Table of contents for October 2020 in Practical Classics

North Yorkshire classic car auction house, Mathewsons, has revealed a low mileage Triumph Spitfire which went under the hammer at its August 22 sale. The car in question is a 1981-registered 1500 in Pageant Blue, with just 21,310 miles recorded, but more importantly, the auction house is listing it as the ‘last Spitfire’. Specifically, the auctioneer’s description states that club members ‘believe this to be the last car off the production line’. Triumph aficionados are now doubting the established record that says the last Spitfire is the Inca Yellow car that is displayed at British Motor Museum, Gaydon. So what is the evidence? Mathewsons’ bold claim is based on finding signatures behind a door card with an inscription ‘the last Bomb’, after Triumph’s code name for the Spitfire’s development. There…

Newbies sought A resto firm is looking for a new apprentice. The Classic & Sportscar Centre, near Malton, is after youngsters keen to further their skills with engines, bodywork and trimming. It comes after the recruitment of 17-year-old Tommy Brooks (pictured with the firm’s paint shop guru, Sean Buckley). Fire minder The Ford Capri once used in TV series Minder is to be restored, after last month’s fire that seriously damaged the front end of the car. The fire brigade was on scene quickly to extinguish the blaze, thought to be caused by an electrical short. With damage confined to the engine bay, front wings and bonnet, restoration work is said to be already underway. Plan hatched A Vauxhall enthusiast has been reunited with a Sports Hatch he first owned…

SAT, SEPT 5 WARKS Jaguar Breakfast Meet at the British Motor Museum, CV35 0BJ (tinyurl.com/wvxxb48). CUMBRIA Lakeland Motor Museum Drive & Ride-In Day, LA12 8TA (lakelandmotormuseum.co.uk). SURREY Bentley Drivers’ Club Annual Concours at Hampton Court Palace, KT8 9AU (bdcl.org). CAMBS A Classic Affair at Hemingford Pavilion, PE28 9BX. Charity fund raiser for MAGPAS air ambulance (aclassicaffair.co.uk). SAT-SUN, SEPT 5-6 YORKS Yorkshire Traction Engine Rally, Scampston Hall, YO17 8NG (outdoorshows.co.uk). SUN, SEPT 6 LANCS Classic Car Show at Hoghton Tower, PR5 0SH (markwoodward-classicevents.com). CLWYD Classic Car Show at Bodrhyddan Hall, LL18 5SB (classicshows.org). WEST MIDS Classic Motor Show at Himley Hall, DY3 4DF (classicmotorshows.co.uk). SURREY American Car Day at Brooklands Museum, KT13 0SL (brooklandsmuseum.com). WARKS National Mini & Metro Show plus the BMC & Leyland show at the British Motor Museum,…

I have always been interested in open-top Cortinas. This one is a 1981 Carbodies Cortina Coupé that I saved from the breaker’s yard in 1997 after the previous owner baulked at a welding estimate of £2000 just for an MOT pass! I ‘knew’ it couldn’t be that bad, so I bought it - I was so wrong. I found a local bodyshop happy to cut out all the rot and restore the car rather than bodge it up for an MOT. Every few months, when funds allowed, I dropped the car in for restoration bit by bit. A few years went by and the car was mostly in primer and looking a lot more solid. As I’ve said, I knew nothing of welding, so when a work mate informed me…

Gav’s Imp contains parts for a vast number of other marques. Other than the BMW bike engine, the radiator comes from a Fiat Seicento, the clutch slave cylinder is from a Ford Cougar, the clutch is Micra K10 and it’s got Ford KA front discs and pads. The input shaft seal is a VW part and there’s a Lada Niva brake master cylinder in the mix, too. It’s got Escort MkI rear wheel studs, a TVR radiator bleed valve and a heater valve from a London Taxi. The Davies Craig water pump and controller is an aftermarket setup and can be adapted for many other vehicles. ESTIMATED COSTS Imp donor £250 Imp shell £500 Panels £450 Paint & materials £2500 Powder coating £250 BMW engine, exhaust, starter, wiring loom, fuel…

Best hot weather classic? My 16-valve Punto Cabrio! Josh Brailsford I’ll stick with my Lotus Cortina Crayford. Graham Orchard Could I have a Citroën DS Usine Décapotable by Henri Chapron, pretty please? Grahame Baker Talbot Samba Cabriolet all the way! James Prescott Always fancied a Jensen- Healey. They were quite cheap…once. Luke Benson Having today witnessed some of the worst driving I have ever seen (East Devon, BMW Z3 in metallic blue) could I have one of these, please? Chris Waghorn A refrigerated food van? Steve Reynolds Going to be controversial and say that no classic drop top will keep you cool in this weather. Modern classic with AC. So, on that basis, maybe a 986 Boxster 2.7? Andrew Hall Got to be a Caterham. They’re the best fun you…

Audi 100 An Audi 100… a very rare beast. Seen on Malta last summer. Ashley Lovering, Swansea 1995 Rover 827i I spotted this Rover 800 in Thame, Oxfordshire. It is in regular use and changes parking spot often - only 57k on the clock and the interior is lovely. Tony Bratt, Oxon Maestro 1.6 I was out for a drive one weekend in Jersey and noticed this Maestro 1.6L. It could be the only Maestro in Jersey. Tiago Regan, Jersey Ford truck The magnificent Ford truck was spotted parked at the side off the road in Portsmouth. Steven Bennett, Hants Opel GT On holiday in Germany I spotted an Opel GT in Triberg im Schwarzwald, which is the home of the black forest gateau. James Broad, Lincs 1992 Vauxhall Rascal…

If you ask a psychologist why people buy cars, they’ll say it’s because of sex; a complex interplay of the sensuous female form, the rampant paternal phallus and a roomy boot. Me? I bought cars because they made me laugh. To this end, I owned much of Two Gates’s fare, purely because three-wheelers are hilarious. Not in the Morgan configuration though, although Scootacar had a good go – but definitely in the Reliant layout. There’s a subtle difference; like cucumber being funny, but courgette not so. The entry drug was TOT 210, the worst 1956 Reliant Regal MkIII drophead in existence, bought from a farmer known as Potty Pete who owned showman’s engines. He’d spent some while explaining to my best friend Roger and me how the local youth took…

Although there’s no typical day as a PC photographer, there are some themes that run through them all. For one thing, if you don’t like getting up early, then this isn’t the job for you. The PC office is in Cambridgeshire, but most of our shoots are at least a couple of hour’s drive away. However, the job starts days before then with the shoot brief from Lisa, PC’s Art director. She tells me what images she wants, what sort of feature it will be and if we need an image for the front cover, then we’ll talk through ideas from there. My job is then to deliver what Lisa wants, no matter what happens; if it rains then we get wet, if the car breaks down or the location…

Russ Smith’s pick of cars offered through ClassicCarsForSale 1969 Morris 1800S Price: £12,995 Described as ‘Landcrab heaven’, this award-winner has been superbly restored. It is expensive, but restoring one would cost more. 1962 Riley 1.5 Price: £7250 Lots of bills for restoration work and it has also been fitted with polyurethane bushes and a three-branch exhaust manifold. Fruity! 1946 Triumph 1800 Roadster Price: £14,500 Cheaply priced as it comes without a hood, this South African import is otherwise in good order, though perhaps a bit too bling for Mr Bergerac.…

Enthusiasts are mourning the loss of Mitsubishi, after the firm announced that it will cease trading in Europe as part of an overhaul of its global operations. The company made a devastating £1.29 billion loss in the first quarter of the financial year, while UK sales were harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a huge fall of 51.9 percent in the first half of 2020. The news marks a very sudden end to Mitsubishi’s well-respected presence in the UK. It was among the firm’s most lucrative markets for almost 50 years with a range of iconic models, from the likes of the rally-bred Evo to the rugged Shogun. Journalist and road tester John Simister was present for many of Mitsubishi’s key launches and says there were countless models which…

The SM: Accidental Death of an Icon £35 ISBN 978-1-5272-5023-9 This is the previously untold and almost unbelievable story of Peugeot’s brutal takeover of Citroën in 1974 and what happened to the SM, marking it 50th birthday this year. chevronics.co.uk Jochen Rindt: Uncrowned King of Formula 1 £14.99 ISBN 978-1-910505-56-4 Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Austrian’s death, this acclaimed biography celebrates the man who was widely acknowledged as the fastest man in Formula 1 in 1970, when he tragically lost his life at Monza in Italy. porterpress.co.uk ROFGO Collection £75 ISBN 978-1-907085-67-3 This book tells the story of the world’s greatest themed car collection. The line-up includes Ford GT40, Porsche 908/03 and 917, Gulf GR8, McLaren F1 GTR and Audi R8. porterpress.co.uk…

Bury, Greater Manchester, June 1989 What a feast for internal combustion engine fans. And, no, we don’t just mean the silver Honda Accord or blue Bedford Rascal van, glorious as they are. The East Lancashire Railway was obviously having a diesel gala at its Bury Bolton Street station, and occupying the platforms are Class 52 D1041 Western Prince (built 1962), Class 14 D9531 Ernest (1965), Class 35 D7076 (1962) and Class 24 D5054 Phil Southern (1959). That is a combined total of 6210bhp. We don’t think that all of the vehicles in the car park combined could beat that impressive total. The ten-year-old 1979 2-litre Ford Capri at the bottom left of the frame is, frankly, utterly fabulous on its lattice alloy wheels with black vinyl roof and rear reflective…

There’s no danger of mistaking Gav Miller’s Imp for a standard car, but under the skin lies the engineering to back up the exterior look. Alongside a love for MkI and MkII VW Golfs, Gav had always fancied an Imp. ‘There were a few kicking about locally when I was a kid in the Eighties that really caught my eye and a trip to Malta in the mid-Nineties compounded my desire to own one.’ After a failed bite at ownership in 2001 (the car was so bad that he gave it away within a year), 2013 saw a second chance for Gav to achieve his dream. ‘I had a complete rot box delievered, which was a rolling shell. I started to strip it down but, before long, it came to…

There’s no attempt to conceal the fact that there’s an awful lot of power in this little car. Strapping yourself into the four-point three-inch harnesses anchored to the roll cage gives a great sense of security over the original lap belts. With 130bhp on tap, a single cherry bomb silencer and very little sound deadening, the driving experience is raw. There’s power right through the rev range, but a little clutch slip at around 4000rpm tells me to back off a bit. There’s a cerametallic paddle clutch and heavy-duty pressure plate waiting to go in to solve this issue, Gav shouts from the passenger seat. Things settle down at around 60mph, where things would start to get over-revvy in a standard Imp, and Gav’s car gets into its stride. Slowing…

We definitely have something to look forward to - yes, honestly - later this year, on November 12 to be precise. On this day, one of the most significant Morris Minors of all will be presented, or represented, to the world after a massive restoration. The date is exactly 50 years to the day after this car, the last Minor saloon built, left the assembly line at Cowley. This event is recalled in black and white photos featuring suited management, inspectors in white coats and, in the background, some of the workers who built the car. Ooh here’s another picture, thanks so much to the Morris Minor Owners Club, which now owns the car being restored by its members. A housecoat-wearing gentleman is giving the car a final polish with…

1927 Hudson Super Six We don’t often feature American cars in Rust In Peace, but this stunning set, sent in by our patina predator pal Jack Brands, had us convinced. This old lady is a Twenties Hudson Super Six, with the beautiful Nevada Hills as the backdrop. 1967 Ford Thunderbird It took Ford just 12 years to turn the original Thunderbird into this strange looking spaceship – a two-door Thunderbird Landau – parked next to a strange stone hut that looks just as alien-like. 1955 DeSoto Firedome Decades of exposure to the Arizona sun is not good for your paint, as proven on this ‘55 Firedome, which started life with red or black paintwork. 1950 Plymouth Deluxe A piece of wasteland in an Arizona town is where Jack found the…

FANCY A PUNT? WITH RUSS SMITH ‘Finish the job off with a vinyl top’ An auction lot recently stopped me in my tracks and set me thinking about nostalgia, particularly what a selective and subjective topic it is. The Seventies is edging the Sixties as the current era of retro-cool, with values of classics from that decade shooting up. Yet Seventies stuff isn’t all cool. Back then, when I prowled the mean streets of Essex, the vinyl roof was a genuine status symbol, proudly worn by Rollers, Jags and every more mundane manufacturer’s aspirational range-topper. The kind of youths who might today fit tinted windows and drainpipe exhausts bought vinyl roof kits from ads in the back of Exchange & Mart where they were offered for everything from A40 Farinas…

Buying and selling classic cars Danny Hopkins OK, OK… I’ll come out (as if you hadn’t noticed), I am a bit of a Renault pervert. Not on the same scale as Walshe’s Citroën madness, but definitely worthy of medical assessment. I have, over the past 25 years owned a R5 MkI, a R5 MkII, an R18, four Espaces (MkI, 1.5, MkII and MkIV), an R14 and an Avantime (yes, I know it’s really a Matra). They have all been slightly flaky and deeply eccentric… magnificently French and never dull (even the dull ones). I don’t know why I find silver diamond offerings so addictive but, like a Kylie Minogue earworm, I just can’t them out of my head. I’ve even got a 1998 Renault F1 pit crew shirt. On my…

James likes… THE FRUITY ONE As much as I understand the handling superiority of the Twin Spark, for me it’d be a full-fat V6 GTV in that nice shade of dark metallic green. Why? I prefer coupés to cabrios. And I’d never tire of that ridiculous engine - unless there was a fuel crisis, in which case my GTV would make a very pretty garden ornament. Matt G likes… THE SEXY ONES I’ve always admired the Alfa 916, both in coupé and drop-top form, but have never owned one. But I really can see the appeal of these cars - gorgeous styling courtesy of Enrico Fumia at Pininfarina, with the choice of 2-litre Twin Spark or 3-litre ‘Busso’ V6. Plus both versions are still so, so cheap. Hmmm… Matt T…

HOW TO BANISH FLAT SPOTS Classics are often spoiled by ‘flat spots’ - that is, when the accelerator is pressed, the engine reacts badly. After idling, it may gasp or stall on opening the throttle or on setting off from rest. On the move it may hesitate badly before picking up again - or splutter, or simply make a sort of hollow, booming sound from the air intake without actually going any faster. Before you start taking things apart, here are a few basic preliminary checks. Make sure the ignition timing and points gap appear correct. Check HT leads and caps for dirt and defects. Fit a substitute coil, rotor arm and distributor cap: a hesitation under load may be a sign that the spark can escape to earth through…

Most of the assessment requires little more than experience and a mark one eyeball but when checking the crankshaft journals, a micrometer or Vernier caliper is essential. This is also the moment to decide on any upgrades. Mass produced engines of the Fifties and Sixties weren’t balanced to the highest standards under factory conditions. Dynamic balancing of the bottom end using modern equipment can dramatically improve the smoothness of any classic motor and is essential for a highly tuned engine. Now is also the time to specify hardened exhaust valve seats in the cast iron cylinder head, making it suitable for today’s unleaded fuel. The Herald engine here is also going to be upgraded to Spitfire specification, with improved camshaft and valves.…

The pre-engaged starter ► The over-running clutch usually lives in a ‘pre-engaged’ starter, where the solenoid pushes the drive pinion of the motor into the flywheel ring gear, then switches the motor on. When the engine starts – to protect the motor – the overrunning clutch decouples the motor shaft from the drive pinion. DETAILS OF OPERATION Assembly view The drive pinion (left) and the ring which the solenoid pushes and pulls (right) are assembled on the hub with circlips and shims. All three parts can rotate independently of one another. Engagement As the starter operates, the rollers become more tightly engaged, like a wedge being driven under a door. This is thanks to the taper of the recesses in the pinion body. Over-running When over-running, the pinion turns faster…

To celebrate 60 years of Haynes, we’re giving away a special reprint of the original Haynes manual WITH THE NEXT ISSUE We also go behind the scenes at Haynes and visit its workshop FIRST HAYNES MANUAL FREE WITH NEXT ISSUE! The world’s toughest P6 Ranald’s rallying Rover, fresh from its Monte adventures Buying guides How to bag the brilliant Puma and avoid a rotten experience. PLUS Porsche 924 buyers’ guide. Brand NEW Tech! How to revive your car’s tired leather in an afternoon, veneer your own dashboard and sort your hand brake. Fantasy Forecourt NEW FEATURE Given the funds/space, what open four-seater would we buy? PLUS We’re back! After months indoors, the PC team jumps into its cars for a huge road trip… it has been a long time coming, but…

James Walshe: ‘I loved the company Warrior we had at Kerrang! Radio. As well as giving Ozzy Osbourne a lift in the mud at Download festival, I got it sideways at Castle Combe – much to the horror of my colleagues. Matt George: Who couldn’t love the brilliant Starion? A proper Japanese muscle car, it was something of an Eighties legend – and once the transport of a certain villainous Paul Robinson from Neighbours. John Simister: The 1984 Galant was the first car to be badged Mitsubishi in the UK, rather than Colt, and was as good as any European rival at the time. It was sleek, supple and handsome with shades of Audi 100. Danny Hopkins: I loved my Colt Celeste 2.0 GT. It had way too much power…

The last surviving Metropolitan Police Ford Anglia is to be restored, after it was found abandoned in a London driveway recently. The 105E was last sold for £19 at a police auction back in 1972, when it was stored by its now 84-year-old owner. ‘It is also one of the very last Anglias ever built…’ The Anglia will now get a new lease of life from Ford enthusiast Joseph Gabrelli-Lane. He snapped up the 1967 car and plans to completely restore it, having recently done the same for the last ex-CID Anglia. Having been built in October of ‘67, the base-spec car is also thought to be one of the last Anglias ever made. Joseph says he’s thrilled. ‘The paintwork is bleached but the paintwork under the bonnet is still…

The latest Practical Classics special edition, The A-Z of Amazing Engines Part 2, explores 20 more amazing engines that we’ve stripped, photographed and explained in detail. It also includes technical tutorials, from changing your A-Series cylinderhead gasket to refreshing your engine on a budget, as well as restorations, road trips and interviews. PC’s Matt Tomkins says: ‘This special edition has been compiled with engineering intrigue its core focus. From the Trojan’s wobbly con-rods to the most successful rotary engine of all time, there’s plenty to pique your interest. We also show you how to safely start your laid-up engine as well as telling the inside story of how the Ford Scorpio’s engine became so creamy-smooth; plus lots more from the PC archive.’ The Practical Classics A-Z of Amazing Engines Part…

EVENT OF THE MONTH There have been precious few big events so far this year, but things started toopen up a bit in August thanks to organisers such as Mark Woodward, Classic Shows and Classic Motor Events, which have been putting on large outdoor shows (check out the diary panel for more). In September you can add Brand Events to the list, as the company behind the London Classic Car Show is set to introduce what it hopes will become an annual extravaganza at Bicester Heritage in Oxfordshire. Called the Classic Car Drive In Weekend and taking place on September 18-20, the three-day jamboree will encompass films, an auction courtesy of Bonhams MPH, club and trader displays and a dynamic motorsport arena. The man behind Brand Events is Bas Bungish…

IN THE NEWS It was a record year for British car sales, with 2.3 million sold. The model at the top didn’t change though - for the eighth year, it was Ford’s Escort, with 180,000 units shifted. Bad news for Rover though; Vauxhall ousted it as the UK’s second biggest- selling car maker. AT THE FLICKS Timothy Dalton may have been 007 in Licence to Kill, but his predecessor Sean Connery overshadowed him in the year’s highestgrossing film, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. His role was Indy’s father, despite the fact that, when the movie came out, he was 59 while Harrison Ford was 47. Do the maths. IN THE CHARTS The sound of Stock, Aitken, Waterman (songwriters and producers Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman) seemed to…

1 AUG 2014 Significant fabrication As well as structural repairs, metalwork extended to body modifications such as provisión for an oblong number plate and extra vents. 2 FEB 2015 Paint down below The underside and inside of the car were the first parts to be painted. Here, stone-chip primer is being applied. 3 AUG 2015 Top coat Once rolling gear had been assembled and it had been stripped to bare metal, the exterior of the shell was primed and painted in its original Imperial red.  4 SEPT 2015 Reassembly: Phase One With the exterior colour on, reassembly could commence. This first incarnation saw the fitment of an uprated Imp engine with a Talbot 930 Sunbeam bottom end. 5 JUNE 2019 BMW evolution With the decision made to convert to ‘flying…

Wedge pledge I never thought I would be writing to you regarding the picture of the 1975 Wolseley 2200 now owned by Andrew Wildey (PC, September 2020). My father-in-law Anthony Dimond owned his Wolseley back in the late Seventies. He bought it as the second owner and owned it during the time of a major recall. As I remember, the engine had to be moved back and as a result new drive shafts fitted to accommodate the new position. I can’t remember the exact reason why this needed to be done at the time! I also carried out the very smallest weld to the inner sill of the car, which was otherwise a perfect example at the time. I had hoped over the years to find the car and bring…

‘I restored my dream camper in order to go on great adventures!’ 1968 Volkswagen Type 2 Brian Cucciardi, Malta I spent the duration of my VW restoration with my mind on a dream road trip – to a place in Sicily I love. Syracuse is a beautiful historic city, birthplace of Archimedes and, most importantly, the home of good friends of ours. It was the perfect place to go for an adventure in our camper and the very first place we would go after the completion of the project, into which I put all my efforts in the pursuit of perfection. To begin with, I bought two VW T2 models – one was a very sound ʼ68 panel van and the other was a rusty Westfalia which had been left…

Everyone knows that an office job that uses your analytical and creative skills is better than a job working with tools, machinery, actual physical things. It’s drilled into us from an early age. The office job pays better, it shows you have academic qualifications, it ensures higher status. Get a profession, we are told; so much better than a mere trade. That’s the myth of aspiration, one around which the entire education system is built. That so many people fall for it is one reason why they’ve lost the ability to mend things and instead buy new things to replace broken ones. Why fix something old when it’s become so easy to have something new? Then you can spend your time doing something more fulfilling, such as keeping up with…

WED SEP 16 H&H Classics, online, Cheshire. (01925 210035, handh.co.uk) FRI-SAT SEP 18-19 Classic Car Auctions, online, Warks. (01926 640888, classiccarauctions.co.uk) SUN SEP 20 Bonhams MPH, Bicester Heritage, Oxfordshire. (020 7468 5801, bonhams.com/departments/MOT-CAR) TUE SEP 22 Barons Auctions’ Jaguar Heritage, Classic sale, Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey. (023 8066 8413, barons-auctions.com) SAT SEP 26 Historics, Windsorview Lakes, Datchet, Berkshire. (01753 639170, historics.co.uk) SAT OCT 14 Wed 14, Cambridgeshire. H&H Classics, Imperial War Museum, Duxford. (01925 210035, handh.co.uk) SAT OCT 17 Bonhams Goodwood sale, nr Chichester, W Sussex. (020 7468 5801, bonhams.com/departments/MOT-CAR) THU OCT 22 Dorset Vintage & Classic Auctions, Henstridge Airfield, Henstridge, Somerset. (01963 363353, dvca.co.uk)…

Ever since the lockdown rules were loosened enough for us all to travel further than the local post box, I’ve been hitting the road every few weeks this summer to see my parents, with whom I’ve been making up for precious lost time. Between my home and theirs is a scenic 150-mile slab of England that requires around three hours of driving - much of it involving the Fosse Way. With all my grand plans for trips abroad in the bin, that regular jaunt has been extremely rewarding - a real boost to the spirits in these times of isolation and distancing. It has also been a useful way of dropping off numerous unwanted Citroen bits I’d sold during the lockdown - not to mention picking up a few parts…

Ever since I acquired my TR6 15 years ago, it’s had an irritating habit of leaking oil from the head gasket. The oil seeps from the pushrod side of the gasket and runs down the block behind the distributor and PI metering unit, seemingly worse while the engine is warming up. Over the years, I’ve replaced the head gasket a couple of times trying to cure the leak, following advice to lightly coat the edge of the gasket with sealant, and I’ve fitted uprated cylinderhead studs in unsuccessful attempts to stem the oily flow. Nothing had yet worked, though the job remained low down on my lengthy classic to-do list, waiting for a moment when there was time to spare. Lockdown suddenly meant time was no longer an issue, so…

Matt Tomkins PROJECTS EDITOR Our resident workshop puppet master, Matt has Morris Minors in his blood. This month: Putting finishing touches to his supercharged Minor. Martin Domoney WORKSHOP EDITOR Former JLR technician, Martin, knows his modern classics inside and out. This month: Has been giving the turbo Freelander a thrashing! Theodore J Gillam ENGINEERING EXPERT Former Motor Vehicle lecturer and classic fiddling perfectionist. Has a love of compression ignition. This month: Has been doing a major service on a Daewoo Matiz. Ed Hughes WORKSHOP GENIUS Ed singlehandedly keeps a fleet of obscure classics on the road from his Devon HQ. This month: Tracked down hesitation to dirt in a one-way valve in the accelerator pump. Nigel Clark DIY RESTORER Nigel’s driveway achievements rival those of pro mechanics. He’s our resident…

ASSESS AND DECIDE With the engine fully stripped and its component parts laid out on the bench inspect and assess components before sending them for machining and reconditioning. Decide whether to rebore the block or regrind the crankshaft and whether the valves can be used again after refacing or need replacement. How tough? You’ll need: ► Basic tools, ► Feeler gauges, ► Vernier caliper and/or micrometer ► Sturdy workbench and/or engine stand Specialists: ► TRGB: 01487 842168, trgb.co.uk, Email sales@trgb.co.uk Will take: (HRS) 2 Will cost: (£) 0 DIY saving (£) 120…

Prices are researched from several sources, including clubs, auctions, the trade and advertisements online and in print. Prices are reviewed and updated every issue. Our C/D rating is a basic guide to what you can expect to pay (£) for the best examples of a model, a concours car or something from a dealer. CONDITION 1 means well-presented cars that have no obvious faults. CONDITION 2 cars are capable of regular use. They have a current MoT certificate but will need work and/or original parts. CONDITION 3 cars usually need a full rebuild, but may be driveable and MoT’d. PLEASE NOTE You can’t value any car without seeing it – don’t buy blind. Russ says ‘Buying and selling should be fun, but sometimes, it’s a nightmare. Follow these three rules…