Martin Posted September 29 Share Posted September 29 Invested recently in a garage soundsystem as well. Kenwood Receiver with Denon 3 way speakers. 50 Euro in local classifieds . No idea what it cost 40 years ago. I like it so much. And from time to time I do like loud music. Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Stones , Meat Loaf , ……. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 Anyone watching broadcast TV tonight? (1st Oct) Digital glitches on screen, and in audio, plus discontiuities in the programme as the signal goes off. Happening on all broadcast channels, while the programme I was watching on BBC2 is smooth and untroubled if I watch via the iPlayer. What's going on! Sunspots?? (It's 2030 in evening, more then two hours after sunset! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted October 1 Share Posted October 1 1 hour ago, JohnD said: Anyone watching broadcast TV tonight? (1st Oct) Digital glitches on screen, and in audio, plus discontiuities in the programme as the signal goes off. Happening on all broadcast channels, while the programme I was watching on BBC2 is smooth and untroubled if I watch via the iPlayer. What's going on! Sunspots?? (It's 2030 in evening, more then two hours after sunset! John John. You can check on-line but I suspect there are issues with your local transmitter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted October 2 Share Posted October 2 Thanks, Colin! Couldn't find any online reports, but we'll see when I tune in at supper tonight. Meanwhile, I'd like to record the goodwill of Transport for London! Not the usual or expected Father Christmas, but they have given me an early pressie! In August I visited Son & Family in London. I was going to Brands with the race car, so had to take the race truck and I set up an account with TfL to pay the Congestion Charge. Or I thought I did, but after I got back, I got a Penalty Charge, and thinking I had forgotten, I paid it. However, I was so sure I had done so, I looked online and Lo! I did have an account! So I rang TfL. They found that on my account I had entered one digit wrong in the truck's registration number. Fair enough, Mea Culpa. They promptly corrected the error, and I thought all was well. Until I got another Penalty Charge! I wrote to TfL explaining and appealing, but since today was a month since I wrote, I rang again. And those nice people at TfL have cancelled my Penalty Charge! I just haven't got their letter yet! TfL get so much stick, I thought I should compliment them. Thank you, TfL! John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted October 4 Share Posted October 4 (edited) I seem to be maintaining this thread all on my lonesome. Stop me if I'm boring you. Entertaining PM yesterday. 'Dave', not a member and never posted before did so in "Another Place", asking for advice about some abandoned Triumphs and parts. He said he lived in the North West and left a phone number so I gave him a call. He has been contracted to clear some lock up garages whose tenant has disappeared and has not paid the rent. He had found: Garage No.1: A stripped Spitfire bodyshell, up on trestles, with the parts off it, with the engine and a very crusty looking gear box, but without front or back axles. The shell had some rot-out in the floor wells and the rear wing seams were rusting through, as per usual, but there were two brand new rear wing pressings in there. Garage N0.2. A very nice looking Mk 3 Spitfire! Missing a few trim parts like glove box, parcel shelf and the 'H' over the gearbox cover, but rolling, and would be driveable if he had the ignition key. It has been resprayed a metallic green, sounds awful but looked rather nice. Both these Spitfires are known to the DVLA and on SORN, so even though there are no V5s, getting a replacement should not be a problem as Dave has the name of the absconded (?) garage renter. But the real surprise was Garage 3. A full race Ginetta G40, complete with a 'crate' engine (Ford Zetec 2L) that is still in its wrapping, at least two sets of wheels as well those on the car! Like this random online pic: There's one on eBay now, asking price £10K (no bids), and the Garage 2 Spitfire must be worth ?£1500 That the Ginetta has a new engine waiting to be installed makes me wonder about the one in the car, but still... All the garages were stuffed with boxes, mattresses and other random household items, so I couldn't get in for a close look at them, or get them out in the daylight, but Garage 2, could be a real find for someone looking for a Spit. And the Ginetta!! No, I'm NOT going to buy it (sorely tempted!), nor will I do an Arfur Daly again and buy the goodish Spit in hope of selling it on. But if anyone is interested, I have Dave's number and he is most helpful. The cars are in Southport, Lancs. John Edited October 4 by JohnD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted October 4 Share Posted October 4 One has to wonder what has happened to the original owner/renter….. Doesn't sound like the sort of stash you’d just wander away from….. How long has he not been paying rent for? Sounds like the contents value would cover a lot of rent! Not sure where the law stands with ownership? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted October 4 Share Posted October 4 (edited) Nick, Dave told me that he was contracted by an estate agents who run the estate where the garages are, to clear them. I presume that the appropriate notices to gain access (obviously they have spare keys) and to gain possession of the contents have been served. All three garages had 'notices' fixed to their doors. As I say, Dave is a helpful chap, and a potential buyer might need 'due diligence' to be assured that the owners have done the right things by asking them. A quick Google tells me that when tenants leave or are evicted and their possession remain, then the owners may take possession only 21 days after notice is given. ( Schedule 1 of the Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977, as if I knew that that meant). All three garages, as well as the household bits and pieces, had drifts of dead leaves on the floor and dust on the cars, as if they had been unopened for a long time. John Edited October 4 by JohnD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted October 4 Share Posted October 4 Regards notice etc all well with general property as the isn't usually registered to an official body. Not sure how simple it is to transfer the V5 of a vehicle that has been seized by someone other than the Polis/DVLA. I'm sure it can be done but would want to see some guarantees before shelling out my hard earned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted October 4 Share Posted October 4 Meanwhile, responding to your original comment that we're leaving all the work on this thread to you... Unrelated to cars but I am on holiday in Mallorca at the moment riding my bike. Weather has been excellent, which is a refreshing change from back home. PS. Trying to upload some photos but I'm getting an 'internal server' error from Sideways Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted October 4 Share Posted October 4 Thank you, Colin! I can shut up now. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted October 4 Share Posted October 4 4 hours ago, Escadrille Ecosse said: Trying to upload some photos but I'm getting an 'internal server' error from Sideways Yeah…. I was getting that yesterday…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted October 4 Share Posted October 4 34 minutes ago, JohnD said: Thank you, Colin! I can shut up now. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulAA Posted October 5 Share Posted October 5 The Aerospace Institute in Warsaw has an open day once a year, where punters can view an eclectic mix of creaky Soviet-era real estate and (carefully redacted) cutting edge defence technology. I suspect that holding it in October dissuades the nosey from lingering too long. Anyway, I was chuffed to see the two MiG 15s that we keep airworthy on display. Not bad for a near-70 year old high performance airframe. As soon as the server allows images to be uploaded, I’ll post some pictures. Paul 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted October 8 Share Posted October 8 (edited) This was yesterday, but anyway. I may have mentioned before that a colleague owns a Mk2 Land Rover that and his wife bought when they worked in Australia, and drove back to the UK! Right across Oz, India, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, and all the less exciting countries of Mittel Europa. And that recently he has restored it, in which process I have had a very small part. The restoration has retained the patina of that trip, so that Miles can tell you the story of every dent and blemish. (I'd post a pic but have been hit by the failure warning others have had recently) And I have now had the pleasure - Nay, honour! - of going for a drive in it. And what surprised me most was the original seat belts! I've been trying to find a picture online of the buckles, which are so different from anything else I've seen, but cannot find anything, anywhere on the net. The buckle is in the middle of a lap belt, with one end a narrow tongue with a small slot, the other as wide as the belt with a wide slot in it. You pass the tongue through the wide slot, and secure it with a piece of spring steel riveted to the wide end through the narrow slot. No convenient stalks, press buttons, you strap yourself in as if for flight! Anyone seen these before? John Edited October 8 by JohnD 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mossmonaco Posted October 8 Share Posted October 8 Had something similar on my first herald (jan 1963 car)-but those belts were a single diagonal (i.e. no strap across the lap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted October 8 Share Posted October 8 (edited) John, without photos it sounds like you are describing a Sutton harness type belt as used by the RAF et al from the 1920s up until the late 1940s/50s when ejection seats became standard and a release similar to the Willans push and twist came into use as the pilot still had to separate himself from the seat after ejection. The modern seats have a single harness for the parachute which is automatically detached from the seat by shears as part of the firing sequence. The WW2 parachute harness used a slightly different arrangement (basically a Willans like 5 point) with the circular 'twist and thump' box to avoid the potential for undoing the wrong one 'in-extremis'. Edited October 8 by Escadrille Ecosse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted October 8 Share Posted October 8 Thank you, Colin! But this wasn't like the Sutton, which is easy top find online. Can't show a picture, but the Sutton relies on a pin though eyeletted holes in the straps. B*gg*r! Just done a drawing of the harness to see if anyone can ID it, and of course it won't upload! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted October 8 Share Posted October 8 And! Further to.my tale above of THREE garage find, my friend Dave tells me that he has started the green Spitfire, and got a V5 for it! So, if anyone is interested, give him a ring! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted Wednesday at 03:05 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 03:05 PM We have pictures back!! So today I am feeling a bit chilly as back yesterday morning from 10 days in the 26-30 degree heat of Mallorca. Missing it somewhat. On the bike And the rather more scenic sunset view from the beach at Playa da Muro 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted Wednesday at 03:34 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 03:34 PM That looks nice….. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamish Posted Wednesday at 06:29 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 06:29 PM That looks nice. Not sure about the by-cycling stuff though looks steep and hard work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted Wednesday at 08:42 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 08:42 PM (edited) Thank you, Colin! But this wasn't like the Sutton, which is easy top find online. Can't show a picture, but the Sutton relies on a pin though eyeletted holes in the straps. B*gg*r! Just done a drawing of the harness to see if anyone can ID it, and of course it won't upload! John PS Craig has reported that he has sorted this glitch, at a small extra cost to the board, so please get your chequebooks out! PPS Colin, if you're going to do that sort of thing, certainly do it in nice weather, in a nice place, especially in October! Edited Wednesday at 08:45 PM by JohnD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrookster Posted Wednesday at 09:29 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 09:29 PM On 10/8/2024 at 12:46 PM, JohnD said: This was yesterday, but anyway. I may have mentioned before that a colleague owns a Mk2 Land Rover that and his wife bought when they worked in Australia, and drove back to the UK! Right across Oz, India, Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, and all the less exciting countries of Mittel Europa. And that recently he has restored it, in which process I have had a very small part. The restoration has retained the patina of that trip, so that Miles can tell you the story of every dent and blemish. (I'd post a pic but have been hit by the failure warning others have had recently) And I have now had the pleasure - Nay, honour! - of going for a drive in it. And what surprised me most was the original seat belts! I've been trying to find a picture online of the buckles, which are so different from anything else I've seen, but cannot find anything, anywhere on the net. The buckle is in the middle of a lap belt, with one end a narrow tongue with a small slot, the other as wide as the belt with a wide slot in it. You pass the tongue through the wide slot, and secure it with a piece of spring steel riveted to the wide end through the narrow slot. No convenient stalks, press buttons, you strap yourself in as if for flight! Anyone seen these before? John I can't assist with immediate knowledge John, however after mentioning this to my mother (a long time Land Rover enthusiast), who recognises your description, she has suggested that contacting David Greenwood at 252 Spares based in Dumfries may well provide an answer. His knowledge of Land Rovers is legendary! As a pedantic aside, I rather suspect that you actually mean a Series II Land Rover, not a MK2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escadrille Ecosse Posted Wednesday at 09:48 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 09:48 PM 59 minutes ago, JohnD said: PPS Colin, if you're going to do that sort of thing, certainly do it in nice weather, in a nice place, especially in October! It most certainly is. Alcudia old town Bunyola 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted Wednesday at 10:08 PM Share Posted Wednesday at 10:08 PM Thank you, Phil! Having only seen the modern style, with a push button, or I think the older with a lifting lever, or else race/parachute style where you twist the knob, I was entranced by this older version, and wondered if it had a name. I'm not looking to buy one and Miles is quite happy with his. And as one pedant to an other, in the Series II. It's not a Sutton, Colin, which pictures on the Net show to have a pin that you put through eyeletted holes in the straps to secure (?) them. John 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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