RUMCars Forum
General Category => Unusual Microcar Discussion => Topic started by: bigwill on April 26, 2013, 11:39:30 AM
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Dear all,
My first post!
My name's Will, and I live and work in Dubai with my wife, Lindsay, collie Jess and a New Map Solyto. I acquired it in 2007 from a lovely couple in La Rochelle: judging from the amount of fish scales and rust in it, it had a hard life working on the harbour there.
I'm restoring it at present, and will be seeking the assistance of the forum in tracking down parts and information. The first issue is the bits which are missing, so let's start with a straightforward couple.
First, could somebody please tell me about the steering wheel? Mine has been cut off and replaced with a horrid plastic affair, but I want to return to the beautiful minimal original: I can get that fabricated here, but I need to know the diameter of the wheel itself and the tubes from which it is made. Can anyone help?
Secondly, there should be a small knob on the gear lever, I think: please could someone tell me what diameter it is? Is it round or oval?
Many thanks in advance. I look forward to meeting you all, my fellow microcars owners, on my occasional trips back to the UK, France and so forth over the next few years.
Cheers, Will
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HI Will. Welcome to the forum. I bet the sun is out where you are!
Solytos are rare birds in the uk although there are some here. Jean has one in the Hammond collection. Can I make a suggestion, as a starting point register your car with RUMcars if you havnt already done so. Then Alistair can put you in touch with other owners. I'm sure that Mr Jean do of this forum would also be able to help as he is expert on most French microcars. If you have no joy I will measure the wheel on Jean Hammonds example myself when I visit in July with her permission of course. It may be slow but I'm sure you will get what you need eventually. The quickest solution would be young Jammie[dodger] running outside with a tape measure tonight after school!
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young Jammie running outside with a tape measure tonight after school!
Who, Jammie Dodger? ;D Jamie (one m) could also take a photo as well to put on here.
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Hah! I was wondering if anyone would spot that, thats my nick name for young Jamie and also a continuation of the micro's and biscuits thread, see the end of the Story sign post photo thread.
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Dear Bob
I think you will find that Will has already poured over the Hammond Solyto on his last trip to the UK, but like all visits there is always something that you missed.
Jamie Dodger would be the best lad to measure up the item, if and when he next reads the forum, and next Jean Do as you suggest.
Chris Thomas
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hmmm bob i reckon Will would be more interested in a SANDwich thread in Dubai ;)
with respect is it known whether jeans car has the original wheel - i have no idea at all but no point copying it unless it's correct - perhaps jean-do's area of expertise
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What happened to the green one that came on the market over here a few years ago, again. I thought I knew who owned it but time and a lack of great interest has wiped my brain.
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Diameter 34cm
inner post (diameter) 1.5cm
outer ring (diameter) 2cm
This is a original wheel!!
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Well done that man.
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indeed well done ! i meant no slur , i don't know the car , it's just that i know a man - hi nick - who's sure his Gordon is original but it's heavily , but sympathetically , modified .
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Wow! Nine replies on a Friday afternoon: thanks guys! Bob, Chris is right - I visited Jean last summer and took copious photos, but forgot to take the measurements I needed. I also managed to keep the gear knob out of all of my photos, but I notice from Micro Marshall's (Jamie?) photo that it's oval.
One supplementary Micro - is the 34cm o/d, i/d or on the centreline of the ring? Pernickity, I know, but I'm going to get this right.
And do you know, it's actually overcast with light showers today?
Finally, here's a picture of thee wee beast for you all to see. Let me know if you'd like to see more
Thank so much, Gents - especially you MM - really appreciate it.
(http://DSC_0063.jpg)
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its the outer line of the ring :P :P
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i for one would like to see more please - and by the way it's not afternoon it's friday night and 22.48 bst and time for nite nites
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Me too. Hey Dodger is getting good at this!
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Good morning all. Just so's you know, it's lunchtime here: we're four hours ahead of you in the summer (ie. now), three in the winter. It's also raining; very unseasonal, should be about 40C out there just now, instead it's a pleasant 25C or so. Good day for working on the wee beast
First, thanks for the additional info Micro mate - much appreciated again.
Second, Richard wanted more pics. Not sure if this should be a new thread, but I'll add them here in small files, and Jean, perhaps you could let me know what the policy on threads is: new one for each subject, or consolidate them by marque, perhaps?
Below you'll find four images. The first is for the number collectors out there - it's the plate for the beast. My next concern is trying to date it but I'm not sure I can from this. So far I have detected a few differences between the various Solytos I've managed to track down, but I'll definitely need another thread for that. In the meantime, for experts (like Jean-do and Michel), the chassis number is 72598, the type is TC7, and the address is 124 Ave Lacassagne. It has a solid rear axle, the engine cover has pointed rather than rounded corners at the top, and the doors are rear hung suicide type. I reckon that makes it 1958 or 1959, but I'm not sure.
The second pic shows the floor. It has a bit of rust issue; might polish out, but I suspect not. It's clearly had a lot of salt water rolling round in there...
The third pic reveals that the sides are rather higher than for a normal canvas topper, and a quick check reveals evidence that it used to be the van type. I have thought about this long and hard, and decided to replicate the canvas top. It is not a true restoration, but it does continue the Solyto's development, and makes a more useful machine at the end of it. It is also a lot easier for me, in that I really don't have the means to handle large sheets of steel and my rollers and wheeling machine are still in the UK (at home in Scotland). Finally, a steel top would render the machine an oven here, and I don't want to cook myself, the wife or the dog.
The next pic shows the conversion work in hand - trimming to sides to a neat level, then folding them down into a flange (the one at the far side in the pic was one I completed earlier). I would normally have got it blasted and primed first, but it's so flimsy I've decided to do some serious work to stiffen the shell then get it blasted before doing the final repairs. The flanges at the rear add massively to the strength of the shell, and I suspect the floor will do much the same at the other end...
There's a lot to do, but I already enjoy it immensely, and my new found friends on this forum have given me a huge boost; it's great to know that there are supporters out there - we are not alone!
Cheers, Will
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thats some project - this rust issue has been discussed on the forum before and i think a light polishing mop with sovol autosol bar should bring up the floor a treat ;D after all you don't wont it to be like an oven in there :)
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Was it where someone was asking what to do with large rust holes but no one could help as there was nothing in the holes to talk about? ;D
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You have hit on the new Government policy with regard to pre-60 MOT free cars, there Rob. Rust Tolls. A new fully equipped bunch of motorized clipboard type idiots are to be set up to leap out at unsuspecting classic car drivers to firstly test their brakes in an emergency stop. They will then look for rust ares and for holes - taxed at a much higher rate as you will be dodging the rust tax by not having the relevant rusty body metal in place. We all know that tax dodging is far more important and fiscally fined than proving your car is in a safe condition and unlikely to kill people. The tax expected a year is to total the national dept of Portugal, an old ally from many a war down the centuries, and each infraction will be a fractile of that amount estimated on a forecast by the Governments best economic advisers. In other words an amount unrelated to any kind of data anyone else can muster and interrogate into figures other than the ambient temperature of coffee with a third of a digestive biscuit fallen into it.
Plastic cars will be tested for osmosis and stress so do not think your getting away with it either. You were in danger of an on the spot smug charge there (based on German individual national dept amount), nearly.
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hi friends !! sorry for beeing late ! ^^
it's a s...y...o looking at rust attack !! lucky you are because solyto are " sort of home made" that don't need complx embossed tools or else !
the steering is like we had infos .
about the knob, don't stress ... a bakelyte ball from machine will be good ...no special parts on solyto.
(http://i81.servimg.com/u/f81/14/84/18/13/28831_10.jpg)
(http://i81.servimg.com/u/f81/14/84/18/13/imgp2910.jpg)
(http://i81.servimg.com/u/f81/14/84/18/13/imgp3210.jpg)
(http://i81.servimg.com/u/f81/14/84/18/13/huhuh_10.jpg)
(http://i81.servimg.com/u/f81/14/84/18/13/dscn6811.jpg)more pics for details if you want ... higher resolution by email ...
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BEAUTIFULL pictures !! lovely signwriting - i wish it was mine ;)
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don't worry ... door can be shipped to the workshop !! ^^
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Why is it green works so well on this and certain other cars but is really unpopular on cars like Schmitts. I was watching a you tube clip of Goggos racing around a Kart track (remember that idea for National not reacted on?) posted by Dennis and a number of these were green and it works well. Funny old world 'innit?
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may be because all guys, owners of messerchmitt, or Vespa 400 had painted them " bubble colors" thinking they were much funny than collectible...... and our eyes now can't imagine a messerchmitt in sad color ... however it's original??
and more often, has they are not considered as " vintage cars, or serious cars, " all owner paint them walt disney ' s style ... see tg 500 of BW auction hugly pink... pale green of Bob's inter ( and 80% of resored inters are) ...
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Oh I agree . Original heinkel , and even later Trojans , were airforce blue , grey ,khaki , cream . I look forward to the day , and it will come , when they are again vintage colours with character and a certain je ne cais pas ;)
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^^
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I for one vote for the fantastically original and hard earned patina.
I even like the tiled floor with horse shoe lower steering column mount.
But as Al has already pointed out, those pencil pushing beaurocrats probably won't let you get away with a MOT pass that way.
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may be because all guys, owners of messerchmitt, or Vespa 400 had painted them " bubble colors" thinking they were much funny than collectible...... and our eyes now can't imagine a messerchmitt in sad color ... however it's original??
and more often, has they are not considered as " vintage cars, or serious cars, " all owner paint them walt disney ' s style ... see tg 500 of BW auction hugly pink... pale green of Bob's inter ( and 80% of resored inters are) ...
So have you decided what colour your Inter will be yet Jean Do?
Mine was green from new but admittedly I think a darker shade. There is no way of telling what the exact shade was as colours change over 60 years and there are no paint code records. There is a funny story in connection with this, I originally chose a darker shade of green but when I went to collect the car from the paint shop when finished, they had painted it the wrong colour! As it turned out I liked it so much I didnt bother to do anything about it. I was in a similar position with the cream Inter, all I had to go by was a patch of paint under the steering column bracket. At least I painted both in the original basic colour and not pink with yellow flowers! ;D ;D
As you can see in this photo its not that far off the original colour.
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wowowowowo !!! hey Bob .. cool !! ^^
i didn't have all infos !!.... yes you're close to your original color, but that color is not one of the production .... as your inter is 1015 ; it's from "pre-series" ( you've seen official red striped document "that says that 1036 is the first serie's one ) , and because i didn't had the original pic ( have you got more ?!) now you're right ... maybe it was pre series colors ; turned to olive green then ... as mine is in original color, and 1247 is . they turned your color also may be to turquoise green, like 1214 and 1308 are ... then cream ( most of them ) and clear blue ( not sure )
about mine, my vision is when it's so rare, it's like " Christine plymouth fury ( from the film ) that was the only one in red in factory production line .... so 1128 (mine ) was olive green, it MUST be this color, however i would prefer the nice cream white ...that a sort of history respect ...but that's my vision ... your inter is yours!
but in each meeting i'm for the job, you ear guys saying " i painted my citroen traction avant in fire red , because al the one you see are black ! .....
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Dear Jean-do.
" you've seen official red striped document that says that 1036 is the first serie's one
I'm not sure I have seen this document, I may have it but never translated it. Where is the document from?
So how many cars still exist that are before 36?
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yep, see i ... i don't have a hi-def version .... sorry ...
(http://i81.servimg.com/u/f81/14/84/18/13/103610.jpg)
so it's writen that "looking at the study of february 16th 1955 , ( by official services ), and the SNCAN demand ( that document describes all of the inter lengh , weight, sort of horn ... number of seats, etc etc ) they agree that inter 1036 with 175 cc engine is registrerd as a prototype of the Inter 175A serie .and is ok with all the laws about cars ... then this document given with each inter ( but with all ground motorised vehicules ..) confirms that your number of chassis , is built like the official description .
so yours , and this grey one ( 1015 for you & 1022 ) are the two actually know as pre-series .....(http://i81.servimg.com/u/f81/14/84/18/13/17zaon10.jpg) next registred is 1061
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Being towed by a green Merc. Merc who kept faith with some colours many decree are unfashionable.
My Heinkel is original Sea Green and looks well in it. It is interesting that brushed ali looks better with pastel shades than chrome. Once you opt for bold primary colours the chrome tends to look better. Obviously colour has its effect here too but I am generalizing. So to look at Goggos. The Saloons tend to look well in pastel more so than the Coupe, with its more flashy bumpers and stylistic features. They both show off two tone paint well but the shown area of the roof once again supports the Coupe in primary colours as it shows more second tone paint. So both look well in bright red with a cream roof but only the saloon really carries off the less often seen brick red colour with white roof. Maybe you disagree, it personal taste in the end.
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Ah, I do have a copy of that document, I just didnt realise its significance. The silver car 1022 appears to have been modified with extra trim on the front and wing lights although who really knows now what the factory did with the pre production cars for sure! My opinion is that if the factory was going to fit side lights to the wings they would have used the same ones as they used on the side of the body. What do you think?
There are two details about my car that may be of interest. First, its not stamped 1015 on the body shell, its just 15, in fact the previous owner thought it was 05 because it is very faint and hard to see under the old paint, with the paint removed its clear that its 15. Secondly, although I have put the Inter side logo on the car, originally there was no logo badge unless it was glued on. When the shell was striped of all its paint I searched everywhere for the two small holes where the badge would be and there were none! I also searched for a series of holes just above the aluminium side trim hoping that it may have once had the individual chrome letters like the one at the Paris Saloon of 1953 but no holes there either. Wishfull thinking! I wonder what ever happen to that body? Its a much more pleasing shape. So number 15 may have been badgeless!
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yep bob, we see on proto in salon de l'auto 53 , INTER chrome letters ... and small red dot lights on fenders ....
we've seen , in first press display in bois de boulogne a few inter , first series like yours ....
is yours from that pre series ?? emblems where they glued ?? can't say now ...
about the 1022 grey one, as we said about color schemes, details are not important for guys ... he decided a modern metalis color ... put trims there ...
all inter on documents a registred as 1000 ... licence, alu plate on chassis .... but bodies are just stamped 15 or 128 ... may be as they registred series till 1036 as documùent says ...