Starting again

Progress has now been started on clearing a space for the first engine, when I have got myself sorted and been to collect! Clearing sheds and making space seems to be in season right now and so I got the enthusiasm to start myself

When I was a teenager, and before getting a couple of classic cars I'd started about age 14 with a rusty little Jap 2A bought after a day at the Pickering Traction engine rally in about 1985. [For, I think, £8 ] Played about with the carb, bought a 3rd hand manual, got it running and really enjoyed it. From then the roster expanded to include late 30's Lister D, Petter A, a Villiers Mk15 and a Mk12, a little BSA I never did run, a poorly Norman T300 which also never ran properly and a nice Norman Single that started first crank every time.
I also had a BSA Bantam, NSU Quickly and a couple of cyclemotors, which led me away to cars in the end. When the first car came the engines dwindled quickly I seem to remember.

Now I'm returning to my older interest, looking for something I can take to a few shows and have fun without the serious need for maintaining a classic car as an everyday car.

Today I had spare time to clear the detritus, leaves, moss, weeds and stuff that gets blown around our garage [communal plot of 6 garages where I live, in 3 sets of 2] It took me half an hour to remove and there is now a couple of inches step into the garage which should help keep water from ingress too Looks a lot tidier as well, just needs a bit of gravel to go down. Next I sorted a load of boxes to go to the tip and a lot of old jumble, car spares and things to get rid of, making more space!

Looking forward to when I have a couple more days off to continue.

I will try and fathom pictures but I found my two old rally plaque boards which I was well chuffed about. I thought they had gone long ago. In amongst the old stuff I had packed away I also re-discovered a few gems.
Five old 2 gallon petrol cans along with some old cans and bottles and 3 nice kayes oil cans and a bunch of old BSA and Lister spanners too. In the last box, the cardboard crumbling away in my hands I also found some nice old grinding paste tins, spark plugs and things I'd kept 'just in case'.
Now I am glad that I did! I put them all out on the top of an old garden table and took a couple of photos, they look quite nice I think!
cheerio for now

A couple of photos as promised. Work continues today. I'm repainting the scruffy National Benzole can for display. I try not to make them look too 'new' though!

When I was hoping to sell some other petroliana I was being watched as I unpacked some gear one day and as I took the NOL oil bottle out I heard a chap whispering "cor, nice, bloomin' 'eck" or words to that effect - hence I put it back in the box, since the guy was nice enough to spot a rarity for me hehe.

Nice collection you have there Matt, it aways looks good a few bits with the engine when at a show.

Stu.

just love that National Benzole can, long time since I'v seen one of those!

cheers Tony

Nice collection you have there, bet your glad you kept it all now,
Ian

Nice old cans I always like to see them next to engines
Jonesey

hi matt
that's a cracking collection you have there mate..
thanks for sharing the pictures with us all...
mike...

Cheers guys! I love the cans too, wish I had more!
Last night while I had the radio on I decided to have a go at doing the lettering of the National Benzole Co. Ltd. can, I've got one and a half sides done but I wish I had a steadier hand, or maybe its just my eyes squinting while making a straight line
Little bit more work in the garage and garden today while the kids are at school!

It sounds like you and I have got a lot in common. I am back to engines after a few (many) years with cars. I cleared out my garage at the week-end and now I need to do an autojumble. I couldn't believe the amount of spares that were lying around. Boxes full of Skoda and Fiat parts.

Ha! Always the way mate always the way. I've not got millions of spares but nice odds and ends, service parts, brake parts kind of thing, stuff I bought because it always gets used at some point but I forgot to give it away when I sold the car[s]. I have the same need to do an autojumble or two!

Skoda parts you should be able to get rid of via somewhere like the international skoda forum I would think, specially rear engine stuff. I have a Skoda Favorit if you have anything let me know, I might need it.

I found two boxes stuffed with manuals and odd books I'd bought, some Castrol adverts, lodge plugs catalogue and things that might come in useful again! Anyone with a Nuffield Tractor on here I've got a BMC alloy painted rosette for the garage wall about 18" in dia. I'll be looking in the online diaries to find a couple of local jumbles in the next few weeks.

cheers
Matt

Been pretty busy today and the last couple of days when I have had an odd hour or two.



In the winter you couldn't get much beyond the pink pram my eldest is hiding The two tables stacked by the right hand wall were up and teeming with old military bits and bobs, tents and stuff - after the "Big Clearout of '12" I'm down to the 4 boxes in the right foreground and one other in back. The Ruston is peeping out behind them.



Above where the engine now sits is this shelf where I've put some of the bits I found. I've even started adding to it - thanks to ebay, hehe!

And finally, my little much travelled Ruston PB.



If I work out how to add the short video I did then I will add it up soon. Also this weekend I've been copying literature that I have aquired in my little collection. I am hoping, thanks to a local friendly print shop, to be able to produce a repro of the PB leaflet in full colour.



Finally I have been scanning this and three other booklets to put on CD

To think when this was issued the Villiers firm was only just over 8 yrs old, and the catalogue is now 90 years old!

Best wishes
Matt

Do i spy the good old military suitcase on the right hand side lol

matt
what you after for the nuffield sign ???
i would love to buy this for my fathers day present
kev

thats a nice ruston, will you be taking it to any shows.
richard.

earlsinclare wrote:thats a nice ruston, will you be taking it to any shows.
richard.

Yeah! That's the idea anyhow It's booked into its first on Easter Sunday, the vintage day at Kirkby Stephen. Chance to see lots of old cars, lorries and buses and have free bus rides around the local area on classic coaches. There is a small section for engines and tractors as far as I know. Never been before but told its great - its near one of the places I work.

cheers
Matt

kevjhnsn wrote:matt
what you after for the nuffield sign ???
i would love to buy this for my fathers day present
kev

Kev, sent you a PM, then realised what you were meaning. Its not branded as a "Nuffield" sign, its a BMC sign - the rosette logo like the dealerships had on the wall. Its about 2 feet in diameter, I have one made of alloy and one glassfibre resin one but the resin one has shed all its paint, it may even be a 1980's copy, but I do know they made resin ones near the end, a mini cooper collector I know has one.

What am I after? Well, I'll ask around on value. I know they get snapped up, as you will know yourself, colourful advertising signs command good prices these days. I was after a small sphinx spark plug sign last week on ebay, shocked to see it approaching £300. I'm clearly out of touch with the market because the last time I bought any of this stuff was over 15 yrs ago. [I'll ask my dad if he can remember what I paid for it too lol]

YorkshireChugger wrote:

earlsinclare wrote:thats a nice ruston, will you be taking it to any shows.
richard.

Yeah! That's the idea anyhow It's booked into its first on Easter Sunday, the vintage day at Kirkby Stephen. Chance to see lots of old cars, lorries and buses and have free bus rides around the local area on classic coaches. There is a small section for engines and tractors as far as I know. Never been before but told its great - its near one of the places I work.

cheers
Matt

The Kirby Sephen show is a good show but there's not been many engines or tractors there in the past. I was going to go but with the change in weather, (it was bloody cold the last time I went) I've decided to give it a miss this year, I also forgot to book and I could only get on the Saturday but I was just going to phone themto book in. The engines in past years have been set up at Brough in the Grand Prix car park, right in the corner where non one goes.
Enjoy your day there might be a few of my mates there so you'll have someone to talk to and there's an oldish guy that's local should be there.

Stu.

Cheers Stu,
We shall see. I've got the dilema now of when exactly to go myself. Its me elder daughters birthday, she's having a party on the saturday afternoon, so I can't make that day. Now, this afternoon work have rung me with my roster to tell me they've put me on sunday night shift
Got to work out how I can manage the rally as well.

Matt sounds as if you could have problems getting there yourself, there's also the bit in the back of my mind is it worth using fuel to get there and back with the shortage, and I think that a lot of the hgv/psv guys will be missing due to the same reason.

Stu.

Abes wrote:Do i spy the good old military suitcase on the right hand side lol

Yes, sure is Abes. Its a 60s dated one. Up above is a camp medicine box, unsure of age. At the back is a lovely metal crate for 3 inch mortar rounds. Would make a great toolbox for someone That and a couple of plastic boxes is all thats left of a huge pile that occupied all the r/h side of the garage hehe. At the back is still a pile of old semi useable canvas and hessian and a bunch of sandbags. I've really got to dig them out and move 'em.