Author Topic: Industrial Birmingham  (Read 38617 times)

Sidecarsid

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #132 on: August 07, 2019, 06:32:31 AM »
Hi Peg.[/font]
I believe that the engine manufacturer, Villiers came up with a strange electric starter 150cc engine called a Dyno-start, these were mainly for the single seater invalid cars that were made, by whom, I have no idea, but they were fitted with this Villiers Dyno-start engine as a friend of mine work at a place on the corner of Speedwell Rd and George Road in the Hay Mills area and these invalid cars where the only vehicles that they repaired.[/font]

JudithM

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #133 on: August 07, 2019, 01:23:23 PM »
Hi Judy, yes they were, I think Rothman's purchased 4 white ones for promotional purposes, if you do see a different colour it's a re-spray.
I remember reading a review just after the Bug's launch 1970, the reviewer described the car as looking like a giant demented wedge of Red Leicester, it was quite nippy, Reliant owned Bond Cars by then and they were fitted with a Reliant 4 cylinder engine. The car didn't have doors, just polythene side screens (so nil side impact protection) and to get in you lifted the whole front section.
Peg.

The guy I knew that had the Bond Bug went on to a TR7 after that.  Maybe he just liked wedge shaped cars  ;D
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Phil

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #134 on: August 07, 2019, 02:16:38 PM »
The guy I knew that had the Bond Bug went on to a TR7 after that.  Maybe he just liked wedge shaped cars  ;D


My son had a TR7, I only ever attempted to drive it once. I hated it because you had to almost lie down to drive it. As he was only 19 the insurance was astronomical so he sold it and bought a BMW which cost more insurance, work that out if you can, because I couldn't.
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

frederick

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #135 on: August 07, 2019, 06:16:42 PM »
When I was in the experimental at Fishers we made car that didn't make it to production it was a TR7 with a hatch back it was called the TR7 Lynx.
Failure to Prepare is to Prepare to Fail

townie

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #136 on: August 07, 2019, 07:08:38 PM »

My son had a TR7, I only ever attempted to drive it once. I hated it because you had to almost lie down to drive it. As he was only 19 the insurance was astronomical so he sold it and bought a BMW which cost more insurance, work that out if you can, because I couldn't.



Your son has got common sense. O0
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?

Peg Monkey

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #137 on: August 07, 2019, 09:39:50 PM »
Hi Peg.[/font]
I believe that the engine manufacturer, Villiers came up with a strange electric starter 150cc engine called a Dyno-start, these were mainly for the single seater invalid cars that were made, by whom, I have no idea, but they were fitted with this Villiers Dyno-start engine as a friend of mine work at a place on the corner of Speedwell Rd and George Road in the Hay Mills area and these invalid cars where the only vehicles that they repaired.[/font]
Hi Sid, I've learned something there, that could well have been fitted to the Bond Minicar, Bond had a novel idea to accomplish reversing - early models had no reverse, so a dynamo was fitted which doubled up as a power source for reversing the driving wheel ie the engine wasn't used, don't know how it was connected up, disengageable Vee belt and pully I guess.
Bond appealed to the Chancellor to keep tax advantage on 3-wheelers saying if he didn't 100's would be out of work, needless to say there was no way taxes would be kept high to keep people in work, but in any event the product was becoming dated, that's progress.
Peg.
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Sidecarsid

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #138 on: August 08, 2019, 06:24:03 AM »
Hi Townie.
I worked at the Standard Triumph doing rectification work on mostly the Dolomites 2.500 & 2000 plus the TR range and the Stag.I must say though I'm not a tall person and had no problem driving the TR7s, I will however say that the TR7s was a lower and a more aero-dynamic body style making your backside nearer the ground and even getting in & out was a challenge for a taller person, yet me being a lesser of a height challenge, didn't have a problem getting in and out and never had a problem trying to reach the pedals!!

townie

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #139 on: August 08, 2019, 09:20:46 AM »

Hello Sid. I have always been a BMW man I have had lots and lots of them. I suppose I am not in a position to comment on the TR7 having never driven one. There are s
till many TR7s on the road and even a members club so Triumph must have done something right, just not for me. I think that the BMW built quality is far better that most cars the only problem being that I have found is the price of parts.

Was it a vision, or a waking dream?

Peg Monkey

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #140 on: August 09, 2019, 09:05:06 PM »
There are few educational establishments that equal Birmingham City University for name changes, I attended there during my engineering apprenticeship years 1965-70 and returned in 1995, to the Birmingham Business School based there, for an NVQ4 Management.
My daughter followed in 1996 when she read Architecture at the Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment.
Peg.

It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Peg Monkey

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #141 on: August 10, 2019, 08:37:32 PM »
Birmingham Business School (UCE) 1995. A crucial aspect of the NVQ4 was work placement, accordingly, the school maintained links with the local business community who could take advantage of the skills and expertise available in mature students who in turn benefitted from maintaining experience in the work environment, the long term hope, of course, was that the student would be offered a permanent position.
It was whilst I was working towards the NVQ4 Management at the Business School when a call came in from The Reliant Motor Co. they needed urgent procurement expertise following the recent resignation of their buyer, I fitted the bill and following a short meeting I started work, it was a testing time for me trying to maintain a flow of essential parts and materials to a company that didn't have a strong credit standing, the first letter that landed on my desk was from the company's supplier of hoods for it's small Scimitar and Sabre sports cars giving notice they no longer would be supplying after a specified date, Reliant were buying small volumes which made the challenge even greater. 
I lived in Sutton Colfield so the journey along the Tamworth Rd of some 7 miles to the Two Gates factory was no hardship, it was a journey I had travelled many times previously - my first house after getting married in 1972 was close to the Reliant factory.
Little did I know what lay in store  for me.
Peg.
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.

Peg Monkey

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Re: Industrial Birmingham
« Reply #142 on: August 10, 2019, 09:06:19 PM »

My son had a TR7, I only ever attempted to drive it once. I hated it because you had to almost lie down to drive it. As he was only 19 the insurance was astronomical so he sold it and bought a BMW which cost more insurance, work that out if you can, because I couldn't.
The peak of my automotive extravagance was in 1994 when I purchased a Black Ford Escort XR3i (the ultimate babe magnet, but I was 44 and a respectable married man, with a 13 yr old daughter so such things were of no interest) - why extravagant? My car immediately before that was a Ford Sierra 1800, annual insurance premium: £230, XR3i 1600 annual premium £750 - My insurance man explained: This car and others like are purchased by boy racers for one reason - speed.  It's not the car it's the profile of the driver driving it - it's classed as a hot hatch, insurance group with the highest accident rate, driven by young testosterone-laden males whose sole purpose seems to be to see how quickly they can  wrap there car around the first oak tree they encounter.
I didn't fit that profile but I was tarred with same brush.
Peg.
It's far better to look back on a rejection rather than a lost opportunity.


 

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