wlaidlaw Posted July 1, 2018 Share #11061  Posted July 1, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) When I was looking to buy a car to do classic car rallies in about 9 years ago, I looked at both Flaminia and Gamma Lancia coupe's. I could not afford the alloy bodied Zagato Flaminia and both the Touring and Farina steel bodied ones are very heavy and all the ones I looked at, had appallingly badly repaired rust damage to the steel floorpan. I was advised to run a mile from the Gamma coupé, as probably the only car every made, which makes a Lotus (Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious) look reliable. If you have parked a Gamma and left it on full lock, when you start it up, the cam drive belt, which also drives the power steering pump will break or jump off the pulleys and all the valves will hit the pistons. This is apparently far from the only design gem in the car. However it is very pretty. In September 2009, I then found an 1977 911 RSR with a blown-up engine in a scrap yard near Bakersfield, California, full of abandoned, crashed and stripped race cars, bought that and restored it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 1, 2018 Posted July 1, 2018 Hi wlaidlaw, Take a look here Name this car..... I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Graham (G4FUJ) Posted July 2, 2018 Share #11062 Â Posted July 2, 2018 I presume that 911 is your avatar on a Morgan forum Wilson? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted July 2, 2018 Share #11063  Posted July 2, 2018 I presume that 911 is your avatar on a Morgan forum Wilson?  Yes Graham, the one below. Annoyingly its speedometer has been in Stuttgart at Porsche Classic since early February for repair and recalibration, which they said would be around 6 weeks and has now been five months. I need to use the car in the UK later this week when I go back for a few days. It does have a super-accurate digital speedometer on the Brantz 2S but as that is in front of the passenger seat, I am not sure how legal that is. My main car is  sitting at my French house and the Morgan is lying broken yet again, in France. it lasted two weeks after the 11 month chassis replacement and they don't seem to be capable of repairing or replacing the rear hub, where the brand new hub and bearings lasted less than 400km. I have asked Morgan formally, to repurchase or replace the car as a "lemon", since it has worked properly for a total of three weeks over the last 3 years. The rest of the time it has either been broken, awaiting repair or being repaired - just ridiculous.  Wilson Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 4 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/119687-name-this-car/?do=findComment&comment=3547904'>More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted July 3, 2018 Share #11064  Posted July 3, 2018 Wilson, Please keep us posted with the Morgan 3 wheeler progress.  Thank you  dunk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted July 3, 2018 Share #11065  Posted July 3, 2018 Wilson, Please keep us posted with the Morgan 3 wheeler progress.  Thank you  dunk  I agreed with Morgan on the phone yesterday that it has to go back to Malvern for assessment/re-repair. I have accordingly told the Morgan sub-agent at the Paul Ricard Circuit to stop any further work on making special bits to fit the rear hub and just reassemble so it can be rolled around (not driven). The transport and repair costs will be out of my pocket but Morgan have said they will make every effort to keep the costs to a minimum since it is their agent and sub-agent that have messed up and they feel that Morgan have let me down. They are going to ask the main agent in France to contribute to the cost but I would be amazed if they did. I think there is a truck coming down to France in the near future with one of my brother's collection of classic cars and I am hoping to get a good deal on the Morgan for the return trip to the UK. Yet another year that I will not have any use out of it. After it has been mended by Morgan, I am very tempted to sell it and buy either a Caterham Seven, Can-Am Spyder 1300 or Polaris Slingshot instead. I would prefer to keep the Morgan but it is just far too unreliable.  Wilson Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted July 3, 2018 Share #11066  Posted July 3, 2018 (edited) Good luck with the Morgan Wilson; hope it's repaired satisfactorily and that you can enjoy driving it again. My brother's Caterham Seven is again being professionally 'set up' … it does not like bumpy roads and the suspension requires too frequent attention. The Seven's passenger seat is far too narrow to accommodate my 'frame' - thus to date have not had the opportunity to experience a drive in it.  dunk   EDIT: If Hektor doesn't have a 'name this car' entry ready I can post an interesting 'classic car' photo fro the next round. Edited July 3, 2018 by dkCambridgeshire Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted July 3, 2018 Share #11067  Posted July 3, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) Back in the 1960's, I used to make some pin money by assembling the Lotus Seven kits for people over a week-end. If you did not have some special tools like curved pointed pry-bars (bull pin) to force holes into line to get a bolt through and welding clamps, they were virtually impossible to build. Lotus failed to tell potential owners that the very first thing to go into the car was the hand brake mechanism, as you cannot add it later and without a hand brake, it would not pass the build test. Eventually I got it down to about 40 man hours between two people (me and a "gopher"). I charged £250 for this service. Purchase tax rules were that as you were just supplying a group of spare parts not a full car, which had a higher rate, Lotus was not permitted to supply detailed build instructions. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
masjah Posted July 3, 2018 Share #11068 Â Posted July 3, 2018 Wilson, the story I heard as a schoolboy (probably apocryphal) to get over the problem of provision of detailed instructions, was that they supplied a very detailed set of instructions for dismantling the car, and you started at the end, and worked backwards. Any truth in this? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted July 3, 2018 Share #11069  Posted July 3, 2018 (edited) Wilson, the story I heard as a schoolboy (probably apocryphal) to get over the problem of provision of detailed instructions, was that they supplied a very detailed set of instructions for dismantling the car, and you started at the end, and worked backwards. Any truth in this?  John,  The quick answer is: No. They provided about 4 pages of hints from other builders with very poor diagrams. Lotus was in such hot water with the tax authorities anyway, that they did not want to risk any further trouble. From I think late 1971 onwards, apparently they added a few pictures and told people about the handbrake but I stopped doing the week-end builds in 1969. There were a number of third party companies, like Haynes, who published books on how to build a Lotus Seven. Lotus stopped making the rather ugly squarish fibreglass bodied series 4 in I think 1972 and sold the rights to Caterham not long after that. VAT came in for 1973, which altered the whole picture and reduced the financial benefit of buying a kit. I used to have the official workshop manuals and parts books for the series 2, 3 and 4 Lotus Seven cars, which I sold for not inconsiderably amounts of money on eBay about 15 years ago. The workshop manuals and parts books were only available to bona fide dealers and I was a director of the Lotus dealers in St Ives, Hunts, when I acquired them in 1970. I also had the parts lists for Lotus 41, 47 and 62 cars.  Wilson Edited July 3, 2018 by wlaidlaw 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted July 3, 2018 Share #11070  Posted July 3, 2018 It really is a shame the Moggie 3-wheeler is so problematic. Other than that they are rather interesting, though grossly overpriced at least in the US. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted July 3, 2018 Share #11071  Posted July 3, 2018 It really is a shame the Moggie 3-wheeler is so problematic. Other than that they are rather interesting, though grossly overpriced at least in the US.  Stuart,  I believe the S&S engine is expensive at $10,000 each plus import duty and taxes to the UK. My own personal view is that they would have been far better using the Porsche designed 1250cc H-D V-Rod engine. Less torque but more power and far less vibration. I think a lot of the problems stem from the vibration and amateurish attempts to minimise this with two part rubber buffered Centa flywheel. The S&S X-Wedge engine is a 56º staggered crank pin motor, which is bound to vibrate more than a 45º. The S&S actually vibrates far more than the 700cc single in my Yamaha Raptor Sports Quad bike, which sits in a light alloy and moly steel frame, weighing a total of 170kg all up.  Wilson 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham (G4FUJ) Posted July 5, 2018 Share #11072  Posted July 5, 2018 Wilson, Thanks for the photo of your rally 911. In a photogenic location too  Not sure whether the speedometer has to be in front of the driver - there are many cars with them centrally mounted or even further away from the driver (my rhd '76 4/4 had the speedometer left of centre). You could buy one of the £30'ish Chinese HUD GPS speedometers - most can be set to either mph or kph as a temporary measure. I use one in the '93 4/4 (lack of use by previous owners makes the car speedo rather inaccurate after a few miles), but just in it's basic display mode. They power from a standard (cigar lighter) accessory socket. A lot quicker and certainly cheaper than having the car's speedo refurbished and recalibrated.  It's a real shame about your 3W. Pretty awful service too from the sounds of things. I hope the factory can sort out all the issues quickly and perhaps give you a chance to put some miles on it before parting company. I'll try to keep an eye open for it when I'm conducting tours. I have to admit I would rather have seen the 3W built along the lines of the Tri-King with Moto Guzzi power plant and shaft drive to the rear wheel (just my opinion). With USA finally deciding they are motorcycles, we now have to fit headlights directly in the cooling airflow to each cylinder, so I can see further issues arising from this too. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted July 5, 2018 Share #11073 Â Posted July 5, 2018 Wilson - Â Is it your turn again? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted July 5, 2018 Share #11074 Â Posted July 5, 2018 Wilson - Â Is it your turn again? I think Dunk was going to post something. I am back in the UK with just an iPad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted July 5, 2018 Share #11075  Posted July 5, 2018 (edited) i was planning to post if Hektor doesn't have a car for next round … Hektor won the last round  Here's an easy car … and its British (ish)   Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!   Marque and model please and year … (ish)   dunk Edited July 5, 2018 by dkCambridgeshire Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!   Marque and model please and year … (ish)   dunk ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/119687-name-this-car/?do=findComment&comment=3550332'>More sharing options...
hektor Posted July 5, 2018 Share #11076 Â Posted July 5, 2018 1935 Railton 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkCambridgeshire Posted July 5, 2018 Share #11077  Posted July 5, 2018 Correct Hektor … it's a Railton Straight Eight but actually manufactured in 1946.   Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!   http://railton.org/category/history   Car photographed at the recent Rolls Royce Enthusiasts Club Annual Rally, Burghley House, Stamford, Lincs. UK   Best wishes  dunk    Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!   http://railton.org/category/history   Car photographed at the recent Rolls Royce Enthusiasts Club Annual Rally, Burghley House, Stamford, Lincs. UK   Best wishes  dunk    ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/119687-name-this-car/?do=findComment&comment=3550405'>More sharing options...
hektor Posted July 7, 2018 Share #11078  Posted July 7, 2018 It's becoming harder to find cars that have you fellows working hard or guessing.  Try this one:  Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/119687-name-this-car/?do=findComment&comment=3551187'>More sharing options...
Michael Hiles Posted July 7, 2018 Share #11079 Â Posted July 7, 2018 Looks like a Thunderbird... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hektor Posted July 7, 2018 Share #11080 Â Posted July 7, 2018 Hi Michael, but its not a Thunderbird, not even a Ford. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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