Vintage Staffordshire

Blythe House Farm Open Day.

It’s all going on down at the farm this weekend! Blythe House Farm is a hive of activity and this Sunday (23^rd September) we will all be showing our talents. I will be displaying the hire cars as well as some of the current restoration project. I will be there swapping anecdotes about classic cars and I will be happy to show you the hire fleet or discuss your classic car requirements. There will also be a few cars for sale just in case you want to catch the promised late summer. Apart from Self Drive Classics there will displays from other businesses on site including Java VW – the classic VW specialist, S Smith engineers for your more modern car needs, Retro Refinishers for bodywork and paint there will also be the local brewer and a host of local crafts. There will be plenty of food and drink so it’s a great day out for the whole family.

See you there!

Vintage Lichfield

Saturday the 27^th October is the day to visit Lichfield. The George Hotel Darwin house and Bird Street will be packed with stalls and shows for all things nostalgic with displays from the 20’s to the 60’s. Step back in time with the clothing, accessories, food and drink and – of course – the classic cars.

So you want to make money with your classic?...

Almost weekly I get a call from someone who is looking to put their classic cars to work. When I set up Self Drive Classics in 2004 there were only a handful of classic car hire companies out there and there was no help available. So I ploughed on regardless and must have fallen into – and pulled myself out of – every bear pit going. In 8 years I would like to say I have seen it all, but there are still surprises to be had. Whilst I am always happy to chat generally about classic car hire I would not give away this hard won experience for free so I have decided to offer anyone who is looking for advice the chance to come on a 1 day course. The course is based in Lichfield, Staffordshire in an informal setting and is intended for small groups (3 to 6 maximum). I will be covering every aspect of classic car hire, the good, the bad and (be warned) the ugly, sharing the experiences that have made me laugh and cry over the past 8 years. The day will be both informative and fun and is intended to give you a very realistic account of the classic car hire business and help you decide if it is for you.

The day costs £250 and includes VAT  tea/coffee and lunch.

I am currently looking for a date mid November so if you are interested then please give me (Steve) a call on  07918715039.

Car Hire Sagas

Talking of ‘the ugly’ I have to ‘thank’ hirer Michael Boylan for driving my little Frogeye hard down the M6, not noticing a drop in oil pressure and carrying on until the engine seized. I even gave him a full refund as he told me he was on his way to his wedding (in fact he had got married and was on the way to the reception). The rescue company were on the scene quickly and little time was lost but the car was wrecked. Same goes for the BBC who had 3 of my cars via an outfit called wheel2reel for the TV series Antiques Road Trip – now showing on BBC2. They managed to damage all 3 but the little Beetle convertible you see was badly abused – if you have a classic then beware!

Updates on our Classic Cars

Volvo P1800

Work is progressing with the P1800 as we cut more of the rusty stuff away and replace it with new metal. The O/S front wing, inner, middle and outer sill are all now in place. There was also quite a bit of fabrication required for the A post and inner front wings. The drivers door has a new skin and a new bottom repair panel both hand made by Gordon at Hunter classics. Currently we are working on the O/S rear wheel arch and rear wing. Again we have to fabricate much of the new panels as replacements are not available. This is a much bigger task than I imagined but we will end up with a great car that – if looked after – will last for many years to come.

‘Frogeye’

The Frogeye conversion has taken a big jump forward as the back end is now fitted and bonded to the original car. It looks great and now we are working on fitting the lights. Next up is the new bonnet, then its time for the paint job before fitting out the interior.

Green Super Midget

A few months ago we bought an unusual Midget. It’s a 1974 round wheel arch Midget that has been subject to a comprehensive restoration a few years ago with a few ‘custom’ additions. The engine is the later 1500, the seats have been replaced with ½ leather seats, we think they are from a rover as is the centre console and handbrake. The car has been finished in metallic green and looks amazing in the sun. It’s quick, a bit quirky and great fun. The car had been off the road for a couple of years and we have sorted out a couple of paintwork issue, fixed the brakes, replace some of the carpets, cleaned and serviced the engine, carbs, new exhaust and many more jobs to get this little car ready to go. This will be up for sale in the next couple of weeks.

MGB Roadster

We have just acquired a very nice 1978 MGB in blaze red. The previous owner had stared a chrome bumper conversion so we will be finishing this, changing the car to wire wheels, a complete respray and sorting out the mechanicals. This one will be ready in September.

Classic Curves!

This week we have been having fun working on our 2013 calendar. We are working with local model and classic car enthusiast Marie. We have decided to call the calendar ‘Classic Curves’ celebrating the lines of beautiful classic cars enhanced with a the lines of our beautiful model. It’s all a bit of fun and definitely very different from traditional calendars. Keep and eye on our website for more information.

Super Frogeye

Having decided to turn the MK3 Sprite into a Frogeye the Self Drive Classics restorationteam are now moving on with the work. The engine bay has been repainted white and the engine work now completed. The Frogeye rear end is ready to fit as is the Frogeye style dash. We have ordered the bonnet which should be here this week so we expect to have all of the panels and dash fitted by the end of next week. Next job is to paint the car then on to trim and finished so we sill be ready for the summer – should it ever arrive!

Volvo P1800

Last week we started work on the bodyshell for the P1800. It is in a worst state than we first thought but these old cars are well worth saving so we will move on with the restoration. We have remove the drivers side sills and floor and cut away all of the rust. We are fabricating new chassis legs ready to attach the new floor and sills.

Classic Car Hire

The dreadful weather has not helped the classic car hire business but at least it looks like this week could be a bit more settled. Despite the weather people still get married, have School proms and – being British – still go for a drive even in the rain so don’t let the weather put you off. Anyone with a discount voucher should use them now before they expire.

Classic Car Restoration

Classic Car Restoration

We have made a big decision with the Austin Healey Sprite Mk3 we are currently restoring. The back end is such a bodge that we have decided to cut it all off and turn the car into a Frogeye. What we will end up with is a car that offers the best compromise – it is still a 1966 Healey Sprite to drive with the cute looks of the Frogeye but with disc brakes, seat belts, a heater and decent weather gear. We have found that the full on original Frogeye we are currently running on our hire fleet is often a bit too much for our customer who are used to modern cars so this will make a great compromise and we will be putting the restored version on our hire fleet.

Classic Car Hire

It seems that kids are now looking for something different to arrive in for their school proms. Stretch Limos have been done so now they are looking to us to provide something a bit special. Our Ford Zodiac has never been more popular, it can carry 5 passengers and Dad gets to have a drive so it’s fun for all. All of our cars have been used for Proms and weddings at some time but the Zodiac and the Morris Minor are becoming very popular. Those who want to arrive in style are looking to our Jaguar E-type Aston martin or the chauffeur driven Pontiac Firebird which is just about the loudest way to arrive at a party.

Wheels on, engine in now its looking better!

More progress this week in our classic car restoration department with the MK3 Sprite. The front suspension is back on so now we are back on 4 wheels, and the engine and gearbox are back in so now we can push it about but it weighs quite a bit more! The cylinder head has just come back from the machine shop with new valve guides and hardened seats for unleaded fuel. The next job is to sort out the carbs, ignition system etc and get the engine running again. We then have to deal with the botched backend – classic car restoration can be such fun.

Classic CarHire is moving along with the Frogeye Sprite, Morris Minor and e-type going out on hire despite the weather. The Zodiac continues to be a very popular prom car – the kids love it and it certainly attracts attention. Drivers and passengers have to wrap up warm in the Frogeye as a heater was an optional extra in 1960 – all adds to the fun though.

We attended the Chasewater Classic Car Show on Sunday (15th April) to be honest it was a complete shambles from our point of view with our pitch being stolen by some local dogs home. We ended up in the middle of the field in an ‘un-official’ pitch but we made the best of a cold day – don’t think we will be doing this one again. The next show is a Catton Park in Derbyshire, this is usually a great show so if you come along please come over and say hello.

Beware the Artful bodger!

Working with classic cars means we get to see the best and sadly the worst of the art of restoring and maintaining old cars. Our current restoration project is definitely one of the latter. I bought this as a rust free shell, it had been hand painted but it looked rust free and would make the basis for a very nice little Austin Healey Sprite. On much closer inspection however the full horror of the bodger craft became apparent. The chassis and sills - which are the strength of the monocoque construction - are sound, so it’s a good start. But whoever fitted the outer panels was definitely not thinking about a quality finish. It is such as shame, to buy new repair panels which would make a great job and then ruin the panels and the car with such poor fitting. In this case both rear wings had been repaired with ¾ panels. These are good panels but you have to cut away the old wing first BEFORE welding on the new panels. It’s no use just trimming away a bit of rust and then tacking the new panel on top! Then trying to cover it all up with tons of filler. There panels will have to come off and be refitted. The same applies to the front wings where a very good bottom ¼ panel is available for the worst affected area, we will have to scrap these repairs and buy new panels. Despite these setbacks the Austin Healey Sprite MK3 restoration is progressing. We have stripped the car and painted the engine bay, we are now in the process of rebuilding the front suspension. The cylinder head has just come back from the engineers with new value guides and hardened seats for unleaded fuel and I have ordered a new clutch so the engine and box should go back in next week and we will continue to build up the front of the car. Meanwhile, we will be removing the rear wing repair panels and doing this job again. Classic Car Restoration http://www.selfdriveclassics.co.uk - never a dull moment!