Classic Car Market Newsletter June / July 2011
CLASSIC CAR NEWSLETTER
JUNE / JULY 2011
Well, what a holiday that was… Or was it… Anita (my partner) and I visited the UK for 3 weeks leaving the workshop in the capable hands of Robin, Keith and Nick. I’m sure that some of you with have spoken to at least one of them in my absence.
Just in case you have never met the staff here at the Classic Car Market, I’ll take this opportunity to introduce you.
Mark T Boldry: Manager. In most cases it’s me you’ll talk to or meet when you contact us. Thirty six plus years ‘hands-on’ experience with classic cars, nine of those in Historic Motorsport. Have confidence in contacting us for your needs, whatever they may be, we’ll discuss your requirements and sort out your problems properly.
Robin Mitchell: Englishman, musician and all round ‘good egg’. Robin has also spent most of his working life (forty plus years) with what we now know as classic cars. His experiences are multitudinous, and he can turn his hand to almost any task.
Nick Peters: At 26 he is youngest full time automotive engineer in our workshop. His attention to detail in his work and his ability to understand a clients needs is a wonderful asset to us. Nick is also our resident qualified Air Conditioning engineer.
Keith McKay: Our resident Lucas trained Auto-electrician will care for all your electrical woes. Keith’s ability to fault find and sort out electrical problems is no less than legendary. From a fuse to a harness, we can cater for your needs.
There’s one more person I should tell you about…
Charlotte Tongue: Charlotte is with us one day a week for work experience for her TAFE course. Her recent exam results of 98% and over shows how devoted she is to her subject. Her ‘hands-on’ experiences here at the Classic Car Clinic show very clearly that we have another superb automobile engineer in the making. Well-done Charlotte…!
Cold mornings and engine oil. With temperatures as low as we are experiencing at the moment, it is essential to treat a cold engine with great care. The oils designed to suit our usually warm climate are more viscous (thicker) than oils suited to a cooler temperature. I have noticed recently on various cars that the normal engine oil pressure is not reached until the engine is warm. This is caused by cavitations within the oil pump and the pump not pumping sufficient oil to the essential bearings etc. Damage WILL be done to an engine not warmed prior to being driven.
Please allow a little time before driving your car at this time of year for the engine to warm up slightly.
Brake pipes and hoses. I’m still seeing on a regular basis cars coming into the workshop with corroded brake pipes, worn or split brake hoses and old and contaminated brake fluid in the systems.
We recently offered a FREE brake check which some of you too advantage of. I’d like to think that all friends and clients of the Classic Car Market are driving around in a SAFE car, but in quite a few cases I KNOW you are NOT.
We’re going to offer, from the 1st July a further month of FREE brake checks. For this we will inspect your brake pipes and hoses, wheel cylinders, brake shoes and pads, we will test the hydroscopic value of the brake fluid and advise you of our findings. The rest is up to you… it’s FREE…..!!!!
Great news for MGB, V8 and RV8 owners. We’ve just carried out some steering angle alterations to Laurel’s MGB which in effect brings the steering geometry into line with more modern tyre technology. When the MGB was designed, it was to suit Cross-Ply tyres, it has never been changed to suit the radial tyre. Now we are able to rectify that and bring your MGB, V8 or RV8 into the 21st Centaury.
Expressions of interest will determine costs, obviously the more interest we can get, the cheaper it will be per car.
MGA steering rack: We’ve recently bought a small batch of NEW RHD steering racks for the MGA. For sale on a first come first served basis… Once they’re gone, they’re GONE….! POA.
The BEST way of keeping your classic car in good condition and reliable is to USE IT…. In my experience, the most common failures are with cars that spend most of their lives locked away in the shed.
For your interest, you can now find us on Facebook and Twitter plus of course our website: www.classiccarclinic.com.au
Finally, just for your amusement… Do you remember your driving test…?
Happy Motoring…
Mark.
