First cars roadworthyness

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Betty the Bay, Feb 11, 2019.

  1. Betty the Bay

    Betty the Bay Supporter

    In an attempt to have a vehicle related thread, as opposed to body parts and with a nod to all the fuss about MoT exception, what was the state of your first vehicle?
    My first proper car was a 1964 Hillman Imp, it was fitted with oak sills, ( had a joiner relative), covered with fiberglass and doors held closed by toilet door bolts, do they didn't fly open on corners .. passed an MoT for several years!
     
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2019
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  2. Meltman

    Meltman Sprout Lover

    My first car was a '66 Hillman Imp, didn't have the optional extras like yours though!
    Mine looked ok but eventually I had to replace an outer cill, that's when I found the inner panel of the cill was solid rust !

    Sent from my SM-J320FN using Tapatalk
     
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  3. My first car was a Morris 1100 ,on the way to Great Yarmouth for a camping trip with two mates ,that radio caught fire and the whole of the floor in the boot dropped on to the road along with a borrowed 12 man scout tent and a supply of beer.
     
  4. My first was a 1936 Morris 8 tourer when I was a student in 1964 - total wreck to be honest - see below.
    Prom6.jpg
     
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  5. Jules65

    Jules65 Supporter

    But do you secretly wish you’d still got it in the garage?
     
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  6. Sort of get a nostalgic feeling when I see them at car shows - paid £12/1o for it then, worth about £8k now - but I now have an MGA in the garage instead
     
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  7. Jules65

    Jules65 Supporter

    First car for me was a Morris Ital (I was talked into it instead of a beetle by my idiot brother in law). Bought it from a Vauxhall dealer in Rotherham and they put a full years MOT on it. Took it back 3 weeks later as it was making an awful sound and the head mechanic (not knowing I’d purchased it from there 3 weeks earlier) stated the bottom trunion had gone and the car was unsafe to drive!
    They fixed it stating the fault wasn’t covered by the warranty (what ever is) and I was told I’d have to pay a third as would they and the warranty company.....£80 bill back in 1983 wasn’t cheap and a year later when the trunion on the opposite side went and I fixed it myself I discovered the part cost £14!
    The boot was permanently full of water and the stereo facing towards the front passenger was a real pita. Only good thing about it was the seats sliding forward and fully reclineing so forming a really large spring loaded area ;)

    [​IMG]
     
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  8. Dubs

    Dubs Sponsor supporter extraordinaire

    Mini 850 in à lovely shade of brown... was actually a decent example until I wrote it off...:oops: then got another one that used to go down the road like a crab, due to the rear subframe hanging off.. :thumbsup:
     
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  9. minor 5.jpg minor 4.jpg My first car was a 1952 split screen Morris Minor convertible 'the pram' but it did have 16 valves!!!!! eight in the side valve engine and eight in the radio!!! The radio took as long as the engine to warm up. The radio started smoking while cruising along Southend Sea front so tore it out and over the sea wall in went.
     
  10. Betty the Bay

    Betty the Bay Supporter

    And we fret about the roadworthyness of our buses!
     
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  11. I had the saloon version and such was my enthusiasm that I bought it 6 months before I passed my driving test. I kept it in the car park at Oxford Tech College and use to drive it round at night. Almost as soon as I passed my test, I went and shunted a car in Leicester on my way to the Lake District. It bashed both back and front of the car in front as it got knocked into car in front of him. My car suffered no damage at all as the bumpers were really solid. The brakes were terrible mind.
     
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  12. Betty the Bay

    Betty the Bay Supporter

    Found it painful to "like" a post about a Marina .... even if it had gone a bit Italiano.
     
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  13. I did porlock hill in my marina bit of a white knuckle ride coming down especially when all the slate I'd borrowed from a quarry slid from the back of the car to the front and under the pedals
     
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  14. mikedjames

    mikedjames Supporter

    I used a 6 inch nail to drain the boot on my £100 Marina.
     
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  15. stirlingmoz

    stirlingmoz Supporter

    My first car was a brown ‘ H’ reg Hillman Avenger.

    Four doors and a 1500 engine.

    It had cross ply tyres and the road holding was best described as ‘interesting’

    Happy days.


    Stirlingmoz
     
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  16. Poptop2

    Poptop2 Administrator

    I bought a splitty so42 camper when i was 17 as I had dreams of doing it up and using it, but it was beyond my abilities and I scrapped it. I only sold the interior a few years back.

    Sadly my first on the road car was not a dub, but a quite good Austin 1300, DDA 804J
     
  17. mikedjames

    mikedjames Supporter

    But having any car got me a girlfriend .. still married 33 years on.

    Faults with car
    • Sills made of filler
    • Footwell welded on with slag
    • No rear bump stops
    • Lowered saggy springs
    • Jammed offside front disc caliper
    • Carpet wrapped round steering column snaps on lane changes on motorway, tyres yelp.
    • Loose steering.
    • 150 miles to the gallon of oil, smoked and dripped
    • No starter ring (sometimes) .. cut most of the way through oil pump body as the ring rattled around the flywheel after starting until it bounced off the oil pump and then stayed on each journey. Had to single handed bump start was fit enough from cycling to do that on the flat.
    • Once did 100mph and jammed carb float down petrol poured out.
    • Dent in inner wing from carb as engine mounts were gone and clutch was oily.
    • Once drove 150 miles with no cooling water on a freezing day.
     
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  18. Betty the Bay

    Betty the Bay Supporter

    And the faults with the girlfriend?
     
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  19. Haha I read your post and suddenly the reg of my 1100 came back to me . DLP 55C
     
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  20. Soggz

    Soggz An inquisitive supporter

    First car Datsun 100A. Ace car. Mot tester knew it was my first car and knew I had not much money, so he avoided poking it in certain places, just told me “ it might need welding here, soon...wink wink”, as he knew I was skint...
     
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