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- Thread starter marcus
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NickDunning
Active Member
Re: WHY
This isn't an unusual thing....it's human nature Marcus. I've seen it many times. To a lot of people simple possession of something is what matters, even it it's rotting away by the day.
I can think of many, but one very close to where I live was a 1974 Almond 2200 auto.
This car was left in a will to a guy who lives about 400 yards from me. The car was a stunner with, if I remember rightly, 21000 miles on the clock, when it was parked on the grass outside his house in about 1994. I remember looking round it with envy. It had stunning chrome etc. A very very nice car.
It sat for about three years, and was starting to visibly deteriorate. I'd spoken to the owner several times who told me he wanted £5000 for it and that it wasn't going anywhere until he got the money.
In about 2001 we did Bromley Pageant and one of the gents running the stand spoke to me when I returned to tell me about a bloke who'd just approached him from my neck of the woods, going about a mint 2200 that he had and might be for sale. A few days later I rang the number and lo and behold, it was the same bloke, going on about his beautiful car and how he wanted top money for it.
At that point it had sat for about seven years and had sunk into the grass and was green with algae.
It sat at the same spot for another five or so years, until in about 2006 it was removed by the Council and no doubt crushed.
Criminal.
marcus said:
This isn't an unusual thing....it's human nature Marcus. I've seen it many times. To a lot of people simple possession of something is what matters, even it it's rotting away by the day.
I can think of many, but one very close to where I live was a 1974 Almond 2200 auto.
This car was left in a will to a guy who lives about 400 yards from me. The car was a stunner with, if I remember rightly, 21000 miles on the clock, when it was parked on the grass outside his house in about 1994. I remember looking round it with envy. It had stunning chrome etc. A very very nice car.
It sat for about three years, and was starting to visibly deteriorate. I'd spoken to the owner several times who told me he wanted £5000 for it and that it wasn't going anywhere until he got the money.
In about 2001 we did Bromley Pageant and one of the gents running the stand spoke to me when I returned to tell me about a bloke who'd just approached him from my neck of the woods, going about a mint 2200 that he had and might be for sale. A few days later I rang the number and lo and behold, it was the same bloke, going on about his beautiful car and how he wanted top money for it.
At that point it had sat for about seven years and had sunk into the grass and was green with algae.
It sat at the same spot for another five or so years, until in about 2006 it was removed by the Council and no doubt crushed.
Criminal.
webmaster
New Member
Re: WHY
People seem to think that if a car doesn't move, it doesn't deteriorate, when (especially if it's parked outside) the opposite is the case.
Mind you, it's amazing how the time slips by, I personally had a chevette and a mini stored at my mothers house, fully intending to restore them, but 10 years later I let them go for scrap (after selling all the spares I had aquired), being in a dry garage they hadn't really got any worse but they were rubbish to begin with !
Out of sight - out of mind.
People seem to think that if a car doesn't move, it doesn't deteriorate, when (especially if it's parked outside) the opposite is the case.
Mind you, it's amazing how the time slips by, I personally had a chevette and a mini stored at my mothers house, fully intending to restore them, but 10 years later I let them go for scrap (after selling all the spares I had aquired), being in a dry garage they hadn't really got any worse but they were rubbish to begin with !
Out of sight - out of mind.
USBrits
New Member
Re: WHY
There's always a reason right? - the validity totally depends on who you are so we should try not to judge anyone too harshly.
LIFO projects (Last In First Out) often end up taking precedence - family, kids, home projects, lack of funds, bad weather - you name it, we all have them. There's 24 in a day & only so much anyone can do after work & always a balancing act. This of course does not apply to those that think nothing of dropping an engine block in a few hours - you know who you are
Some simply just don't want to give in or sell out - perhaps that's why he's holding onto his project? Come on, you have to admire the determination that he's still stuck with his guns that long right? Personally I fired up a welder for the very first time last week, I made little progress with INBD and it's far from pretty - perhaps I shouldn't have bothered? But it's about starting & gaining momentum and that & some support may be all that's really needed. I feel for the person that's walking the tightrope & doing the juggling act - you never know what they are really dealing with so try to give them the benefit of the doubt. I guess I'm a little sensitive to this because it could just as easily be me.
On the flip side - good luck with the acquisition! Call him back.
Paul
There's always a reason right? - the validity totally depends on who you are so we should try not to judge anyone too harshly.
LIFO projects (Last In First Out) often end up taking precedence - family, kids, home projects, lack of funds, bad weather - you name it, we all have them. There's 24 in a day & only so much anyone can do after work & always a balancing act. This of course does not apply to those that think nothing of dropping an engine block in a few hours - you know who you are
Some simply just don't want to give in or sell out - perhaps that's why he's holding onto his project? Come on, you have to admire the determination that he's still stuck with his guns that long right? Personally I fired up a welder for the very first time last week, I made little progress with INBD and it's far from pretty - perhaps I shouldn't have bothered? But it's about starting & gaining momentum and that & some support may be all that's really needed. I feel for the person that's walking the tightrope & doing the juggling act - you never know what they are really dealing with so try to give them the benefit of the doubt. I guess I'm a little sensitive to this because it could just as easily be me.
On the flip side - good luck with the acquisition! Call him back.
Paul
Re: WHY
My dad was the same with his MGB GT, he got the car and it was mint, engine worked, it had a few leaks around the windscreen which he patched and then he took the engine out to give it a good cleaning/soaking in oil.
The car never moved again, and by the time I was interested in trying to resore it, there was a tree growning out of the floor underneith the car and through the engine bay and out the side of the wheel arches and front grille. I swear that the moss plus other stuff on the roof had its own intelligence.........
In the end I figured out I couldn't afford to restore it, so it went to the srap man.
Saying that, my rover is just sat there doing nothing
I try and go up and see her every week, and start her and let her engine run for a bit so the oil gets moved and nothing sticks, and shes in a garage so she is dry.
But I am saving up the money to take it to a place who can do it for me (basically I dont have the time to do it myself or the tools) Bit of money goes from my wages into a account, which I have deemed the "save my rover" fund
I have already got/getting 4 panels painted, which I am waiting to pick up on today/tomorrow, and every so often I will be taking a panel off and getting it painted
One day I WILL have a proper rover, and not one that is yellow, green, black, red and brown!!!
My dad was the same with his MGB GT, he got the car and it was mint, engine worked, it had a few leaks around the windscreen which he patched and then he took the engine out to give it a good cleaning/soaking in oil.
The car never moved again, and by the time I was interested in trying to resore it, there was a tree growning out of the floor underneith the car and through the engine bay and out the side of the wheel arches and front grille. I swear that the moss plus other stuff on the roof had its own intelligence.........
In the end I figured out I couldn't afford to restore it, so it went to the srap man.
Saying that, my rover is just sat there doing nothing
I try and go up and see her every week, and start her and let her engine run for a bit so the oil gets moved and nothing sticks, and shes in a garage so she is dry.
But I am saving up the money to take it to a place who can do it for me (basically I dont have the time to do it myself or the tools
) Bit of money goes from my wages into a account, which I have deemed the "save my rover" fund I have already got/getting 4 panels painted, which I am waiting to pick up on today/tomorrow, and every so often I will be taking a panel off and getting it painted
One day I WILL have a proper rover, and not one that is yellow, green, black, red and brown!!!
Re: WHY
Back in the early eighties my girlfriend's brother had a 3500S, monza red with a black vinyl roof. It broke down one day - possibly fuel vapourisation as it started when cold and never did it again, but he lost interest in it. It sat on his drive for 18 months, slowly going green and rustic brown.
Then one day he turned up at my industrial unit and asked if I would like it? Didn't want any money for it, just didn't want it to die.
I did insist in paying him something (£150) and then drove it, restoring it at the weekends, for around 15 years. Broke my heart when it finally fell apart, but I reckon I covered over 200k in it.
I would probably still have it if it weren't for a messy and expansive divorce. :?
Back in the early eighties my girlfriend's brother had a 3500S, monza red with a black vinyl roof. It broke down one day - possibly fuel vapourisation as it started when cold and never did it again, but he lost interest in it. It sat on his drive for 18 months, slowly going green and rustic brown.
Then one day he turned up at my industrial unit and asked if I would like it? Didn't want any money for it, just didn't want it to die.
I did insist in paying him something (£150) and then drove it, restoring it at the weekends, for around 15 years. Broke my heart when it finally fell apart, but I reckon I covered over 200k in it.
I would probably still have it if it weren't for a messy and expansive divorce. :?
webmaster
New Member
Re: WHY
I think the trick is to park the car right outside your front door, or better still, in your lounge, it's hard to ignore it when you have to climb over it to get to the telly !
When I lived with my parents, I had use of a friends double garage, only about a mile away, but once a project went in there it never came out !
Now here's an interesting aspect, especially the support bit, I've noticed a couple of people on the forum offering to go round to somebody else's place and help (Pilkie for one), this is a great idea, often once you get started you can get a lot done before the enthusiasm runs out again, and with a helper or two you can achieve a lot more. Especially if they turn up with specialist tools (welder, engine crane etc), that can make a job much easier.
I know everybody's time is at a premium these days, but if you can spare some time to help a fellow enthusiast, why not offer !
I think the trick is to park the car right outside your front door, or better still, in your lounge, it's hard to ignore it when you have to climb over it to get to the telly !
When I lived with my parents, I had use of a friends double garage, only about a mile away, but once a project went in there it never came out !
Now here's an interesting aspect, especially the support bit, I've noticed a couple of people on the forum offering to go round to somebody else's place and help (Pilkie for one), this is a great idea, often once you get started you can get a lot done before the enthusiasm runs out again, and with a helper or two you can achieve a lot more. Especially if they turn up with specialist tools (welder, engine crane etc), that can make a job much easier.
I know everybody's time is at a premium these days, but if you can spare some time to help a fellow enthusiast, why not offer !
Re: WHY
Well its very interesting and i know i live miles away from some off you but in north lincs we have a little group of helpers , i have 3 no rovers parked in garden and they feed 4 other rovers here, its unreal the amount off stuff you get off an old rover right down to screws clips etc,evcen to cutting body parts out and sending them to Preston , but im free to help anyone in the area or anyway i can for those off you that live in the posh parts of the uk lol
regards to you all
rosie is getting a new carpet for xmas dont tell her :wink:
marcus
Well its very interesting and i know i live miles away from some off you but in north lincs we have a little group of helpers , i have 3 no rovers parked in garden and they feed 4 other rovers here, its unreal the amount off stuff you get off an old rover right down to screws clips etc,evcen to cutting body parts out and sending them to Preston , but im free to help anyone in the area or anyway i can for those off you that live in the posh parts of the uk lol
regards to you all
rosie is getting a new carpet for xmas dont tell her :wink:
marcus
ajcb
Member
Re: WHY
Good point. It could be held on the website and accessed from there by a mobile saving the costs of paper, printing and postage and the costs of having to resend the document when there are changes. Maybe a "do it yourself" process could be used whereby members who are prepared to help added themselves to a list in the members only area of the website. This area could also include the current technical help page from the magazine with the lists of specialists such as Clive Annable, Noel Howard, Steve Hopkins etc..
I am, as is probably apparent, a keen believer in having everything on the website. To ensure members do not forget about the site and to draw their attention to important matters which are/might be on it, such as the forthcoming EGM or future changes in motoring law or perhaps warnings (if it were the case for example that De-Dion elbows or whatever were starting to break and should be checked) the club should hold a list of members e-mail addresses and more importantly an e-mail should be sent to all members every so often to remind them about the website. Maybe this could be generated automatically?
Cheers
Tony
Good point. It could be held on the website and accessed from there by a mobile saving the costs of paper, printing and postage and the costs of having to resend the document when there are changes. Maybe a "do it yourself" process could be used whereby members who are prepared to help added themselves to a list in the members only area of the website. This area could also include the current technical help page from the magazine with the lists of specialists such as Clive Annable, Noel Howard, Steve Hopkins etc..
I am, as is probably apparent, a keen believer in having everything on the website. To ensure members do not forget about the site and to draw their attention to important matters which are/might be on it, such as the forthcoming EGM or future changes in motoring law or perhaps warnings (if it were the case for example that De-Dion elbows or whatever were starting to break and should be checked) the club should hold a list of members e-mail addresses and more importantly an e-mail should be sent to all members every so often to remind them about the website. Maybe this could be generated automatically?
Cheers
Tony