Paul's 4 Door

A couple of weeks ago I popped in to see my old friend Paul. I know him from the good old days in Manchester, a fellow Manchester MMOC branch member. Back then (10+ years ago) he had two minors, a white traveller with a Midget 1275 engine and a black 1960 four door. Well, the traveller has long gone, but the intervening years (and Paul) have been kind to the 4 door.

Paul has taken a lot of time and effort to make the car as close to original spec as possible. Now this simple sounding task is often a lot more tricky than you expect. Any vehicle which is 49 years old will have (usually) been used and abused to some extent. Regular maintenace and repair will have taken its toll with non-standard, modern or inferior parts being used in place of the originals. Paul's mamoth task therefore was to try to track down suitable parts and get them fitted.

One of the hardest places to get back to originality is under the bonnet. Here, its the little things which make all the difference. For example, in 1960 batteries were large, black and made of rubber. Worm drive hose clips didn't exist, instead hoses were clamped to tubes using wire clips. Ignition leads were made of copper (which played havock with the radio reception!). All these things and more have been tracked down and (re) fitted to the car.

engine bay

Classic car interiors are another area where getting back to original can be a problem. Seats wear and go saggy. Parcel shelves get wet and collapse and interior paint gets dull and shipped. Not here though!

interior

Finally there is the exterior. In some respect the easiest area to keep original, providing the previous owners have been careful and rust hasn't taken hold too badly. Once panels get removed and replaced they never really fit properly. Not a problem Paul seems to have.

All in all a lovely car, something to aspire to!