OzVMX Forum

Marque Remarks => British (BSA, Greeves, Triumph etc) => Topic started by: Marc.com on October 03, 2011, 06:39:08 pm

Title: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Marc.com on October 03, 2011, 06:39:08 pm
OK very vaguely related to VMX but I guess if you can afford a CCM you would want this to tow it

18000 miles and 150k .... like discovering a NOS 74 Clews Stroker still in its box

(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg71/marcFX_photo/DSC04707.jpg)
(http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg71/marcFX_photo/DSC04709.jpg)

Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: mx250 on October 03, 2011, 06:42:53 pm
(http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn458/mx250syd/icons/faccina12.gif)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Marc.com on October 03, 2011, 07:04:12 pm
Very superior type of barn find :o
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: VMX247 on October 03, 2011, 07:25:31 pm
and colour co-ordination is of upmost importance   ;D

(http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f65/djracingyz/BritishBikeDay07045.jpg)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: bazza on October 03, 2011, 07:51:56 pm
young Mike with ccm #55,guess hes still blowing up rock at the quary down Gisbourne way
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Marc.com on October 03, 2011, 11:23:19 pm
young Mike with ccm #55,guess hes still blowing up rock at the quary down Gisbourne way

Race track looks familiar, Jag goes nice with the fork boots.
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Tim754 on October 04, 2011, 11:24:50 pm
 Love the E type ;)     .....LLLLLOOOOOOOVVVVVEEEE the CCM  (and the CCM will probably start a lot quicker and stay in tune better too :D) Cheers
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Mike52 on October 05, 2011, 09:16:16 am
Got a ride in one of them "E" types when I was a young un.
Quick. :)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: firko on October 05, 2011, 10:44:06 am
I'm thinking of mounting a towbar on my XJ-S TWR just to tow the upcoming TRIBSA! To quote the Klub Kevlar credo 'It's all about Style' 8)

(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-8/1062154/mustang%20jag%20026.jpg)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: pancho on October 05, 2011, 05:06:14 pm
 I have a colour slide of my ol' '52 model Wolsely 6/80 pulling a three-bike trailer loaded up, on the road to Taree Old Bar track.
 I'll figure out how to put it, and other shots on here one day.
 Not quite as classy a tow car as yours Firko but classy anahoo!
 cheers pancho.
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Slakewell on October 05, 2011, 06:51:18 pm
I prefer my German cars  ;D
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: lukeb1961 on October 05, 2011, 07:31:34 pm
I prefer my German cars  ;D
Indeed.
(https://byfiles.storage.live.com/y1pP1gLNDdoyGrtOWTQZoxjmF5WbGeqiS1Xwrf2GDgycA4pDFEKSgJR3esjwZud-781mN3YJgJ328w/VW%20Syncro%20PE175N.jpg)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: FAT-TOY on October 05, 2011, 08:44:31 pm
I prefer mine from the USA
(http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac276/zane255/Trike%20and%20trailer/TrikeandtrailerwithDotCotton003.jpg)
(http://i907.photobucket.com/albums/ac276/zane255/Trike%20and%20trailer/TrikeandtrailerwithDotCotton007.jpg)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: supersenior 50 on October 05, 2011, 11:26:43 pm
The Pom who lent me the bike for Hawkestone Park in 2000 towed the two bikes and all his camping gear with a Reliant 3 wheeler. I'd post a photo if I knew how
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: firko on October 06, 2011, 09:11:12 pm
send it to me and I'll put it up Col.
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: mainline on October 06, 2011, 10:41:53 pm
ffs, don't piss around

if you have to tow your British Iron around with British Iron you need

a lightweight E-type

(http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/images/large/221/Jaguar-E-Type-Lightweight-Roadster_27.jpg)

or

an XJ13

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dhdC6CYJRjg/TdbK6eSFajI/AAAAAAAAE-A/wn4--iKRp9k/s1600/Jaguar_XJ13_V12_Large.jpg)
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uZqbm-RhqNE/Tdb8nfjRFZI/AAAAAAAAE-w/EgZbgtR7v7Y/s1600/Jaguar-XJ13_1966_800x600_wallpaper_03.jpg)

Aston Martin (low trailer hitch required)

(http://files.conceptcarz.com/img/Aston%20Martin/66_AstonMartin_DBR1_Replica_DV_06-RMM-05.jpg)




Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Marc.com on October 07, 2011, 08:14:19 am
Harley tow vehicle is interesting as Harley had a specific model for that, they built the Servicar for about 50 years as tow vehicle, police and AA and it even came with a place for your tools and riding gear.

(http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm281/servicarrider/1931-ServiCar-1.jpg)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: pancho on October 07, 2011, 01:29:48 pm
 My TF 1500 was a pretty cool tow car except for several busted gearboxes and a broken crankshaft.
cheers.
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: bazza on October 07, 2011, 03:02:58 pm
got $6K for my TF in 1972 from a yank,way more than could get in Unzud in the day- worth few more bob now
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Marc.com on October 07, 2011, 03:17:01 pm
got $6K for my TF in 1972 from a yank,way more than could get in Unzud in the day- worth few more bob now

yep we were poor and the Yanks were rich and buying up cars and bikes in NZ, how times change. One of my neighbours has a TD but they don't do a lot for me. Im with Mainline make mine a light weight D Type.

(http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg8/skodaed/JAGUARD-TYPE.jpg)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: grouty on October 07, 2011, 06:09:26 pm
Hmmm ..... D type ....... Long nose or Short nose  :-\
Difficult decision  8)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: pancho on October 08, 2011, 12:28:54 pm
 
got $6K for my TF in 1972 from a yank,way more than could get in Unzud in the day- worth few more bob now
I think I got about $500 for mine about 1961 and glad to get rid of it after saving up for 6months to replace the"unbreakable 100 ton crank shaft" that how it was described in the service manual.
 However I still think the TF was the best looking sports car ever, looked like 100mph when parked.
 The genuine 1500 is very rare and worth big dollars. Iwant it back!
cheers pancho
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: firko on October 08, 2011, 01:03:07 pm
My dipshit ex brother in law spent a veritible fortune doing a proper 'body off' restoration of his MG-TF but when he went to sell it to raise money for a house purchase a fatal flaw in his ''plan'' came to the fore. The car had originally been British Racing Green but in his wisdom he decided to paint in in MG's pre war racing livery "to add authenticity" (despite the car being a post war model). The beige body with chocolate brown mudguards might have been considered nice in the early '20's to but to the 1988 marketplace the car looked like a Mars Bar on steroids and potential buyers kept away in droves. He eventually sold it for a quarter of what a restored TF in its original colour was getting in the market place at the time.
 He later found that MG had changed their racing team colours over to BRG after a year or so because the colour scheme had been universally disliked by almost everyone ;D.

Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: pancho on October 08, 2011, 03:53:43 pm
 Yeah, I have been told the quickest way to de-value any model MG is to go away from the original colour for the particular car. The MG fraternity are a bit "anal".
 I broke that rule with the last MG I owned, it was the first model MGA 1500, one  that I bought in pieces.The first thing I did was crack test the crank, it was ok [but it broke after about 1000 miles].
 Any how its market value was nill till about 6months after I traded it on a Honda 450, then they stopped making and importing MGs, which put a rocket under ALL MGs. My bad timing struck again!
 Any how the old Wolsely 680 was probably the best tow car I had. Cheers pancho.
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: dfisher on October 28, 2011, 10:16:55 am
(http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/ae59/CheneySachs/Capture7.jpg)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Marc.com on October 28, 2011, 11:22:02 am
Wow reminds me of the good ole days when I used to cram my then new RM125X into the back of a $300 Austin 1800 land crab that used more oil than petrols and was running on waste oil knocked off from work ::)

The Austin was one of the first 5 speeds assuming you could actually select all 5 given that it is all done by a rats nest of short selector cables. 
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: TM BILL on October 28, 2011, 12:48:45 pm
Wow reminds me of the good ole days when I used to cram my then new RM125X into the back of a $300 Austin 1800 land crab that used more oil than petrols and was running on waste oil knocked off from work ::)

The Austin was one of the first 5 speeds assuming you could actually select all 5 given that it is all done by a rats nest of short selector cables. 


 ;D ;D ;D

I used to do the same with an IT 175 in the back of an Austin 1300  ::) used to take out the wheels , and fork legs and slide it in across the floor where the rear seat used to be  :) In summer i would leave the gaurds on and wind down the windows close the doors and the gaurds would hang out the sides  ;D

In winter it was gaurds off windows shut  ::)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: TM BILL on October 28, 2011, 12:52:11 pm
My dipshit ex brother in law spent a veritible fortune doing a proper 'body off' restoration of his MG-TF but when he went to sell it to raise money for a house purchase a fatal flaw in his ''plan'' came to the fore. The car had originally been British Racing Green but in his wisdom he decided to paint in in MG's pre war racing livery "to add authenticity" (despite the car being a post war model). The beige body with chocolate brown mudguards might have been considered nice in the early '20's to but to the 1988 marketplace the car looked like a Mars Bar on steroids   and potential buyers kept away in droves. He eventually sold it for a quarter of what a restored TF in its original colour was getting in the market place at the time.
 He later found that MG had changed their racing team colours over to BRG after a year or so because the colour scheme had been universally disliked by almost everyone ;D.



Funniest line iv'e heard in a long time  ;D
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: TM BILL on October 28, 2011, 12:56:43 pm
How could you possibly not consider this British classic to transport your British classic  ;D

(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e204/tmbill/untitled-1.jpg)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Marc.com on October 28, 2011, 01:38:11 pm
How could you possibly not consider this British classic to transport your British classic  ;D

Ohhh make my transit V4 Bill, however as desirable as the Transit is I would say propper British van from the British Motor Company would be ideal for hauling you Brit bike about.  ;D

It even comes with convenient sliding doors in case you need to jump.  ::)

(http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb272/magnumleigh/8e88_1copy.jpg)

Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: bazza on October 28, 2011, 02:24:16 pm
used to take our elsinores to races in Rex Averis A/40 ute,side ways down the Lynfield hill to jim Boyd motors if wet and when you got a puncture fill tyre with farmers hay to it got to hot,ah the good ol days.
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: mx250 on October 28, 2011, 02:37:08 pm
I had one of these in the early 70's with a Zepher six up front and 15inch fats all round - nose heavy and tail happy ;D. Use to go everywhere sideways :D - even when you didn't intend to - honest officer ;).

I did a couple of dramatic entrances to grass pit areas early in the morning on damp grass and a heavy right foot 8).

(http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn458/mx250syd/OzVMX/Ford_Thames_400E_at_Battlesbridge.jpg)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: firko on October 28, 2011, 02:49:21 pm
Quote
I had one of these in the early 70's with a Zepher six up front and 15inch fats all round
My mate had an old Thames exactly the same colour as the one shown with a grey Holden motor, Zephyr diff and Cortina disc brakes. It handled like the Manly Ferry with a broken rudder but held two open class/two fifty bikes or three 125's plus all the gear and grog. I had a V4 Transit at the time and fondly recall the trips to the races in those old vans, loaded to the hilt with bikes and mates as some of the best road trips of my life. 
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Marc.com on October 28, 2011, 04:14:13 pm
I had a V4 Transit at the time and fondly recall the trips to the races in those old vans, loaded to the hilt with bikes and mates as some of the best road trips of my life. 

Not to mention that they provided the accomodation once you actually got there, nothing like the comfort of a $10 sleeping bag rolling around amounst the spilled premix, beer cans and chain lube.

Still with BMC things could always get worse. British Leylands kiss of death.

(http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac321/tonyglover/sherpa.jpg)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: TM BILL on October 28, 2011, 04:35:32 pm
In a past life i used to deal in camper vans in the UK  :) mostly selling to Antipodean travellers  ;)
The most popular van was by far the classic VW Kombi with the German Westfalia conversion , however i traded one of these

(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e204/tmbill/653.jpg)

And although the van itself was shit by Christ the camper Conversion was first class  :) Even today if i could find one i would grab it and repower it , make an awsome VMX hauler  :)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: tony27 on October 28, 2011, 04:57:58 pm
How could you possibly not consider this British classic to transport your British classic  ;D

(http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e204/tmbill/untitled-1.jpg)
1 of our local trials guys had 1 of these fitted with a falcon motor & electric overdrive connected to the rear of the gearbox which he only sold in the last couple of years to a guy who uses it to tow his escort rally car.
Have some very good memories of travelling around the country in it including having a petrol station attendant starting to look for the puddle underneath as the pump clicked past 80 litres, had a custom built 100 litre tank fitted from when there was no petrol stations open in the weekends
We quite often had 4 bike& riders in there with all our gear, he reckoned it was much easier in the 70s when the bikes had the pegs etc in different positions to each others
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: oldfart on October 28, 2011, 05:04:23 pm
Me good ole Vanguard six hauled Bikes around Un Zud during the mid to late 70's.
  (http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i180/mutchoo/001.jpg)'

Rex Averies ..... had a mate called Jimmy Biddle that had a Thames freighter Van ( piece of shit was always breaking ) that he  used for transport His Tm 250 (1974 )  around.  
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: dfisher on November 05, 2011, 12:32:09 am
Sorry if it seems I am brand biased.

(http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/ae59/CheneySachs/ISDTCropped.jpg)

One of the Metro Police ISDT machines in transportation.

(http://i957.photobucket.com/albums/ae59/CheneySachs/img084.jpg)

From a Welsh Trials event.
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: mx250 on November 05, 2011, 06:50:52 am
Me good ole Vanguard six hauled Bikes around Un Zud during the mid to late 70's.
  (http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i180/mutchoo/001.jpg)'

Wow!!! That's pretty cool and unique - I betcha wish you still had it 8). It would be cool to arrive at a VMX meet with one today.
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: mx250 on November 11, 2011, 07:22:27 pm
I would be tempted, but only if I could keep the patina ;D....

(http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn458/mx250syd/OzVMX/KGrHqMOKpwE5ZGT3bb1BOfHUuB160_3.jpg)

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Ratrod-Rat-rod-Hotrod-Hot-rod-Ford-/160678043100?pt=AU_Cars&hash=item2569285ddc

"......my intention was to channel the body down over a mitsubitshi L300 van chassis and floor pan. I have done this in the past, it is an easy conversion.
"

But $3000 ??? :o ::)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: oldfart on November 11, 2011, 07:57:33 pm
Mx... Yep I agree they looked pretty cool and had nice smooth lines - but no I don't miss it one bit  :)  it was extremely reliable and faithful and we traveled more than  a few klm together ( behind it is a CF Bedford ) ....ah the memories  ::) but like most things we have to move on to get ahead in life so I sold it and bought a LC Torana. 
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: EML on November 24, 2011, 05:49:59 pm
Firko-"I had a V4 Transit" and always knew where the tow-rope was. We were talking about them the other day-my mechanics had never heard of one but thought the concept was cool, as no doubt the ford guys did at the time also, but it never worked-for long.
My first tower was a Holden 1 tonner-fitted 11 bikes of various sizes and had 8 (people)in the front during one rain storm!!
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: firko on November 24, 2011, 09:35:37 pm
The little V4 Transit engine was basically a V6 Capri engine with two cylinders cut off. As slow as they were, they were pretty reliable little bus.
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: crankpin on November 25, 2011, 12:22:39 am

I had a ford V4 engine in one of my series Landrovers. Never let me down but was just as thirsty as the 2.3 mill I pulled out of it. So V6 essex went in instead, at least it had some grunt...
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: mx250 on November 25, 2011, 06:40:08 am

I had a ford V4 engine in one of my series Landrovers. Never let me down but was just as thirsty as the 2.3 mill I pulled out of it. So V6 essex went in instead, at least it had some grunt...
We use to put the 179 Holden six in - top speed was slower because they didn't rev as fast but their point to point speed was faster because nothing slowed them down (more grunt 8)).
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Marc.com on November 25, 2011, 07:41:07 am
The little V4 Transit engine was basically a V6 Capri engine with two cylinders cut off. As slow as they were, they were pretty reliable little bus.

Well yeah Mk4 Zephyr engine with 2 cut off, NZ used to get the pure Pomgolian versions of the British stuff so smaller power plants so V4 was 1700cc and lower gearing. So the V4 would rev its box off on the open road and then overheat. Had the same weakness as the Zephyr that over heating inconveniently went hand in hand with melting the oil pump drive.  ;) However the V6 and V4 were not bad engines at all by the standards of the day. I had V6 in Mk3 Cortina, but chopped it in on 202 Torana which was vastly better. 
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: firko on November 25, 2011, 07:43:52 am
Quote
the V4 would rev its box off on the open road
I solved that by fitting a Mk2 Zephyr diff....It was a bolt in and only took half an hour. ;D
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Marc.com on November 25, 2011, 07:50:56 am
I don't know Firko about that time there started to be some good reasons to buy Australian and still are.... long may the Aussie car industry continue. ;D

(http://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll283/1971nicholas/Old%20cars/CortinaMk2.jpg)

(http://i638.photobucket.com/albums/uu108/KobraKid351/CCF16082009_00000.jpg)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: vmx42 on November 25, 2011, 08:12:12 am
Me good ole Vanguard six hauled Bikes around Un Zud during the mid to late 70's.
  (http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i180/mutchoo/001.jpg)'

Wow!!! That's pretty cool and unique - I betcha wish you still had it 8). It would be cool to arrive at a VMX meet with one today.

Come on, late 70's. We know they still use them. Always have and always will.  :D
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Davey Crocket on November 25, 2011, 09:01:58 am
The oil pump drive use to round off marC ( allen key type shaft) which caused loss of oil pressure and bang she went....I worked at Newlands Ford for a while in the early eighty's and they where a common sight......funnily enough those 351/302 Ford V8's do the same thing but it only stops the dissy from turning so no engine damage.
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Marc.com on November 25, 2011, 10:15:17 am
You are right.....its been a while and for some reason I have it in my head the gear was nylon in the earlier Mk4 engines. I think it was a pretty bomb proof motor that ended up in the Granada and RS3100 Capri

(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l125/tindersticks/professionals.jpg)
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: firko on November 25, 2011, 12:13:28 pm
Quote
funnily enough those 351/302 Ford V8's
Although nothing is interchangable the Windsor 302 has a lot of similarities with the little Brit V4 / V6.
The big conversion in the eighties was to fit Windsor or Chevy V8's to the Transit. I well remember driving a mates 302/C4 auto powered SWB ex PMG Transit to an enduro somewhere in the Hunter Valley, loaded up with three guys, their bikes bikes and all the gear. Compared to the old V4 it was a dream, except for one slight thing. Brakes.
Although he'd fitted the 9" ford diff and done the engine swap really well, he was still to fit the matching Falcon disc brakes and we were fully reliant on the drum brakes that had been inadequate even for the Harry Potter model Anglia they were derived from. You really had to be on your toes driving that car. To make it worse, it had 10" wide wheels on the rear, offset outwards to make up for the slightly narrower diff and the stock skinny's on the front. It was a death trap in the wet until he sorted the brake/wheel/tyre thing out.
Title: Re: Best of British tow cars
Post by: Marc.com on November 29, 2011, 09:05:51 pm
It was a death trap in the wet until he sorted the brake/wheel/tyre thing out.

Yep these days you would probably never get on the road, it would have to have compliance, RWC, engineers report etc etc.... its hard to build a good death trap these days though the hot rodders still try.

But I mean hell you are probably not even allowed to weld up the back doors these days and hope you could get the paint on faster than the bog fell out ;D

(http://i682.photobucket.com/albums/vv182/tattyoldvan/Bedford%20CF%20318%20CI%20V8/carsupdated035.jpg)