Vauxhall Arrived, or What I Did During the

Great Recession.
After nearly two years, the car is finally home and on the road. Photos do not adequately capture the lines. It is a great, challenging drive that, like a time machine, takes you to a different world.
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Thanks, everybody. Nice to see some old faces. Not that I'm getting nostalgic or anything.
Wax, you are right. I will upload some pics of the tail and motor. I'm still 'sorting' or 'fettling' the car. It has the original generator and starter, spiffed up and refreshed. Some odd things happen. First, the generator output will vary- Wil de Groot (who did the work) says the generator can put out up to 60 volts. It has a moveable rotor arm to adjust output. It was delivering 13.5 volts when Wil delivered it a few days ago, but when I checked it last nite, it was delivering 16 volts. Having to constantly fiddle with this thing is not user friendly. (oh well...). The other thing is that the car sometimes won't start, if I stop after a drive- for a beverage, a smoke, whatever, and then try to start it up. The starter will crank, but it won't catch. Or the starter won't even crank. And then,.... wait awhile, it starts instantly. What was that joke about the Brits, the Germans, the French, etc. in heaven and hell? I think the Brits ran the electrical dep't in hell. (Wil is going to fiddle with it more this week).
Thing is a ball to drive. The steering is vague, but once you get used to driving it like an old motorboat, slight adjustments with a 'far ahead' vantage point, it's fine. The brakes are interesting. Slower-downers at best. Downshifting and engine braking is key, then judicious application of the brakes.
This thing sits pretty high, in my right side driver's seat, I am accompanied by, at at the same eye level as the Giant SUV drivers next to me at stop lights. It puts out great, stinky clouds of exhaust, and cornering in real life looks like those old cars in silent movie car chases, with a few frames missing. I'd love to drive a vintage W.O. of comparable size (3 litre) and see how it compares.

 

Yep, we talked about it yesterday after i experienced the starting problem again. He thinks that if I stop the car and try to restart it shortly thereafter, e.g. after a gas fill-up, the starter may be suffering from 'heat soak' which could explain why letting it sit for a while helps. He is probably going to pick up the car later this week to work on it. I am also considering installing an alternator, because from what I gather, these generators are not particularly reliable. (Remember the Tr3 during the Targa Florio- starting procedure as explained to me- finda two sicilians; get them, pusha the car; no problema. )
Oh, yeah, and the problem isn't consistent, which is weird. Sometimes, i've made a brief stop, and the thing starts right back up, but maybe it wasn't long enough for the 'heat soak' to occur.
DUnno. I guess that's why God made English cars.