When I were a lad

[8ob]

Just so You'all don't think the States are extremely better off than You over there. We bought lumber and supplies,plywood etc. and stored them in FIL's barn. Bought blocks each payday and stacked Them up on an acre of land He gave Us. Paid Someone to frame up the house and I learned how to do roofing. Everything out here I have hauled Myself with the exception of the roof trusses, furnace(unused total wood heat), the cement used for floors, and the water well plumbing. I made the driveway with 30 some loads of defective blocks from a block plant, which I broke up and used for a base. Had an Electrician put in the Main service and showed Me how to do the rest. Never had a house payment, never in debt more than about $8000, back then for 2 cars. That's changed now. Moved into the house at the end of October 1979. Could lay in bed and see every corner of the house, no walls finished yet. Kitchen sink was in the basement. First well was not very good and Wifey trucked laundry into town for about 15 years. Bad thing is I added a screened in back porch with a comfortable shop underneath and porch has stood about 20 years unfinished, which I get reminded about every 6 months. That's saving up to buy bootstraps to pull Yourself up with.

Its a bit easier for the Urmerikans though, in some states you only need to be a 60 clicks away from city limits to pull on to a plot of land and build what you want with no restrictions. Try pulling a stroke like that in the new forest

Bob

 

[mechman]

Anyone remember when there were more than 6 crisps in a packet, and a Kit Kat was 10 times the size of an ice cream wafer, Oh and when 6d was 1/2 of 5p(sixpence half of 5pence)

 

[GW8IZR]

When you couldn't go through a winter without the use of a starting handle

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Anyone remember when there were more than 6 crisps in a packet, and a Kit Kat was 10 times the size of an ice cream wafer, Oh and when 6d was 1/2 of 5p(sixpence half of 5pence)

No.

But I do remember my first stone axe my Grandfather gave to me.

 

[Keith 66]

When you couldn't go through a winter without the use of a starting handle

I still have one in my Moggy truck, one winter the starter motor packed up so i started it for a month every time on the handle, you do get funny looks from modern motorists.

 

[8ob]

I still have one in my Moggy truck, one winter the starter motor packed up so i started it for a month every time on the handle, you do get funny looks from modern motorists.

One of the lads we used to knock about with had a Cresta, that had a duff starter and he crank started it for the two years he owned it. It was a six cylinder and would start winter or summer with a good swing in less than half a turn, it was only when he sold it he bother fitting another starter.
Dad had a winget diesel cement mixer that was swing start with a decompresser , one of the labourers got it all wrong when the cranking handle flew out splitting his top lip and knocking out his front teeth .



Bob

 

[Cobbler]

One of the lads we used to knock about with had a Cresta, that had a duff starter and he crank started it for the two years he owned it. It was a six cylinder and would start winter or summer with a good swing in less than half a turn, it was only when he sold it he bother fitting another starter.
Dad had a winget diesel cement mixer that was swing start with a decompresser , one of the labourers got it all wrong when the cranking handle flew out splitting his top lip and knocking out his front teeth .



Bob

My brother had a CA Bedford that he used to crank as the battery was shot, one day he got it wrong, it kicked back & broke his wrist, we reckoned he was suffering from crankers wamp!

 

[Keith 66]

My first job we had a big old winch to haul boats up the slipway. It was driven by a single cylinder 15 hp water cooled Lister, god knows how old it was but the radiator leaked & had to be topped up with a bucket of water every half an hour. The flywheel was about the size of a transit wheel & tyre. The decompressor was broken so you had to roll the thing backwards until it came up against compression then slip the handle on & swing madly one two three & on four it would fire whereupon you had to swing the handle faster & get it of quick before it went too quick. The exhaust was a six inch stub of scaffold pipe. In the winter easy start was used & then it was liable to kick back violently.
If you had a heavy boat on the cradle it was usual to hold the throttle governor wide open with a long piece of wood while standing behind the wall of the shop, it was said that this might give you some protection if the wire broke though i never saw this happen. Running like this an angry flame would be belching out of the exhaust about 8" long & it was very loud. This was right alonside the road in Old Leigh with sometimes scores of day trippers walking by, i dont think you would be allowed to do it today!

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I had an charging fault on my 1956 Austin A35 whilst in France. I bought a new battery and then managed nearly 3 weeks over there just using the starting handle. In fact when back in UK it took several weeks before I got roundtuit of sorting the problem !
I've got several starting handles including the OE one that came with my 1972 Range Rover.

 

[cumbriasteve]

One of the lads we used to knock about with had a Cresta,

Bob

Memory blast

I had a Cresta 3 litre, the one that when you opened the door there was still half the window frame in your way and it was pointed at an exact height for .

I only had it for three weeks, driving it as a young tearaway meant I was lucky to get 12 mpg, I swapped it for a Zephyr 6 that did 18mpg

 

[Cobbler]

Someone from one of the local scrapyards ran a Cresta, he was in the pub one night & someone said hey ..... You some doors for a Cresta mate. He said come outside unscrewed the doors from the car in the car park & sold them there & then. He then ran the car around for a while with no doors on. It was a pink one from what I recall, always known as nipple pink, I'm not sure if this wasn't the official name for it.

 

[Wedg1e]

I've told this before but... in '69 my dad really wanted some big American barge but he coukdn't find one so instead he bought a big German barge: a 300D pillarless limousine.
In 1970 the starter motor packed up so every morning he had to hand-crank the 3L straight-6.
As a new starter motor was £45 and his wages were £15 a week with a mortgage, wife and three kids to support and there was an oil crisis on, he swapped the Merc for a nice reliable Zephyr Mk4 (the aircraft carrier shaped one ).
The Zephyr had that boat-anchor of a V4 engine which seized somewhere on the M1 en route to Stratford-on-Avon. He put a second-hand engine in (by that time Zephyrs were being scrapped when the ashtray was full) and got rid, I think he bought a Viva. Then a Maxi... then for 10 years he had Escort vans and my mother had the 'family' car (Viva, Herald, eventually a Fiesta!).
The Merc was last seen outside a scrapyard with all the windows broken and swastikas painted on it... which was a shame because you'll be lucky to find a 300D for under £50,000 nowadays. Most people still wouldn't have a V4 Zephyr given
As an aside, the Herald went from concept to production in 19 months which I think is still an unbeaten record... the man in charge of Standard-Triumph at the time having the unfortunate name of Alick Dick.
Apparently he called a meeting on his private yacht to come up with a name for 'Project Zobo' which was the Herald's codename.
After hours of high-level spin-doctor marketing speak about the new car 'heralding a new future' they were still stumped... until someone spotted the boat's nameplate:

"The Herald"

 

[mcostello]

When hand cranking a car was the crank put on the end of the crankshaft? Never did it and that seems the only way.

 

[Cobbler]

When hand cranking a car was the crank put on the end of the crankshaft? Never did it and that seems the only way.

Yes, there was a sort of crude ratchet/dog arrangement on the front of the crankshaft pulley nut for the end of the starting handle to engage in. I bet someone will be along with a photo soon.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

I joined this one a bit late.
I recall when I was a sprog half day closing on a Wednesday afternoon. So the staff, who were working Saturday could do their shopping. On the afternoon of half day closing.

 

[fixerupper]

Yeah I had a six cylinder series 2a years ago ...the starter motor went off to be reconditioned so for a few weeks I started it with a handle .... it was dead easy one complete turn to get compression at 12 o'clock and then body weight down on the handle, and away she went ...I got quite good at it ....(bit of a bugger if you stalled at traffic lights in the rain ) got funny a few looks .....

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Yes, there was a sort of crude ratchet/dog arrangement on the front of the crankshaft pulley nut for the end of the starting handle to engage in. I bet someone will be along with a photo soon.

They are called Dog's and replace the bottom pulley bolt -

 

[Cobbler]

Well done Compo, that was quick. I couldn't think where I could get a picture

 

[Perry Owens]

Usually the "bearing" for the starting handle was a hole in the radiator grill. The 1948 Standard that I bought for £10 never had a grill so my dad welded up a 2in angle iron frame for a bumper with a plummer block on top for the handle. Would have made a good ram raider.

 

[wookie]

Interestingly on my jeep it's the other way around, the dog as shown by @CompoSimmonite is on the end of my handle and the nut on the crank pulley is hollow with a bar across. Is there any benefit to either way ?