Classic car

[islandgun]

I had one of these, fantastic motor, whish i still had it TBH.......mine was also in black but the rear window was a bit smaller..🙂

[TIGHTCHOKE]

Oh the one in the background!   

[Old Boggy]

My first car was an Isetta bubble car bought for £18 driven on my motor bike licence. Worth a few bob more now I suspect.

My second, a `sit up and beg` Ford Popular bought for £20. They could be had in any colour providing it was black

Happy days.

[London Best]

My first car was a 1938 Fiat Topolino 500. 
570cc 4 cyl side valve 13 bhp with a gravity feed petrol tank. 
Given to me by a family friend after passing my test in 1966. Sold later for £6

Yeah, wish I had it now.

[ditchman]

mine was a ford anglia van........it smelt of wee ...im glad i dont have it now

[snow white]

Morris oxford 1962 In racing green 1622 engine 

Dad wanted to buy me a Plymouth all aluminium but I didn’t want it as a 17 year old lad wanted something flashy wish I had got it now be worth a fortune 

[enfieldspares]

Triumph Vitesse 6 saloon not the convertible bought for £100 in 1977. Sold the number plate which I'd kept and transferred to later vehicles, in 1990 or so for £1200, Bond Equipe convertible, Austin 3 Litre and the last a Sunbeam Tiger Mk I with the "small" engine of only 260 cu ins not 289 cu ins. Had "modern" cars then on. Now have a Mazda 2 Sport. Far far superior in every aspect to any and all of them.

Edited July 26, 2023 by enfieldspares

[welsh1]

First car a left hand drive Golf L in lime green, wouldn't go over 75, bought it from old sweat leaving the army in Germany for 500 DM sold it a year later for 600 DM, bought myself a MK1 capri, purple with a black vinyl roof (RUE 56M), loved that motor right up to the point it skidded on oil on the road and into a drystone wall at 50mph, that long bonnet was a great crumple zone, not a scratch on me lol.

 

[countryman]

First car was an MG Midget, all so had my first real girlfriend as well, I was pretty nimble then. 😂

[la bala]

My first car was a black E93a Ford Pop in black. In later years I spoilt myself with another black Ford.

[Agriv8]

1 hour ago, la bala said:

My first car was a black E93a Ford Pop in black. In later years I spoilt myself with another black Ford.

Now that would be worth a bob or two today !

first car 950cc  pop plus fiesta In cream-  freedom at last !

agriv8

Changing tack slightly fist car you did over 100 mph and the fist car you were the pilot ( obviously all on the German autobahn! )

Passenger

hitting 100 mph was when dad borrowed the Granada from work 2.8 Essex v6 iirc,

driving 

my opel manta 2.0 GTE !

Agriv8

[243ack]

Jowett Bradford van!.

[Robden]

1956 Vauxhall Wyvern (95 HVX) cost £30 in 1967. 

[harrycatcat1]

I used to buy my cars from the under £25 column in the Sheffield Star newspaper and if I was feeling flush I'd venture into the under £50 column.

My first car was a little 4 door Wolsley that used to overheat. I had to have the heater on full blast and the windows open.

[JohnfromUK]

I had a 1952 80" series 1 LandRover.  I wish now I'd kept it, but though excellent off road, it wasn't either comfortable or particularly easy to drive (very heavy steering and controls) and was non lockable - so a problem with guns/ammunition.  It was also very slow and noisy and visibility was poor in winter - no demisters and only a (very poor) wiper on the drivers side.  At the time I sold it, spares were getting difficult and significant work was needed.  Nowadays - oddly spares are fairly widely available as many have been re-manufactured.  I also had a Mini, Triumph Dolomite Sprint, Fiat X1/9 and Daimler Double Six, all of which are now 'classics' and were all good cars in their day.

 

[London Best]

40 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

I had a 1952 80" series 1 LandRover.  I wish now I'd kept it, but though excellent off road, it wasn't either comfortable or particularly easy to drive (very heavy steering and controls)

 

I have had four of those over the years. 
Proper Land Rovers, the best ever made, but should not be compared to a car. 
Incidentally, if yours had heavy steering the swivel bearings were not set up correctly. When done properly the steering is not too heavy considering there is no power assistance and taking into consideration the size and weight of the wheels and tyres. Again, do not draw comparisons with a car.

[JohnfromUK]

4 minutes ago, London Best said:

Incidentally, if yours had heavy steering the swivel bearings were not set up correctly. When done properly the steering is not too heavy considering there is no power assistance and taking into consideration the size and weight of the wheels and tyres.

The early (80" chassis pre around 1954, both 1600 and 2 litre side exhaust valve engines) cars had a 'worm and nut' steering box bolted to the bulkhead directly.  The ratio was quite 'direct' which was both heavy and gave a lot of 'kickback'.  The later (86" chassis post 1954 but still series 1) series 1 had a 'recirculating ball' steering box mounted to a bracket off the bulkhead and had a lower ratio, and was less heavy (and had less kickback).  This system was used much the same by all series LandRovers and 90s and 110s without power steering.  A good friend had the 1954 onwards version series 1 and it was a much easier drive than the pre 54 version, having an angles toe board (rather than a flat floor) which gave better pedal angles, and the better steering.

You are right in that the swivel assemblies were done with some 'pre-load' which you set up with a spring balance and shimmed the covers to give the right pre-load if I remember correctly.  Without pre-load you could get wheel 'shimmy' on the road.

Much of the time I had mine - my 'everyday car' had no power steering, but the LandRover was much heavier and much more 'kickback'.  As I say - the later recirculating ball steering box was a great improvement, but not an easy swap as the bulkhead was quite different in the mounting area.  For a long time, replacement worm and nut steering boxes were unobtainable, but were later re-manufactured.  They tended to get worn because the oil seals were felt, and the box needed regular 'topping up' with heavy oil.

[London Best]

2 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

The early (80" chassis pre around 1954, both 1600 and 2 litre side exhaust valve engines) cars had a 'worm and nut' steering box bolted to the bulkhead directly.  The ratio was quite 'direct' which was both heavy and gave a lot of 'kickback'.  The later (86" chassis post 1954 but still series 1) series 1 had a 'recirculating ball' steering box mounted to a bracket off the bulkhead and had a lower ratio, and was less heavy (and had less kickback).  This system was used much the same by all series LandRovers and 90s and 110s without power steering.  A good friend had the 1954 onwards version series 1 and it was a much easier drive than the pre 54 version, having an angles toe board (rather than a flat floor) which gave better pedal angles, and the better steering.

You are right in that the swivel assemblies were done with some 'pre-load' which you set up with a spring balance and shimmed the covers to give the right pre-load if I remember correctly.  Without pre-load you could get wheel 'shimmy' on the road.

Much of the time I had mine - my 'everyday car' had no power steering, but the LandRover was much heavier and much more 'kickback'.  As I say - the later recirculating ball steering box was a great improvement, but not an easy swap as the bulkhead was quite different in the mounting area.  For a long time, replacement worm and nut steering boxes were unobtainable, but were later re-manufactured.  They tended to get worn because the oil seals were felt, and the box needed regular 'topping up' with heavy oil.

All true, I agree, but I still say an early system in good fettle is not over heavy unless, as people do, you insist in comparing it to a car.  They maybe should really be compared to a small lorry.
You obviously know your Land Rovers. 

[JohnfromUK]

Just now, London Best said:

You obviously know your Land Rovers. 

I did know a bit then, but much is forgotten now (age and I only have a Defender now). 

I made serious investigations into getting mine converted to the later type steering box (which was available) as my early box was well worn and no longer available (though some parts were as Army surplus through John Craddock).  My bulkhead was weak in that area (basically the early steering box was only mounted to a mildly reinforced sheet metal bulkhead which tended to flex and crack).  The later box had a bracket which came off the chassis and supported the box/bulkhead area (can't remember exact details now) and the plan was to add the bracket and use the newer box, but the differences in the bulkhead shape made that hard and we never did it in the end.

I can only say that I also used to drive a 1954 86" model on the grouse moor in Wales annually and remember how much better the steering was than the 80" version. 

In comparison to my present 200 Tdi 90 which I have owned for 27 years, the old 80" was very hard work!  I happily (well reasonably happily) take the Defender to Scotland annually, a journey I never faced in the 80".

[London Best]

32 minutes ago, JohnfromUK said:

 

In comparison to my present 200 Tdi 90 which I have owned for 27 years, the old 80" was very hard work!  I happily (well reasonably happily) take the Defender to Scotland annually, a journey I never faced in the 80".

Must admit I never drove an 80 inch to Scotland, but went up there a lot in series threes, petrol and diesel, and also in 90/110’s. 
Like you, I have probably forgotten more than I can remember.

[hodge911]

First : ford cortina mk3 1.3 (I was 17yrs old) followed by a 2.0E cortina then a 3L v6 mk1 granada...then a couple of mini vans 

Want back to ford's with a mk2 escort 1.6ghia a mk2 escort estate that we put a 2L pinto into .

I worked at the only mot station in the area and got most of the cars  for scrap value if they dfailed the test  , we specialised in welding being the first in area with a mig welder...

God if I'd  put them into storage instead of just using And scrapping ect I,d be loaded and not skint 🤣

[London Best]

41 minutes ago, hodge911 said:

 

God if I'd  put them into storage instead of just using And scrapping ect I,d be loaded and not skint 🤣

Well, you’re certainly not on your own with that one!

[sutty2006]

I still have my classic cars. 
 

bought this 1987 Red Opel manta in 2007 as a rolling shell and have made it my own spec. Originally a 1.8 GT, now a GTE looker with a C20XE engine, limited slip diff, bmw style 5 wheels and much more. 

then last year I bought this 1986 Carlton 2.2 Cd auto that has been sat for 15 years in a barn. Recommissioned it and use it regularly now.

 

I do love my classic Vauxhall/Opel cars. I also wish I’d kept my series 3 Landrover ambulance but it was a pain in the *** and it went to America. 

[Gordon R]

My eldest had the Manta GTE in his youth. Carlton's were underrated.

[alan123shooting]

I had a manta 1.8GT in my twenties, I loved that car,had some lovey times driving it never missed a beat