Colin Lindsay Posted October 15, 2023 Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 Anyone watched this? A predominantly female garage working on old cars including a Herald saloon (which the commentator repeatedly referred to as a coupe) for owners who arrive in with various car problems. The Herald had extensive bodywork and a respray, they also work on Minis with dodgy suspension and an unleaded conversion for an Austin Princess. Some interesting episodes, but some strange ones such as a 1960s Fiat Multiplas owner bringing in a photo of a similar car that has been water damaged for restoration, so they repaired the photo, and they made a shelving unit from a Morris Minor dashboard. Some very basic stuff such as a 1920s Bentley with a horn that didn't work, so they replaced the fuse, but it seems a good mix of skills. They also show snippets of work on a red early Spitfire, which hasn't been featured yet. It's on UK TV Play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted October 15, 2023 Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 Sounds a bit like "Just Rolled In" on YouTube, but without the idiot owners! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigolf Posted October 15, 2023 Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 Yep, I have watched the series. 10 or 12 episodes, I think. It's hosted by journalist Charlotte Vowden, who writes regularly in Practical Classics. She owns and drives an MGA and is helped to maintain it by her father. I was pleased to see a Herald getting some TLC for a change, rather than the more predictable makes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrapman Posted October 15, 2023 Report Share Posted October 15, 2023 There was one episode where they fixed a car with crap brakes, and kept going on how she would like to take her kids out in it, but couldn’t because it had no brakes. So it was OK to drive a car with useless brakes, as long as it didn’t have her kids in it. That really annoyed me. you fix the brakes because it’s bloody dangerous! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigolf Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 8 hours ago, thescrapman said: There was one episode where they fixed a car with crap brakes, and kept going on how she would like to take her kids out in it, but couldn’t because it had no brakes. So it was OK to drive a car with useless brakes, as long as it didn’t have her kids in it. That really annoyed me. you fix the brakes because it’s bloody dangerous! Agreed! I did also notice that said car (a Ford Pop) was'nt fitted with any seat belts either. If it was me, I think I would be willing to sacrifice originality for enhanced safety these days. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 While I would concur, that Seat Belts would be beneficial, (I even have one for my dog!, in the 13/60). One has to extremely careful HOW they are fitted, to vehicles that where never designed with belt use in mind. Just screwing them to the floor, as was the case with very early Herald`s, would be providing a false security In my View. Also, providing suitable mounts for ISO child seat fixings would be extremely problematic?. I would suggest that even getting a Garage, to agree to actually fit belts, might raise H&SE/liability concerns they may not wish to become involved with in todays "litigate at the drop of a hat society"?. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 (edited) Fitting a seat belt anchorage point, that is secure and safe, is not complicated. Anchor plates, 55mm wide with a fixed nut, are widely available from respected suppliers, like this; They should be welded to the reverse side of the panel, over a hole for an eye bolt of the correct size (7/16" or M10) and length. The question is, will old panels have sufficient strength, in original manufacture or in their old and corroded state? A wider plate welded to the back with the above mount plate on top will spread the load even better. MotorsportUK recommends a 'counterplate' of at least 40 cms^2. This is 6cms square, not much bigger than the above mount plate, but go as big as possible! Like this: BUT NOTE! The eye bolt should NOT be mounted over the carpet!!! It should go through so that all the clamping force is on the panel. ALSO!! The small hole in the spring clip should be filled with a split pin, to lock the clip into place I can't find a better picture! John Edited October 16, 2023 by JohnD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted October 16, 2023 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 6 hours ago, PeteH said: Just screwing them to the floor, as was the case with very early Herald`s, would be providing a false security In my View. While they were bolted through a reinforcing plate, under the floor, it still wasn't great. On my red 1200 convertible I beefed it up a tad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 (edited) In the "early days" of seat belts, there was an awful lot of relience on "1/2doz Self tap screws". John is correct in that backing on the location is esential. Reinforcement should be at least twice the "lost" material (hole) and in my veiw far more. (A "rule of thumb" used for compensating rings on the shells of Pressure vessels, is 2x the removed material), and would be as point as any to start from Pete Edited October 16, 2023 by PeteH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 Colin, Damned if I'll trust my life to a couple of U-bolts! A proper anchor should be a forged eye bolt as shown in my post above. PeteH, Interesting RoT! What does it mean? The "removed material" for an M10 bolt would have an area of less than a centimetre squared. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 6 minutes ago, JohnD said: Colin, Damned if I'll trust my life to a couple of U-bolts! A proper anchor should be a forged eye bolt as shown in my post above. PeteH, Interesting RoT! What does it mean? The "removed material" for an M10 bolt would have an area of less than a centimetre squared. John A lot of these "rules" tend to be impirical, The example I quoted was for large openings in Pressure tanks. In the case of a 10mm bolt the "compensation" would (sensibly) be a minimum of a decent size washer to the rear. Spreading the load across a large(r) area is always a sensible option. If I recall correctly, for example, The "compensation" for the Belt fastening as fitted to the the rear wheel arch of a Herald/Vitesse is of the order of around 3 to4 inch diameter? welded to the outer (wheel) part of the arch?. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 On safety, the Fb page "Triumph in Italy" have a copy of an advertising leaflet from 1961, for this 'rear seat' for a TR4. The text says that "two children can sit comfortably and perfectly safe, because there are no doors that can open suddenly"! How times change! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 9 minutes ago, JohnD said: On safety, the Fb page "Triumph in Italy" have a copy of an advertising leaflet from 1961, for this 'rear seat' for a TR4. The text says that "two children can sit comfortably and perfectly safe, because there are no doors that can open suddenly"! How times change! John The fact they can bounce about like peas in a collander in the event. Is`nt relevent. Mind, I sat in the front seat of pop`s old Hillman, Suicide doors and all no one thought of restraint. Lap belts in racing cars?. (or not?). I think? Moss drove the Mille Milga without?. I`ve seen a photo of Jenks in the front without?. Pete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigolf Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 11 hours ago, PeteH said: While I would concur, that Seat Belts would be beneficial, (I even have one for my dog!, in the 13/60). One has to extremely careful HOW they are fitted, to vehicles that where never designed with belt use in mind. Just screwing them to the floor, as was the case with very early Herald`s, would be providing a false security In my View. Also, providing suitable mounts for ISO child seat fixings would be extremely problematic?. I would suggest that even getting a Garage, to agree to actually fit belts, might raise H&SE/liability concerns they may not wish to become involved with in todays "litigate at the drop of a hat society"?. Pete Pete, I agree that there may well be problems trying to retro-fit belts to classics. Of course if you're not sure of you're own abilities, there is at least one seat belt company ( name escapes me at mo)who will fit belts for you, including additional strengthening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteH Posted October 16, 2023 Report Share Posted October 16, 2023 (edited) 31 minutes ago, trigolf said: Pete, I agree that there may well be problems trying to retro-fit belts to classics. Of course if you're not sure of you're own abilities, there is at least one seat belt company ( name escapes me at mo)who will fit belts for you, including additional strengthening. I supose it`s good to know there are "competant" people out there?. But specialists aside. Can you really see your "average" Garage wanting to commit to that sort of potential Hassle?. Personally it does`nt phase me. I have commited my life to my own rigging on more that one ocasion. It`s mostly common sense and a basic knowledge of structure and vectors, allied to knowing enough about stress and strain to be reasonably confident in your own capabilities. Over the years I`ve probably fitted and even fabricated more Vehicle towing devices for vehicles that didn`t have a specialist design, or where no longer made, with zero failures. Now of course, they have to pass (expensive) "compliance" testing and be "E" marked etc. Pete Edited October 16, 2023 by PeteH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted November 6, 2023 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 Just been rewatching some of the episodes and am being really anoraky; the one where they make a set of shelves from a Morris Minor dashboard and the girl claims "it'll be the first set of shelves that has covered 140,000 miles..." It's really 14,000 miles as they were only clocked to 5 digits and she's adding the tenths as miles. Am I right they also fitted the Herald sidelamp units upside down, claiming that they were originally incorrectly fitted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigolf Posted November 6, 2023 Report Share Posted November 6, 2023 3 hours ago, Colin Lindsay said: Just been rewatching some of the episodes and am being really anoraky; the one where they make a set of shelves from a Morris Minor dashboard and the girl claims "it'll be the first set of shelves that has covered 140,000 miles..." It's really 14,000 miles as they were only clocked to 5 digits and she's adding the tenths as miles. Am I right they also fitted the Herald sidelamp units upside down, claiming that they were originally incorrectly fitted? Colin, I think you are correct! 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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