Tricks that old racers get up to after retirement

[jackiewilson]

Jackie. This is your big chance to contribute to Britains best selling car mag! don’t go all shy on us. Get a copy of the mag and e-mail what you have just written to me to them.. With any luck they may even do a feature on you. I’m sure a lot of boat people are into cars..

OK Phill, ill say this “ONLY ONCE”—- ive used up ALL my big chances long ago, along with any desires to contribute to Britain’s best selling car “RAG”.
SHY ????ME??? PISS OFF !!!!
I make 1907 Rolls-Royce concepts and offshore powerboats as a hobby. I am 89 and moving house.
I am totally refurbishing my new workshop. Starting from scratch. Building a new shop from the ground up, getting it exactly as i want it, all my machinery will be exactly what i want. Not putting up with any NEARLY gear, it will be everything of the best. its a most exciting time in my life. As the poet said In his ode “Leisure” ——-“WE HAVE NO TIME TO STAND AND STARE”
So you see, i dont have enough time left to fart about chasing “MY BIG CHANCE” contributing to some transport rag.

[FUJIMO]

...jeeez...seems like just yesterday you set up the shop your in now...this moving all the time thing must be an old english tradition or something...never let the enemy know where you are...

[jackiewilson]

...jeeez...seems like just yesterday you set up the shop your in now...this moving all the time thing must be an old english tradition or something...never let the enemy know where you are...

RARELY STAY LONGER THAN FIVE YEARS ANYWHERE ——- been here over four years . Time to move on. Next one is a small bungalow for the retirement years, one stipulation is that i get to build the shop myself , from start to finish.

[jackiewilson]

HAPPY NEW YEAR is the message to all my friends here on the TRICKS site.
Been one hell of a year one way and another . Not just for me, but for everyone.
Here in England, We are finally free of the European community ties, rules and regulations.
This has ongoing rewards AND penalties which affect both the USA and England.
the outgoing president looked on England favourably, the incoming president made it abundantly clear that he favours dealing with the EU and not Great Britain. Mistake methinks !
When america steps over to This side of the pond, for whatever reason, it has always looked to Britain for help and guidance. This dates back hundreds of years.
Unfortunately the rest of the world has a desire to shaft the US, its a fact. Britain has always been in the “PROTECTING YOUR BACK” role. This has been hugely beneficial to both countries , creating the “special relationship” that we have always had .
Scotland first minister wants wants yet another referendum to determine whether her country has its own independence . Hells teeth, its only five years since the last Referendum voted overwhelmingly to stay in the union.
Its a bit like tossing a coin—- best out of three,——best out of five, ive been there, done that, with long lasting consequences????
So , what with the covid issue, free at last from Brexit, theres a lot to look forward to, 2021 can only be a whole lot better than its predecessor.

[jackiewilson]

Well, life didnt slow down one little bit just because of a new year.
Had a couple of hours in the shop, but it was simply too damn cold for comfort, never got above freezing all day. Went to Lizzies for lunch {Beef Wellington} , told her i had to leave and go visit my daughters Sam, mid afternoon. Her answer to that was “ But i am your granddaughter , Grandpa Jack, i need you to stay” —— Just goes to prove somebody loves me ! Even though she;s only five years old.
Sam put on a seafood supper but i wasnt all that hungry, im still all TURKEYED OUT, never thought i would look forward to Ham, Egg and chips, or just beans on toast.
Im sure its not my imagination, but i swear i can smell sage and onion farts everywhere.
Just the weekend and the world gets back to normal—- how the hell the business world can afford nearly two weeks shutdown for christmas and the new year, is beyond my understanding . In my day we had Christmas Day off, Boxing Day was a bonus if the boss was feeling magnanimous. If you didnt turn up for work, you didnt get paid , end of.
Then the public sector workers were given five days off with full pay, then seven days , and now ten days of vacation time over christmas and the new year. Wonder if the employees would feel the same, if the boot was on the other foot . They had to pay ten men , ten days pay for no productivity?

[jackiewilson]

Opened up the bottom drawer of my Snap-On roller box, never been opened since 1982 ! Found all my old MERCURY workshop tools . Pair of those lightweight flimsy ring spreaders . Fly wheel puller that we used to hoist the sixes with into the test tank.. COUPLE OF THOSE TOOTHED GEAR CASE BACK RING EXTRACTORS. SLIDE HAMMER .. SET OF THREE RING CLAMPS PLUS THE FULL SET OF VALVE LIFTERS, GOUBLE ENDED SUCTOIN VALVE BGRINDER AND A POT OF GRINDING PASTE, COARSE ONE END AND FINE THE NOTHER .
A real trip down memory lane.
Will take some pictures tomorrow, fat too bloody chilly round the nether regions to hang about long today.

[FUJIMO]

...think that grinding paste/valve lapping compound is still good?

[Lake X Kid]

Opened up the bottom drawer of my Snap-On roller box, never been opened since 1982 ! Found all my old MERCURY workshop tools . Pair of those lightweight flimsy ring spreaders . Fly wheel puller that we used to hoist the sixes with into the test tank.. COUPLE OF THOSE TOOTHED GEAR CASE BACK RING EXTRACTORS. SLIDE HAMMER .. SET OF THREE RING CLAMPS PLUS THE FULL SET OF VALVE LIFTERS, GOUBLE ENDED SUCTOIN VALVE BGRINDER AND A POT OF GRINDING PASTE, COARSE ONE END AND FINE THE NOTHER .
A real trip down memory lane.
Will take some pictures tomorrow, fat too bloody chilly round the nether regions to hang about long today.

You didn't mention ring compressors.
A Merc shop can't survive without them.

[Lake X Kid]

OK Phill, ill say this “ONLY ONCE”—- ive used up ALL my big chances long ago, along with any desires to contribute to Britain’s best selling car “RAG”.
... its a most exciting time in my life. As the poet said In his ode “Leisure” ——-“WE HAVE NO TIME TO STAND AND STARE”
So you see, i dont have enough time left to fart about chasing “MY BIG CHANCE” contributing to some transport rag.

Jackie, I would have enjoyed watching you do an episode of Top Gear, back in the years when the likes of actor Michael Gambon appeared on the show. Like you, Gambon is a good story teller.

They named this race corner after him. And one thinks would I venture out and ride in his airplane, with Sir Michael as the pilot.

[jackiewilson]

You didn't mention ring compressors.
A Merc shop can't survive without them.

Roy, you have no Idea just how expensive those damn ring clamps were to buy from Mercury. Mercury dealers were up in arms . There was a lovely little engineering shop in Southwater, took a set to him to see if he could cobble something similar.
He made me 25 sets with brass swivels {originals were black plastic} at less than half the Mercury price. Sold them all to Pat Frewer, boss man at SWMF in Poole.
Gave them to Mark when he moved out on his own.

[jackiewilson]

Jackie, I would have enjoyed watching you do an episode of Top Gear, back in the years when the likes of actor Michael Gambon appeared on the show. Like you, Gambon is a good story teller.

They named this race corner after him. And one thinks would I venture out and ride in his airplane, with Sir Michael as the pilot.

At the LMBRC race course , just after the right hander, water was very shallow if you went wide . Would rip the bottom out of the boat. It was Called “MAX’S PINNACLE” after Max Wright, the first guy to run over it.
I have flown with PRUETT on several occasions, and survived . I have landed with PRUETT and survived. I have “HOVERED’ with PRUETT in a fixed wing that rely on forward motion to stay in the air.and survived.
I have dropped like a stone from 2000 feet to 1000 feet , again with PRUETT, and again, in spite of his best efforts, i survived .
SO, in conclusion, i dont think sir michael could scare the crap out of me half as much as BDP-FBI !

[jackiewilson]

Has to be over fifty years since the tub of cutting compound was used in anger. Wonder how many of todays whizz mecknicks who can fix every fault, in any given car ever made anywhere , would know what to do with a wooden stick that has a big and a little suction pad either end.
And as for spitting on the suction pad UGH. They would have a hernia !
When they went from plugs and points to „MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. , i just wonder if they ever envisaged what a Pandora’s box of serpents they were unleashing.?

[jackiewilson]

Wonder how the whizz kids pull a flywheel with an ipad?

[jackiewilson]

that little jigger was used to tease stuck rings out of pistons. Cost was ridiculous. But it was made muskady ohio. ?????

[2us70]

I could not afford the Mercury ring compressors. I found that worm drive hose clamps lined with good Scotch electrical tape worked just fine. You didn't even need to line them up like the Merc ones. Once the rings were in the bores you just unscrewed the clamps all the way and that was it.

Roy, you have no Idea just how expensive those damn ring clamps were to buy from Mercury. Mercury dealers were up in arms . There was a lovely little engineering shop in Southwater, took a set to him to see if he could cobble something similar.
He made me 25 sets with brass swivels {originals were black plastic} at less than half the Mercury price. Sold them all to Pat Frewer, boss man at SWMF in Poole.
Gave them to Mark when he moved out on his own.