Automobiles : Good,Bad & the Ugly.

[Stuffy]

Could Honda parts be used on the Rover 200/400 models to any extent, Stuffers? Can be difficult getting Rover parts these days.

I'm not really sure Mr G. I saw both Rover and Honda cars going down the line together and the robot that fitted the winscreens had Honda stamped on it.

Would this be of any use....

Car parts for ROVER 400 and auto accessories cheap at AUTODOC

Over 5,000 car parts for ROVER 400 found in stock at AUTODOC❗ Purchase vehicle parts ✚ auto accessories for ROVER 400 online at affordable prices ❗ Use advantages NOW ❗

www.autodoc.co.uk

Honda parts compatability 400/45

www.mg-rover.org

 

[Oldsmobile-88]

After that it was all downhill as the Mini was being sold below cost price and "Red Robbo" the commie convener was forever taking the Longbridge workers out on strike which meant the Swindon got layed-off because our "skin panels" would have to be stored in hired warehouses that invariably led to rust. Swindon briefly had problems with six left-wing agitators who came down from a 'certain' Oxford college looking for jobs but word got out that they were coming and they were quickly shown the door.

Must have been a nightmare working in the car production industry in those days.The chance of being laid off due to a dispute that was in a different part of the country must have been a constant worry.

I used to hate it when my gas depot was called out on strike for a dispute in another part of the region.Only for a day at a time,but in those days of 12% plus mortgage rates you could ill afford to lose a days pay.

The vehicle of choice in the 1970s to early 1980s in the gas industry was the Vauxhall Viva(the van version was in production until 1982) & the Bedford HA with sliding doors,great in the Summer

 

[Greyhound]

Would this be of any use....

Car parts for ROVER 400 and auto accessories cheap at AUTODOC

Over 5,000 car parts for ROVER 400 found in stock at AUTODOC❗ Purchase vehicle parts ✚ auto accessories for ROVER 400 online at affordable prices ❗ Use advantages NOW ❗

www.autodoc.co.uk

Honda parts compatability 400/45

www.mg-rover.org

Thanks, bauy! There seems to be a fair bit of overlap. Worth keeping in mind, anyway.

 

[Anonymous]

Had a go in my uncles 1930s MG PA convertible.
At 40 miles an hour it makes you feel like you're Stirling Moss driving a rocket powered go kart. Terrifying.
The non-synchro gearbox and vague handling don't help matters.

 

[Stuffy]

Had a go in my uncles 1930s MG PA convertible.
At 40 miles an hour it makes you feel like you're Stirling Moss driving a rocket powered go kart. Terrifying.
The non-synchro gearbox and vague handling don't help matters.

The non-synchro or crash gearboxes take some getting used to. The AEC 10 tonners I drove while serving in Germany had those gearboxes and when we had to cover long distances on the autobahn we would practice changing gear without using the clutch which you accomplished by knocking it into neutral and as you revved up you quickly, knocked it into gear, with practice you could do it noislessly. I wish I could say "happy days" but the 'War Department' as it was them, demanded the cheapest vehicle possible which meant draughty cabs, lights that really weren't up to the job and no flipping heaters.

 

[Stuffy]

Must have been a nightmare working in the car production industry in those days.The chance of being laid off due to a dispute that was in a different part of the country must have been a constant worry.

I used to hate it when my gas depot was called out on strike for a dispute in another part of the region. Only for a day at a time,but in those days of 12% plus mortgage rates you could ill afford to lose a days pay.

The Swindon Plant was first rate as we rarely went on strike - our problems were with "Red Robbo" taking Longbridge out at the drop of a hat. Lots of jokes about BL or A-R work-shy employees did the rounds but a German engineer from Fritz Mueller (power presses) of Esslingen, would time his breaks to match mine, told me: "I Travel all over Europe and I've never seen press operators work has hard or as fast as here in Swindon. High praise from a German.

I can understand to you not wanting to lose money especially with a mortgage to pay which is why after my shift finished I'd cycle to a firm making artificial limb joints to clean offices just to stay in front of events. When the lay-offs were particularly long a Swindon Industrial cleaning firm would pay me £1 per hour but I was grateful for it

 

[Snakebite]

I'm thankful the industry is very different now (working at the design engineering end of the process with frequent pre-covid trips to the plant in the north east).
The union is a very useful tool for the workers but seems to have a very positive relationship with the business and the management compared to the (thankfully before my time) bad old days.

It must have been pretty interesting working in the plant I imagine Stuffy? 10 years in I still find it fascinating to visit the plant and walk the production line.
Not a fun place to go when your parts don't fit on the car and you're the one stopping the line though...

On the subject of German feedback, we went through a phase of having 3 different models running on one production line, I remember a visit was made by some German OEM management (Merc/Daimler I think) who couldn't believe that we put 3 models down the same line. Would never happen in our plants was the feedback.

 

[Stuffy]

I'm thankful the industry is very different now (working at the design engineering end of the process with frequent pre-covid trips to the plant in the north east).
The union is a very useful tool for the workers but seems to have a very positive relationship with the business and the management compared to the (thankfully before my time) bad old days.

It must have been pretty interesting working in the plant I imagine Stuffy? 10 years in I still find it fascinating to visit the plant and walk the production line.
Not a fun place to go when your parts don't fit on the car and you're the one stopping the line though...

On the subject of German feedback, we went through a phase of having 3 different models running on one production line, I remember a visit was made by some German OEM management (Merc/Daimler I think) who couldn't believe that we put 3 models down the same line. Would never happen in our plants was the feedback.

I took redundancy from the Swindon plant in 1999 but was there long enough to see the giant Hitachi Zozen press turn a blank into a finished panel so fast that the people stacking had to pull out all stops to keep up. "C" Building was said to be the biggest press shop in Western Europe with 21 press lines which made panels for the Allegro, Ital, Marina, Rover SD1 & 2, 4, 6 and 800 and some Saab stuff. As an engineer you might know that the upward curve on the car bonnet that deflects the wind from the windscreen wipers was first used on the Austin Princess which was also made there. The back of C building was dedicated to rework and SD1 doors and other sub assembly and had it's own railway line. Other Press shops were "A" and "B" that turned out Rover 214 / 216, Metro, Disco, Range Rover and Rolls Royce stuff. During my time, the back of B building was used to assemble MGB and Triumph TR7 body's in white. I set dies in all buildings but mostly SD1 stuff in C.

 

[Snakebite]

Fascinating, I never realised Swindon was so big, were those panels pressed and then transported to Longbridge/elsewhere as well as Swindon?

It's a real shame to see the place closing down, I'm secretly hoping that BMW still pop up to rescue the plant (there were rumours of this to expand Mini production).
The other item I'm watching with interest is the suggestion of Tesla building a plant at the former ordnance factory outside Bridgewater. Could be an excuse to move back south of Bristol.

 

[Oldsmobile-88]

Advert from August 1979..Anybody have one ? I have driven them a few times,a very comfortable ride iirc.
Incidentally £1.40 a gallon in August 1979 relates to £7.13 today..The average cost of a gallon of petrol now(£1.10 a litre) is £4.90.