Richard (OldStager) Posted May 17 Author Share Posted May 17 2 minutes ago, Man On The Clapham Omnibus said: My boss at the time (1974) had a DS Estate top of the range with swivelling headlights. He's now a KC in the £multi million salary class as a corporate tax barrister. I have travel sickness and declined to be driven in it as vomiting in one's boss's personal car is not a guaranteed route to promotion! Yeah that's probably not a way to get a pay upgrade... Even today the DS still looks like a space ship, I don't think the SM really ever caught peoples imagination as the DS had once done though?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 On 16/05/2024 at 23:50, Richard (OldStager) said: As keen as I am to make sure my cars are safe at all times, there has been the odd occasion where I have missed something, so an annual test for me is a no brainer - £50 a year for a qualified person to check it over, good value to me. There are numerous Youtube channels that dig a car out of a field or hedge, get the engine going, pump the tyres up and drive it around without any testing at all. Wonder what would happen if one of those cars killed someone because the brakes failed due to worn out discs ?. Wasn't suggesting that cars don't decay, or that it wasn't a good idea for a yearly independent check. I was just making sure you were aware that it was exempt from a government mandated yearly check. It's also ULEZ exempt too, just in case you ever venture in to a town/city that has implemented that utter con... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard (OldStager) Posted May 23 Author Share Posted May 23 7 hours ago, Blatman said: Wasn't suggesting that cars don't decay, or that it wasn't a good idea for a yearly independent check. I was just making sure you were aware that it was exempt from a government mandated yearly check. It's also ULEZ exempt too, just in case you ever venture in to a town/city that has implemented that utter con... Oh yes, I was aware of the current legislation regarding the MOT and 40 Year old plus cars. Since having to sell my old Spitfire I had kept in the Classic scene , so I get the latest developments as and when they occur. I still haven't got this car yet... it's down to my pension company releasing funds back to my bank account - these places really hate giving you your money back... After a 45 min call explaining why they think they should keep hold of it... Grrrrrr. ETA 6 hours later, lol. Well as suspected the Pension place are mucking me about with wanting paper versions of what they first requested, which was a PDF version of my latest bank statement, this was duly sent over within minutes of the request. This afternoon I received a package asking me to do all that again and send back via snail mail. So, having already turned down an offer from a good friend of a loan , I have just now accepted it and will be collecting said car on the 29th of this month. So to anyone attempting this with their pension company, expect to be messed about with and have to wait way over the time span they quote. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard (OldStager) Posted May 28 Author Share Posted May 28 May add to this thread, I am collecting the car tomorrow, but not driving it, a good mate up the street has a flatbed, so with a few beers tokens to be exchanged both he and I are picking it up. Now my new problem is quite how far would one go to retain the originality of any car, this car has fixed seat belts and no external mirrors, and I am sure to find other safety related items that are somewhat outdated. I really do feel that fitting inertia belts isn't going against the grain here, neither would be fitting two door mirrors on the grounds of safety , comments please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 17 minutes ago, Richard (OldStager) said: I really do feel that fitting inertia belts isn't going against the grain here, neither would be fitting two door mirrors on the grounds of safety , comments please. I'd be with you on that one, specially if a reasonably sympathetic mirror could be found that fit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 Wing mounted mirrors would be perfectly in keeping with the period. Door mirrors were fitted to the driver's side only at first and with plane glass to avoid size distortion. That would be about the early 1970s time. My 1971 Hillman Hunter with a pair of the last batch of wing mounted mirrors of the era. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard (OldStager) Posted May 28 Author Share Posted May 28 50 minutes ago, Man On The Clapham Omnibus said: Wing mounted mirrors would be perfectly in keeping with the period. Door mirrors were fitted to the driver's side only at first and with plane glass to avoid size distortion. That would be about the early 1970s time. My 1971 Hillman Hunter with a pair of the last batch of wing mounted mirrors of the era. As was my grandads Hunter, but have you ever driven a Herald/Spitfire or Vitesse with them on, I have , well a Spitty and a Vitesse anyway, and with the front lifting bonnets not really being a part of the structure ( actually no body panels are as they are all bolt on) the wing mounted mirrors just vibrate and wobble about giving nothing more than a very vague image that could be a car or a house or anything else, in other words useless, lol... The vitesse wasn't mine but a restoration company, who lent it to me to hillclimb, it was driven to events as well and after the first event I asked if I could fit one door mirror and the guy said yes as he also had vision problems with the others. So no, wing mounted mirrors on front hinged bonnets are no good to me, folks fit them more for show than function. Just weighing up whether rectangular or round mirrors would make the best door mirrors?. Hmmmmm. Mirrors are extended as he towed caravans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard (OldStager) Posted May 29 Author Share Posted May 29 Since I now have the car this was found in the "extras" box. Just a clip on one, those high level mirrors, but as can be seen there is a blemish on the mirror, will see if this is distracting or not. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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