RUMCars Forum

General Category => Unusual Microcar Discussion => Topic started by: thomast on November 05, 2012, 10:47:29 PM

Title: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: thomast on November 05, 2012, 10:47:29 PM
When I was little my dad told me a story many times. When he was 20 he bought the Trojan and my grandparents didn't like it at all! He was not allowed to park it in the front of the house because the neighbours might complain. So when my grandparents were not at home he opened the big garden doors and parked the car in the livingroom. Imagine my grandparents faces when the walked in!

Always liked that story so when I was 16 or 17 (my first attempt to rebuild the Trojan) I did the same to him! (see picture below) My dad didn't laugh!  ??? Why not? I still think it was funny  ;D

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/272067_1987845810197_3150986_o.jpg)
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: marcus on November 06, 2012, 08:40:11 AM
Excellent! On UK tv in the 80s we had the Kenny Everett Video Show, and one series had a sketch of a family talking and arguing in their front room, and there was a re Treinkel neatly parked in the room for no apparent reason.
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: Bob Purton on November 06, 2012, 09:14:14 AM
When I was little my dad told me a story many times. When he was 20 he bought the Trojan and my grandparents didn't like it at all! He was not allowed to park it in the front of the house because the neighbours might complain. So when my grandparents were not at home he opened the big garden doors and parked the car in the livingroom. Imagine my grandparents faces when the walked in!

Always liked that story so when I was 16 or 17 (my first attempt to rebuild the Trojan) I did the same to him! (see picture below) My dad didn't laugh!  ??? Why not? I still think it was funny  ;D

(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/272067_1987845810197_3150986_o.jpg)

Nice tea pot collection!
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: marcus on November 06, 2012, 09:28:55 AM
Put a spout on the Trojan for a really BIG tea pot!
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: Big Al on November 06, 2012, 10:14:23 AM
Excellent! On UK tv in the 80s we had the Kenny Everett Video Show, and one series had a sketch of a family talking and arguing in their front room, and there was a re Treinkel neatly parked in the room for no apparent reason.

Owned then by Bazz just down the road. He also supplied the Brazil Messerschmitts. Sadly two got bashed up in a container due to poor loading.
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: marcus on November 06, 2012, 10:19:30 AM
Ok Al, do you know which series the Treinkel was in? I would like to get a copy, VHS or DVD.

Also, in Brazil a 'schmitt was burnt; was this a real one or a mock up for the film? I know they were not as valuable and sought after then, but that scene still grates!Great film though!
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: richard on November 06, 2012, 01:33:30 PM
I think thomas has set us all a challenge ! Although the bar has been set very high !nice one
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: marcus on November 06, 2012, 01:52:45 PM
I restoredand painted my Trojan in my workshop and measured carefully before the body shell went it, on its side, and it JUST fitted through the double doors. Work done 3 of us carefully tipped it on its side and started manoeuvering it out of the doors, one of us standing vertically inside through the 2 big side windows, quite comical.

Only problem was that it wedged in. Explain that!

It was one hell of a job to take one of the heavy metal-skinned doors off its hinge with DUF in situ, then move the door away so we could get her safely outside for assembly, a few very anxious minutes!
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: Big Al on November 06, 2012, 07:27:55 PM
To much paint!
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: marcus on November 06, 2012, 08:22:13 PM
Not just paint, it was 1/4" bigger!
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: richard on November 06, 2012, 08:42:20 PM
FILLA !! :D

i was once involved in this fracas when a guy was selling his  Heinkel ,Ireland i think ,and asked for help getting it out of the premises . we measured and it wouldn't fit QUITE  ;) that didn't stop us - anyway we did it somehow but i think it involved deflating the tyres before possibly removing the wheels i think .
interestingly the building had been modified recently and the access had gone - no-one realised until too late . The building being the now very famous Quarry Bank School that John Lennon attended . the house in the background was the old school hall - now a house with very a tall ceiling , and scratched gate pillars  ;)
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: marcus on November 06, 2012, 09:01:11 PM
Premesis ? That's as bad as someone leaving the first letter off a wor. Or the last letter of a ord!

Yup, I put new filler on the body shell to smooth over weld seam distortion, but this was all on the sides. the cahssis rails and roof were completely as before apart from a few layers of paint and filler, I put the anti-stone chip paint on outside, and all wheels, axle, engine, suspension were off too. It was definitely about 6 mm bigge, and it went out exactly the same way it came in. We never figured out what happened. All I can think is that it came in cold and went out hot, and I had all the old paints and very thick filler and "wierd stuff" shot-blasted off at high power, and perhaps that morphed the shape a bit.

Anyway, great shot! I really wish that I had some shots of mine emerging, but it was way too frantic.

I quite like the colour too, very "period". A bit like the old Morris "Eau de Nile" Green.
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: richard on November 06, 2012, 09:03:54 PM
i had actually re-read and modified my message BEFORE reading this bit  :)
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: marcus on November 06, 2012, 09:08:22 PM
amn and blast it! ( <<Terry Thomas>> )
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: richard on November 06, 2012, 09:11:32 PM
actually many years ago i did try to collect original paint scrapings off treinkel members - several times -nil response . although most restorations are nice some of the original colours  have much more period feeling about them and i wouldn't be surprised to see them revive in future restorations . old fashioned red -more orangey , heinkels in grey , luftwaffe blue, buff ,that dull jade colour etc  
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: Big Al on November 07, 2012, 08:14:14 AM
 Heinkel ,Ireland i think ,and asked for help getting it out of the premises . we measured and it wouldn't fit QUITE  

This car, AAL,  is still around and came with a rather rough similar looking car. It is sitting in my shed re-painted original Sea Green awaiting completion.

The other car was quite rough and I added some parts to it for sale on eBay. The ultimate buyer bought it prior to end of auction so I withdrew it, then didn't go through with the deal, He bought it again on a renegotiated lower offer with extras when told I was going to re-advertise it, then did not go through with the deal again. On it being re-advertised on eBay he bought it again. However having not bothering to read the advert, where is stated what parts of the offer had changed. Principally as I had sold the originally missing seat he had later negotiated into the deal for £150 etc etc.  A rift occurred as apparantly I am not allowed to sell my goods as I choose. I therefore chucked in half a set of floor panels/rails worth about £150 in to no recognition. The joys of selling through eBay and a withdrawal of my normal back up service for additional parts to complete a project sold. Some people just want it all ways.
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: Jonathan Poll on November 07, 2012, 11:23:17 AM
On my birthday, we put a motorbike in the hallway! My mum was at work of course ;)

She wasn't too happy, but its still there  ;D
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: Barry on November 07, 2012, 12:43:39 PM
When you push a motorbike or the like through the house, you must remember to wipe the muddy tyre tracks from the floor.  I know its not natural behaviour to wash the floor but it is one of the best ways of avoiding detection.
When the governor of the house returns, it is also possible to gain extra brownie points for this heroic action of floor cleaning.
Try to avoid any mention of how the vehicle ended-up in the back garden as you will surely be rumbled.
Any scrapes on the walls can be attributed to aggressive vacuum cleaning and should be clearly pointed out.
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: richard on November 07, 2012, 01:06:32 PM
Oh yes my beloved that's grease on the floor - elbow grease . Hmmm mine knows better
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: richard on November 07, 2012, 01:15:37 PM
Well al maybe that's why I won't end early _ what's the point. You yourself looked for the trouble by finishing it early . Decide to put it on ebay and then play fair - presumably you were both trying to get away without any fees to ebay
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: richard on November 07, 2012, 05:26:11 PM
ha guess thats why AAL needed a respray al  - and possibly a right hand indicator  :)
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: Big Al on November 08, 2012, 11:27:39 AM
When you push a motorbike or the like through the house, you must remember to wipe the muddy tyre tracks from the floor.  I know its not natural behaviour to wash the floor but it is one of the best ways of avoiding detection.
When the governor of the house returns, it is also possible to gain extra brownie points for this heroic action of floor cleaning.
Try to avoid any mention of how the vehicle ended-up in the back garden as you will surely be rumbled.
Any scrapes on the walls can be attributed to aggressive vacuum cleaning and should be clearly pointed out.

Can you claim Immaculate Compression by God or his agent Gabriel, the celestial van driver?
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: Big Al on November 08, 2012, 11:58:38 AM
Well al maybe that's why I won't end early _ what's the point. You yourself looked for the trouble by finishing it early . Decide to put it on ebay and then play fair - presumably you were both trying to get away without any fees to ebay

I mainly wanted to get rid of it as I had no space left. On the basis they guy won the only auction to finish, I assume he would have been the highest bidder anyway. Instead of a quick sale it stood outside for about six weeks doing it the world of good. The Landlord admitted I was days from having him threaten to scrap it. You get a week thereafter.

But yes I choose to dodge fees. I take the view that I put cars up for sale, for a £10 fee, at the price I will take for them, related to any classifieds running, free of charge or a charge on percentage of sale price. That puts an eBay around £100 dearer than a classified for an average clearance if paid by Paypal. If several people bid it up then fine, one up to me. My experience of winning bidders of cars is you never hear from half of them. In some cases that will be because the first time they actually read the advert properly is after they have won the auction. Hence a pile of rust gains the question, 'Has it an MOT/Can I drive it home' in direct proportion to the more horrible it looks. This was not a great problem till eBay advertised on TV and all the Trade-It 'get rich quick' brain dead types joined up. You know, Faringdon, Oxfordshire is in London, innit? Need trailer, means miraculous free delivery to Bolton. Etc etc. If eBay cannot be bothered to police their responsibilities to the seller, as an auction house should, I cannot be bothered to pay their fees if I can avoid them. Seems fair to me. As does my habit of never advertising the same deal twice. You have your chance to buy in the format advertised. No sale, change the deal in an attempt to stimulate interest, be it cheaper or occasionally more expensive with added nice bits. Ultimately, no sale, break the car up, redistribute or rehash.

I have probably the worst Trojan restoration to sell shortly. It will be a classic case of fending off the dreamers, I expect, but someone might have it for parts. Cheap as chips at £450.
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: richard on November 08, 2012, 12:22:02 PM
Well there you have it al . Don't use ebay at all I paid A fortune to ebay last year but it helped me to clear a lot of art deco I no longer needed or wanted . But it was nearly all smooth running , and eBay, myself and the buyer all happy with the deal
Title: Re: 20 year old joke! Or even 37!
Post by: Big Al on November 08, 2012, 12:41:35 PM
As a tool it is useful to get an item advertised. Further than that it just depends. It also depends what you are selling. Quality normally means you will be dealing with proper people. INdeed the best of cars tend to miss out eBay. Cheap stuff often means your dealing with cheap people. I am not complaining to much about that, as that is life. It is a calculated risk. However Ebay used to not be so one sided to the buyer benefit and that is basically to encourage you to become a sort of eBay store and amateur Amazon type seller, where some back up is on offer. That is their choice, not mine. I do not want to go back into trade, much as I enjoyed it. I do not need all the hassle, tax, cost and responsibilities that goes with it.

The answer is stick to good stuff like your BB.