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Save these Rootes!

Where the lost, lonely and mentally ill can now be found chatting about MISERABLE motor vehicles. No O/T posts.

Save these Rootes!

Postby Seth » Tue Jun 18, 2013 5:46 pm

I don't normally just copy and paste threads, preferring to tailor them for each forum. But in this situation I want to give these cars as wide an audience as possible so he is a C&P from the blue forum.

A couple of hours after seeing a post over on Autoshite this morning I and a couple of other bods were having a look over trio of Rootes cars that have probably sat in their current resting places for over 30 years and maybe 40 or more. These cars are available and it would be really nice to see them saved but I haven't made this a Cars-for-sale thread as firstly they are not mine and secondly I thought the photos would be of general interest.

First up is this Phase/Mk VIII Minx. It seems to be pretty solid considering its age with some typical old car grot but certainly not beyond saving.

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Its the last of these '40s/early '50s Minxes and so has the OHV 1390 unit that lived on in the Audax range and then turned into the Hunter engine.  Both inner wing tops are absolutely rock solid which might give an indication of the rest of the car.

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The interior looks fantastic. I didn't look to see what date that newspaper was but it might indicate when the car was put in the garage.

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A couple of miles away lay the second car, a late '50s/early'60s Minx. The garage doors wouldn't open far and there was stuff all over/around the car so photos were nigh on impossible.

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Finally, further along that row of garages was this Humber Sceptre.

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Again, another good looking interior.

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So, as I say they are all available for not much money but would take some effort to remove from their resting places. Time is short too as they need moving before the end of the month. They're all near Croxley Green in Herts. The stuff from the white Minx garage and the Sceptre garage will likely be cleared in the next day or two which should make access slightly easier. I can pass on contact details if anyone is interested. Would be a real shame to see any of them, but particularly the early car, end up in the scrapper. :(

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Not Always Auto

Rootes built Cortinas under licence and just changed the badging.
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Re: Save these Rootes!

Postby Ozzy Mandeus » Wed Jun 19, 2013 5:17 pm

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If that's "the" Ilford bank raid, it's sometime in 1970.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertie_Smalls
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Re: Save these Rootes!

Postby Seth » Wed Jun 19, 2013 8:21 pm

Ah, the papers in the Series Minx were mostly around 1970ish and then many of the dated items in the Sceptre garage were 1980ish so We can guess that that is when the garages were last accessed.

With a return visit today and much removal of junk it was possible to see the interior and front end of the Series Minx

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It also became possible to delve further into the Sceptre garage but sadly that resulted in finding that it had had a nasty smack on the drivers rear wing.

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One of my reasons for going back today was to try and nab a couple of bikes that were in the ally just behind the garage with the black Minx. Walking through someone's back yard (while they were eating some lunch outside but seemed happy enough with a cheery hello) netted me this result.

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The older one is a rod braked Raleigh Superbe. The Superbe spec means it has a lock on the front forks, a dyno-hub, lights and a battery tube attached to the seat post of the frame.

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Seat looks remarkable well preserved.

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The other bike is a Currys product. Yes the washing machine shop. Apparently the business was started by Mr Curry in the 19th century building bikes. Who knew?! They apparently moved right across to electrical retailing in the '60s or '70s and gave up on two wheelers. The Sturmey archer hub on this is dated 1965 and is a four speed version.

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Most of the 'junk' in the garages was just that. Endless bottles of washing up liquid and loads of household items which Ozzie from the beige place loaded in his van as he was paying to clear the stuff with the aim of making some money at car boot sales. But I did nab a couple of small items.

This cheery headlined 'newspaper' would suit the Hillman nicely as it is dated Sept '68.

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And this small bottle of French oil looks perfect for rebuilding engines.

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Not Always Auto

Rootes built Cortinas under licence and just changed the badging.
Seth
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Re: Save these Rootes!

Postby I.K.Brunel » Wed Jun 19, 2013 9:40 pm

Delightful.

I suppose I -could- find space for one. ... and a few pennies... time is always the thing.
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Re: Save these Rootes!

Postby Paul H » Thu Jun 20, 2013 5:58 pm

Great stuff - just seen the updates over on the brown place.

Btw, what's the plan with that Raleigh? Looks like a proper old b*st*rd spec bike, thus ideally suited to, & greatly coveted by yours truly... :roll: ;) :D
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Re: Save these Rootes!

Postby Jonny69 » Fri Jun 21, 2013 8:02 pm

Great score on the bikes! I'm pretty sure the Raleigh would have originally come with a Brooks B66 saddle as they were standard fit on most Raleighs of that era. The rusty rims will make that quite a chore to ride, because any corrosion with those old stirrup brake setups just grinds the brake blocks away, even if you tidy the rims up. You can pick up new 26 x 1-3/8" rims (and tyres) for buttons and a set of brake blocks will set you back about £10. Ebay is great for those bits, but check which brake blocks you need because there are straight ones and angled ones. The rest will be fine with a bit of oil.

So what's the score with all that lot then, has an old bloke passed on and left his collection behind?
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