RUMCars Forum

General Category => Unusual Microcar Discussion => Topic started by: philsparrowhawk on April 29, 2009, 05:31:16 PM

Title: Hello all...
Post by: philsparrowhawk on April 29, 2009, 05:31:16 PM
...I'm the newbie on the site so just thought I'd say hello to you all!

Ended up on here thanks to my interest in invalid cars/trikes etc. Bit weird (although I see that I'm not alone) and it comes from the fact that it was my dad who ended up with the contract for all spares being distributed around the country. He also (don't know whether I should admit this but here goes) was responsible for collecting all the vehicles as they were taken out of commission and taken to the great road in the sky!
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: Bob Purton on April 29, 2009, 06:06:43 PM
Hi philsparrowhawk, Fear not, although your father may by unpopular with a tiny minority, many including myself would hold him up as a hero!  ;)  I dont suppose he held back any of the Villiers 11e engine spares, Dynastarts, two way ignition switches etc that are usable on microcars? Always in the market. Can I point you in the direction of Stuart Cyphus, he caters for all the conveyancing fans now with a specialist mag to boot. Are you a microcar fan as well?
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: philsparrowhawk on April 29, 2009, 10:43:21 PM
Cheers for the reply (and for going gently on me! :D).
I take an  interest in microcars too, I live just round the corner from the fella who has the peel that was featured on top gear (according to my local paper anyhow, don't know him myself). The other local "celebrity" would be the lad who has the replica Noddy car and drives it in summer resplendent in full Noddy costume.

I'll speak to my dad tomorrow regarding any bits he might have. I know where there's a hangar sized shed full of spares but alas my dad has retired now and we can no longer gain access to it.
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: Stuart Cyphus on April 29, 2009, 10:48:39 PM
 Hello Phil, it is indeed me and the Invalid Carriage Register you're after. Don't worry about my reaction to your father's job of work, the scrapping is all part of the history. I exist to chart the history, therefore I do not ignore or whitewash this aspect of the vehicles. Neither do myself or the ICR decend to anything so childish as stamping the foot over the events of so long ago.

 Anyway, I'd be most intrested to learn more about you & your father. Your father wouldn't happen to be called "Hall" would he? As this was the name of the man who did just that job in the northen part of the country in the last few years of the IVS. I knew OF him & even used to send disposable cameras up to him via a mutual pal, but I could never pin him down to an actual meeting....

 Elsewhere, I point you in the direction of a subscription to the ICR's magazine; Conveyancer. This costs £10 per year for four A5 issues, & issue 4 is will shortly be off to the printers. Conveyancer leans heavily towards the powered vehicles of the British Invalid Vehicle Service, but EVERYTHING from no matter what country of the world, from hand propelled tricles to bathchairs to mobility scooters to converted cars to wooden legs can be and will be covered eventully.

   Further details, etc can be had direct from me, & also feel free by all means to get in touch just for the chat? My contact details are as follows;

     email;   invacar@yahoo.co.uk

   phone;   01993 709452
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: Bob Purton on April 29, 2009, 10:55:12 PM
Hi Phil, You must be up Nottingham way then if you are near to Andy Carter and his tv starring peel. I'm intregued about the store full of spares, were they not also supposed to have been destroyed? Do tell more!
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: philsparrowhawk on April 29, 2009, 11:01:21 PM
Hello Stuart, yes that's my dad (philsparrowhawk's just a nickname I use on t'internet). His first name's John (the same as me, I'm John junior btw)and I remember him bringing the disposable cameras home (they had red/green boxes if I remember correctly). Which garage did you know of him from?
He used to do the north run one week, the south the next but as more and more vehicles were de-commissioned he worked less and less on the cars and we set up a transport business together. The work finally fizzled out altogether which was a pity because my dad really enjoyed it.
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: Stuart Cyphus on April 29, 2009, 11:07:21 PM
I'm intregued about the store full of spares, were they not also supposed to have been destroyed? Do tell more!

 It was only the vehicles themselves which were not permited (at that time) to be sold on once condemed by the Ministry. The spares however, once declared redundant/condemmed, could be disposed of by the repairer in any way he saw fit, either in the skip, or to whoever was prepared to buy them & take them away.  Thus there was never anything "illiegal" about the spares stock.

 As I've said so many times before, ignore EVERYTHING you'll read elsewhere on this internet. Most so-called fonts-of-all-knolege on these things known as invalid carriages don't have a clue what they're talking about, endlessly repeating the same old half-baked legends & assumtions, all of which I proved wrong years ago.  It rather reminds me of the old Coronet/Powerdrive Blue Star Garage legend of the old micro world....
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: philsparrowhawk on April 29, 2009, 11:12:26 PM
Hi Phil, You must be up Nottingham way then if you are near to Andy Carter and his tv starring peel. I'm intregued about the store full of spares, were they not also supposed to have been destroyed? Do tell more!

Hi Bob, I live in Bury Lancs, think I may have crossed wires regarding the TG Peel. There's definitely one in Ramsbottom that was featured in the local press and tv last year - maybe I have them mixed up.

The distribution centre for all invacars and similar was in Heywood (massive complex with about 20 hangar sized "sheds") and this is where all de-commissioned vehicles were sent back to. They were then stripped of gear boxes and engines before the bodies were taken to be destroyed in Freckleton (between Preston and Blackpool). My dad was still friendly with the staff at Heywood and we went back a few years ago to pick up some gearboxes (can't for the life of me remember where we took them to but my dad will) and they were stored in a run-down hangar along with boxes and boxes of spares. The distribution centre is now used to house dss files and so this particular shed has been more or less forgotten about - the spares are still in there.
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: philsparrowhawk on April 29, 2009, 11:13:34 PM
I'm intregued about the store full of spares, were they not also supposed to have been destroyed? Do tell more!

 It was only the vehicles themselves which were not permited (at that time) to be sold on once condemed by the Ministry. The spares however, once declared redundant/condemmed, could be disposed of by the repairer in any way he saw fit, either in the skip, or to whoever was prepared to buy them & take them away.  Thus there was never anything "illiegal" about the spares stock.

Correct Stuart, the spares I referred to were ministry stock and had never been sent out to the dealers.
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: Stuart Cyphus on April 29, 2009, 11:28:33 PM
Hello Stuart, yes that's my dad (philsparrowhawk's just a nickname I use on t'internet). His first name's John (the same as me, I'm John junior btw)and I remember him bringing the disposable cameras home (they had red/green boxes if I remember correctly). Which garage did you know of him from?
He used to do the north run one week, the south the next but as more and more vehicles were de-commissioned he worked less and less on the cars and we set up a transport business together. The work finally fizzled out altogether which was a pity because my dad really enjoyed it.

 Ah, I rather thought that's who we had here!  ;)  I got to know of your Dad through Ivan Robinson of Yorkshire, & he got to know him after the last remaning electric Tippen Delta was taken up by your Dad to the Skopos Museum of Batley, at which Ivan helps out at weekends.  Ivan always said your dad was here, there and everywhere all the time & thus was so difficult to pin down for the interview I tried to arrange a few years back. Still, you're here now.....   ;D

 Have you still got the Argson?    :)

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z211/stuartcyphus/mrs_halls_trike2.jpg)
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: philsparrowhawk on April 29, 2009, 11:36:49 PM
Hello Stuart, yes that's my dad (philsparrowhawk's just a nickname I use on t'internet). His first name's John (the same as me, I'm John junior btw)and I remember him bringing the disposable cameras home (they had red/green boxes if I remember correctly). Which garage did you know of him from?
He used to do the north run one week, the south the next but as more and more vehicles were de-commissioned he worked less and less on the cars and we set up a transport business together. The work finally fizzled out altogether which was a pity because my dad really enjoyed it.

 Ah, I rather thought that's who we had here!  ;)  I got to know of your Dad through Ivan Robinson of Yorkshire, & he got to know him after the last remaning electric Tippen Delta was taken up by your Dad to the Skopos Museum of Batley, at which Ivan helps out at weekends.  Ivan always said your dad was here, there and everywhere all the time & thus was so difficult to pin down for the interview I tried to arrange a few years back. Still, you're here now.....   ;D

 Have you still got the Argson?    :)

(http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z211/stuartcyphus/mrs_halls_trike2.jpg)

Aye that's my dad, but fear not folks, I get my looks off my mum (who's sat in the argson) ;D.

I've had the pleasure of meeting Ivan a couple of times - what a true gent he is. Went over to his place (Wakefield?) with my dad once and spent an afternoon exploring his vehicles - the most impressive collection anywhere (outside of a "proper" museum) I've ever seen.

My dad's still got the argson but has mentioned a few times that he should really move it on as he has no real use for it. I'll try to post some pics up now.

ps I take it you've accounted for it in your records Stuart - reg. no.: 600WTX
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: philsparrowhawk on April 29, 2009, 11:43:24 PM
(http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/5063/argson004.jpg)

(http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/8290/argson005.jpg)

(http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/3306/argson006.jpg)

(http://img91.imageshack.us/img91/6238/argson023.jpg)
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: Stuart Cyphus on April 29, 2009, 11:47:55 PM
 Yep, I know all about old 600 WTX.  ;)  First came to light in Classic Car Weekly in late 2003 located in Warrington area, bought by Ivan at that time & then presented to your folks in April 2007.....     The number plate doesn't belong to the vehicle, but we woun't hold that against it.  ;)

 Conveyancer mag has a sales & wants section if useful to you, but get in quick for this issue becuse I'm aiming to go to print in about a week's time......
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: philsparrowhawk on April 29, 2009, 11:56:04 PM
Thanks for that info Stuart - I'll sort out a subscription to conveyancer within the next few days.
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: Bob Purton on April 30, 2009, 09:03:02 AM
I needed to get some chrome plating done for my Motobi last week and as all the plating firms have closed in my area due to new ludicious health and safety rules I was sent down to an industrial estate in Benfleet where I was told one firm survives. I found the platers and lo and behold it was directly opposite to the old invacar depot. I had heard of its existance but had long forgotten about it. It appears to be just a general car workshop now although I think they probably do special needs cars too. The old signs are still up which is how I recognised it. I have to return to collect my chrome work soon so I will stick my head around the door and ask for all the old siba black boxes :D :D
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: marcus on April 30, 2009, 09:04:37 AM
Hello Phil, and welcome in. Small world innit?!
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: Stuart Cyphus on April 30, 2009, 10:50:50 AM
.... the old invacar depot....     so I will stick my head around the door and ask for all the old siba black boxes.

 Too late, the ICR has already been there & there's nowt left....    8)  Bear in mind also that there were very few Villiers machines left in service into the mid 1990s, certainly less than 100 in the whole country at that time, so those repairers in areas which didn't have a Villiers vehicle in their catchment area would not have bothered keeping ANY Villiers spares at all even at that time. Whilst those that DID have a two-stroke on their books would only have kept a skelition parts stock for it anyway. So in reality, the Villiers spares stock was actully long gone a long time ago.


 Also, a repairer was not actully permitted to keep vast stocks of large, expencive items such as black boxes, gearboxes etc, they may have had a float of two or three, but the legend of repairers holding hundreds of black boxes etc. is just another of those half-baked legends doing the rounds.  The only place that actully did hold parts in that quanity was the Central Store at Heywood, from which the repairers had to order whenever such parts were needed, purpously to stop the repaieres being pestered by folk thinking they were a cheap source of expencive parts. Heywood was cleared of all Villiers items in 1996, so you can work out the timescale for yourself......
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: Jawmedead on April 30, 2009, 11:08:37 AM
So now you know. Leave the ferreting to the expert.  ;D
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: Bob Purton on April 30, 2009, 12:07:15 PM
Hi Rob, friendly as ever! ;) It was a joke! I do however remember being invited to remove a free invacar from the Benfleet depot by Julian Nowell in the mid 1990's, legally or not I'm not sure but as I would rather own a two headed duck I passed it up.
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: blob on April 30, 2009, 12:46:05 PM
Quote
I will stick my head around the door and ask for all the old siba black boxes

Don't forget to list them as 'Messerschmitt'
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: Stuart Cyphus on April 30, 2009, 12:49:58 PM
 I wanna see the "Messerschmitt" two-headed duck.....    :o
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: Bob Purton on April 30, 2009, 12:54:58 PM
I'm concidering completely dismantling my KR200 and selling all the pieces individually, do you think it would come to more the the current car value?   Blob, Perry, are you coming to Battlesbridge sunday week?
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: Bob Purton on April 30, 2009, 01:00:03 PM
Hi Stuart, There is a one headed duck badge on the front, the two headed badges are very rare! I will see what I can do.
Title: Re: Hello all...
Post by: Stuart Cyphus on April 30, 2009, 01:08:29 PM
I wanna see the "Messerschmitt" two-headed duck.....    :o

  Don't look now, but I think I've just described a tg500.....   (Cue mass "ooooh's" from the crowd)    ;D ;) :-* :D