Bob.Murphy wrote:jadearling wrote: It gives me inspiration and more confidence for a much smaller trip I am about to take, old but not Ariel!
Now you're teasing us Jade . . . . . Watchagot . . Watchagot . . .
(from one who is restoring a 1931 500cc Panther that he intends to take to Sweden one day
).
Bob.[/quote
Ah Bob, I missed your post and my little trip turned out to be much littler than intended, it's hardly worthy of mention in this thread. However, not wanting to tease... It's a 1920 GN cyclecar but with the proper 1100cc ohv, aircooled, 90 degree, overhung, vee twin, unlike my Squariel hybrid.
The trip was to attend a GN 'Jolly' where about a dozen of the cyclecars were to visit the Isle of Wight, the elderly owner wanted me to take her round the island in it but having heard that nearly all of the others are trailered to the ferry I felt that we ought to drive all the way down, just to show spirit and to prove a point. Need I add more?
I hadn't yet succeeded in getting more than 20 miles without a minor breakdown but sometimes my optimism far outreaches my experience. Having woken all my neighbours on my early departure (the series of barely silenced explosions that drown out the mechanical shrieks and groans of the engine are not to everyones taste!) I set off.
The first actual forced halt was on a roundabout not quite 20 miles away but by getting out and pushing it to the downhill exit I could get clear of the roundabout but I realised that I hadn't thought the manouvre through and as it gained speed I had to run ever faster as the car has no doors and the side proved rather too high for my geriatric athletism while running, well nearly, I did manage in the end but I am glad that there were no cameras. An hour later I was cheerfully on the road again thinking how fine all this was and enjoying the appreciation, or surprise of other road users when the GN stopped while climbing a gentle hill. There was no compression to be found. I stripped the heads off and saw that both pistons had seized, I removed the cylinders hoping that it was recoverable but it became obvious that I wasn't going to get to the owner or the ferry and would have to trailer it home.
There was great interest shown by passing hikers and tourists and even a holdaying Aussie (which reconnects somehow with this thread) and it is clear that people don't expect to see you stripping an engine down sitting in the grass verge by a country road but in days of old I am sure this was far from unusual.
Neither defeated nor deflated I am up to my elbows in oily bits again and hoping to get it running before I get stuck into KN IV's carburetion and clutch sorting for the next hillclimb at Loton Park.
My apologies for bringing knowledge of this nonsense into a thread concering a much more intelligent and challenging journey, I really was filled with respect and admiration reading it. One day, maybe...
Jade
). This had a little unit construction 3-speed Garelli motor with chain drive.