The car passed on to Mr Powells's nephews although it was never registered in their name, it remained in the garage only occasionally being started, the body was covered in oil to act as a preservative, apart from a very occasional drive around the farm the car was left. In 2004 I was shown the car, it was sitting on its belly as the suspension had collapsed, the tyres were flat, also the battery. The car looked in a sorry state, but basically was in sound condition. Having got the car into a fit state to drive by pumping up the tyres and suspension, fitting a battery and putting some petrol in the tank I got the car running again.
The brakes were all seized up and were not working but I took the car for an MoT bearing in mind that the car had been in its garage basically untouched for 19 years. I drove the car to my local testing station for the test. It failed not only on the brakes but a few more items as well. The failure sheet read as follows- Rear subframe corroded. Unable to check n/s front wheel bearing. O/s front brake binding on. Fluid leaking on rear brake backplates. N/s rear tyre below 1.6mm. Washers inoperative, not a lot wrong for a car that is nearly 40 years old.
The nephew's decided that they were not going to have the car repaired so I offered to buy the vehicle from them to which they agreed, I would buy the car for £500. Now the fun would begin. I started to repair the car. New brake shoes and wheel cylinders all round, a new brake pipe, new tyre, and the washers cleaned out. Finally the rear subframe was removed and a new one fitted. With all the work done including a small plate having to be welded into the O/s front wheel arch, the car went for another test which it duly passed. Now it was time for cosmetic work. Bodywork cleaned and polished all chromework buffed up and the interior dusted and vacuum cleaned. When finished it looked great. Tax and insurance were sorted out and the car is now on the road again. I'm hoping for many, many hours of fun and enjoyment.
Marcus Robb 23/07/2005