When I were a lad

[KemppiFrog]

Laying in a ditch in Scotland under an 1800 BMW with water running in the neck of waterproofs and out of the legs to sort an exhaust and damaged sump guard, the driver had rolled on Loch Ech all he did was moan about how long we were taking

Takes me back to reconnecting the exhaust on a Mini Moke while lying on a dirt road in Portugal it had rained over 3 inches a day for a 4 days and the road was rocks with the infil washed away. Water washing past me while spannering. At least is wasn't cold.. I was taking the workers home as their normal path was cut by two raging torrents in usually dry stream beds. End of '75.

 

[northwest]

The last engine I swapped in the street was the one in the girlfriends fathers HC Viva some forty three years ago, it conked out near Birmingham and he had no AA/RAC cover so it was fix it or scrap it where it was . Muggings here got roped into the task, all I could get my hands on at the time was a Bedford Beagle LC engine so that's what it got, stripped as much weight off it as I could then lifted it out. Lots of grunting/swearing at the time because of the amount of gear that needed swapping over but got it done and he drove it home. A layby is not a nice place to perform an engine swap

Bob

When I think back, we did some really, really crazy things. I once changed the U/J on a propshaft on a JU250 on the ring road in Stockton. Not at the side of it, just right there in the inside lane. Nuts.

When I was a lad you did business with a handshake - and once done - that was set in stone.

I still do, to the dismay of some. Ask for something from me and you bought it. When I appear with it, you will pay me for it. Had a couple "oh I don't want it now". They soon changed their minds when the rules were explained, word quickly went around. But it works in my favour, I bought a few things over the phone, unseen from a dealer in Czechoslovakia the other day, he is bringing them Saturday. He and I both know I will stand on my word so I get first choice.

 

[minimutly]

Laying in a ditch in Scotland under an 1800 BMW with water running in the neck of waterproofs and out of the legs to sort an exhaust and damaged sump guard, the driver had rolled on Loch Ech all he did was moan about how long we were taking

You don't want to buy one do you? Black 318 compact...

 

[Rannsachair]

I strongly suspect my lower back pain today is related to singlehandedly swapping my rusted Mk1 Escort Mexico mechanicals into a mk2 in the mid 80's. Lifted the engine in and out with a 4x2 over my shoulders and strops round the block. Being young and stupid I could not wait on help and never realised my body had limitations.

 

[Greeves246]

Scene: Multi story car park Liverpool 1970s. Two similar Fords, one with rattle shot engine, other a fairly new hire car. Cast: couple of Scousers and a toolbox. Action.....................

 

[gordon stephenson]

It all just boils down to, "Its got to be done and you are the only one there"

 

[8ob]

It all just boils down to, "Its got to be done and you are the only one there"

A lot easier for the kids today, for an engine swap they would try and download an app

Bob

 

[mrsbruce]

This all brought back a memory from the 80’s of a friend’s banger of a car whose engine gave up the ghost. He bought a donor car with an even worse body, but a working engine, and my 1st hubby, car owner, and three others all met up in a shop car park on a Sunday morning.

They rolled the donor car onto its side, and the engine rolled out onto a strategically placed mattress. The grunts then manoeuvred new engine into friends car, and 2 hours later, job done.

Much beer then consumed by said grunts.

 

[500e]

You don't want to buy one do you? Black 318 compact...

Think I will give it a miss thanks, we ran it for 2 seasons good solid car took a lot of beating the driver specialized in wheels roof wheels roof, loved the Scottish though hotel every night good food Whisky, sponsor fags, sponsor girls lots early starts yes

 

[gordon stephenson]

Also remember changing a clutch outside in the winter, On an old Standard 8, Strange arrangement, Just remove a couple of nuts from two vertical studs and the whole front cross member including the front suspension pivoted down, giving room to get the gearbox off, And the clutch was tiny, Around six and a half inches, A bit like the later Triumph Herald,

 

[Cobbler]

My mate found an easier way, he had on old blue 1390 Minx, the body fell apart, but it had test on. He was offered another in black with little or no test but reasonable in the body. Swap number plates & job done, he ran it for several years & never got questioned, although he did get asked by plod one day, ”this used to be blue” “just painted it Officer”

 

[hermetic]

When I were a lad you got 4 gallons of petrol for a quid! Remember one saturday waiting for my mate to show up in his mk1 escort so we could go to the pub, he arrived in his best gear, as I was, with a slipping clutch, so we rolled it over my pit, donned the overalls and changed the clutch in 30 minutes. Did a Volvo V70 with a ramp a couple of weeks ago, major strip down including disconnecting steering rack and dropping the subframe, only took 1 1/2 days!
Phil

 

[graffian]

I have only ever used it as tracing paper!

When my uncle retired from British Rail he was given a few years worth of Izal - my aunt was a strictly Andrex lady but my uncle would use nothing else!

Around here you could the people who were cleaners at the airport, they had 12" diameter bog rolls.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

When I were a lad you got 4 gallons of petrol for a quid!

Aye, plus change! One of my school holiday jobs was serving petrol [remember when they did that? ] at a nearby filling station

 

[brightspark]

When I was a lad you did business with a handshake - and once done - that was set in stone.

did u ever

Aye, plus change! One of my school holiday jobs was serving petrol [remember when they did that? ] at a nearby filling station

remember going in garage on my norton and getting 4 gals of petrol and a guy in a big jag pulled up and said put a gallon in to the attendant i shouted out i got 4 gallon as 1 gal wouldnt get you out of the high street in that

 

[KemppiFrog]

Friend of mine's father ran a big car agency and drove a roller. Said friend used to borrow it to pick up his dates. But taking it into the petrol station and saying put in a quids worth used to raise a few eyebrows.

 

[zx9]

Aye, plus change! One of my school holiday jobs was serving petrol [remember when they did that? ] at a nearby filling station

The first time I was in Ireland, some old Colene had a right go at me for touching her petrol pump. I never did get used to the idea that stopping for petrol involved giving your life history and what ever else you tell them don't let them know that you lived in Neasden for a while because you are bound to have met their cousin / brother / uncle in Biddy Mulligans.
BTW Ireland in the late 80's was just like the East Yorkshire I had grown up in twenty years before, for which I loved it and it's people.
Sadly the last time I visited in 2008 it had changed beyond all recognition.

 

[Cobbler]

did u ever

remember going in garage on my norton and getting 4 gals of petrol and a guy in a big jag pulled up and said put a gallon in to the attendant i shouted out i got 4 gallon as 1 gal wouldnt get you out of the high street in that

Friends of my in-laws was a director of a company & ran a Daimler Double 6, the Vanden Plas thing with the extended chassis. They took my in-laws over to Germany on a sales trip (holiday) pulled into a German filling station & put about 20 gallons of petrol in, then asked the attendant to fill the other side. In broken English the girl said ”no no, pipe connecting underneath“ they told her “no pipe on this one, 2 big tanks” she made them pay before she’d fill it. I hate to think what that trip must have cost, in-laws friends wouldn’t go on a boat, so the car was flown over from Lydd to Le Touquet on the air ferry, driven up through Belgium into Germany then onto Denmark & I think Sweden at what 14 to the gallon if your lucky?

 

[brightspark]

my mate has a fancy merk if he hoofs it it goes to single figures

 

[MattF]

I have only ever used it as tracing paper!

When my uncle retired from British Rail he was given a few years worth of Izal - my aunt was a strictly Andrex lady but my uncle would use nothing else!

What degree of masochist does one need to be to intentionally use Izal. Just the mere thought of using that stuff makes one wince.