my Stag V8 in the 90's and sent all the bits off for grinding, boring, polishing, balancing etc and rebuilt it myself. It just wouldn't be possible for me to do the same on a modern engine.
However don't underestimate what can be done to modern cars its just different, more bolt on changes rather than internal changes.
I could spend thousands on my M140i if I so wished.
Limited slip diffs.
Suspension swops/coil overs
Wheels
Decats and exhausts
Ecu remaps
Bigger turbos
Meth injection etc.
And of course, splitters and spoilers.
So for those interested, is it really any different to a few decades ago? Yes, they pay someone to fit the stuff instead!!
 
lozcb

lozcb

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12,586
Doctor Houx said:
I think we are a dying breed. Millennials don’t dream of doing up an old banger usi g tuning and bodywork repair with Isopon skills they learned from watching their Dad doing it on a Sunday morning.

As others have said, Millennials want everything to be new with instant gratification and regular upgrades. Education is not focused on manual skills and such jobs are seen as low paid and boring. Couple that with very little DIY parts on a modern car, higher standards for the MOT and scrappage schemes and the availability of Uber etc and that’s why many don’t even bother to get a driving licence. How many of us were itching to get a moped at 16 and car licence as soon as we were 17 compared to now?

IMO, the proliferation of electric cars will make owning an ICE car like owning a horse. This will become a hobby and sport and only collectible cars will be kept and driven. Thank god I was born when I was and have lived through a golden era of ICE engines, beautiful cars that I could be passionate about.
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Very well said that man ...........and so so true ................................thank god its not just me and a few others that are seeing this , so nice to be in the same company as likeminded folk , i'll tip my glass to you sir
 
lozcb

lozcb

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12,586
mjheathcote said:
I could spend thousands on my M140i if I so wished.
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Exactly , thats what they want you to do , we had to either improvise or fit outrageous spoilers to get noticed lol but you appreciated it more , and got that pat on the back from Dad .....................a certain respected kinship
 
alfatwo

alfatwo

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5,517
lozcb said:
Later on around 76 Norwich Union opened up there head office in Worthing and merged with London and Edinburgh , hence being one of the largest employers locally at the time , was surprising how many family and friends got there insurance direct from there at reduced staff rates ......me included lol ,

Yeah the Princess Phil .........what can i say other than that the land crab bit is totally true , but a good wagon with space for the lucky nights when i didnt want to ferry my mates , engine got swapped in the street as most did in those days with 3 scaffold poles and a pulley block , was a big old lump tho
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Yea, been there;)

Dave
 
Silvercat

Silvercat

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1,166
lozcb said:
Used to love the smell of P38 , castrol R , Red X ,
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What was that engine oil additive which had teflon in it? Was supposed to protect your engine cylinders and make your engine sound quieter. Put some in my 1976 mini ....but made no difference!
 
Nayf

Nayf

Member
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2,758
rossyl said:
That's brilliant, well not for you at the time, but a brilliant story nonetheless. I have done a little bit but not a lot. I have also lacked the space to learn since my mid-20s, a downside of London.
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That’s the other factor - not only do most of us ‘yoof’ not only not have our own garages with which to do these projects (home ownership woe), but the number of council lockups are ever diminishing. I only bought my house when my grandad left me some cash in his will for a deposit (not everyone is afforded such opportunities); when I was renting any garage I had was used by my landlords to store stuff. And I doubt they’d be keen on turning it into a spray booth/oil slick etc. So there’s a lack of means and opportunity. Add in much more complex cars - unobtanium parts for quite a few - and while it’s easy to castigate the yoof, it’s not quite as straightforward as you might imagine...

The Merc put me off spannering for years; I’ve recently been taking more of an interest, observing at Autosportivo on the occasional Saturday. Covid/another project demands time though.
 
philw696

philw696

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I used to subscribe for many years to Classic and Sportscar with half the attraction on top of great articles and photography was the cars that they all ran and the trials and tribulations of looking after them in various lock ups.
One of my favourites was Martin Buckley as he was forever led towards older Italian oddballs.
 
midlifecrisis

midlifecrisis

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16,285
Silvercat said:
What was that engine oil additive which had teflon in it? Was supposed to protect your engine cylinders and make your engine sound quieter. Put some in my 1976 mini ....but made no difference!
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70's mineral oil probably needed it but modern synthetic oils not so.

The best stuff was Redex, you could put it in your tank as a fuel additive but best was to pour a lid full directly into the engine via the spark plug holes. You put the plugs back in but not the HT Leads and crank the engine to coat the cylinder linings briefly then let it soak and absorb the carbon. You then refit the HT leads and go for a drive. You end up doi an impression of the Red Arrows - and smoke on!
 
Needamaser

Needamaser

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1,503
midlifecrisis said:
70's mineral oil probably needed it but modern synthetic oils not so.

The best stuff was Redex, you could put it in your tank as a fuel additive but best was to pour a lid full directly into the engine via the spark plug holes. You put the plugs back in but not the HT Leads and crank the engine to coat the cylinder linings briefly then let it soak and absorb the carbon. You then refit the HT leads and go for a drive. You end up doi an impression of the Red Arrows - and smoke on!
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I just squirted it into the carb and revved. Same effect with the smoke. Still have a couple of bottles of it in the garage.
 
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