RUSTY HEAPS

A Mostly British Obsession

Page 23 of 51

Reproduction Part = Sad Face, Compressor Antics

October 23, 2010 /

Failed exhaust mount

I bought a new rear exhaust hanger kit (from Moss Motors) for the GT not long ago. I moved the car today to facilitate the unloading of my new used compressor (see below), and came outside afterward to find the muffler laying on the ground, the cause being the failed rubber mount that you can see in the photo. (In case you’re not familiar with how these hangers are constructed, there is supposed to be another piece of metal bonded to the rubber where you see the rusty stains…that piece of metal is still on the car!)
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Farewell to Ferguson and Miata

October 23, 2010 /

I found new homes for the Miata and the Ferguson. I had Fergie for sale (forever, so it seems) for amounts ranging from “here’s what I have into it,” to “surely it must be worth this,” to finally “OK, I guess that no one cares if it’s restored or not.”

I sold the Miata to a friend here on the island for $1,500. (I gave him a discount as he really needs a car and doesn’t have a lot of spare cash, a situation I’m all too familiar with. Saves the hassle of selling it, too.) I had the car a year, and new top aside, it didn’t need anything other than a flex hose for the rear brakes. The Miata got a consistent 30 – 31 MPG, too.

1977 Car of the Year…

October 17, 2010 /

1980 Rover SD1

…and yet, well, see for yourself. It’s an interesting period piece, but I don’t think the car is in any danger of being called “beautiful.” Driving it home today people guessed “Peugeot” twice and “Citation” once, but mostly they didn’t guess at all.
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Garage Mahal

September 26, 2010 /

Garage Mahal

I’ve never lived in a house with anything more capacious than a single-car garage; for the past five years we’ve lived in a house with a damp one-car carport. You can imagine how excited I am about the new Garage Mahal, as my friend Chuck would label it.

The building is 48′ x 36′ (split into two spaces, workshop side and storage side). The roof is entirely supported by the perimeter walls, so the interior is clear of supporting posts. Just think, I can store at least 16 rusty old British cars of the type I gravitate towards inside. That’s progress!

We get the keys Tuesday, if everything goes according to Hoyle. (My wife tells me there’s a house somewhere else on the property but I can’t remember much about it.)

2010 Isle of Vashon

September 12, 2010 /

Main Street near Vashon Theater

It’s been a couple of weeks (!) Since the Isle of Vashon ride. I’ve got to dig through my photos and see if I got anything decent…but someone else (user DoctorWatson on flickr) took this shot of my bike parked up on the main street. It was a good day out, and we didn’t even get rained on!

Round Engine Day

August 28, 2010 /

F8F Bearcat

Had a great time this afternoon with my friend Matt at the combined Flying Heritage and Historic Flight “Round Engine Day” at Paine Field. The main event was a series of fly-bys: FH’s P-47 Thunderbolt and HF’s Tigercat and Bearcat. As a bonus, we got to see quite a few more aircraft in the air: B-25 bomber, North American T-6A, A-1D Skyraider and some Chinese-built Yak clones (at least that’s what I think they were). After the flying, we visited the new Historic Flight “Kilo-6” museum and came away quite impressed. Lots more photos after the jump.
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1905 Darracq

August 20, 2010 /

This is my new favorite car, the 1905 Darracq which took the world land speed record at over 125 MPH. What an extraordinary machine, a car distilled down to its essential elements. I read about it in this month’s Octane and have spent the past few minutes watching clips on youtube. Kudos to Mark Walker for driving it on the road and for restoring an already “restored” car to as original a condition as he could get it.

Wish People Would Tell Me When They Sell My Stuff

August 11, 2010 /

Spotted this ad on craigslist tonight–someone selling their Daytona…but the photos of “their” bike are straight from this website. Sad thing is that anyone in the know would recognize the slight of hand, as the bike they’re selling would have a different rear suspension than mine. *Facepalm*

On a semi-serious note, though: when looking at CL ads, it’s not all that uncommon to discover that the photos in the ad are NOT of the car or bike you end up poking at when you go to see it. My Miata was sold that way: the car shown in the ad was very clearly not the one I ended up buying. I asked the seller about it a couple of times and she insisted the photos were recent ones of my car, despite a number of major differences.

It’s not the end of the world to use a “representative sample” in an ad, just let people know. And if you’re going to grab someone’s photos, maybe ask permission?

Battle of Britain Day

August 9, 2010 /

Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire

Went over to watch the Flying Heritage Collection’s Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire fly on their “Battle of Britain” day last Saturday. It was just spitting (appropriate weather for the occasion), but I took the Triumph anyway, to make short work of the long summer ferry lines (motorcycles are allowed to bypass the queue). This proved to be a soggy decision when the skies opened in earnest on the ride back. (“Bah, I won’t need rain gear” was my thought before departing the house. Oops.)
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About

Rusty Heaps is the ongoing documentation of Roger Los’ possibly boring and definitely financially crippling car hobby. It’s unclear if this website is just one big HIPAA violation or not, given that he considers the whole thing “therapy”.

Data Sites

I am also the person responsible for the various Jaguar “data” sites…XKE Data and the like. Check them out if interested in ye olde Jaguars (and big Healeys).

Currently Pondering…

Are “free” vehicles worth the price? Rover 3500 possible, needing lots of work

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