Where it all began??

[felters]

Not exactly a thing of beauty but...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws....hosting

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

My somewhat elder cousin had a 'Special' like this, complete Ford 1172cc '10' engine, sidevalve with a Ford 8 head to raise the compression ratio. I had a lift in it as a lad of about 12 or 13 and was totally star-struck from that instant. It seemed impossibly fast at what were really quite modest speeds. But 70mph in those days was not the legal speed limit but the practical maximum with a tail wind for most. He put it backwards through a hedge in Cuffley or Northaw one Sunday and when it was rebuilt it looked different, such was the lack of uniformity. After that he had an MG TD and then one of the first Mini Coopers, complete with Halda Speedpilot. Who knows what that is?  

[pistonbroke]

Them was the day's when you got the Ford "Pop" wound up to max with yer cap on back to front !

Nice downhill run gave 70 + mph regular   good old ford (A speed I never achieved in my earlier Austin A35 van )

The best part being the wipers operated from vacuum ? on the  manifold , which meant when you accelerated to pass anything in the rain the wipers stopped . Just what you needed .  

[Bob Green]

complete with Halda Speedpilot. Who knows what that is?  

I had a Halda in my 105E.  It had a tee piece on the speedometer cable to connect into the unit.  

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

I had a Halda in my 105E.  It had a tee piece on the speedometer cable to connect into the unit.  

Quite right Bob! It was an average speed indicator with elapsed time and trip functions IIRC. Two dials and a resettable pointer? Oh and you simply had to have an 'eyeball' style searchlight fixed to the windscreen - Helphos if my memory serves. I had one on my '55 Standard Ten

Of course the real enthusiasts had a Paddy Hopkirk roof mounted articulated searchlight. I didn't want to make a hole in my roof though.

[Bob Green]

I had one on my '55 Standard Ten

My God!!

I had a 1954 Standard 8 (OYN 197) in 1968.  I removed the 848cc (I think) engine and fitted an 1147cc Mk 1 Spitfire engine.  Couldn't fit the air filters as they would foul on the Clutch master cylinder.

I acquired an overdrive kit that was an option on the Standard Pennant and fitted that as well along with a Triumph Herald gear train as the ratios were better.  I had to cut a big hole in the floor in front of the handbrake for the overdrive. No inhibitor switch gave overdrive in all four gears.

It went like hell!!

In 1969 I was given a Standard 10 (SLA 582) rolling shell (going upmarket now as the 10 had a boot lid) and transferred the running gear over.

Ahhhhhhh…………. memories

[Boomy]

Ebay car looks to have a boot space similar to the Granada estate!

I love threads like this when all the stories start appearing  

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

A 1954 Standard Eight would probably have been the 'Basic' eight with no boot lid, sliding windows, and no ignition key. It was 848cc and mine was 948cc OHV with 34bhp IIRC. Mine was RYU 705 and my Dad had RGT 546. Mine was a bit of a rustbucket along the door sills but it was amateur at rusting compared to my 1960 Herald, that was a disaster. If I can find them I'll post the pics of my Ten after it met a lady called Judith D**e on the A40 outside the Hoover factory when she decided to cross the stream of traffic against the lights. WHAM! roly-poly Standard Ten, spinning top mini-van with Miss D**e inside.

I had SO much fun with my female companions in that car, though. Ho hum  

[Liam]

Ahhh, Moggie Minor Series 11 with a Sprite engine and w-i-d-e 165 tyres (but standard Minor brakes , which was.................... er, interesting). Petrol 4s 3d, no cameras just a bollocking from the local bobby for over exuberence..........these youngsters tod.....                  

[Bob Green]

A 1954 Standard Eight would probably have been the 'Basic' eight with no boot lid, sliding windows, and no ignition key.

Spot on!

Is the Hoover building still there?

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Is the Hoover building still there?

Yes, but it's now mainly a Tesco supermarket with offices on the original front section. It is a listed building, as was the Firestone art deco facade on the Gt West Rd but that got demolished one Sunday morning while the planners were at prayer. I worked at the Hoover factory for about 6 years and knew it inside out - I was an auxiliary fireman to supplement my meagre wage!  

See here for how it was and here for the new glitzy lighting that Tesco installed.

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Ahhh, Moggie Minor Series 11 with a Sprite engine and w-i-d-e 165 tyres (but standard Minor brakes , which was.................... er, interesting). Petrol 4s 3d, no cameras just a bollocking from the local bobby for over exuberence..........these youngsters tod.....                  

I got pulled for doing 42 in a 30, outside what is now Ealing Hospital, by the very first radar trap I'd ever seen. Sergeant Turnbull was operating it and I got £5 fine and an endorsment. The annoying thing is it's now a 40 limit!

[Bob Green]

My first pull by plod was for doing 40 through the tunnel under the runway at Heathrow.  Following the profuse apologies and dribble from me, I received an almighty bollocking and told to slow down.  Scared the crap out of me.

[Man On The Clapham Omnibus]

Right then, here's what my first car looked like:

Note that the front doors open backwards and one night I was driving along Oldfield Lane in North Greenford past the pub on the canal bridge (Steam Packet? Fuller's anyway) when suddenly the driver's door disappeared with a bang.  I stopped and walked back but couldn't find it, not even over the hedge into the field. Got back to the car and found it folded back flat against the back door with a tatty bit of check strap swinging in the wind! Clean pants needed  

[Blatman]

By an unbelievable coincidence, I met the guy who currently leads the bidding yesterday whilst getting my injectors cleaned at Vegantune. He'd come along to check progress on his rebuilt Ginetta G10...