| Author | Message | ||
     David R. Baron Unregistered guest Posted From: 216.113.203.125 |
I've just acquired a 1948 Bentley Mk 6 in decent shape but without much history or documentation. Chassis is B386CF. I understand the CF refers to Charles Follett, his nameplate is inside the door, but I haven't found any info about his company. Was he a bespoke builder or a supplier for the Standard series? Does anyone have an Owner's and/or Workshop Manual I could buy? What brand & grade of motor oil should I use? Does anyone have surplus parts / spares I could buy? | ||
| Bill Vatter Unregistered guest Posted From: 68.215.161.89 |
Ha Ha Ha Ha. Charles Follet. (gasping for air) David, CF means nothing. CF is just part of the number, but it does indicate something about when it was made, and it seems that major changes were sometimes implemented when the chassis series changed, but not always. You have got a C series Bentley, which, as you note, is an early one. CFs were made 1947-1948. Congratulations on acquiring a fine car. Sorry to have laughed at what you said. I think I must have said things like that when I was starting out also. I think you will discover most RR owners are kinder than me. | ||
| Bill Vatter Unregistered guest Posted From: 68.215.161.89 |
David, I'm, feeling more serious now, and I can talk (write) straight. For sure you should use Shell Rotella T 15W-40 motor oil. Where are you located? I am in the US, and if you are in Australia, suppliers I might recommend might not be the best for you. In the US, the RROC sells reprint service books and a bunch of other stuff. I don't know what the RROC(A) offers. If you are in the US the RROC is the club you should join, no question. Maybe even if you are in Australia, but joining the local club should be your first choice. I think the RROC(A) people are pretty well connected, and getting connected should be your first objective. After awhile everyone accumulates extra bits, with which we barter some. What do you need? If it is regular spares, frequently used consumables like bearings, seals, gaskets, friction linings, etc., I have found the best prices are in the UK, but everything is high for me right now because the US $ is very cheap. In the US there is one RR dealer for early postwar spares (oops excuse me Bentley dealer, they are separate now), Bentley Zionsville, which is hard to say since we all know them as Albers RR. Anyway they are in Indianapolis, and stock everything that can be had, but maybe not the best price. However, if you need it now, they are fast, at least fast for a US buyer. In the UK I have traded with Introcar, Ristes, Jack Barclay, and Brian Thompson. All are OK; I shop for price. If you need Pistons, the best ones in all the world are from Australia (Horray for the sunburned blokes) but you probably are not looking for pistons yet. Tony Handler in Los Angeles is the big US junk-yard man. He probably does not like that term, but that is what he is. Probably he would call himself a parts recycling person. Anyway, if it is for an early postwar Bentley, he has got it. The sad part is that he is a bit expensive, but he does what he says he will do, and he does not cheat you, which probably justifies being a little higher priced than some. OK, I can talk about Charles Follet now. I think he was a new car dealer. New car dealers in those days sometimes put their name plate on the door sill. Typically that was the coachbuilders spot, but your car did not have a coachbuilder, being a factory car. Maybe the company (Charles Follet) is still around, but old Charles probably is not. | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 135 Registered: 4-2003 |
I must admit I glanced at the calendar to see if it were April 1 already. Please, no disrespect intended mind you. | ||
| David R. Baron Unregistered guest Posted From: 216.113.203.50 |
Ah, OK. Bill & Richard, no offense taken, I'm a past Lotus owner so I'm used to ribbing ("Is that a Delorean?"). Quite a coincidence tho that the serial suffix and dealer initials coincide? I'm located near Vancouver, BC, Canada, just over the US border at Blaine WA. I intend to join RROC, just haven't got around to it yet. I'm just starting to get used to the Bentley, which Madame has named Beasley for some reason (maybe an old flame), so I don't know what I'm going to need. In the nature of the beast, tho, I know I'll ultimately need just about everything! For the moment I'll settle for a workshop manual so I don't do anything stupid when I do attack it with a hammer, which is the standard repair advice for Lotus. | ||
| Bill Vatter Unregistered guest Posted From: 68.215.161.89 |
David, RROC is the "local" club for your location. Call the club HQ at 1-800-TRY RROC, and Eileen, who usually answers the phone, will fix you up. Membership will get you a directory and register, the magazine (alone worth the price) access to a bunch of services and events, and a club stores catalog, in which you will find a Bentley service manual priced less than generally available elsewhere. Hammers are not the tool of choice for a Bentley. You will need some BSF tools, available from club stores, and frequently seen also on ebay. Club stores tools are very good quality. Ebay quallity not as good but not horrible. B386CF does not appear in the current register, so you must have bought it from a non-member. That suggests it might not have seen much recent or regular use. That further suggests it may suffer some idleness-induced problems. For a start, you probably should look closely at the brakes. That exercise alone will bring amazement to you as the brakes are unlike anything else on the planet. Beasley sounds like as good a name as any. Most likely it fits his personality, if Madame chose it. I think if the first Beasley in her life was a flame, she would not have put that name on your car. Some think all cars are female, but a surprising number of RR cars are actually male. My car is male and named Morgan. Hey if you want to talk off line, my email is vatterb(at symbol)bellsouth.net. I do not usually show that in public because there are email address miners out there who would like to send me viruses and unwanted advertisements, but since you took my previous rude laughter without offense, I owe you at least that much. I write my address in a way that some stupid machine will not know it is an email address. Have fun with your new companion. | ||
| Ashley James Unregistered guest Posted From: 62.7.168.240 |
Mike Jones in the UK on 01789 400011 also breaks early Post War cars and is good value. Trouble is he does not have email. Ashley |
