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23/05/2008, 11:57 just john Joined on 28/04/2005 Montignac le coq Posts 383 Re: Died? On the button Renaud, I was approached by a young brillopad headhunter on behalf of his client who had named me; (the recruitment agency knew nothing about me) on the basis of what presumably was an admired reputation of achievement, then asked if I was prepared to dye my grey hair and shave off my beard! after consultation with better half she said 'ridiculous, lets gets ready to retire now then'. the real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, and blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday    Report

23/05/2008, 11:59 Gluestick Joined on 22/03/2006 UK and Nord Pas de Calais Posts 2,343 Re: Died?  now just john wrote: GS Nasty bump that one; perhaps you know 'the other JC', John Chatham? I believe he will be at Le Mans too this year, DD300 is in the main shot somewhere.(white hardtop, just to the left of the 250)  I've always wondered what fun it might be if the drivers all jumped into different cars and drove it like they stole it! No, John: I didn't know JC. Nice pic of Gott's ex-Abingdon team car in Modsports trim here. http://www.austin-healey-club.com/Pages/AH50-woolmer-series.html "Yes, but that apart, Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?" Gluestick    Report

23/05/2008, 12:02 cooperlola Joined on 05/05/2006 72 - Sarthe - home of les 24 heures du Mans Posts 6,418 Re: Died?  Gluestick wrote:  cooperlola wrote:  sweet 17 wrote: Blimey, John, you've a long memory!  I'd forgotten that song You don't watch "Weeds" then Sweet 17, as this is its theme song.  (A must see in my book!) Hey, don't you just love threads about nothing and everything?  Well done, Gluey (goodness, the people you know/knew). John Gott was, of course, for those who didn't know the Chief Constable of Northants. I can just imagine his take on speed cameras! At the time (1972/3) I was entering three modsports Midgets in the Modsports championship and driving one. Interesting tale about one. It had been built by Roger Enever (son of Sid Enever, BLMC Director production). Roger had somehow (Nepotism?) got hold of the keys to the Midget plant and during a works shutdown, pressed out a complete set of three MG Midgets in MS4 aircraft ally sheeting: probably ruining the press tools in the process. Robin Widdows had one of the cars and set a lap record around Nurmbergring which I believe still stands as the class is defunct. This one was one of our team cars Held together by rivets and epoxy: drysump 999c.c. XSP ex F3 all steel engine. Didn't arf go! Pic of me at Lyddon (my favourite circuit after Brands) first race in my Midget, before it went into the paintshop for team colours! 1972. Me with - hair! And Mrs Gluey (pitcrew) taking instruction. Pic can be dated by Mrs Gluey's crocheted jacket.   Cor, Gluey, I love it when you talk dirty! Healthcare Issues Site    Report

23/05/2008, 12:45 just john Joined on 28/04/2005 Montignac le coq Posts 383 Re: Died? I don't know how you got yours up so quickly Gluey ! I would have given my left wotsit for an ally racer, but still had fun with a F/G sprint/hillclimb machine (great Peter May full race 1275 lump and S/C box) Goodwood? can't remember, bit different now anyway   Wiscombe, it was the 2nd gate I had trouble with! the real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, and blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday    Report

23/05/2008, 13:07 Gluestick Joined on 22/03/2006 UK and Nord Pas de Calais Posts 2,343 Re: Died? Nice pics. John. Like Goodwood. Boring when ".......the Duke of Richmond and Gordon has become fed up with us playing noisy racing cars in his back garden!" as Bill Boddy wrote in Motorsport. In those far off halcyon days, John, Modsports class was limited to 1200 c.c. Or summat. So for the class, we used all sorts of stuff. My first engine was based around a FJ Red Crank: which broke: at 110 MPH along the top straight at Brands! Exciting................................ John Britton (Arkley) of course built an E-Type killer: he drove one and Gabby Konig (Mark's wife) drove the other. The cars were Midget looking, but only had the centre bit of the shell from steel, the rest was paperthin glass. he also used Arden 8 port heads and injection. Alan Woodes built a demon engine by cutting off the boss of a 1098 s crank (Steel) and welding on a standard inline A series flywheel boss. Later all banned. Original bodywork material between axles centres was the reg. Dear old Fred Mathews, the RAC scrute, used to used a magnet to check bodywork back from the axle centres: so we took the ally car into the bodyshop, slit open the wheel arches and pushed up some mild steel sheet, closed it all up and re-painted................. Fred's magnet used to glide from the top of the rear wing and sort of shudder to a halt before it fell off! I convinced him it was due to the new silicone polish we were using, which was worth 2 secs per lap in improved airflow!   "Yes, but that apart, Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?" Gluestick    Report

23/05/2008, 13:14 cooperlola Joined on 05/05/2006 72 - Sarthe - home of les 24 heures du Mans Posts 6,418 Re: Died?  now just john wrote: I don't know how you got yours up so quickly Gluey ! They're both talking dirty now. Is club racing still so much fun these days or is that behind us forever?  Love the Mk1 Sprite, John. I have a friend - known to all as Gary Frogeye, because his name is Frogeye and he drives a Gary - who has one.  It should be at LM in a fortnight. Healthcare Issues Site    Report

23/05/2008, 13:59 Cathy Joined on 07/03/2006 Mostly near Bordeaux; Sometimes near Bristol Posts 1,954 Re: Died? About all these boxes (I mean houses) springing up in France.  That is why house prices are sensible in France.  Inceasing supply to meet demand. Round here, we have lotissements galore being built - estates where people buy a plot of land and put up a house to an agreed specification.  Our village is 2000 population and I should think at least 200 houses are being built at the moment.  You rarely see that happening in a UK village.   Cathy ----- Your children won't remember you ironing their pyjamas but they will remember you reading them a bedside story.    Report

23/05/2008, 14:13 Gluestick Joined on 22/03/2006 UK and Nord Pas de Calais Posts 2,343 Re: Died? About all these boxes (I mean houses) springing up in France.  That is why house prices are sensible in France.  Inceasing supply to meet demand. Not sure if I can agree with that concept, Cathy. More likely that (i) mortgages (and indeed ALL credit is restricted, sensibly to being affordable - really!) (i) A large swathe of French people can't afford a brand new house, much as they would love one! What definitely does keep a majority of French houses low in price is the land cost. The huge grazing field next to our French house, which goes along one side and right over the back is up for sale as the owner, our French friend's late Mum died last year. It will not sell for much more than €25K: I would dearly love to purchase it, but we'll see what the future brings. Right now in any case it's locked into a contentious and typically French probate battle! In UK Home Counties it would probably become 75 houses................................ In the UK houses have never, until recent hikes in materials such as copper and wood and cement (uses oil to heat the furnaces), been cheaper, due to system building. What is ridiculously expensive is the land cost. Mainly since a majority live in England: and the majority of that majority live in the South. And a majority of the developable land mass is still owned by the very few. As Peter Snow pointed out most graphically in his BBC Two prog a few years back.   "Yes, but that apart, Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?" Gluestick    Report

23/05/2008, 14:22 Gluestick Joined on 22/03/2006 UK and Nord Pas de Calais Posts 2,343 Re: Died?  cooperlola wrote:  now just john wrote: I don't know how you got yours up so quickly Gluey ! They're both talking dirty now. Is club racing still so much fun these days or is that behind us forever?  Love the Mk1 Sprite, John. I have a friend - known to all as Gary Frogeye, because his name is Frogeye and he drives a Gary - who has one.  It should be at LM in a fortnight. Whilst Club Racing still goes on, JE, their problem is circuits and cost. Also, "Club Racers" aint the same breed. If you look at the 750 Motor Club site you'll see what I mean. The good old days of building a racing car from an original Austin Seven are gone and dusted! Which is a great shame since such worthies as Chunky Chapman, Gem Marsh, Les Ballamy, Eric Broadley et al, all cut their teeth on the original formula. http://www.750mc.co.uk/F-750-trophy.php I've been chatting, here and there to a nice guy who competes in an historic series for saloons: campaigns an original 60s Ford Cortina GT and it's restricted to fairly original specs, however much modifying goes on! I've been racking the old tired braincells and giving him some ideas on improving engine breathing, but within the regs, since we did much work on tuning Ford lumps nearly 40 years ago...................   "Yes, but that apart, Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?" Gluestick    Report

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