Mister Towed on the road...

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by Paul L

Mr T - Great photos from Snetterton.

One thing I keep forgetting to ask you is what size are your roundels?

Cheers, Paul.

Hi Paul, I'd have to measure my roundels as they didn't come 'off the shelf' but were made to fit the car by a local graphics specialist, JD Signs at Southery (10 miles North of Ely) -

http://www.jdsigns.net/

I showed them the picture below, asked them if they could replicate them and watched in appreciative awe as they made and fitted them while I waited -





They matched the 1954 typeface and style perfectly and really complete the look of the car imho, well worth the £120 it cost.

[Paul L]

Mr T - Thanks for the info. I did think the numbers were unusually thin compared to others.

Micky - Keep us posted about the roundels and the Sammio/Ribble take over in general.

Cheers, Paul.

[Mister Towed]

So, after a bit of a health setback, I'm on the mend and was able to take my Spyder out to blow the cobwebs out on New Year's Eve.

It was my first opportunity to drive it since Goodwood and it put a very big smile on my face despite the freezing weather. It's been piddling down in Norfolk ever since, but I'm really looking forward to my first drive of 2015.

I am, however, starting to feel very old. My (conventional) car insurance is due next week and I shopped around for the best price on the 'net yesterday.

I managed to shave more than a third off the renewal quote, dropping it from £152 to just £93. But, the cheapest quote came from.......






























SAGA.

Should I bite the bullet and make the saving, but risk having to tell a stranger that I'm insured by the pensioner's club if I have a prang, or pay a higher premium so the other driver's insurance company doesn't automatically assume any accident was my fault, even if it wasn't?

Dear Gods, car insurance from Saga, that really is the start of a very slippery slope. What's next - an offer of an insurance policy from Gloria Hunniford to cover those 'final' expenses?

[swifty]

Nice one Mr T i had to laugh at that one.

Welcome to the club, it's a free bus pass next.......

[davecymru]

Soooo many comments.... but they'll all end with me getting a clip around the ear, so I'll just say <snigger>

[Paul L]

Mr T - Sorry to hear you have been unwell, but glad to hear you are on the mend.

I am sure driving your Spyder must be good for you, perhaps your doctor should prescribe it.

As for SAGA, I'd just be very happy to have my annual car insurance cost under £100.

Take care, Paul.

PS
You may have missed it, but your bonnet scissor hinge design worked a treat for me.
Although I'm not sure that my boot area is big enough to carry all the beer I owe you.

[phil9]

still you get a free parker pen ......nice to see you back to norm..run out soon then ..

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by phil9

still you get a free parker pen ......nice to see you back to norm..run out soon then ..

Cheers Phil, yup, must arrange to take a trip to the seaside soon.

[Viatron]

in a nice big coach with all your chums and a blanket over your knees.........

[Viatron]

oh and don't forget your flask of soup, much cheaper than eating out :-)

[Mister Towed]

Ooh, it's bitter outside...

[Mister Towed]

Now then chaps, one of my favourite Winston Churchill quotes is

'The trouble with little old ladies is, when you ask them how they are, they tell you'.

If I get much more baiting about the Saga thing I might just start a lengthy monologue - on everyone else's threads...

[Viatron]

"lengthy monologue "
only because youll keep repeating yourself.....

[Mister Towed]

Yesss, bitter.

[Mister Towed]

Hmm, nice sunny day on Friday so I thought I'd take the Spyder out for a blast. My start-up routine is to push the car out backwards before firing up the motor so I don't fill the garage with carbon monoxide

I knew something was up when I couldn't budge it - assuming the handbrake had stuck on I decided to start it inside and reverse out to 'break' the shoes off the inside of the drums. As the car started to move, a tell-tale squelching and squealing sound alerted me to one very flat tyre on the front nearside wheel.



This set me a bit of a problem: even with all four tyres fully inflated the ground clearance is tight. In fact, to get my trolley jack under the front wishbones or cross-member I have to drive the car up onto wooden blocks first. The tyre was so flat that I couldn't drive it onto the blocks, and to compound the problem, all the garage electrics were out too so I couldn't fire up my compressor.

Attempting to pump up the tyre with a foot pump resulted in more air coming out of the tyre than was going in, so I gave up as I had this much clearance under the front of the car -



To give an idea of exactly how little clearance that is, here's my pocket rule against a standard sized number plate -



Today I was able to work out why I had no electrics in the garage - a roll of old carpet I was storing against the wall had slumped against the master switch and turned it off - and the compressor was able to get enough pressure into the tyre to drive it onto the blocks and get a jack underneath as it rapidly hissed its way flat again. I can't find anything obvious sticking out of the tyre but I'll get it checked out professionally in a day or so.

Which brings me to a bit of a thought provoking point: how would I deal with a flat tyre if I didn't have access to a compressor and my wooden blocks, or if the tyre wouldn't inflate at all?

Now, I have been carrying around a tyre seal aerosol for the last two years specifically for that eventuality, but when I actually needed it, it occurred to me that it's almost certainly been developed for use on tubeless tyres and I have inner tubes fitted. Anybody tried tyre sealant on a tube tyre?

It also set me thinking that you can't just drop into quickfit and have a new inner tube fitted if you get a puncture on a classic car, as tyre fitters just don't stock them any more.

So, the thought is slowly formulating in my head that I need an emergency kit in case I suffer a flat tyre on a longer journey. I'd rather not carry a spare wheel as it would swallow up all the luggage space in my 'boot' and in my experience they're almost always flat when you need them anyway.

Instead, I'll be carrying a couple of spare inner tubes and I'm thinking of buying an exhaust jack, similar to the ones Trumpton use to lift overturned trucks off flat pedestrians -

http://www.westfalia.net/shops/car_a...&art_nr=116194

Has anyone tried one of these (or similar)?

Hopefully, that should give me a fighting chance of the RAC getting me back on the road within half a day or so if I get a flat. That could mean the difference between getting to Goodwood Revival or facing the ignominious trip home with the Spyder on the back of a tow truck instead.

If nobody's tried an exhaust jack I'll get one ordered and report back when I've tried it. Looking at the exhaust gas collector cone it looks like I might need to fabricate an adaptor for my side exit pipe first though.

More later.

[Paul L]

Mr T - Shame about the flat tyre, but great observations about what would happen out on the road.

Hopefully I will have enough ground clearance for a small scissor jack, but I will definitely double check.

Good luck, Paul.

[reneanglia]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Profession...-/120803091590
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Hydra...03091590&rt=nc
Perhaps this is a possibilaty?

[Mister Towed]

Originally Posted by reneanglia

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Profession...-/120803091590
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Hydra...03091590&rt=nc
Perhaps this is a possibilaty?

Cheers Rene, the Formula 1 style jack looks an interesting possibility for the garage, I wonder if I could fabricate one...

The scale-model trolley jack could work, I'd just need to work out how much weight there is on one wishbone as the jack's rated to 200lb.

The good thing about the exhaust jack though is that it's still useable on mud, snow or uneven ground and packs away in its own little bag.

[8 Valve Ed]

With my rally mini I used a VW Beetle jack, works in exactly the same principle as a mastic gun and goes down to zero height, handy if you loose a wheel... I welded square sockets at the front and back of the Mini cills to insert it. May not be suitable for your car?

They made a larger version for the vans I understand. One handy feature is you can lower the car by dropping it if you wish, without having to 'jack it down', handy if you are in a hurry.

[froggyman]

Yes the exhaust jack or bag jack as we used to call it are great. The one I used many years ago was an impressive bit of kit and would raise the car car in no time with no damage to the car. Obviously I cannot vouch for the one you are looking at, but mine was well made and stood up to much use and abuse on tarmac, grass and farm tracks. I had forgotten about it until now and can't remember what happened to it. Someone borrowed it I suppose!