Comments on: We need your help http://www.bigcar.org.uk/we-need-your-help/ A Land Rover restoration project Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:16:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Melanie http://www.bigcar.org.uk/we-need-your-help/comment-page-1/#comment-9 Melanie Sat, 11 Nov 2006 17:57:30 +0000 http://www.bigcar.org.uk/we-need-your-help/#comment-9 An ordinary August morning ... I was informed “we’re going on a road trip, bring your toothbrush!“ Ideas of luxury hotels, champagne and oysters filled my mind…. We arrived at the auction courtyard near Grantham that afternoon.... (!) It was filled to breaking point with land rovers, tanks, police cars, fire engines... Si looked like Christmas had come early! The search commenced. Land rovers were sat in, explored and many disregarded due to bullet holes and major crash wounds! Then we saw lot 57. Perfectly happy sitting in the middle of two very expensive looking beasts. Big car looked a bit worn, but affordable! We both got in the front. She was perfick. We eventually left and found a place to lay our heads in Grantham... We ate Italian food and drank a bottle of red wine in the most expensive wine bar in town. Si recounted his tales of land rovers to the bar man who only had us as customers… The next morning, heads a bit sore from the wine the night before, we headed back to the auction. We spoke to a man who said that lot 57 would definitely start, it just wouldn’t that day due to some very plausible reasons… Hindsight is a great thing. The boys were called for their opinions. There was no talking him out of it, we were going home that day, and big car would be following… A price was agreed. I added a fiver to it… (Just in case some one else put in the same bid).... Si took my money. Forms were filled out. Bid was placed. The rest is history. Big car was born. An ordinary August morning … I was informed “we’re going on a road trip, bring your toothbrush!“ Ideas of luxury hotels, champagne and oysters filled my mind….

We arrived at the auction courtyard near Grantham that afternoon…. (!)

It was filled to breaking point with land rovers, tanks, police cars, fire engines… Si looked like Christmas had come early! The search commenced.

Land rovers were sat in, explored and many disregarded due to bullet holes and major crash wounds! Then we saw lot 57. Perfectly happy sitting in the middle of two very expensive looking beasts. Big car looked a bit worn, but affordable! We both got in the front. She was perfick.

We eventually left and found a place to lay our heads in Grantham… We ate Italian food and drank a bottle of red wine in the most expensive wine bar in town. Si recounted his tales of land rovers to the bar man who only had us as customers…

The next morning, heads a bit sore from the wine the night before, we headed back to the auction. We spoke to a man who said that lot 57 would definitely start, it just wouldn’t that day due to some very plausible reasons… Hindsight is a great thing.

The boys were called for their opinions. There was no talking him out of it, we were going home that day, and big car would be following…

A price was agreed. I added a fiver to it… (Just in case some one else put in the same bid)…. Si took my money.

Forms were filled out.

Bid was placed.

The rest is history.

Big car was born.

]]> By: Bob http://www.bigcar.org.uk/we-need-your-help/comment-page-1/#comment-7 Bob Fri, 10 Nov 2006 17:19:20 +0000 http://www.bigcar.org.uk/we-need-your-help/#comment-7 The new engine was sat side by side with the old engine (can anybody remember what exactly was wrong with it?) and we started taking bits off the old and putting them on the new. These included: the fly wheel, the alternator, the fuel injectors (I think) the fuel pump (I think) and probably more that I've forgotten - can anybody else remember? Also, the new engine had a turbo fitted which Simon removed since the old engine didn't have one (I think). The new engine was sat side by side with the old engine (can anybody remember what exactly was wrong with it?) and we started taking bits off the old and putting them on the new. These included: the fly wheel, the alternator, the fuel injectors (I think) the fuel pump (I think) and probably more that I’ve forgotten – can anybody else remember? Also, the new engine had a turbo fitted which Simon removed since the old engine didn’t have one (I think).

]]> By: Bob http://www.bigcar.org.uk/we-need-your-help/comment-page-1/#comment-6 Bob Fri, 10 Nov 2006 17:12:35 +0000 http://www.bigcar.org.uk/we-need-your-help/#comment-6 Having got a new engine, Big Car's old engine had to come out. Simon dived in, disconnecting plugs and pipes with little regard for how we'd plum the new engine back in again. The radiator had to come out because there was no way the engine was going to pass over it. We had trouble getting at all of the bell housing bolts that coupled the engine with the gearbox, but once we'd removed Big Car's footwell, this became much easier. The engine mounts disconnected pretty easily and we began to lift the old engine using Simon's freshly purchased engine hoist. We neglected to factor the angle that the engine was being lifted at into our calculations, and the whole thing swung out of Big Car with too much enthusiasm. It almost seemed to be glad to part with Big Car! Having got a new engine, Big Car’s old engine had to come out. Simon dived in, disconnecting plugs and pipes with little regard for how we’d plum the new engine back in again. The radiator had to come out because there was no way the engine was going to pass over it. We had trouble getting at all of the bell housing bolts that coupled the engine with the gearbox, but once we’d removed Big Car’s footwell, this became much easier. The engine mounts disconnected pretty easily and we began to lift the old engine using Simon’s freshly purchased engine hoist. We neglected to factor the angle that the engine was being lifted at into our calculations, and the whole thing swung out of Big Car with too much enthusiasm. It almost seemed to be glad to part with Big Car!

]]> By: Bob http://www.bigcar.org.uk/we-need-your-help/comment-page-1/#comment-5 Bob Fri, 10 Nov 2006 13:11:21 +0000 http://www.bigcar.org.uk/we-need-your-help/#comment-5 When I bought my Ford Capri from Birmingham, Simon, Mel and I killed two birds with one van and collected Big Car's new engine from Burton on Trent. The fella who sold it to Simon promised it was a runner and helped us load it into the hire van - he even gave us some rope to tie it down with. One hire van / Ford Capri convoy later and the new engine was removed from the back of the now oily and scuffed up hire van and stored in Simon's recently acquired second garage. When I bought my Ford Capri from Birmingham, Simon, Mel and I killed two birds with one van and collected Big Car’s new engine from Burton on Trent. The fella who sold it to Simon promised it was a runner and helped us load it into the hire van – he even gave us some rope to tie it down with. One hire van / Ford Capri convoy later and the new engine was removed from the back of the now oily and scuffed up hire van and stored in Simon’s recently acquired second garage.

]]> By: Maffewssun http://www.bigcar.org.uk/we-need-your-help/comment-page-1/#comment-4 Maffewssun Fri, 10 Nov 2006 13:06:53 +0000 http://www.bigcar.org.uk/we-need-your-help/#comment-4 Hah, "drove" was a bit of an exaggeration - she rolled down the hill, all 4 or so tonnes of weight behind her. Then we had to push her UP the incline to get to the garage... only then to discover she wouldn't fit. And don't forget that we also have to lower the windscreen as well! Hah, “drove” was a bit of an exaggeration – she rolled down the hill, all 4 or so tonnes of weight behind her. Then we had to push her UP the incline to get to the garage… only then to discover she wouldn’t fit.

And don’t forget that we also have to lower the windscreen as well!

]]> By: Bob http://www.bigcar.org.uk/we-need-your-help/comment-page-1/#comment-3 Bob Fri, 10 Nov 2006 13:03:31 +0000 http://www.bigcar.org.uk/we-need-your-help/#comment-3 When Mel moved out of her house on Portswood Road, I remember towing Big Car behind my 1.1 Ford Fiesta to her current place of residence. We didn't think that little car would manage it, but manage it he did. We couldn't get the Fiesta and Big Car down the slope to the garages at the same time, so Simon drove Big Car down that slope under her own power - pretty brave since we didn't know if her brakes worked! Lots of smoke later, Big Car was outside her garage. One problem though - Big Car was too big to fit in the garage. We had to take the roof, the walls and all the doors off before she'd fit - and even then only just! When Mel moved out of her house on Portswood Road, I remember towing Big Car behind my 1.1 Ford Fiesta to her current place of residence. We didn’t think that little car would manage it, but manage it he did. We couldn’t get the Fiesta and Big Car down the slope to the garages at the same time, so Simon drove Big Car down that slope under her own power – pretty brave since we didn’t know if her brakes worked! Lots of smoke later, Big Car was outside her garage. One problem though – Big Car was too big to fit in the garage. We had to take the roof, the walls and all the doors off before she’d fit – and even then only just!

]]>