AC Invacar spares

[Rob Dobie]

Have you ever driven an IC Marcus or a single front wheel car? Any vehicle, surely, being driven beyond the drivers capabilities will topple over. Why brake hard going into a corner? If you can't see around a corner you should have slowed down before reaching it. Oh, I forgot most people seem to think they are on a race track.  Remember the Peel Trident that toppled over on a corner at the IOM Peel reunion?

A few years ago I was reminded by a local council member about a few chaps from Chaseley in Eastbourne, established for paraplegic war veterans, whose long-terms needs were not being met elsewhere. Being young men with mechanical minds and being issued with the latest Model 70 ICs with the 493cc Steyr-Puch engine, the temptation to tune up their motors was great. Then came the fun until it was stopped by the local police when they found out that little blue three-wheelers and their intrepid drivers were using the wide(ish) road outside of the Grand Hotel on the seafront as a drag-strip! Oh, I wish I had been there to witness the fun.   

[richard]

interesting debate on these vehicles - i read with interest . on the spares front i just cannot imagine how thrilled i would be to be unpacking 2 1/2 pallets of Gordon, Bruetsch or Bond spares wowee   even with all the duplications , and i am sure there would be a market elsewhere for exhausts  , some RUM cars dont have a spares scheme or owners club !
by the way what the heck are the rest of crates in that warehouse full of ? oozing goodies by the look of it 

[Barry]

The rest of the warehouse is full of Haflinger spares.  A really great four wheel drive vehicle.  Uses the same engine as the Model 70 but....................................Big carb, big manifold big bore, big valves and these goodies can help to get an Invacar over the 80mph mark.  Not for me.

That is why the Invacar spares were there.  The great guys at Heflinger Technik used all of the common parts and what's left are the 'left-overs'

http://www.haflingertechnik.com

[Big Al]

Really good to hear from you Stuart and glad that you are about.
This is indeed the Scottish stockpile.

It would be good to reunite the chassis numbers with the original registrations and perhaps even get V5c's for them (as trikes).
I would like to see them back on the road as proper Invacars one day, rather than cut-down trikes.

However, I need to recover some of my money, the parts and transport from Scotland was not cheap.

I will keep some spares for my other Model 70 (from Richard) but the rest will be for sale.
After unloading 2.5 tonnes of stuff with a manual pallet stacker yesterday, I am a bit cream crackered.

Next stage is to look in the boxes and see what is good and what is junk.

Will be good to keep in touch.

Barry

Oh good, temptation has been removed to buy this lot. I cannot imagine there will be any junk as it will have been picked over all ready. That was one of the reasons to have bought it and shoved in a shed up near Carlisle. Also keep the costs down as even thinking of moving something seems to cost a few quid these days! For junk, I think substitute, parts that need to be kept for 20 years till someone wants them. The hidden responsibility of buying up ex dealer stock. I have 50 years worth of unsold Goggo weirdness in just such a situation, ex M and P, Hans, Cambridge agent and even a few bits of Kings Lynn importer unsold stock. One day someone will want it.

Perhaps you are now to become the repository for currently unwanted IC spares since folk were reluctant to allow me to buy for, and to help, the ICR a few years back. Having played with my Type 70s and worked a few things out of my system I am no longer so keen to hold that responsibility. Other plans now replace the previous ones.

[richard]

i think you have the makings of a very fine Gordon replica -  lucky you  

[Barry]

If they can't be reunited with original bodies, I'm sure they could be converted into something that looks much like a Gordon.

I was thinking that the full body of something like an Austin A35 (or whatever) could be grafted on but with a narrowing front - three wheel A35.
Much easier if most of the body build is already sorted, just customising of the front.

Are there any other fibreglass bodies out (from interesting 3 wheel cars) that have chassis and running gear that are beyond repair?

Any other suggestions?

Just realised that the Invacar can go as fast backwards as it can forward - so two wheels at the front is an option.  What is rear wheel steering like at 70mph?

[AndrewG]

It seems to me what is needed is someone with decent Invacar who is willing to have it striped of its fittings so that it can be used to make moulds from which new Invacar body panels can be made.

This is not a simple task as the body would probably have to be disassembled in order to be able to mock up the joints correctly, but it is still a lot less work than making a new body, plus of course one gets the moulds for any future Invacar spares.

No, I'm not suggesting putting the Invacar back into production.  Though, now that you come to mention it.......

[Stuart Cyphus]

...so that it can be used to make moulds from which new Invacar body panels can be made.

 Where's Andy Carter when you need him?...      

[Barry]

It seems to me what is needed is someone with decent Invacar who is willing to have it striped of its fittings so that it can be used to make moulds from which new Invacar body panels can be made.

This is not a simple task as the body would probably have to be disassembled in order to be able to mock up the joints correctly, but it is still a lot less work than making a new body, plus of course one gets the moulds for any future Invacar spares.

No, I'm not suggesting putting the Invacar back into production.  Though, now that you come to mention it.......

I could use my other good complete  car as a mould and I know an expert Fibreglass mould maker who could make the bodies but the Invacar is not like a simple micro.  The doors are quite complicated and the end value is still pretty low compared to a Trident or P50 for some reason!
It could have a soft top though which would look good.
Ideally it would be good to find three new bodies, especially for the tiller steering one which was made by Invacar Thundersely rather than by AC like the two others.

[Big Al]

Alternatively there maybe enough dead IC to re use the bodies. I have one I will be selling shortly.

I had looked at doing a four wheeler using a narrowed Mini subframe. At the same time it could go two seat, or possibly three seat like Gordon Murray. This without loosing much of its IC character.

I had thoughts of a change of body. Andy Carter can supply one that will jolly nearly fit straight on though he perhaps has not thought down that route. Sort of Goggo meets Stirling....... Suddenly IC are not quite such a joke as that combo will see most of the competition off and look good!

No doubt new Berkeley panels would fit as well.

[Barry]

It might be good to get your old IC body out of your way.  Could possibly pick it up free of charge AL?

Ho Ho Ho!

post a picture.

[steven mandell]

Speaking of AC spares-  I just spent my whole day disassembling my Petite's remotely mounted tri belt driven transmission.
I did so inspired by a hemorrhagic leaking of oil of Valdez/ BP proportions. I also could not adjust the shift linkage to allow me to catch both reverse and top gear (3rd) at any one setting.  If I am able to catch 3rd gear at all, I have to keep an upward pressure on the column mounted sequential shifter to keep it from popping out of gear, and of course have to use my right foot for reverse.  I guess that is why they have the suicide doors, as these make this action almost convenient.
There doesn't seem to be much play left in the shift linkage since I tightened up a connection or two, and set it up so the bell cranks are operating from closer to a 3 o'clock/ 9 o'clock position, as opposed to the 12 o'clock/ 6 o'clock orientations that gave minimal mechanical advantage, maximum slop, and easily over centered, giving an extra unwanted 6 inches of play.  Hopefully at least Big Al is having little trouble envisioning this.
I found little to complain about in the condition of the gears and selector mechanisms, probably owing to its overall mileage only being about 15 k.  But that leaves me in mystery as to why finding gears feels like bobbing for apples in between running grinding wheels. Any suggestions?  The clutch disks were oil saturated, but clutch action seemed adequate, if not just a wee bit draggy when rolling backwards whist the clutch pedal was depressed.
Oh yeah- the spares.  Upon finally stripping the gearbox, which was not without folly as all the gears and shafts fell into the oil drain pain in an unrecognizable heap that took me 2 panicky hours to decipher..I noticed that the already Frankinstonian welded brain case is severely cracked in an obviously critical, but unfortunaely very thin machined area where the output shaft bearing is supposed to be supported- hence the big bleed.  Anyone have an extra case alongside their hen's teeth?

[richard]

i guess the raleigh safety seven gives the answer as to which bodyshell you fit on the invacar - sorted 

[Big Al]

Speaking of AC spares-  I just spent my whole day disassembling my Petite's remotely mounted tri belt driven transmission.
I did so inspired by a hemorrhagic leaking of oil of Valdez/ BP proportions. I also could not adjust the shift linkage to allow me to catch both reverse and top gear (3rd) at any one setting.  If I am able to catch 3rd gear at all, I have to keep an upward pressure on the column mounted sequential shifter to keep it from popping out of gear, and of course have to use my right foot for reverse.  I guess that is why they have the suicide doors, as these make this action almost convenient.
There doesn't seem to be much play left in the shift linkage since I tightened up a connection or two, and set it up so the bell cranks are operating from closer to a 3 o'clock/ 9 o'clock position, as opposed to the 12 o'clock/ 6 o'clock orientations that gave minimal mechanical advantage, maximum slop, and easily over centered, giving an extra unwanted 6 inches of play.  Hopefully at least Big Al is having little trouble envisioning this.
I found little to complain about in the condition of the gears and selector mechanisms, probably owing to its overall mileage only being about 15 k.  But that leaves me in mystery as to why finding gears feels like bobbing for apples in between running grinding wheels. Any suggestions?  The clutch disks were oil saturated, but clutch action seemed adequate, if not just a wee bit draggy when rolling backwards whist the clutch pedal was depressed.
Oh yeah- the spares.  Upon finally stripping the gearbox, which was not without folly as all the gears and shafts fell into the oil drain pain in an unrecognizable heap that took me 2 panicky hours to decipher..I noticed that the already Frankinstonian welded brain case is severely cracked in an obviously critical, but unfortunaely very thin machined area where the output shaft bearing is supposed to be supported- hence the big bleed.  Anyone have an extra case alongside their hen's teeth?

Only just found this posting. My mind boggled I can offer no constructive view as I have had no experience of AC Petite. Ownership was restricted to leaving them where they were to an unknown fate as I had not the time to recover them from Groomfondle's yard.

[Barry]

Car No1 from 1977. is now Mad-Maxing around the garden.
Very smooth and responsive and at 20,000 miles the engine sounds great.