SWTVC BULLETIN NUMBER 03/21 (MARCH 2021)
SWTVC Website can be found at www.swtvc.org.uk
Registered address of the SWTVC: 80 Barfillan Drive, Glasgow G52.
Committee:
Alan Brown (Chair san.soubeyran@hotmail.co.uk
Sandra Brown (Secretary) 07951 732611 san.soubeyran@hotmail.co.uk
John Stewart (Treasurer)
Harry Sherry: (Webmaster)
Ken McGeoch: (member)
John Young: (Membership Secretary)
Ronnie Johnston: (Editor)
Dave Stewart: (Webmaster)
Kevin Began: (Events Co-ordinator)
Monthly meetings: These normally take place on the 3 rd Tuesday of the month in the Kirkhouse Inn at 08.00PM but are suspended meantime.
Editorial:
Well, here we are in March with clear signs of spring in the air after what seems to have been a very long, miserable winter. It surely won’t be too long until we can rouse our oldies from their hibernation.
I will begin our March Bulletin with this recently published item from FBHVC.
FBHVC clarifies the introduction of E10 petrol for historic vehicle owners
Published: 26/02/2021
After an extensive consultation process, the Department for Transport has announced that they will legislate to introduce E10 petrol as the standard 95-octane petrol grade by 1 September 2021. They will also require the higher-octane 97+ ‘Super’ grades to remain E5 to provide protection for owners of older vehicles. This product will be designated as the ‘Protection’ grade.
The introduction of the 95-octane E10 grade and the maintenance of the Super E5 protection grade will be reviewed by the Government after 5 years to ensure they remain appropriate to the needs of the market. In relation to the E5 protection grade, such a review will examine market developments over the period. HM Government have sought to reassure FBHVC members and historic vehicle owners that, without a suitable alternative becoming available, it is highly likely the Super E5 protection grade would continue to be available.
Filling stations that stock 2 grades of petrol and supply at least one million litres of fuel in total each year, will need to ensure one product is the Super E5 protection grade. While not all filling stations meet these criteria, almost all towns across the UK will have a filling station that supplies the ‘Super’ grade and currently one major retailer, a national supermarket group, has committed to offer the product. The main exception to this is in certain parts of the Highlands, north and west coast of Scotland, which will be covered by an exemption process and allowed to continue to market the 95-octane E5 grade.
The Federation therefore recommends that all vehicles produced before 2000 and some vehicles from the early 2000s that are considered non-compatible with E10 – should use the Super E5 Protection grade where the Ethanol content is limited to a maximum of 5%. To check compatibility of vehicles produced since 2000, we recommend using the new online E10 compatibility checker: https://www.gov.uk/check-vehicle-e10-petrol
It should be noted that some Super E5 Protection grade products do not contain Ethanol as the E5 designation is for fuels containing up to 5% Ethanol. Product availability varies by manufacturer and geographical location and enthusiasts should check the situation in their location.
ZOOM MEETING:
We had a very interesting meeting by way of the marvels of modern technology.
Barry Woods showed us his magnificent collection of racing cars and gave us a fascinating account of the restoration of his 1930s Bentley. This was followed by a good old fashioned “natter” about all things related to old cars.
Very nice to see a few old faces and, hopefully, we can repeat this. If anyone has a topic they would like to speak on please let Sandra know.
QR CODE:
There is a QR code which will take you directly to the club website.
It had been my intention to reproduce it here for your convenience but I cannot copy it directly to the Bulletin.
I will ask John Young to send it by a circular email
An interesting item from the Perthshire Courier:(Thanks to Dave Stewart)
Morris Lesley has unveiled proposals for a £33.8m leisure park on the edge of Perth, set to include a hotel, lodges and a car museum.
I have no further information but I have seem Morris Leslie’s car collection and it would most certainly be worth a visit if it is opened to the public.
Something to look forward to, let’s hope.
BVCC RALLY:
In last month’s Bulletin I mentioned that the BVCC rally at Thirlestane Castle had been postponed to an unspecified later date. I have now been told that it has been cancelled altogether but they hope to put on an extra special event next year as this will be their 25thanniversary.
CHANGE IN MoT RULES:
From January 1st MoT stations have been instructed to fail any car presented with LED headlights if these were not original equipment.
MIKE WORTHINGTON WILLIAMS MBE:
Legendary motoring historian and journalist Mike Worthington Williams passed away on 8th February at the age of 83. A larger than life character he made an enormous contribution to the Vintage car movement. I will miss his articles in The Automobile.
RONNIE GORDON:
Pleased to report that Ronnie is now out of hospital andmaking excellent progress.
SCRAPYARDS:
My item on scrapyards a couple of months ago sparked some amusing reminisces. Kyle Gordon tells me of an incident many years ago when he and a friend turned up at a scrapyard looking to remove some body parts. The scrapyard owner said he was closing in 15 minutes and they would have to return the following day. Kyle assured him they could have the parts removed before he shut for the day. At this the astonished scrappy watched them unload a portable generator and proceed to dismember the car with angle grinders!
There is nothing like being prepared for anything!
Continued from last month:
As promised last month this is the final instalment of Gordon Dow’s account of his youthful adventures with cars and motorcycles. Many thanks to Gordon: similar reminiscences from other members for later Bulletins would be most welcome.
With the clunk my heart sank, Had I damaged something badly? I removed
the battery and carried it home to charge it, not a fun exercise and
less so feeling despondent as you might imagine…. Lying in bed trying
to think what I might have done to cause the clunk, I thought it could
be the starter motor dog was still partially engaged worth checking..?
I turned my thinking towards the lack of oil pressure… I had some time
before come across an industrial water pump that required PRIMED.. Yeah
could be that…Re-energised with a possible solution to the issues the
next day I carried the charged battery back over to the lock-up, I had a
hand pumped oil can, though where to try to prime the system…? Did
not take too long before I thought to remove the oil pressure release
valve spring and bullet and using a bit of rag wrapped around the nose
of the oil can to act as an inefficient seal, I pumped the oil in to the
pressure release orifice until I felt resistance growing, ifI was
quick, I could even see that by the time I got to read it the oil
pressure gauge was dropping down towards zero, which suggested I had
perhaps introduced some pressure into the system…? Now to the
starter motor, spanner on to the squared end and I heard the dog
retract. Turned the engine by hand, no clunk..! To say the relief felt
was immense is an understatement, again spun the engine over with the
plugs out and watched the oil pressure gauge rise, success, now the
question was would it fire up ..? Connected up the fuel pump electrical
supply, turned on the ign, waited till the pump stopped clicking crossed
my fingers and turned the key to start it…. and fire up it did, even
held it`s water and oil, what`s more to want..? Had to mess quite a bit
with the carbs to get it to idle, even bought a Colortune to adjust the
mixture, to become one very happy chappie.. (-:
Now running and insured, the next step was to take it for an MOT the nearest
MOT station was perhaps 4 miles distant and that would be the car`s
first run once there and up on the ramps the “repairs” caused the MOT
examiner to call everyone working in the garage to come and look at
THIS..!!! The main thing was that it passed…My first car was now fit
for the road at last..
The brand new M8 had opened the section down to the Erskine bridge which
at the time had not yet been completed but I was able to use the section
of the motorway to run up and down in the hope of bedding the newly
built engine in. I must have done perhaps as much as 100 miles cruising
up and down there, and when I was confident enough to open it up a bit
more, I guess I was not impressed, for sure I did not expect it to
perform anything like my Norton Dominator had, but it did not
accelerate as well as the BSM mini in which I learned to drive. In
search of resolving the lack of power I took out the plugs to check
their colour and No 1`s plug`s electrode and insulator was as white as
the day I first installed it…. A duff Champion spark plug right out of
the box and it had never fired even once..! I stuck one of the old
plugs in and it fired up on all four for the first time in my ownership,
it sounded different too, and the idle was way up over the 800 requiring
the carb to be adjusted to suit…. DUH..! As m/cyclist I was well used
to singles two stroke and four stroke engines, but more than twins I had
not acquired an ear for as as yet…. Yeah it went better, quite a lot
better, but as ever my uncle`s words rang true, with a high lift cam
larger carbs, and sporting exhaust, it was pretty powerless until it
reached circa 4k revs at which time it would accelerate like the
proverbial bat out of H*ll, and on selecting the next in line gear it
would fall out of it`s narrow powerband and once again I was reduced to
floundering around waiting for the revs to rise… Yeah, it takes some
folk rather too long to accept wise advice from elders…!
I became well used to the driving style required of the old Frog eye,
and the maintenance of its kit. Though I was caught out when the
charging light flashed up on arrival at a job in Coatbridge, and ammeter
showing no charge, before shutting it down, I parked it on a hill to
avoid using the battery to crank the engine when I returned to it at the
end of the day`s work. I wondered if I might manage to get the old
thing home across the city during rush hour in winter..? Ready for the
journey home, it fired up on rolling down the hill, I ran on sidelights
only, using hand signals, remember them..? I would switch the lights off
if stopped at traffic light etc, and made it right through the city
centre out as far as a mile or so from home before the petrol pump
stopped ticking, even with the sidelights off… Oh well, I had carried
this battery for a mile or more before, though this time I stripped out
the dynamo and carried it too, put the battery on charge and stripped
the dynamo to find the brushes past their best. First thing next
morning down to the local auto shop brushes bought and fitted, fingers
crossed, and a hike back in the hope the old car would still be
there…. It was, dynamo then battery refitted, and much relief when it
fired up and the ammeter confirmed the repairs had been successful… So
easy to forget the struggles of our yoof when personal transport was
considered a luxury
My next sports car was a Lotus Elan, but as ever given budget
limitations, it was on its last legs and considerably increased my
automotive education on a trial and much error basis. I am more than
happy to share the experience, but best give it a rest for now.
Cheers, George Dow.
AND FINALLY:
A couple of motoring misfortunes here:
!
It’s bad enough having your car breakdown but getting a speeding ticket while on the breakdown truck really twists the knife
The driver of this Jeep had an unexpected paint job one day.
That’s all folks.
Best wishes,
Ronnie