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1989 Austin Mini (Gavin)

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sbwhart:
Hi Chaps

I would like to introduce Gavin he's our much loved 1989 Austin Mini Mayfair. We've had him from new some 20 years he is my wifes car that she bought when she went back to teaching when our Kids had started school themselves.



He's had quite an adventurous life our two kids both learnt to drive in him, and we only resently just found out that our son holds the record for number of pasengers carried:- seven, four in the back and three in the front, why is it that parents are the last to find these things out, if we'd know at the time he would have been grounded.  :hammer:

I've done all the maintainance and repairs on him, A real tinkerers car no electronic gismo, points and timing etc to be set. He had a complete body rebuild mainly due to rust and having an argument with a Chelse Tractor. We only use hin now in the summer for crusing the lanes of Cheshire.  :headbang:

So now you know ther's more to me than machining and steam trains.

Have Fun

 :wave:

Stew





 

Bernd:
Looking good for 20 years and constant use.

You'd be lucky over here to get that many years on a car. The way the spread salt on the roads here in winter it would have eaten the Mini in no time.

I did a few stunts with my Dad's VW Bettle when I first started driving. You can get the tires to spin in second gear.  :lol:

Bernd

sbwhart:
Hi Bernd

We spread rock salt on the roads over her also, plays havoc with the body the front end of the Mini had vertualy rotted away that and the spead bumps we have on the roads over her, nearly caused the engine to drop out. When we had the yearly road worthy test we do over her, (MOT) the garage couldn't beleave how it was still in one piece.
 :scratch:

Cheers
 :wave:

Stew

bogstandard:
Bernd,

 :offtopic: But just a bit of info that might be of general interest to members.


--- Quote ---The way the spread salt on the roads here in winter
--- End quote ---

The area where Stew and myself come from, supplies most of the salt for the roads in the UK and Ireland. Most of it is mined only a few miles from where we live.

http://www.winsfordrocksaltmine.co.uk/

http://www.timetravel-britain.com/articles/towns/northwich.shtml

At one time, even more locally, Elworth, Sandbach, hot water was pumped down into the ground, and the resulting brine was evaporated off to make table salt. This caused major subsidence of our local area, and there are now many man made subsidence lakes, and houses leaning at wierd angles. In fact, in certain areas, new houses have to be built on 'rafts' of concrete to counteract the effects of subsidence.

http://www.saltinstitute.org/symposia/symposium3/lewis.pdf

My great great grandfather, and later his son, used to own a small salt mine in Over, just outside of Winsford.

So we know all about what damage the salt causes, and not just on the roads.

John

sbwhart:
 :offtopic:

Just like to add a bit more to Johns point about the salt in Cheshire. It was the foundation of a number of world class chemical firms such as ICI. Salt is the basis of a lot of chemical products clorine being one, it was the demand from the cotton industry in the 1800 for a cheap and quick way to bleach cotton white, that was the stimulus for these chemical industries to develop, this led to the field of organic chemistry.

Her endeth the history leson.  :lol:

Cheers

Stew

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