Do you have to do "double declutching" at all? I'm not sure what that is, but I vaguely associate it with old cars. I don't know whether 1953 is the right sort of age for double declutching, but it might be an issue.
Double-declutching is basically doing an intermediate gear change into neutral between any two gears, rather than being able to go from gear to gear -- i.e. clutch down, neutral, clutch up, clutch down, $gear, clutch up. I gather that it's not uncommon for cars from that era to need it, but the moggy is a "modern" car :) and has synchromesh, so I shouldn't need to double declutch. Occasionally, though, it seems to get a bit tangled up while trying to get back into first from another gear, and double declutching seems to help.
Likewise, I don't know what trafficators are and how they differ from indicators.
Trafficators are like little flags (with lights in) that pop out of the side of the car. :) I will get a photo of them at some point... in the meantime, fortunately somebody else has a picture (http://cns.utoronto.ca/~pkern/fleet/trafficator.gif) on the web showing a Morris Minor's trafficators. Of course, they don't automatically switch themselves off as the wheels straighten up, which means I have a dreadful tendency to forget that they're on at all.
You didn't mention the registration plates! I am most amused that you have those contemperaneous registration plates. How wonderful.
Well, of course she's got her original registration plates! I wouldn't dream of changing them, not even for a registration plate like "J4 NET".
Oh, and was the title of your pictures page another Shooting Stars reference; does your wonderful car fire questions out of its exhaust?
Well spotted -- no, she doesn't actually fire questions out of her bottom, though. But she's a much more wonderful car than their Wonderful Car. :)
I wish you very many happy, safe miles together!
Thank you! I'm already missing her, having had to leave her at home today. :-/ Tucked her up in her bed tarpaulin last night, though, so I know she's as safe and warm as she can be. ... Yes, I'm daft about her.
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Double-declutching is basically doing an intermediate gear change into neutral between any two gears, rather than being able to go from gear to gear -- i.e. clutch down, neutral, clutch up, clutch down, $gear, clutch up. I gather that it's not uncommon for cars from that era to need it, but the moggy is a "modern" car :) and has synchromesh, so I shouldn't need to double declutch. Occasionally, though, it seems to get a bit tangled up while trying to get back into first from another gear, and double declutching seems to help.
Likewise, I don't know what trafficators are and how they differ from indicators.
Trafficators are like little flags (with lights in) that pop out of the side of the car. :) I will get a photo of them at some point... in the meantime, fortunately somebody else has a picture (http://cns.utoronto.ca/~pkern/fleet/trafficator.gif) on the web showing a Morris Minor's trafficators. Of course, they don't automatically switch themselves off as the wheels straighten up, which means I have a dreadful tendency to forget that they're on at all.
You didn't mention the registration plates! I am most amused that you have those contemperaneous registration plates. How wonderful.
Well, of course she's got her original registration plates! I wouldn't dream of changing them, not even for a registration plate like "J4 NET".
Oh, and was the title of your pictures page another Shooting Stars reference; does your wonderful car fire questions out of its exhaust?
Well spotted -- no, she doesn't actually fire questions out of her bottom, though. But she's a much more wonderful car than their Wonderful Car. :)
I wish you very many happy, safe miles together!
Thank you! I'm already missing her, having had to leave her at home today. :-/ Tucked her up in her
bedtarpaulin last night, though, so I know she's as safe and warm as she can be. ... Yes, I'm daft about her.