Early family cars

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

You're taking me back here!

I remember when my father bought us a 1957 Jaguar Mk.VII (in '59 I believe) and drove it for a couple of years. The only problem is that it cost him as much to maintain it over two years as it cost to buy the damned thing! Nice car, though, leather and real wood, as well as those door-frame pop-up turn indicators.

After that it was an early Plymouth Whatever with the slant-six engine and a push-button transmission. When my parents divorced in '66, he bought my mum a 1957 Morris Minor, which I got my driver's license on in 1969. In '70 I bought my first car - a 1959 Austin-Healey ('Bugeye') Sprite, for $100... I sure wish I had the damned thing now!!

After that I got into motorcycles...

[Keith Webb]

Yesterday I drove down South to pick up a 16" wheel I'd bought and what should be just ahead in the traffic? A '59 Pontiac! This one was red and had no rear number plate, but it was the first one I've seen on the road for many many years. Amazing coincidence!

[hrpearce]

My first car inmy collage days was a Hilman Minx paid $200.00 for it drove it for two and a half years then got my $200.00 back when I traded it in on a second hand Nissan Patrol soft top.

[Keith Webb]

Here are a couple of pics showing the crucial relationship of our Pontiac and MVs...

The Singer was my $25 first car, and the GMC the first MV I drove, before I had my licence.

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

and the GMC the first MV I drove, before I had my licence.

Looks like it has had a RHD conversion .. it's got early 60's plates on it .. the background cars date it don't they !

[Les Freathy]

My first vehicle was a Bedford 15cwt van i had to carry our group around in it. it was a 1959 model which i purchased in 1962 for £150. As can be observed i was still a learner when this photo was taken i had it for a couple of years then changed for a bigger Austin J2, what a load of c--p that was kept it for 12 months then decided someone else could provide the band transport for a while, sold it to buy my first car this 1957 Hillman Minx. Geoff i also had a Frog eye Sprite it was my pride and joy it had a straight through exhaust and could it roar as a motor it was fast on acceleration but i found at about 80mph you hung in there for dear life, one twitch and you would lose it. mine was all original 1959 with a steel bonnet worth around £7 to8000 now if it was still around biggest problem the floor attracted rust i did a few mods to it but kept all the old parts. When i can locate the photos i will put them up
cheers
Les

[Keith Webb]

Love the period shot of the band with the Bedford. What a classic!

[Mike K]

Originally Posted by Keith Webb

Yesterday I drove down South to pick up a 16" wheel I'd bought and what should be just ahead in the traffic? A '59 Pontiac! This one was red and had no rear number plate, but it was the first one I've seen on the road for many many years. Amazing coincidence!

That is weird ... serendipity . I spotted one driving down Boronia road in Wantirna South ... many years ago .. the tailights are very distinctive ... Reading that article, it appears the aussie version was built on a 59 Chev chassis and differred a lot from the US model . it was typical of GM , we got the lower end 'export' models 'jazzed up' to imitate the real thing.

Mike

[Mike K]

Seems that most of us began with British cars ( me Triumph Herald ) ... the next generation had the Jap range .. older Datsuns and Toyotas as a first car .

[Keith Webb]

Originally Posted by Mike Kelly

Seems that most of us began with British cars ( me Triumph Herald ) ... the next generation had the Jap range .. older Datsuns and Toyotas as a first car .

Yes, I had 15 (yes fifteen) Morris Minors of various types including two series II Utes, a series II panel van and woodie along with the more pedestrian 2 and 4-door varieties. Never had a series I or a convertible though, and most ranged from free to $75 for the most expensive one. Also had a series MO Oxford.

What did I learn from the experience? I learned to seriously dislike the 803cc engine with it's weak bottom end, also the syncros on the series II gearbox with it's ridiculously long throw gearlever, that alloy rear wheel cylinders with steel pistons are a very bad combination, that you can ignore the manual when removing the master cylinder and, instead of removing a torsion bar can flex it out of the way with a jemmy to withdraw the bolts, I also learned where to hit the firewall with a large blunt object to kick the SU petrol pump back into life on a hot day... that the sump on a Cortina engine sits way too close to the road when you convert the minor to decent power, and especially for the Oxford, the diecast door handles loved to just snap off.
Oh yes, and you just cannot tune twin SU carbies once they're worn.

And that's just to start.

Bet the next generation with the Jap cars had far less trouble but also less 'learning' and 'growing' experiences.

[hrpearce]

If you continue to drive after the flange gasket blows it melts all the solder in the starter If you hold your foot hard to the floor for just over two hours on a well worn engine disaster can strike, it droped a valve, smashed a piston, put the conrod through the block which also smashed the camshat into four pieces so I learnt how to swap engines more than fix them

[Mike K]

The triumph herald . The 'P' plates displayed , tell other road users there is a probationary driver at the wheel..who has less than 12 months experience .

The car had twin SU carbies and I was always fiddling with them .. it would fart and miss . I didnt know what i was doing .. until a relative who was a mechanic altered the diss points gap and it ran a lot better . They had weak diffs and nylon front suspension bushes that were prone to wearing out in quick fashion. My 2nd everyday car was a 1942 MB Jeep .. still on P plates when I got it ... and LHD too .

The 34 Ford in my original post, was sitting in the same back yard.. 20 years previously ! The other car in the background is my brothers 1956 Vanguard . Another Herald , same as mine is behind the Vanguard.. we had 3 of them on the road at one point... people were almost giving them away then.

Mike