Iain's (Delta Racing Car) Builder's Tea Break 2015

[midgetman]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

So, is it me, or is the fact that an Englishman has gone to the ISS taking over the media? The words patriotism and jingoism came to mind, but neither fits perfectly, so I'll use 'extreme nationalism' instead!

I assumed he was part of a team, but it took a lot of research to find any info on the others involved.... Well done to the whole crew, especially the Russian Commander, who manually docked the Sojuz after the auto park feature failed..

You forget it's using government (aka OUR) money therefore I'm very pleased to have big coverage of it so I can monitor where the cash is going. TBQH if it does inspire youngsters to get into engineering then it's worth every penny.

Mind you he had to pay to get into the flight team. Pastor Maldonado anyone?

[midgetman]

Originally Posted by VIVA GT

(Presumably the fuel filler caps were moved from the back panels of cars for 'elf & safety reasons, for when someone ran into the back of the car?)

Yes, we've had to do that with racing cars for many years now. We put the MG fuel fillers into the boot, and have to put a catch pot around them to take spilt fuel away. I called the boot my catch pot, there were so many rust holes in it no liquid would ever gather there. Scrutineers didn't agree for some reason...

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by midgetman

TBQH if it does inspire youngsters to get into engineering then it's worth every penny.
Mind you he had to pay to get into the flight team.

Bloody pay drivers spoiling it for those with real talent!

They've been pushing the 'will inspire youngsters into taking an interest in science' line a lot. Sounds good to me, let's hope so.

Viva, I do just the same when looking at old films. Hopefully it can be considered nostalgia!

[YorkshireLad]

I'm a youngish lad, when I was learning my tutor always told me to give enough distance and use ALL of the lane to see the road ahead of the slow vehicle in front, then go for it at the first safest chance. Using momentum is far safer than accelerating when your wedged behind a twit, even more so if you've been sat behind it for the past 10 minutes, getting more and more frustrated like my mum used to! That's when you make a break for it and the chance of an accident is increased.

I thought the video was very good, very beneficial, I also flash ahead if there is a lane hogger. If there day dreaming it's best to wake them back up as we only concentrate for something like 15mins out of every hour.

[Colin McKay]

Having started my working life as a "Garage Manager" for which read "Pump Attendant and Unpaid Night/Weekend Cover" I became very familiar with hidden fillers as most folk back then stayed in the car and gave instructions through an open window along the lines of "4 gallons of 3 star and 4 shots, and wash the windscreen and check the oil while you're at it". I remember the Ford concealed fillers, but one regular Anglia customer had moved the filler into the rear passenger compartment because someone had once siphoned his fuel. Filling it entailed kneeling on the back seat while the driver remained in front, probably smoking a No 6

[Eric Falce]

Originally Posted by Colin McKay

Having started my working life as a "Garage Manager" for which read "Pump Attendant and Unpaid Night/Weekend Cover" I became very familiar with hidden fillers as most folk back then stayed in the car and gave instructions through an open window along the lines of "4 gallons of 3 star and 4 shots, and wash the windscreen and check the oil while you're at it". I remember the Ford concealed fillers, but one regular Anglia customer had moved the filler into the rear passenger compartment because someone had once siphoned his fuel. Filling it entailed kneeling on the back seat while the driver remained in front, probably smoking a No 6

Colin, driving an anglia it would have been either Woodbines or Weights.

[Colin McKay]

You're right Eric......my memory's not what it was!

Other fillers I have known:

At my first command, Ruxley Garage, bit of a dump even then, we had a regular whose Rover 3.5 needed 5-star, big sticker by the filler cap. We were the last garage in Kent to stock it and after being told we wouldn't be getting any more he came in one day with an assortment of old cans and must have carried off 50 gallons. It was on the back seats, front passenger seat and in the boot. I often wondered if he ever made it home. I expected to see a mushroom cloud on the horizon.

Hillman Imps, filler at the front under the bonnet, perfect when you rear-end someone and a pain in the tush when the cable snapped.

Then there was the guy (another Anglia) who came in once a week for three shillings worth, never more, never less. When petrol hit 50p a gallon he refused to pay it and we never saw him again.

And most Sundays, 50 bikers on their way back from Brands who 'helped' by serving themselves and probably never paid for half of it, but I wasn't about to argue

[Alan Morgan]

Austin/Morris 1100 and 1300 fuel fillers had to be treated with extreme caution if you didn't want to get petrol all over your shoes. Where I worked we had a 911 driver who proudly made a point of insisting his car needed nothing more than 2-star.

I also remember a female customer who went ballistic when she caught me (following the instructions of the garage manager) filling the de-ionised water bottle up from the cold tap.

[Lancsbreaker]

Remember the humber "reflector" filler cap........Was it the early Skodas that had the filler within the engine compartment.....? Always remember feeling a bit twitchy filling them in my days as a pump jockey in the very early 70s......

[Colin McKay]

A teenage pal got a Saturday job on the pumps. Even now he doesn't understand the difference between a rad cap and an oil filler!!! Good business for the workshop though......(sucks through teeth) "head gasket mate"

[Lancsbreaker]

Do remember when I briefly had a Hillman Husky (the Imp derivative), that my father, who was normally mechanically savvy, topped the radiator, as he thought, using quite a lot of water.....the oil-filler cap was on the rear load-bay edge, and to be fair did look quite like a rad-cap.......Thank heavens he told me "you're very low on water" after about the third pint........

Amazingly after leaving everything to settle, we were able to drain all the water out via the sump plug.......and the engine survived........

[Tel 911S]

Originally Posted by bauble

Thank God it was not a woman.

Memory from a long time ago tells me that the UKs first female astronaut was a Helen Sharman [ ? spelling ] , but that was over 20 years ago , so the media will have forgotten .

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by Tel 911S

Memory from a long time ago tells me that the UKs first female astronaut was a Helen Sharman [ ? spelling ] , but that was over 20 years ago , so the media will have forgotten .

I did hear a very brief mention of that fact on radio or telly! In fact, she was the FIRST UK Astronaut, full stop. Also in a Soyuz, according to what I've read....

I did my time on the petrol pumps when an acne pimpled apprentice. Think it was 8 gallons for a quid then.

[grantp]

Peugeot 403 had a filler concealed behind a rear light.

Colin, your story reminds me of a pal I met filling up at our village garage. He ran the pumps (out across the pavement) most evenings and weekends.

He was pretty good at "promoting" sales. I'm fairly sure his oil sales were about the same gallonage as the petrol sales. Where he managed to pour the stuff I have no idea.

I seem to recall he was paid a handsome bonus on oil sales.

He may have topped that up in other ways as well, based on things I learned later as he progressed through his career in the motor trade (sales and management).

Better still people would tip him for selling them oil they probably didn't need.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

I did hear a very brief mention of that fact on radio or telly! In fact, she was the FIRST UK Astronaut, full stop. Also in a Soyuz, according to what I've read....

I did my time on the petrol pumps when an acne pimpled apprentice. Think it was 8 gallons for a quid then.

I read something to the effect that this one is the first one that the we have paid for.

The others had either become US citizens, were working for NASA anyway, or both. Something like that.

It's interesting how many ways there are to spin something when a story needs a special angle.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by grantp

I read something to the effect that this one is the first one that the we have paid for.

The others had either become US citizens, were working for NASA anyway, or both. Something like that.

It's interesting how many ways there are to spin something when a story needs a special angle.

Yes, we are paying for the privilege of having a Brit on the ISS- with the justification appearing to be that it will encourage youngsters to take up science subjects at school and therefore college / university. So we'll finish up with a nation of young scientists....

Reminds me of the justification for hosting the Olympics in 2012- that it would encourage the nation to take up active sport. So here we are today, with a new report suggesting the active participant numbers in virtually all sports have dropped!

May as well just admit that it's all about banging the British drum......

[Mike Bell]

Talking of fuel fillers, what about the pumps themselves? The 2 stroke mix pump that you set the oil / petrol ratio on, the paraffin pump for customers to get their heating oil, the grotty diesel pump hidden round the side, the redex dispenser...... I remember we went '20th century' at one point, with a tyre inflator that was self contained, and refilled its tank when hung back on the airline. Seem to remember spending most of the time trying to explain to customers how to use it, and not to pull the hose while it was still hung on the wall!

[bauble]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Talking of fuel fillers, what about the pumps themselves? The 2 stroke mix pump that you set the oil / petrol ratio on, the paraffin pump for customers to get their heating oil, the grotty diesel pump hidden round the side, the redex dispenser...... I remember we went '20th century' at one point, with a tyre inflator that was self contained, and refilled its tank when hung back on the airline. Seem to remember spending most of the time trying to explain to customers how to use it, and not to pull the hose while it was still hung on the wall!

Yeah! And you could go to the cinema for10d. newspapers were 1d, and a farthing still had value. Underground stations had chocolate machines 3d and chewing gum dispensers 1d.

I earned £3.0 a week as an apprentice at Perry's main Ford Dealer in Finchley in 1953.

When I joined Sellotapes in 1954 only the Head Chemist had a new car, my boss had a 1939 Vauxhall and the rest of us walked, cycled or bused in.
I left in 1977 and even the junior typist had a car. Times do change.

If this is all Greek to you ask your grandad.

[midgetman]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

I remember we went '20th century' at one point, with a tyre inflator that was self contained, and refilled its tank when hung back on the airline. Seem to remember spending most of the time trying to explain to customers how to use it, and not to pull the hose while it was still hung on the wall!

On a tangent I always smile when I see modern air lines with their coin-in-the-slot operation. It reminds me of a simpler age when these things were part of the "service". There was a Giles cartoon in the mid-70s, during a petrol crisis IIRC, and the rapacious garage owner had a sign up saying "FREE AIR (easy terms arranged)". Very far seeing, was Karl Giles. A much-missed cartoonist.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by midgetman

Very far seeing, was Karl Giles. A much-missed cartoonist.

The 'Giles Annual' was always a Christmas tradition in our house!

Owned and drove an XK120 at some point, didn't he? Remember it featured in some of his cartoons.



Edit- found it! http://www.hiltonandmoss.com/cardesc...20-roadster-78

[morninggents]

Just been watching some World Hot Rod Finals from the 70s and 80s I came across on YouTube and wondered if Gordon ever drove in them. Barry Lee and George Polley seemed to be in most of them.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by morninggents

Just been watching some World Hot Rod Finals from the 70s and 80s I came across on YouTube and wondered if Gordon ever drove in them. Barry Lee and George Polley seemed to be in most of them.

Only one that I remember

[morninggents]

What year was that, Gordon?

[delta]

Back to working on the petrol pumps . I would Finnish work sat dinner time at workshop then go to another garage and do the pumps sat afternoon and evening . Did this for a few months while I was building my first race car . Anyway the owner of the garage loved the fact I was going racing and he let me have a 3 litre Rover for £60 .00 as I needed a tow car . It also acted as a bit of a passion wagon although not a great deal of action happened on the back seat but I'm going away from the story . I worked at his garage for some time untill I finnished the race car . At the end of each shift a gallon of petrol from each pump would some how fall into the fuel tank of the Rover 😳. The day I left he gave me his best wishes towards the racing but also said I was the only pump attendant that when he checked the till takings against the pump readings I was the only one that all the figures were spot on . 😄happy days

[Lancsbreaker]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

The 'Giles Annual' was always a Christmas tradition in our house!

Ours too! Got a box of them at home, and still like to dig one out from time to time.....quite a time capsule, really.

Remember some of his favourite vehicles were Land-Rovers (often towing a huge caravan) and the fastback Bentley Continental, I seem to remember