21-05-2019, 01:04 AM
(This post was last modified: 21-05-2019, 01:38 AM by Bill Sheehan.)
Whilst there is plenty of interest in this lot of happy reminiscences May I butt in please with something totally unrelated? I can't seem to find the posting place that JonE kindly set up for me because of the Management's refusal to acknowledge I exist at times, so attempt to ask for Help by riding on other subjects. Help needed. Over a year ago a Forum member asked me for details of the Australian Raid to England in 1981. I finally found a friend who could help, but he was in the process of moving house. He's only now unpacked his stuff and emailed some great detail, including photos of the UK cars in question. My problem is - it was so long ago I've forgotten the name of the UK enquirer. Hopefully he will get to read this and contact me on ausevenoz@gmail.com and I will be at last able to help him out. Grateful for any help and apologies for changing the very interesting subject. Cheers, Bill in Oz
On the subject of roadside repairs, it was many moons ago (although there was no moon that night) Tony Johns and I set off at midnight from Melbourne with other Club members to drive to Mt. Gambier on the annual Border Run to meet up with our South Aussie counterparts for the Long Weekend. We'd borrowed Max Foster's Sports Special & fitted one of Tony's racing engines for the long return trip. (Most racing enthusiasts would remember both Tony and Max from the 1981 Raid). The Special had only one aeroscreen, so yours truly had the full issue of the Early-edition Saturday newspaper (about 3/4" thick) stuffed down my parka and the freezing wind still got through the zipper. It was about 2am when the engine suddenly died and we were already parted from the convoy at the time. Examination showed that all the necessary bolts had departed from the SU but the carb was luckily still hanging there by the hoses. Even at that hour there was a lot of traffic on this main Highway, so we had some difficulty looking for strange objects like screws and bolts, as we were walking towards headlights that weren't always dimmed, meantime the torches seemed inadaquate when there were breaks in traffic. It probably took us half an hour walking back a very long way, and despite being frozen (middle of Winter) and despite fears of following traffic throwing away our bits with their speeding tyres, we found everything we needed. Nor had we been run over by anybody. Bits installed, progress resumed. Yet Another happy Austin Seven story? Cheers, Bill in Oz
On the subject of roadside repairs, it was many moons ago (although there was no moon that night) Tony Johns and I set off at midnight from Melbourne with other Club members to drive to Mt. Gambier on the annual Border Run to meet up with our South Aussie counterparts for the Long Weekend. We'd borrowed Max Foster's Sports Special & fitted one of Tony's racing engines for the long return trip. (Most racing enthusiasts would remember both Tony and Max from the 1981 Raid). The Special had only one aeroscreen, so yours truly had the full issue of the Early-edition Saturday newspaper (about 3/4" thick) stuffed down my parka and the freezing wind still got through the zipper. It was about 2am when the engine suddenly died and we were already parted from the convoy at the time. Examination showed that all the necessary bolts had departed from the SU but the carb was luckily still hanging there by the hoses. Even at that hour there was a lot of traffic on this main Highway, so we had some difficulty looking for strange objects like screws and bolts, as we were walking towards headlights that weren't always dimmed, meantime the torches seemed inadaquate when there were breaks in traffic. It probably took us half an hour walking back a very long way, and despite being frozen (middle of Winter) and despite fears of following traffic throwing away our bits with their speeding tyres, we found everything we needed. Nor had we been run over by anybody. Bits installed, progress resumed. Yet Another happy Austin Seven story? Cheers, Bill in Oz