I remember when motor cars were simple to fix.

[Cycleops]

[QUOTE 5055436, member: 43827"]
It may be my memory playing tricks on me but I seem to remember putting the Austin Devon in reverse gear and using the starting handle to move the car backwards on a couple of occasions. Can anyone confirm this was possible?[/QUOTE]
Did you ever see ‘Ice Cold in Alex’? They did this to move an ambulance up a steep sand hill.

I remember my old Austin 7 special had cable brakes.

 

[Dave7]

I would completely disagree with you on that one, there again I work alongside technicians most days.

I cannot figure out some of the moans on here, you all do still have a choice of what car you want to drive.

We dont ALWAYS really have that much choice.
My criteria were.....
Petrol
Automatic....
One/two years old
Low mileage
NOT black.
Took me 4 months to locate one and that was 60 miles away.

 

[PhilDawson8270]

I agree that many things have improved. But I also think some things aren't progress to some people who don't mind replacing headlight bulbs (though an led headlight cost may well force you to scrap the car given the cost) or replacing spark plugs (if you can remove whatever is now in the way or in some cases have use of an engine hoist.) I question this "progress".

Which car needs an engine lift to remove a spark plug?

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Topical quiz, what is this?

 

[biggs682]

These were fun to work on, plenty of room to get at everything

View: https://youtu.be/boPPZ6IwiOQ

when i was a kid that's all my dad drove including the later v4 version 96

i had one as well complete with freewheel device so no clutch required fantastic in the snow

 

[BoldonLad]

A lad in my village had a nice Anglia, mind you he had shoehorned a 3.0 litre Granada engine into it.

After my 100E, I had a 105E Anglia, started life as a 997cc, but, I obtained 1600cc Ford Cortina engine (from scrap yard) and installed it in the 105E, rather brisk it was. The folly of youth.

 

[BoldonLad]

View attachment 384661

Topical quiz, what is this?

Brake warning light ?

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Brake warning light ?

Which bit of the brake?

 

[PhilDawson8270]

Which bit of the brake?

Handbrake

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Handbrake

Nope

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Nope

Pad wear limit?

 

[raleighnut]

when i was a kid that's all my dad drove including the later v4 version 96

i had one as well complete with freewheel device so no clutch required fantastic in the snow

When I worked at the SAAB main dealer I used to get a lift (along with another guy) to work in the Service Managers car (he was my next-door neighbour) One day we were driving to work in the morning and it was snowing so the traffic was at a crawl all the way along the A46, as we approached the M1 junction Malc, who was driving turned to Rog and said "stuff this we've got a broken down car in Loughborough we'll go and drag it in" So we turned onto the Motorway, that was down to a single lane at about 20mph apart from us, Malc just went over into lane 3 and booted the SAAB up to 70, steady as a rock in 5-6 inches of fresh snow.

 

[Globalti]

I did that once in my Landy; one snowy morning lane 2 of the A56 where it climbs up Hambledon Hill was about 3" deep in slush and everybody was stuck in lane 1 not moving so I put it in diff lock and cruised up and over the hill about 3 miles with a nice little bow-wave flying out and splattering all the proles. It was the only time driving a drafty rust bucket fuel-guzzler was ever worth it.

 

[raleighnut]

I did that once in my Landy; one snowy morning lane 2 of the A56 where it climbs up Hambledon Hill was about 3" deep in slush and everybody was stuck in lane 1 not moving so I put it in diff lock and cruised up and over the hill about 3 miles with a nice little bow-wave flying out and splattering all the proles. It was the only time driving a drafty rust bucket fuel-guzzler was ever worth it.

View attachment 384666

 

[Donger]

My Toyota Auris has been faultless for 70,000 miles and I love it to bits ....... but if I ever disregard (or can't obey) the sat nav, the damn thing sounds really disappointed in me. "RECALCULATING route" it says, with a silent, but implied "yet again" missing from the end. I sometimes feel I ought to apologise.