For those interested in old cars.

[Joseph_Pestell]

1 hour ago, RJS1977 said:

 

Honor Blackman or Diana Rigg?

Both, please. Well perhaps not Honor on the basis that she is dead.

[boxbrownie]

Honor Blackman.....every time......

[Rugd1022]

I meant to post these tow adverts with the other Chevy Camaro 'Mod Top' photos the other day, they appeared in two Californian newspapers in early '67. Last night I watched a 1968 Julie Christie film set in San Francisco called 'Petulia' (directed by Richard Lester of Beatles fame) in which George C. Scott drove round in a what was probably a brand new Camaro convertible in aubergine with a white vinyl interior and matching soft top, it looked fantastic on a large TV screen, also featured is a typically hippie-fied old '50s car of some description, Janis Joplin and The Grateful Dead make fleeting appearances too....

 

 

[PhilJ W]

The car is a Henry J.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_J

Sadly being small and light many ended up as dragsters and not many survive in original condition.

[petethemole]

Beat me to it. I used this site which is a goldmine for IDing cars from films.

https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_346534-Henry-J-1953.html

[Rugd1022]

1 hour ago, petethemole said:

Beat me to it. I used this site which is a goldmine for IDing cars from films.

https://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_346534-Henry-J-1953.html

 

Thanks, yes very handy site that.... the white Porsche 911 in the film is driven by a couple of white clad nuns.... it's that sort of film....!  

[Metr0Land]

A run down corner at Normanton, presumably late 60's but poss early 70's

 

Normanton station footbridge and Flying Scotsman pub with vehicles of the period by Dee Dye, on Flickr

[alastairq]

Reliant Regal saloon....

[boxbrownie]

Errr....Honda 50......

[alastairq]

Morris?

Or Austin?

1800 mark 1,  quite an early example...early half 1967..  My, didn't the 1800/2200's have a variety of rear light clusters?

[russ p]

1 minute ago, alastairq said:

Morris?

Or Austin?

1800 mark 1,  quite an early example...early half 1967..  My, didn't the 1800/2200's have a variety of rear light clusters?

 

This is a mk1 Austin or Morris 1800 mk2 saw the upright lights on these and the wolseley had different ones like small Maxine ones 

[BernardTPM]

Morris 1800. The rear lights are more pointy at the outer ends of the Morris compared to the Austin.

[russ p]

8 minutes ago, BernardTPM said:

Morris 1800. The rear lights are more pointy at the outer ends of the Morris compared to the Austin.

 

Well I've never noticed that before 

[jcredfer]

48 minutes ago, alastairq said:

Morris?

Or Austin?

1800 mark 1,  quite an early example...early half 1967..  My, didn't the 1800/2200's have a variety of rear light clusters?

 

My brother had an Austin and swore by it.  I drove some RAF ones and swore at them!!  It was like driving cars where every control was connected via a sponge connector.

 

I drove them in Norn Iron, where they were Military covert/civilianised - well they would have been if any of the population had bought some!!  It was like driving round waving an MoD banner.  They even sported a military, green, marked fire extinguisher between the front seats in full view.  There were only two colours, just to be certain of they were recognisable - black or an attempt at beige, which would have been more recognisable in a wet porcelain receptacle after a bad fish supper!!

 

Julian

 

[BernardTPM]

2 hours ago, russ p said:

Well I've never noticed that before 

Personally I think the difference was a little too subtle to be worthwhile. As far as I know the Mk.II/III versions shared rear lights, though the Wolseley kept its more distinctly different ones.

[MJI]

What is this recent trait of heavily sprung gear levers.

 

Old cars never had an issue 1 2 3 4 but some from 1990 on well not nice at all. A strong spring grabs the lever so you go 1 4 or try to start in 3.

 

Never driven a manual box better than the common or garden 1970s RWD box with directly attached lever and no springs.

[steve1]

3 hours ago, MJI said:

What is this recent trait of heavily sprung gear levers.

 

Old cars never had an issue 1 2 3 4 but some from 1990 on well not nice at all. A strong spring grabs the lever so you go 1 4 or try to start in 3.

 

Never driven a manual box better than the common or garden 1970s RWD box with directly attached lever and no springs.

 

It's probably to stop you doing either of those things.

 

That said, my 2005 Pug 407SW will happily do 2 to 4 and 3 to 5 without complaining.

 

steve

Edited May 20, 2020 by steve1
Change 5 to 3 and 6 for obvious reasons!

[PhilJ W]

1 hour ago, MJI said:

What is this recent trait of heavily sprung gear levers.

 

Old cars never had an issue 1 2 3 4 but some from 1990 on well not nice at all. A strong spring grabs the lever so you go 1 4 or try to start in 3.

 

Never driven a manual box better than the common or garden 1970s RWD box with directly attached lever and no springs.

 

20 minutes ago, steve1 said:

 

It's probably to stop you doing either of those things.

 

That said, my 2005 Pug 407SW will happily do 2 to 4 and 5 to 6 without complaining.

 

steve

When I was learning to drive, over 50 years ago I was taught to go to whatever gear was appropiate when changing down (Ford 105E, 4 speed box). On my modern car its easier to flip through the gears. Often its 5-4-3 without releasing the clutch so that 4th is not engaged. My first car was a 100E Ford with a 3 speed gearbox. First was only used for starting and steep hills so in normal driving you effectively only used two gears.

[Rugd1022]

Rooting through some Ford photos I came across this the other day, a late '60s mid engined prototype....

 

 

 

 

[MJI]

1 hour ago, steve1 said:

 

It's probably to stop you doing either of those things.

 

That said, my 2005 Pug 407SW will happily do 2 to 4 and 5 to 6 without complaining.

 

steve

 

I found with some that the gate was heavily sprung to go 1-4.

 

Worst ever was FWD Ford box, it felt like

.1.3.5

2.4.R.

Very strong spring to pull to 34 plane.

 

That car luckily I managed to kill it quite quickly.

 

It was a really naff pool car, break one and get another, but for some stupid reason was a few Fords for a while. Best ever were an old Astra van and a one day loan Maestro.

 

At the time I had a Sunbeam, which was a much better gear box, in fact despite being at least 10 years older a much better car all round.

 

Was a job and they wanted shot of me but never actually told me, so made it worse to try to get me to leave. I was after experience which I could not get just doing hardware support.

 

So since it is about 30 years ago, I did provoke the killing of those cars, go into wrong gear and I slipped the clutch to make up for it. And no it wasn't why they wanted shot, it was square peg round hole, luckily my current job has square holes.

[Metr0Land]

A Wisbech-Upwell charter causing some traffic problems

 

 

[alastairq]

The spronged gear lever is known as 'bias'...

 

In other words, it's easy to find out where on the gate you are, as you simply put the lever into neutral, and took your hand off it. usually [these days] on a 5 speed box, it'll sit between 3rd and 4th.

Which means, to select the intended gear, one places the palm of one's gearlever hand either facing le, for 1 or 2, flat forwards, for 3 or 4, and to the right, for 5 and backwardswards.  Gripping the gearlever was a no-no..it's either pushed with cupped palm, or pulled with finger tips..with the angle of the hand deciding which way the lever will go.

 

Mind, when I worked, before I conned the government-worked...driving all sorts of auld buses and stuffs..an ancient AEC coach had 6 forwards gears, plus crawler...arranged in a H-H pattern on the floor, with no bias whatsoever....so acquiring any gears between 1 and 4 was indeed a lottery. One got used to having a sensitive, gentle touch on the gearstick [which was like a pry bar, real thick , huge knob on the end]...guiding the lever with but the slightest of pressures sideways, one side or the other...the pressure deciding which gear one ended up with.  Interesting driving it around Whitby area!

One also quickly learnt, never look at the gearlever.

[alastairq]

Ford Mach 2..could have been the Mustang, but that would have been wishful thinking?

[Enterprisingwestern]

1 hour ago, alastairq said:

the gearstick [which was like a pry bar, real thick , huge knob on the end]...

 

I presume you're not referring to the driver?!!

 

Mike.

[jcredfer]

2 hours ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

I presume you're not referring to the driver?!!

 

Mike.

 

That's poor driving.....    normally associated with the Nut behind the wheel.  

 

Julian