First Blat after two year rebuild and guess what happened?

[DerekJ]

So, two year's worth of rebuild is just over.

 

Complete strip-down.

Chassis stripped and repainted.

Suspension re-bushed and powder coated.

Cycle wing conversion.

Full Megasquirt remap and suspension setup (SEE HERE)

 

Got the car back from the rolling road on Thursday and finalised the last bits and bobs this morning. Took it for the first REAL thrash (one of the advantages of living in Wales is there are ALWAYS good “Westfield-type roads”). :laugh:

 

Big Westfield-grin on the face as I'm turning right into my estate and WHAM. Car pulls out into the front-right wheel and wing. :cry:

Fortunately for me, it was a “little-old-lady” driver. “Sorry I did not even see your car”. If it had been a boy-racer I may have been tempted to just hit him and then get beaten-up as well as having my car bashed.

 

Low speed bump that just bent the NEW wing support and chipped the NEW wing.

 

Wing touched up and support pulled back so all looks OK but I'll need to get the tracking checked next week.

 

Sod's law in action again.

 

Cheers All

DerekJ

 

[ALLADDIN]

As you say, sods law !glad your alright and. Cars ok tho :-)

[DerekJ]

Yes, Car's OK and I'm OK.

 

I could not decide to laugh or cry at the time!

Just saw the car coming out of the side-road and could not do anything about it. There is a school on the corner and so there are barriers wrapped round the walk way. A car as low as a Westfield may well be "invisible" if you are not looking too hard.

[John K]

Ouch...

[Lyonspride]

Don't get me started on old people who shouldn't be driving...... I don't have an issue with older drivers, not at all, but I do have an issue when they're unfit to drive and have become a clear danger to others. I hope somebody takes my licence away if I get to that stage.

 

Our American cousins are really on top of this, but in the UK you can't say a word against them, too politically incorrect.

 

 

Hope you get your car fixed up pal!!

 

 

In future, maybe take a leaf out of my book, use the horn whenever you see a car that might not have seen you. Some people take it the wrong way, but I reckon it's saved my bacon a good few times.... Especially with the muppets that blindly reverse off driveways into rush hour traffic.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman)]

Really bad luck, but sounds like you got off lightly, considering.

 

Until you've actually had to take an elderly parent, or relatives license off them, knowing full well that the car was a "lifeline" for them, don't underestimate how hard it is. Though it does have to be done, sometimes.

 

Don't underestimate what people fail to see either! 

 

Someone pulled out on me on Friday from a side turning in a big car park, they were too busy concentrating on something else. Thank goodness, I managed to swerve round them. He climbed out of the car, still mind elsewhere, and apologised with the usual, "oh I'm sorry, I didn't see you" it was quite funny watching his brain/eyes suddenly start talking to each other again, taking in the fact that I'm in over 2 tonnes of five metre long, by two metre high pick up, with DRL's blazing away!

[SootySport]

Perhaps one of these mounted to your roll bar will help in the future 

[Lyonspride]

 

Until you've actually had to take an elderly parent, or relatives license off them, knowing full well that the car was a "lifeline" for them, don't underestimate how hard it is. Though it does have to be done, sometimes.

 

Oh I know, it is a sensitive issue indeed, but as far as I can see, for the mileage they'd do and the damage that causes to the vehicle and the running costs/etc, it would be greatly cheaper to get a Taxi everywhere.

 

But again, it's down to the individual and their mental/physical state.... For example, back in 2001 the WSCC had members that were easily 20 years retired, sharp as a button and nobody could keep up with them.

 

What I think does not help, is the cars marketed toward them, like the Yaris with it's mirrors that make everything look big and intimidating (heavily convex mirrors), the way it saps confidence, makes you drive slowly, the way that causes others to treat you on the road (which in turn makes you more nervous). I found driving one of those to be a horrible experience and I can easily see why the elderly become slow and dithery if they're driving cars like that. The generation that drove BIG Rovers and ALMOST managed to reach the speed limit, seems to be long gone.

[Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman)]

That's an interesting point on car design.