Re: First Car
Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 4:20 pm
A Messerschmitt
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Sid...did Vauxhall not have a bad reputation for bodywork on all models. I worked for a local council and they bought HA110 Viva vans for M.O.W and had big problems with rust etc.Sid Bishop wrote: ↑Tue Sep 15, 2020 3:45 pmNot a bad car that, looked nice as well. The first Victor, eg the ''F Series Victor'' was made from 1957 to 1961 and typical of its era, its styling was based on American cars of that time. Problem was that it was a real rust bucket and its replacement the ''FB Series Victor and VX4/90 1960 to 1964'' was a far better car, nice looking as well and Vauxhall engines were quite good for that period in time. I really liked the VX4/90 model, a sporty version of the standard Victor. Externally the car was distinguished from the standard car by a coloured stripe down the side, revised grille and larger tail-light clusters and was capable of 90 MPH, wow ! Problem for nearly all makes of cars of those times was the demon rust that ate away the bodies of the cars, especially underneath the car, sills and under the wings. Now rust in modern cars is thankfully something that rarely happens.
803 cc of naked aggression!Chicken Dhansak wrote: ↑Tue Sep 15, 2020 2:48 pm 1949 side valve Morris Minor. The block was made of iron and one night the water hose sprung a leak, by the time I'd realised, I stopped
and raised the bonnet and the engine was glowing. Waited for a couple of hours for it to cool down, refilled the radiator and drove home.
No damage to the engine whatsoever.
The Vauxhall ''F Series Victor'' made from 1957 to 1961 was a real shocker for going rusty, This era of Vauxhall was famed for rusting away, particularly in the British climate. The truth was that indeed they were on the leading edge of body construction but had yet to learn about rust proofing voids and avoiding excessive overlaying of unpainted metal to metal surfaces. This affected their sales and reputation for years afterwards - even several models down the line, when they had got the problem licked. Well, as licked as any other manufacturer. Then there was the styling, which despite the popularity of the Ford Zyphyr range, was a little too much for the reserved British tastes at the time. But mostly, everyone just thought they were rust buckets. Now the sight of a survivor at a classic rally makes us all misty eyed. Most all makes of cars of this era had rust problems, but the first Victor was the worst of the lot.AckneyAwks wrote: ↑Tue Sep 15, 2020 5:10 pmSid...did Vauxhall not have a bad reputation for bodywork on all models. I worked for a local council and they bought HA110 Viva vans for M.O.W and had big problems with rust etc.Sid Bishop wrote: ↑Tue Sep 15, 2020 3:45 pmNot a bad car that, looked nice as well. The first Victor, eg the ''F Series Victor'' was made from 1957 to 1961 and typical of its era, its styling was based on American cars of that time. Problem was that it was a real rust bucket and its replacement the ''FB Series Victor and VX4/90 1960 to 1964'' was a far better car, nice looking as well and Vauxhall engines were quite good for that period in time. I really liked the VX4/90 model, a sporty version of the standard Victor. Externally the car was distinguished from the standard car by a coloured stripe down the side, revised grille and larger tail-light clusters and was capable of 90 MPH, wow ! Problem for nearly all makes of cars of those times was the demon rust that ate away the bodies of the cars, especially underneath the car, sills and under the wings. Now rust in modern cars is thankfully something that rarely happens.
I had a 105E about the same time as you. I decided it would look better without the silver trim down the sides. Removed said trim but then didn't get round to filling & painting round the fitting holes. Hence about a dozen small rust areas down each side over the next year. I wrote it off by driving into the back of a car that stopped for a crossing. I didn't see it as I was busy ogling 2 girls on the pavement, so it was their fault really.Jeanluc wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 11:52 am Got my first car when I was a student in 1972 – it was a 1964 Ford Anglia 105E – the one with the backward-slanted rear window. It was starting to rust so I decided to give it a new paint job. Went to Woolworths and bought a 5 litre tin of Winfield blue gloss paint. Because I spent all my money on the paint, I couldn’t afford the better Harris paint brushes so I bought Winfield ones. Big mistake. All was going well until I noticed that the bristles were coming out and were stuck to the bodywork. Impossible to remove so I just carried on and had the hairiest Ford Anglia in Walthamstow. Mechanically, it served me well until some buckeejit rammed me while I was stationary at traffic lights and the car was written off. Happy days
Solid steel chrome bumpers in those days stopped much of the damage you get nowadays with those plastic crumple zone bumpers.ComeOnYouOs wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 1:05 pm 1956 Austin A35 in sky blue.
Tough as old boots. Had a head on, 3 weeks after passing my test. A modern car would have been totally wrecked, and me with it, but this car had a dented wing!
The A35 was replaced by the mini, in 1959