You can call my car Old Yeller, but think of me as a Lotus
Posted: Mon Sep 03, 2007 3:47 pm
I was mad on Lotus as a cub, but have never owned one as Chapman always built them to just get to the line, then ....... We know the rest.
Living in and around Dartmoor as I always have, you get to make your own amusement(!). So early attempts at warming up VW Vans, required transport as one's own attempts at breeeding got serious (well what IS there to do?) first by getting Autocavan kits for bigger bores (successful) to Turbocharging (not so), were how we spent the 70s.
In the 80s, I turned to Beetles and after various efforts, decided I might as well make a real improvement and stuck a Rover V8 out back. Good fun in the dry, but in the wet, as braking was 'different' having an extra 65lbs hung out there to swing and make the front end go terribly light when you wanted something ahead of you to work on!. But it was my every day mode of transpport for 18 months until one day, when I was down in the depths of Bodmin Moor, the grass 'central reservation' wore away all the pipes running up front to the rad and all coolant was ejected.... Sad Day!!
Fast forward and a decade of BMs (had to get 3 cubs to and fro Uni) I've gone back to Basics and just over 2 years ago spotted the Old Yeller on the HSC web site and as I just happened to be in Lincs that weekend, saw it, drove it, you can guess the rest. Thought I was buying a peach, got it home (shaken all around, bad wheel imbalance) to find only one brake working, gearbox shagged, steering seriously just 'not there'. So what to do? Argue with Roger Bray that she was worth repair and refurb? Or cut & run??
After a reflection period lasting all of three seconds I have only had the odd moment of 'Why did I start this?' I now have a 2 ltr 914-4 that's reasonably roadworthy, still got problem electrics (especially at the rear) but can be seen on the brucemanning.co.uk broadcast aside Bruce around Silverstone (from time to time) and now have properly joined DDK as I know many of the guys I've met via the 914 register and the recent rips we've done that there are enough people around with the same interests and persuasions to bring these cars back to life and keep 'em in tha manner to which they should be accustomed.
I've started to build up a a few spares, have almost a complete spare cabin to work with and have a few spare 6J Fuchs and dash instruments if anyone's interested anytime. I've been fascinated to see all the different approaches, park any 5 914s alongside each other and the differences are amazing... Good on yer all!
Anyway, thanks for the welcome into the community, glad you'll take on a Old Rattler (me) as well as Old Yeller - BTW, I'm one of those who's promised his car to Richard Thomas and haven't kept the promise - must re-establish contact with him!! I like what he's done so far, the Monza I bought attached to the 914 is too naff and very loud - for no great purpose.
Looking forward to meeting you all in due course, we now prefer trips in the 914 to the everyday barge, and that's a serious mile muncher, but there's so much about servo-nothing, direct feedback and communication with the simple things of life, isn't there? All the best!
AA
Living in and around Dartmoor as I always have, you get to make your own amusement(!). So early attempts at warming up VW Vans, required transport as one's own attempts at breeeding got serious (well what IS there to do?) first by getting Autocavan kits for bigger bores (successful) to Turbocharging (not so), were how we spent the 70s.
In the 80s, I turned to Beetles and after various efforts, decided I might as well make a real improvement and stuck a Rover V8 out back. Good fun in the dry, but in the wet, as braking was 'different' having an extra 65lbs hung out there to swing and make the front end go terribly light when you wanted something ahead of you to work on!. But it was my every day mode of transpport for 18 months until one day, when I was down in the depths of Bodmin Moor, the grass 'central reservation' wore away all the pipes running up front to the rad and all coolant was ejected.... Sad Day!!
Fast forward and a decade of BMs (had to get 3 cubs to and fro Uni) I've gone back to Basics and just over 2 years ago spotted the Old Yeller on the HSC web site and as I just happened to be in Lincs that weekend, saw it, drove it, you can guess the rest. Thought I was buying a peach, got it home (shaken all around, bad wheel imbalance) to find only one brake working, gearbox shagged, steering seriously just 'not there'. So what to do? Argue with Roger Bray that she was worth repair and refurb? Or cut & run??
After a reflection period lasting all of three seconds I have only had the odd moment of 'Why did I start this?' I now have a 2 ltr 914-4 that's reasonably roadworthy, still got problem electrics (especially at the rear) but can be seen on the brucemanning.co.uk broadcast aside Bruce around Silverstone (from time to time) and now have properly joined DDK as I know many of the guys I've met via the 914 register and the recent rips we've done that there are enough people around with the same interests and persuasions to bring these cars back to life and keep 'em in tha manner to which they should be accustomed.
I've started to build up a a few spares, have almost a complete spare cabin to work with and have a few spare 6J Fuchs and dash instruments if anyone's interested anytime. I've been fascinated to see all the different approaches, park any 5 914s alongside each other and the differences are amazing... Good on yer all!
Anyway, thanks for the welcome into the community, glad you'll take on a Old Rattler (me) as well as Old Yeller - BTW, I'm one of those who's promised his car to Richard Thomas and haven't kept the promise - must re-establish contact with him!! I like what he's done so far, the Monza I bought attached to the 914 is too naff and very loud - for no great purpose.
Looking forward to meeting you all in due course, we now prefer trips in the 914 to the everyday barge, and that's a serious mile muncher, but there's so much about servo-nothing, direct feedback and communication with the simple things of life, isn't there? All the best!
AA
