Thanks for the reflections of yesteryear.
My Shadow was a scary rideven for me at 17yrs old after moving up from a Suzuki super six which was no slouch. I nearly gave up biking till an old workmate gave me his Ariel square four. A bit tame after the Vincent,
Cheers Colin.

Hi Martin - thanks for that tip - had a very enjoyable half hour on you tube - never thought of it before.

Hi Colin - we had a good laugh at this fellow on this ancient machine that arrived for the run to Lake Mcillwaine one fine Sunday morning . Most of us riding Bonnevilles , Super Rockets etc with my older sibling on his state of the art 750 Norton being the fastest. The flying bedstead passed us all and we did not see him again until arriving at the hotel 20 miles odd away.You must have guessed by now - it was a Vincent - not sure if it was a Shadow or Prince. You must have been heart broken at the loss...........
Have you seen that marvelous film "The Worlds Fastest Indian" with Anthony Hopkins? There is a scene on the beach where he passes a bunch of other motorcycles at a frightening speed - reminded me of that day with the Vincent.

Hey Doug, looks like my black shadow stolen in 1967 from Caldwell Park during a race day. Never did get it back and I only had it for 8 days. Third party insurance was all I could afford as an apprentice.
Sala vie.
Cheers Colin.

Red, you can watch proper racin on Youtube. Especially Midgets and Sprites. They had a race just for them...Ashleys, Sebrings, Speedwells, Lenhams, you name it. I often sit back and enjoy some of that. I especially like to watch the chain gang Frazer-Nashes sliding around with the diff-less back axles.

Martin

Goodwood Revival, hillclimbs and sprints...that sort of stuff. Club level, but even that is now too expensive to even go and watch and I live on entirely the wrong side of England for hillclimbing.
Martin - they have historic car racing in SA still - The Chevron is still racing but changed hands long ago - Anglias, Cortinas, big Healeys , 3.8 Jaguars etc and a lot of others participate. You would probably enjoy.

Have a similar problem in that it happens too far away and no longer have any form of TV so although the racing is screened occasionally on a very expensive pay channel cant watch it. Was quite interested in the MG Midget racing in UK when living there.

The CC engine was so far ahead of its time, the bottom end can easily take a better head.

I despised that arrogant little Brazilian! Not keen on Shumi either. Or the current possesor of the best car (very different from being a good driver!) I rarely watch the grumbling half way house things these days. I'm an historics fan. Goodwood Revival, hillclimbs and sprints...that sort of stuff. Club level, but even that is now too expensive to even go and watch and I live on entirely the wrong side of England for hillclimbing. Apart from slot cars, I have no interest in modern motor racing and even then I tend to specialise in older shaped cars.
Just built a Chevron B8 from a friend's shell and helped him with the making of a Chevron B1. I did the wheel inserts amongst other bits and bobs. Very pretty car.

Martin

Twin Cam Head - the mind boggles - that motor is pretty long in the tooth by now . Wonder if the bottom end could stand it.
Not knowing Mike Parkes shows you a rather diminished interest in motor racing other than occasionally watching Senna on the box. Schumaker was so mechanical - loved it when Senna carved him up. Senna's was a very sad end for a great driver. Not watched much since.
My friend raced a B8 Chevron - frightening car with a Piper BDA motor . Went round corners like it was on rails - but wore out a set of slicks in a 10 lap race. Got to know Hewland boxes well with changing ratios to suit the various tracks.
One classic occasion found my 1650cc Anglebox in the paddock sans gearbox - borrowed and raced by a friend in his Lotus 7 as his went wonky.

Funny one can remember all this and yet cant remember lunch yesterday! And yet again hijacking a thread.........

Red, I know a guy who has made a twin cam head for an Imp engine. Went to a tiny foundry in the middle of nowhere near Duns (of Jim Clark fame) and saw him casting twink heads for the Imp!
Mike Parkes had a decent career with Ferrari in F1.

Martin

The one which became the Hillman Imp engine, the FWMA, Feather Weight Marine Automobile. NOT a damned fire pump, whatever drivvle you may read about them. So, as odds and sods progress, I will post pics and chat about them. BTW, the aforementioned Mike Parkes was the engineer responsible for helping Hillman make the FWMA into the Hillman Imp engine as well as being a very decent racing driver!

Martin - One of our local race drivers in the 70's Reuben Israel tried stuffing a Lotus Cortina motor into a Hillman Imp - nearly frightened himself to death in it - cornered worse than a Sunbeam Tiger / Triumph Spitfire. Spitfire tried chasing my FJ engined MG Midget - watched his lights revolving in the RV mirror in a 40 degree corner . Somersaulted well - lucky he had a roll bar fitted . The fellow Mike Parkes you were talking about - was it he that had a very succesful racing career with the Imp or someone else?

'All will be revealed',
When I get around to it.
Got a lot on at the moment🤔
Only got square Toits left 😉

Oh you would have to ask Doug about that wizardry, DG!

Martin

"....Have you tried the converter boards for your Taycols yet?..."

Ah, yes - I was meaning to ask about those. You said earlier that you had made some amendments to the standard circuit, and I was wondering what those were?

That would be up to the client, Doug. I think he is suing for costs and so he should. Incompetent bastards!

I think I'd sooner play The Doors. Didn't he sing about getting his mojo working?

Just finished a stretched Ferrari 312 (Parkes) body pattern, a Jebro Mk1 H Mod and an HO (small slot cars are actually 1/64th, but they annoyingly call it HO) McLaren M1B. Matra MS 80 next!

Car brake light keeps flickering on the dashboard, so more expense. That's what these things pay for!
We had to get something Chris could more easily get in and out of so we chopped in the Peugeot 206CC for a Suzuki Swift VVT. 4 doors, 4 seats and space for my models, be they yachts or aircraft.

I really must try to get some stuff done on the Chris Craft (Sea Hornet), Darby One Design and Spitfire Outboard racer. I treated myself to an inrunner brushless for the lovely HobbyKing CNC machined o/b, which I've turned into a Godiva 40, instead of a Mercury. Well, I am an old tub thumper and a complete Coventry Climax obsessive and the Godiva 40 had a CC engine on its end. The one which became the Hillman Imp engine, the FWMA, Feather Weight Marine Automobile. NOT a damned fire pump, whatever drivvle you may read about them. So, as odds and sods progress, I will post pics and chat about them. BTW, the aforementioned Mike Parkes was the engineer responsible for helping Hillman make the FWMA into the Hillman Imp engine as well as being a very decent racing driver!

Cheers,
Martin

Hi Martin,
Shame about the Vincent😭
Can't you claim on them? Breach of contract or summat?

"Mojo is a problem lately."
Tell me about it☹️ especially with temperatures up into the 90s here☀️☀️☀️
Maybe this'll help 😉

Cheers, Doug 😎

Hi Doug,
yes a bit late this year, but other things are slowing me down a bit.
Not least the Vincent, which was sent away for casting, but the idiots I sent it to who promised to use a silicon mould threw a non metallic pattern in a black rubber mould and sent me back a bag of dust with no explanation or apology. So I have had to completely remake the engine casings in brass and they are still away with the only remaining caster who has shown any ability to actually do the job. So far he has done us a nice wheel rim. We still await the rest at a hugely increased price. But there are very few casters left compared with a few years ago.

So, I haven't had a chance to try the converter boards as yet. The Crash Tender is done, all but the fittings, but has had to go in the loft to keep it out of harm's way for the time being.

Mojo is a problem lately. With other things going on and doing stuff for other people, I often just want to put me feet up.

Good to be back though. It would be wonderful to find somebody round here to boat with, but the welcome at the model flying club was so warm it was difficult not to go in that direction.

Cheers,
Martin

Greetings Martin😊
A month overdue from your 'leave of absence' but what the heck!
Welcome back👍
How did you get on with the Vincent? Looks like a complicated project!
Would love to see some pics👍
Glad you're going to get some use out of your DX5e.
If I was still living at RAF Marham I'd be round like a shot to go boating or even flying!
But Marham is a lifetime away now. Tempus fugit☹️
I have a Catalina PBY ca 1.5m wingspan that I haven't had the courage to get off the water yet 🤔 Mia culpa😌
Have you tried the converter boards for your Taycols yet?
Cheers, Doug 😎