Our Workshop Wonderland

IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Danny
Hopkins
EDITOR
1977 Reliant
Scimitar SE6A
Engine 2994cc/V6/OHV
Power 138bhp@5000rpm
Torque 192lb ft@3000rpm
Gearbox 4-speed man + o/d
0-60mph 9.4sec
Top speed 118mph
Fuel economy 21mpg
Work done
Fitted interior; got it
running; replaced gearbox.
3
(days)
TIME
125
(£)
SPENT
0
MILES
Carb
The 38 DGAS carb was
badly clogged, but leaked
once it was put back
together. New gaskets
ordered and on
the way.
The smelliest job ever.
Also in Danny’s
shed
1956 RILEY PATHFINDER
Formhalls now has the ’box
and engine ready.
1972 TRIUMPH 2000
Winter slumbers almost
complete.
1975 FIAT 124 SPIDER
Can we get it running at the
PC Resto Show?
1980 FIAT 124 SPIDER 2.0
Spares car for the above.
2002 MAZDA MX-5
MONTANA
Winter sports fun each and
every week.
2004 VAUXHALL
FRONTERA 2.2DTI
Visit it at the Great British
Car Journey.
Blowing on it won’t
put it out, boys.
Scimming
the surface
It’s time to get it off the ramp and back on the road
You may have noticed, the background
of many of the pictures of the PC
workshop over the past couple
of years, includes a Nightfire Red
Scimitar SE6a on a four-post lift. It’s always
there, like a giant bauble, collecting dust and
looking more and more like a Rust in Peace find.
That Scimitar is mine, and every now and then I
look at it and give myself a firm talking to.
As it is a dream project for me. A car
I have always loved and coveted and
one that, after the Jensen, has been
near the top of my list for years. Two
years ago we straightened it out at
the PC Classic Car and Restoration
Show, got it running and almost
ready until we realised there was
a gearbox fault.
It appeared to be locked in first gear. We
diagnosed the linkage and sent it back to the
PC workshop with its tailgate between its legs.
Onto the four-poster it went, and with a couple
of exceptions (thank you Charlie McCalla – your
linkage work was consummate), it has stayed in
the air untouched.
Why did it stay up there so long? Three
problems with that. Too many other projects
was the obvious one, but the nature of the
fault also played its part. The fault was fiddly,
with two or three potential root causes. It
involved a tricky fix (again, Charlie, you legend)
that might not solve the problem anyway.
Faults like that are annoying and, when they
don’t yield a positive result quickly, you tend
to have a simple response. Walk away and do
something else.
Pointless
pipe clogger.
The third issue is the ramp itself. It often
has another classic stationed underneath it,
and then there’s another car in the way of that
and another in front of the workshop door.
You spend half an hour shunting cars before
you can start work. Do I sound like I am making
excuses? You’re right, I am.
The first job was to get it down and into the
two-post lift area. The Scim is not a light car,
so I was grateful to have a mate with me. Nick
McKenzie came up from London with a simple
manifesto: ‘I’m not going home until it is done.’
He was part of the original team that got it
USEFUL
CONTACTS
CHG Classics (Reliant
spares), chgclassics.co.uk
Reliant Owners
Club, reliantownersclub.org
Reliant Scimitar and Sabre
Owners Club, scimitarweb.co.uk
Now cleaner
than it was.
back into shape at the PC Resto Show two
years ago, so has a vested interest. First job,
get it running.
A frustrating morning followed, with the
Essex V6 not wanting to play ball. The 38DGAS
carb was removed and Nick had a happy
hour taking it apart and cleaning it as I went
underneath and drained the tank of filthy fuel.
I also removed the inline ‘pellet’ fuel catalyser.
I’ve never seen any compelling, independent
evidence that these ‘miracle’ solutions do
anything other than potentially clog up fuel
lines, which is what might have been happening
here. Binned.
New fuel and clean carb refitted, still only
running when the starter was engaged, which
said to me the fault was on the ignition side.
practicalclassics.co.uk PRACTICAL CLASSICS // SPRING 2025 127

STAFF CAR SAGAS
‘New’ old ’box ready.
‘Always over
budget
when it
comes to
timings for
jobs’
This was diagnosed after a small fire… note to
self, don’t use too much Easystart, the residue
on the car body will ignite if the carb backfires.
So, electrical gremlin… the Scimitar runs a
remote ballast resistor that takes the ignition
circuit voltage down from 12v to 6v once the
starter is disengaged. Once that circuit was
bypassed the engine ran, although I’ll be buying
an electronic ignition set up for it very soon.
Once running, Nick and I went underneath
to witness the fact that, even with the gear
linkage reset, it was impossible to find any gear
other than first. The box was locked. Time to
call the big guns, as this was going to need
major surgery. The big gun in question was
James Holland, from the Reliant Owners Club
and also the man to go to if you ever require
any Reliant spares – he has a shed full of ’em.
While Nick and I waited for James to
arrive, we set about fitting the new interior
I had bought with a spares car 18 months
ago. I sold the spares car on to James who,
embarrassingly, is now running it as a daily.
Anyway, the interior from that car was in much
Job done…
having a mate
up always helps.
Nick (left) and
James do battle.
better condition than the original incomplete
interior from my car, but… and this is a but that
I only discovered when Nick called it out, the rear
seats from the spares car, a later car that had
donated, are slightly different. They had a catch,
a side catch to lock them in position. No such
catch on my earlier Scim. I chose to ignore it
because they still fitted the hole, but… annoying!
Nick sent me away for being grumpy, so I got
on with cleaning the secondhand ’box that was
waiting to be fitted. Yep. I’d bitten that particular
bullet with the intention to have a look inside the
original box once it was off the car (anyone out
there in PC land familiar with this Ford ’box?).
James turned up and we got to work removing
the old box and fitting the new… not the easiest
task, especially with the bolts around the starter
motor being so close up and personal with the
Scim’s chassis… a couple of seized nuts and the
fact that the secondhand box had been stood
on it end in mud a some point, mud which had
solidified like concrete, made going slow. However,
after a day the ’box was fitted, oiled and the
propshaft re-attached.
Five man day’s labour for a car that was ‘ready’
goes to show that it’s always good to over budget
when it comes to timings for jobs. I now have
a working Scimitar though, although there are
still a number of niggly issues to work through
such as the camber on the front suspension and
a graunchy diff. Watch this space.
danny.hopkins@practicalclassics.co.uk
128 SPRING 2025 // PRACTICAL CLASSICS
practicalclassics.co.uk

STAFF CAR SAGAS
Sahara
James takes a break from
his two-wheel drive 2CV
for a go in this twinengine
model from
the Sixties.
How the Sahara works…
1
Rear end
425cc version
of 2CV’s flat twin
slotted into boot void,
with fuel tanks moved
under seats and spare
wheel in bonnet recess.
James’s 2CV consists of parts made mostly in Cassis.
James
Walshe
DEPUTY EDITOR
1985 Citroën 2CV
Engine 602cc/2-cyl/OHV
Gearbox 4-speed manual
Power 29bhp@5750rpm
Torque 31lb ft@3500rpm
Top speed 71mph
0-60mph 32.7sec
Fuel economy 49mpg
Work done
Oil and filters, plugs and
a polish. Ready for a big trip
to Paris soon!
1
(day)
TIME
56
(£)
SPENT
Also in James’s
garage
1989 SAAB 900
TURBO 16S
Still in need of a new
ignition barrel.
231
MILES
1999 CITROËN
BERLINGO 1.4
New electric roof fitted and
tested – it works!
2003 CITROËN
BERLINGO HDI
Time for a trip to Portugal.
See p118 for more.
2004 SMART
ROADSTER COUPÉ
Very much ready for some
spring sunshine.
Quatre chevaux
A parts mission in France leads to a date with an icon
Jeep and Land Rover spent the Forties
paving the way for four-wheel drive
vehicles, so you’d think the French might
have made notes. Perhaps they did, but
in the late Fifties, Citroën decided the best
way of traversing difficult terrain was to fling
another flat-twin engine into the boot of its
front-wheel drive 2CV, mount it back to front
and drive the rear wheels simultaneously via
a pair of transmissions and hydraulic clutches
and a (floor mounted) gearstick. I mean… why
wouldn’t you? Engineers moved the fuel tank
under the driver’s seat, added another one
under the passenger seat, then put an extra
ignition key on the dash and a lever on the
floor that enabled the driver to disconnect
the rear engine if required. A bit over the top?
You bet. But this was no fanciful concept.
Citroën launched the Sahara in 1960 and sold
it for almost a decade to fans across Africa
and… well, pretty much everywhere with an
abundance of sand, rock or mud.
Anyway, why was I at the wheel of one?
It’s not mine, sadly. The last available Sahara
that I’m aware of sold for £120,000 last year at
Sotheby’s. Somewhat more than my own 2CV
is worth… but unlike my standard 602cc car,
this one really was a snail. It runs out of puff at
sixty and you really feel the extra weight. And
if you thought a normal 2CV was noisy, this one
also assaults your ears from behind, too.
A single flat twin is a delightfully cheery sound,
but two at once was, in all honesty, a terrible
din. This example is owned by the lovely people
at 2CV-Méhari Club Cassis – a firm that has not
only supplied me with parts for many years,
but said parts were manufactured on site.
MCC bought the original Citroën tooling for
its production facility, which churns out body
shells, doors and bonnets, hoods, seat frames
and all manner of small parts. My replacement
chassis came from there, on a line where giant
iron machinery manufactures them to original
spec (albeit galvanised) while upstairs, a row
of sewing machines busily thrum, churning out
colourful, striped seat upholstery.
Parts supply
While I do admittedly use a couple of other 2CV
specialists, so much of the money I’ve shelled
out over the years has been on the items being
boxed up and shipped out of MCC’s warehouse.
Not least after my 2022 crash, in which my poor
‘It assaults
your ears from
behind, too’
2CV was squashed between two giant SUVS.
Having rescued the car from an insurance
company seemingly quite eager to have it
crushed, I set about the plans for rebuilding it
by sending an extensive shopping list to MCC’s
UK agent in Warminster, the 2CV Shop. Weeks
later, it all arrived and reassembly began on
stage and in front of the crowds at the NEC
Classic Motor Show that year.
My brief visit to MCC, in the stunning little
Mediterranean coastal town of Cassis, saw me
leave with bags full of numerous spare parts,
as my workhorse 2CV will be needing some
work in the coming months. The fuel hoses
haven’t been replaced for a little while and
I have a new fuel tank to go in, as well as brake
pads and discs. I also got myself a T-shirt…
with a bright red 2CV on it, obviously. I am,
unashamedly, a 2CV fanboy. Think I’ll stick
with just the one engine though.
james.walshe@practicalclassics.co.uk
USEFUL CONTACTS
2CVGB, 2cvgb.co.uk
Citroën Car Club, citroencarclub.org.uk
Mehari Club Cassis, mehariclub.com
The 2CV Shop, the2cvshop.co.uk
Inner wings
take shape on
original tooling.
2
Up front
Front engine also standard 2CV and
identical to rear. Electrics simple as you’d
expect – six-volt with a single battery
and two dynamos.
Four-pot
poke
Twin engine
Sahara is
noisy, but
with all that
suspension
travel and
the skinny
tyres, 2CV’s
go-anywhere
credentials
are enhanced.
5
3
Control centre
One gearbox per engine, with hydraulic
clutch, controlled by one gearstick.
Floor mounted lever allows rear
gearbox to be disconnected.
4
Dash
Virtually the
same view in
the cockpit as
a normal Sixties
2CV, only there
are two ignition
keys, one for
each engine,
plus… well, in
typical 2CV
fashion, not very
much else on the
dashboard.
130 SPRING 2025 // PRACTICAL CLASSICS
practicalclassics.co.uk

STAFF CAR SAGAS
Matt
George
PRODUCTION
EDITOR
1999 BMW 523i SE
Engine 2494cc/6-cyl/DOHC
Power 168bhp@5500rpm
Torque 181lb ft@3950rpm
Gearbox 5-speed auto
0-60mph 8.2sec
Top speed 140mph
Fuel economy 30mpg
Work done
Car collected and brought
to the PC workshop; initial
assessment undertaken;
headlamp lenses prettified.
1
(day)
TIME
169
(£)
SPENT
0
MILES
Also in Matt’s
garage
1972 TRIUMPH 2000
Still squirrelled away and
awaiting its day in the sun.
1972 TRIUMPH TR6
Hopefully out and about as
soon as weather improves.
2004 BMW 330d
MOT success this month!
Sixy!
This 523i is the fourth
car on Matt’s fleet, all of
which have six-cylinder
engines. He's a sucker
for that six-pot
smoothness.
Green machine
will ride again
Matt takes on another project of the Bavarian breed
Here at Practical Classics, we often
get emails from readers offering us
potential project cars – automotive
waifs and strays that, for a variety
of reasons, are facing an uncertain future.
It might be the case that the vehicle in
question now needs more restorative works
than the current owner is willing or able to
take on, while these days, more and more
we’re offered cars that have fallen foul of
ULEZ regulations in central London. The latter
was the case with this big hunk of German
engineering. Reader Paul Wilson-Smith got in
touch to offer it up to us, as it had been sitting
unused on his drive for eighteen months, while
his replacement vehicle was parked on the
street accruing dozens of parking tickets.
Editor Danny passed the car’s details onto
me, with the question: ‘This looks like a bit of
you – do you fancy it as your next project?
Having never owned a 5-Series and with the
E39 widely regarded as being made during the
era of ‘Peak BMW’, I certainly was interested.
Paul’s description was as follows: ‘My wife
was driving it up until ULEZ. The air-con has
a leak that mechanics have been unable to
solve, leading my children to christen it the
‘oven-mobile’, while there’s a dent in the rear
offside door. It usually starts first time, but it
has now been standing for 18 months without
any use.’ So far, fairly promising. I ran the car’s
registration number through the online DVLA
MOT checker and found that it had a very clean
record over the past fifteen years or so.
Count me in
I decided to take the plunge and told Paul I’d
be delighted to take the car on. Clive Jefferson
was dispatched to collect it and, a few weeks
later, I arrived at the PC workshop to find out
‘I’d love to take the
BMW on a big road
trip back to the
land of its birth’
As found: nearside
headlamp was
particularly crusty.
Dent in rear door
will need some
attention.
exactly what I’d signed up
for. I’m pleased to report
that it seems to be
a car that’s been well
looked after over
the years, certainly
deserving of a bit
of TLC and a new
lease of life. It will
obviously need
a damn good clean
after standing for so
long, but other than the
aforementioned dent in the
rear door (which will hopefully
pull out without too much of an
issue), there really doesn’t seem to be much wrong
with it.
One thing I did note is that the headlamps had gone
cloudy with age, which may be an issue come MOTtime.
So, I popped up the yard to see Mark Wibberley
from More Than Polish, who provided me with a Race
Glaze Polycarbonate/Acrylic Headlamp Restoration
Kit that came with everything I’d need to freshen up
the BMW’s lamps. Application was simplicity itself and,
in very little time at all, I’d got the lamps back looking
pretty much as good as new. Satisfied with that little
success, Matt Tomkins and I broke out the workshop
wet and dry vacuum cleaner and set to on both the
car’s interior and the underbonnet area, the latter
of which was full of crispy leaves after its prolonged
period of slumber exposed to the elements.
Exterior still in need
of a good wash, but
starting to look better.
So, so many
leaves that
needed to be
banished.
Handy kit soon
had lamps looking
much better.
Next up, my plan is to book the car in for an MOT
test to find out what will be required to get it road
legal once more. Given that 2025 sees the 30th
anniversary of the E39 entering production, it seems
fitting that this car is revived in order to be used and
enjoyed again. I’d love to take it on a big road trip,
perhaps heading back to the land of its birth, but first
I need to get it a fresh MOT certificate. Wish me luck!
matt.george@practicalclassics.co.uk
USEFUL CONTACTS
More Than Polish, morethanpolish.com
Power washer
will be deployed
to clean up the
bodywork.
132 SPRING 2025 // PRACTICAL CLASSICS practicalclassics.co.uk PRACTICAL CLASSICS // SPRING 2025 133

STAFF CAR SAGAS
Gassed!
Refurbished Hydragas
displacers have been
recharged with high
pressure nitrogen,
restoring ride
quality.
Dawn sets to work
accessing the
Hydragas valves.
Matt
Tomkins
WORKSHOP
EDITOR
1998 MGF
Engine 1796cc/4-cyl/DOHC
Power 118bhp @5500rpm
Torque 122lb ft@3000rpm
Gearbox 5-speed manual
0-60mph 8.5sec
Top speed 120mph
Fuel economy 37mpg
Work done
Suspension refurbished
with re-gassed displacers.
1
(day)
TIME
550
(£)
SPENT
Also in Matt’s
garage
1937 AUSTIN SEVEN
SPECIAL
Engine back together.
Plans afoot for improved
carburation.
1969 MORRIS MINOR
TRAVELLER
Restorative plans afoot.
Watch this space.
0
MILES
1970 MORRIS MINOR
SUPERCHARGED
SALOON
Some titivation required
before going on display at
the PC Resto Show
1988 LAND ROVER
NINETY
Overdue a service. It’s on my
to-do list.
2002 FORD FOCUS
Car of choice for cold, damp
nursery runs.
Pump it up!
Matt’s project MGF has its magic carpet ride restored
Last month I introduced my latest
project, and it’s something a little
different to my usual chrome-clad fare.
Don’t worry, though, I’m still working
away in the background on my Austin
Seven special ahead of this year’s
racing exploits with the 750
Motor Club and there’s
plenty more Morris Minor
action to come to, as
I set about giving
my Traveller a tad
of titivation now its
restoration is just
a distant memory.
Back to the present
and although this MGF
has been off the road for
some time, last month’s
investigations deemed
it a viable project, and one
that would, with a fair wind, see
Tarmac beneath its tyres in time for
the models 30th anniversary celebrations
at Gaydon in July. Since that day in the PC
workshop, I’ve been busy – not on the car itself,
but with the research and project planning side
that should make the process of resurrection
both faster and more enjoyable. As well as the
identified long list of parts required having
New vs. old. Refurbished
displacers are the
shiniest bits on the car!
been sent to MGOC Spares alongside the car’s
chassis number in order to identify exactly
what would be required to put the car back
on the road – from cambelt kit to brake discs,
pads, calipers and a set of stainless steel
coolant pipes to replace the crusty
originals that run the length of
the car and are a common
killer of the notoriously
flaky cooling system on
these cars - there was
the not insignificant
issue of the sagging
suspension to address.
That’s where this
month’s experts, Ian
and Dawn Kennedy from
Hydragas and Hydrolastic
Service Ltd come in.
It’s now 23 years since
the final Hydragas-suspended
MGF rolled off the Longbridge
production line, 30 since the first and 27
since mine left the plant. Look out for a more
in-depth feature on how Hydragas systems
work and a step-by-step guide to displacer
replacement soon in the Tech section at the
back of the magazine, but we start today with
Ian perched on the front of the car bouncing
up and down. ‘You see how little movement
Nitrogen gradually escapes from its reservoir (right)
over time, causing hard and harsh suspension.
there is?’ ‘That’s because all the nitrogen has
left the displacers. Even if we were to pump
the height up with fresh fluid, the ride would be
harsh and the handling potentially dangerous’.
In simple terms, a displacer on each corner
of the ’F acts as both a spring and a damper,
with telescopic dampers there only to act on
rebound. A gas reservoir in the back of the
displacer unit is filled with nitrogen at high
pressure, which acts upon an internal rubber
diaphragm against fluid pressure from the
opposite end of the unit. This fluid is used to
support the car’s ride height and connects
the front and rear displacer together, meaning
as the front wheel hits a bump, the rear
suspension is able to react accordingly. Over
Replacement front displacer goes
in. Note the spring and spacers
between displacer and knuckle joint.
Offside front
displacer is by far the
easiest to access.
Replacement
displacers have
been fitted
with Schrader
valve and
topped up with
fresh nitrogen.
134 SPRING 2025 // PRACTICAL CLASSICS practicalclassics.co.uk
PRACTICAL CLASSICS // SPRING 2025 135

STAFF CAR SAGAS
‘Ian and Dawn have
devised a method of
re-gassing original
displacers’
time, however, the nitrogen in the displacers leaks
out. ‘Dunlop’s original working drawings for these
critical components state a lifespan of 15 years
before the gas volume is completely depleted’,
says Ian, ‘but the manufacturer never provided
a means to recharge them, rendering them
a consumable component.’ That’s all very well if
they were available new, however they are not,
so to ensure a future for all Hydragas-suspended
cars, Ian and Dawn have devised a method of
re-gassing original displacers and hold stock of all
displacer variants ready for immediate dispatch.
The exact re-gassing process is a closely
guarded trade secret, however the result of the
process is that the units are fitted with a Schrader
valve via a welded boss, which allows them to
be re-pressurised to original specification and
restores the original magic-carpet ride to cars
that use this clever suspension setup. As well as
reconditioning and testing the units themselves,
Ian and Dawn travel all over the UK offering
a fitting service – for all Hydragas and Hydralastic
cars – so across to the PC workshop they came,
four freshly recharged units in hand to restore
composure to my little ’F.
Watching the pair work was a real pleasure.
Frantically scribbling notes for the upcoming stepby-step
feature, it was hard to keep up as the pair
Dawn uses an original
Churchill pump to raise
the ride height to original
specification.
Heroes of the
day, Ian and Dawn
Kennedy, show off
freshly restored
ride height.
quickly and methodically worked on each corner
– first having depressurised the system using their
original Churchill pump – removing the old units
and replacing them with freshly reconditioned
items. Access on the ’F is tight, the ECU and
coolant expansion tank both needing to be moved
aside at the rear to allow access to the hydraulic
pipework, while at the front, Ian’s double-jointed
wrists were employed to access the pipe from the
nearside displacer without the need to remove
and relocate the brake servo.
Soon, each corner had a new unit fitted, the
hydraulic pipes were tightened, and the time had
come for the car to rise from its bump stops once
more. The pumping process is a world of innuendo,
especially at the end of a long day, however soon
the pump had been used to evacuate all air from
the system and create a vacuum before fresh
fluid was introduced and the pump worked to
pressurise the system and raise the car to its
originally specified ride height - 368mm from the
centre of wheel to the top of wheelarch.
Back onto the slam panel Ian sat and bounced
once more. The difference in compliance was
immediately obvious. As was the pair’s clear
passion for the process of breathing new life into
these modern classics. ‘The challenge is educating
people,’ Ian reveals. ‘So often owners simply pump
the cars up with fluid to compensate for lost
ride height, but not only is the compliance of the
suspension lost – like putting a piece of tube in
place of a spring – the more the gas diaphragm
is stretched into the now empty gas chamber,
the more likely it is to experience complete and
irreparable failure. And there’s only a finite supply
of displacers.’
matt.tomkins@practicalclassics.co.uk
USEFUL CONTACTS
Hydragas and Hydrolastic Service Ltd, hahsltd.co.uk
MGOC Spares, mgocspares.co.uk
Vintage Tyres, vintagetyres.com
practicalclassics.co.uk

STAFF CAR SAGAS
Martyn
Moore
FORMER EDITOR
LAB is back!
And so is former magazine editor, Martyn Moore…
New ballast
resistor to make
good spark.
1972 Jaguar
XJ6 Series 1
Engine
4235cc/6-cyl/DOHC
Power 186bhp@5500rpm
Torque 231lb ft@3000rpm
Gearbox
4-speed manual + o/d
0-60mph 10sec (est)
Top speed 120mph (est)
Economy 15mpg (or less)
Work done
Set up fuel feed via
temporary bottle (see
intensive care-style IV
drip); fitted new electronic
ignition chopper blade to
distributor; attempted to
cure leak in steering rack
the lazy way.
1
(day)
TIME
40
(£)
SPENT
Also in Martyn’s
garage
1999 KAWASAKI ER-5
Project bike restomod in
a café racer style.
2001 KAWASAKI ER-5
Project bike restomod in
a scrambler style.
0
MILES
2015 FORD TRANSIT
WELLHOUSE
CAMPERVAN
Live-in film production and
holiday van.
2018 DUCATI
SCRAMBLER 1100
Noisy, yellow fun machine.
A
quarter of a century ago, LAB 320K
was possibly the most famous XJ6 in
the country. In 1997 Practical Classics
magazine started a long series of
restoration reports on the light blue Series 1,
written mostly by Phil Bell, now Editor of our
sister title ClassicCars. In 2001, in recognition
of my 40th birthday, my wife allowed herself to
be persuaded that a fully restored classic car
was a good investment. At just £7500, surely
I couldn’t lose. After all, the car came with more
than £20,000-worth of receipts for the work
carried out by Grace Jaguar Restoration
in Staffordshire.
For the next four years, LAB 320K was my
daily driver. My family toured Belgium in it and
my daughters drew birthday cards for her (still
in the history file). Classic car journalist and
PC alumnus Ben Field and I did LeJog (Land’s
End to John O’Groats) in it in 2005. In 2006 I got
myself a job on a modern car magazine and this
meant new long-term test cars, launch events
in exotic locations and the fast-moving worlds
of automotive technology and finance. It was
awful. LAB 320K sat on my drive, joined by
a succession of Audis, Volvos, Mercedes, each
one turning my head when choosing which one
to drive that day.
Around 2008 I got myself a dry lock-up
garage for about £50 a month, put my box of
Scalextric stuff in the boot of the Jaguar and
closed the up-and-over door on her for the next
ten years. While the values of old Fords went
mental, the value of my 4.2-litre, SWB, manual
gearbox with overdrive, Series 1 Jaguar XJ6
sat stubbornly around the five to seven grand
mark. It was no longer in mint condition and it
had cost me six grand to keep a roof over her
head. You can see where this is going.
In 2017 I was served notice on the lock-up, so
I went down with a jerry can, a foot pump and
a fully charged battery. I drained the old fuel
from the tanks and put some fresh in. I squirted
engine oil into the spark plug holes and blew
each tyre up to about 60psi. I needed to lie
down, so I left it overnight. The next day, I spun
‘I love good
aesthetics, but
£1500 doesn’t get
you a good respray’
PC project car and owner.
PC Jag
Martyn edited PC
from 2004 to 2007 and
bought his XJ6 from the
magazine afer it was
restored as a mag
project.
Back to the glory
days? Why not?
the engine for few seconds with
the plugs still out. I popped the
cleaned and gapped plugs back
in and squeezed myself behind
the steering wheel. As God is my
witness, it started with the first,
rather long, crank. It’s a wonderful
feeling, isn’t it?
That will be a seal gone.
Not all good news
It wasn’t all plain sailing, however.
The fuel I’d drained did not look good.
Swirling around in the bowl was a lot of rust.
You know that vain hope you get that maybe it
won’t be that bad, but in your heart you know
it is? I tried flushing the tanks, hoping that they
would eventually run clean. Nope. That five per
cent ethanol had done its worst and the tanks
were shot. The fuel pumps had to be replaced
and I put in-line filters in front of them to
protect them. The car would start and run, but
over about 40mph it would stutter and misfire
and, when I checked the filters, each one was
full of crud. But, like an idiot, I persisted.
Instead of replacing the tanks, or getting
them lined with sealant, I elected to spend
£1500 on a mediocre respray. I always put
Remote fuel supply… tick.
The patient, midprocedure.
aesthetics before function, but
we all know that £1500 doesn’t
get a particularly great paint
job. Then the real madness
set in. I rented an out-of-town
workshop and drove the Jaguar,
popping and farting (the car,
that is) to its new home. The tyres
were no longer round. The power
steering rack was dripping fluid, and
the fuel tanks remained useless.
What did I do? I bought two Kawasaki
motorbikes that had failed their MOTs and
started to restore them. The first one took
seven years, the second one five months. This
left just the Jaguar. But I couldn’t get a spark.
It turns out that seven years ago, as a security
precaution, I removed the optical ‘chopper’ that
triggers the electronic ignition. I remember
doing it and thinking ‘I’ll put this in a safe place’.
If anybody knows the whereabouts of that
‘safe place’, maybe they can let me know.
At least I’ll then have a spare because the
replacement cost me thirty quid! I could have
put that towards sorting the fuel tanks out
once and for all.
t practical.classics@bauermedia.co.uk
140 SPRING 2025 // PRACTICAL CLASSICS practicalclassics.co.uk
PRACTICAL CLASSICS // SPRING 2025 141

STAFF CAR SAGAS
Steph lapping in
the valves.
Head gasket issue
led to a skim.
Steph
Holloway
CONTRIBUTOR
Speedy goes south
Steph and friends shall go to the ball with her Standard!
1954 Standard Ten
Engine 948cc/4-cyl/OHV
Power 33bhp@4500rpm
Torque 46lb ft@2500rpm
Gearbox 4-speed manual
0-60mph 38.3sec
Top speed 69mph
Economy 34.4mpg
Work done
New floors made; brakes
overhauled; new exhaust
and springs; cylinder head
skimmed.
3
(days)
TIME
1000
(£)
SPENT
450
MILES
Also in Steph’s
garage
1968 MORRIS MINOR
TWO-DOOR
In storage until the gritters
and snow disappear.
After acquiring a Fifties Standard Ten
for less than a grand and ironically
naming it Speedy, (PC, March 2025)
we would have a real challenge
to get my new car into roadworthy shape.
Having set my sights on getting the car to the
Classic Motor Show at the NEC in November,
colleagues at ADO Restoration in Halifax were
up for helping ‘after hours’. A ramp inspection
revealed an underside slightly better than
anticipated; with several older, agricultural
repairs to the jacking points, an incorrect
exhaust hanging on for dear life with an
assortment of cable ties and a hefty oil leak
that had protected the floorpans! The biggest
concer was the rear floor, which showed rot in
a couple of localised areas, plus there was
a broken spring to deal with.
Speedy arrived with a blown head gasket
– suspected to have gone between cylinders
three and four. The car is running a Gold Star
engine, and this needed a slightly different
head gasket set; with incorrect gaskets for
the earlier engines sometimes causing the
head gasket failures. Removing the cylinder
head revealed a rough spot on the head that
warranted a skim. Thankfully, a straight edge
showed the block had survived unscathed.
I’m lucky to have some great contacts – not
least C Barrow Engineering, which skimmed
the head by 0.005in. As Calum skimmed away,
I continued in my efforts to source all the parts
needed. The Standard Motor Club has a thriving
spares department, which ensured finding the
bulk of what was needed was a piece of cake.
There are differences between the early and
later post-war Tens and ordering parts involved
quoting the chassis number. So, as a newbie
to the world of Standards, having Steve the
technical expert for the club on hand to answer
questions removed a lot of the uncertainty.
Springs were sourced from Jones Springs, who
promised a swift turnaround to ensure the car
would make the NEC. Paul from Powertrack
stepped in and resolved the problem of finding
brake cylinders and clutch master cylinder, and
a trip to specialists SAFTEK yielded a set of
brake shoes straight off the shelf!
‘It went down to
a nail-biting
final 24 hours!’
First MOT in more
than a decade.
Blaine on Bilt
Hamber duties.
Rotten floor section required a
replacement to be fabricated.
1971 MORRIS MARINA 1.3
Awaiting some TLC when it
warms up – poor thing!
1994 PROTON SAGA 1.5
MPI
My daily driver. Now with
fixed remote boot release!
Pals!
Steph with colleagues
Blaine, Ed, Clive and Paul,
all of whom offered help
‘out of hours’ in a bid to
get Speedy to the
ball on time!
Emboldened by a confidence from the
cylinder head, brakes and springs, it felt
the perfect time to tackle the floors.
Ripping up the glued-down carpets
with gusto, I found solid metal to the
front but my luck ran out at a point
just behind the driver’s seat, whereby
I was greeted with a floor that had the
consistency of a bowl of cornflakes.
Sadly, these panels have not been
available for several years and so with
help from Ed, the ADO Restoration Bodyshop
Director, a template of the original floors was
drawn out, with swages crafted with a bead
roller. My cutting out of the rotten areas in the
rear floorpans revealed additional concerns
including an inner sill requiring urgent TLC.
Sprint finish
Undertaking this entire recommission after
hours meant that we were beginning to run
out of steam. Despite our best efforts, we
found ourselves down to the final nail biting
24 hours with no floor in place, a cylinder head
on the bench and an exhaust needing to be
attached. One last burst of energy saw Paul,
the Workshop/Garage Director taking charge of
Ed discovers more rust.
USEFUL
CONTACTS
ADO Restoration,
adoequipment.com
C Barrow Engineering,
cbarrowengineering.co.uk
Jones Springs,
jones-springs.co.uk
Powertrack,
powertrackbrakes.co.uk
Standard Motor Club,
standardmotorclub.org.uk
SAFTEK, saftek.co.uk
the reassembly of the cylinder head while
I tackled the brakes and Blaine took on the
exhaust fitment. Hours furiously ticked by
and we realised it was past midnight, with
an entire rear floor pan missing and an MOT
booked for nine hours’ time.
Undeterred, we worked through the night
and declared victory as dawn streamed
through the windows of the workshop. After
the briefest of rests, we took the car for her
first MOT in more than ten years; a test she
passed with flying colours and not a single
advisory. After some sleep, my journey to the
NEC Classic Motor Show revealed a slightly
slippy clutch. I stuck at around 50mph and, as
I parked on our display at the NEC and switched
the ignition off, the enormity of what we’d all
achieved in our West Yorkshire workshop hit
me. We’d saved a car and had the very best
time together doing so – which is what it’s all
about, isn't it?
t practical.classics@bauermedia.co.uk
142 SPRING 2025 // PRACTICAL CLASSICS practicalclassics.co.uk
PRACTICAL CLASSICS // SPRING 2025 143

STAFF CAR SAGAS
Clever
Ice blasting specifically
targets rust and
contamination, leaving
surrounding surface
intact and ready for
further work.
Dry ice poured
into the machine.
Tackling the worst
area of rust.
Emily
Grace
Caldicott
READER
Removing all dirt from
the engine to make for a
better work environment.
1952 Morris Minor
‘Barney’
Engine 918cc/4-cyl/SV
Power 29.5bhp@4400rpm
Torque 39lb ft@2400rpm
Gearbox 4-speed manual
0-50mph 36.5sec
Top speed 62mph
Fuel economy 36mpg
Work done
Ice blasted the car to
remove corrosive rust;
raised funds and spread
awareness.
17
(wks)
TIME
200
(£)
SPENT
Also in Emily’s
garage
0
MILES
These cars are my dad’s
and have been around for
as long as I can remember.
It was because of my dad’s
enthusiasm that I grew up
surrounded by classic cars
and that’s truly how my
passion began.
1952 DAIMLER DB18
CONSORT
This one has been off the
road for five years.
1978 MG MIDGET
This is my personal
favourite of my dad’s cars. It
was off the road in the last
month due to suspension
issues, but it has been fixed.
Chilled out
Emily’s restoration begins with a spot of ice blasting
In the world of car restoration, I’ve learned
that patience is often a crucial skill,
and that the journey can be filled with
unexpected twists and turns. However
I remain committed to bringing this project
to life. Over the course of this year I have
raised £710 in donations and have now
managed to take the first crucial
steps to begin the restoration.
In September Barney was
ice blasted by The Blast
Smith, who kindly waived
his fee in order to help
get the project off the
ground. This technique
not only cleans the
surface, and removes rust,
but also prepares it for
the next exciting phases of
restoration. The results were
remarkable; the once grimy
Ear protection check!
and dull exterior was transformed,
revealing a beautiful smooth layer of
colourful rust. With the surface cleaned and
smoothed out, we can now thoroughly assess
the condition of the bodywork.
I chose ice blasting as my preparation
method after careful consideration.
Unlike traditional sandblasting that uses
abrasive material to strip away rust and grime,
ice blasting involves small, frozen particles of
dry ice. These particles are propelled at high
speed onto the surface of the vehicle, where
they instantly sublimate upon impact, turning
into gas and effectively lifting away dirt,
rust, and contaminants without
damaging the underlying metal.
It was very important to me
to use a gentle method
rather than a harsh and
potentially damaging
alternative due to the
condition of Barney.
The ice blasting
process not only
revitalised Barney, but
taught me a great deal. It
deepened my understanding
of surface preparation and
the importance of tackling rust
before it spreads further. I learned how
different techniques can impact the longevity
and aesthetics of a vehicle and gained insights
into the immense planning required for each
restoration phase. Additionally witnessing the
expertise of the Blast Smith in action displayed
‘Frozen particles
of dry ice
sublimate upon
impact, turning
into gas and lifting
away dirt’
to me the intricate and unique skills required
for each step of restoring a car.
However, while the results are remarkable,
ice blasting does not come without its
challenges. For one, the technique requires
specialised equipment and expertise, which is
not always easy to come by. Finding the right
professionals who have mastered the skill of
ice blasting can be a time-consuming process.
I was lucky to receive this help from the
Blast Smith, which I am extremely grateful
for, but arranging the logistics, including
transportation and scheduling, added another
layer of complexity to the project. This is where
balancing restoration work with my other
commitments can feel like a juggling act.
Balancing the scales
The time and energy that this restoration
has required has often conflicted with
family, school, and other responsibilities.
Like many other car enthusiasts, I’ve often
found it challenging to dedicate the time
This job took three
boxes of dry ice!
USEFUL
CONTACTS
Bring Back Barney,
linktr.ee/bringbackbarney
Starter Motor, startermotor.co
The Blast Smith,
theblastsmith@outlook.com
MMOC, mmoc.org.uk
and care this project has deserved.
Family commitments, exams and
unexpected life events have often
pulled my attention away from not only
the workshop but my pen and paper,
leaving the project and articles to stall
temporarily. While I wish I could dedicate
more hours to Barney, I continue to recognise
that I am also in my GCSE year and the key to
managing this balance is patience.
However, the slow pace does not diminish
my passion or excitement for the project. The
support I have received from family, friends
and the broader community, particularly the
donations that have made certain phases of
this project possible, has been crucial. It is
a constant reminder to me that this journey
isn’t a solo one – it's supported by the people
who believe in the project, and that keeps me
motivated even when life gets in the way.
With the bodywork now fully revealed, I’m
more determined than ever to continue the
restoration. The clean slate presents new
challenges – areas that require welding, and
a long list of other tasks that will demand my
full attention. I know that the road ahead will
continue to test my patience and skills. But
this process, this long journey of restoration,
isn’t just about the end result for me. It is
about learning, growing, and embracing the
challenge, no matter how slow or interrupted it
may be. With each step, I’m reminded that the
beauty of car restoration lies not only in the
transformation of the vehicle itself but also in
the transformation of the restorer.
t practical.classics@bauermedia.co.uk
144 SPRING 2025 // PRACTICAL CLASSICS practicalclassics.co.uk
PRACTICAL CLASSICS // SPRING 2025 145