| Author | Message | ||
     Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Grand Master Username: soviet Post Number: 779 Registered: 2-2013 |
Hello Chaps. A few months back I decided to end the lease on my luxury apartment in Bowen and drive the Purple Monster up to my country lair which meant driving it across about 47 kilometres of corrugated potholed gravel road. The braking system is shot. Green mineral oil is pouring out of all six calipers like the nile and the engine is dropping oil. That said the car drove beautifully. In fact it is the most precise vehicle I have ever driven. It handled the road including the gravel like it was on the Autobahn. This is a car that has not had the best of care but for ten grand I could not pass it up. At night the car appears black but in the sunshine it is a deep metallic purple. Nervous as I was I went to operate the turn indicator but grabbed the wrong stalk and put the bugger into reverse at about 40 kph which locked up the rear with a huge yelp of the tyres. Sadly, the car has been converted to LPG only and the fuel tank has been removed. LPG is great stuff but where I live its 220 kilometres to the nearest LPG outlet so LPG is useless for me. There is something strange about the boot lock as it will not latch so I taped the lid down with gaffer tape. A ghastly but necessary move. It was a crazy drive home but a carton of beer soon soothed the nerves. I hit a very big pothole which caused the Spirit of Ecstasy to vanish into the grille. How bloody rude of her I thought. But now the car is safely home sitting under cover next to the Cadillac so all is good. | ||
| ross kowalski Grand Master Username: cdfpw Post Number: 632 Registered: 11-2015 |
Vlad, Glad the beer worked and what kind of caddy? | ||
| Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Grand Master Username: soviet Post Number: 781 Registered: 2-2013 |
Ross, a 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood in Phoenician Ivory with Olive cloth, 500ci injected bought in Los Lunos New Mexico with 73,000 miles in near mint condition. Last of the large Fleetwood's before hideous downsizing. | ||
| Omar M. Shams Grand Master Username: omar Post Number: 1360 Registered: 4-2009 |
Dear Vladimir, Come and visit me in Dubai and you can take home with you a petrol tank from a 91 Turbo R with my compliments. Glad you are using the right fluids to rectify tensions mate....... Omar | ||
| richard george yeaman Grand Master Username: richyrich Post Number: 868 Registered: 4-2012 |
Omar how do you think Vladimir is going to get a turbo r petrol tank into Australia (Customs officer, anything to declare, Vladimir no, just this small momento from Dubai, What about those two electric fans to fit your Range Rover you bought at the Auto jumble how did that work in your luggage. I have to admit to having a chuckle at the antics of you and Alan Dibley and I at Beaulieu. Richard. | ||
| Vladimir Ivanovich Kirillov Grand Master Username: soviet Post Number: 782 Registered: 2-2013 |
Ah yes Omar, I tend to think the concept of having an empty used petrol tank hidden in a large suitcase and brought on to a plane flying from the middle east to Australia may get certain authorities and scrutinizers a tad excited. I think questions may be asked. Thanks so much for the offer. However, when I fly I never travel with any luggage. This is because Australia is one of those dopey countries where police forces gobble through billions of dollars annually and sqwark loudly in the press that they are doing a great job of keeping the naughty drugs out of the country when nothing could be further from the truth. Prohibition never works and indeed the same naughty drugs can be scored in any nightclub in Oz. Its important Omar to avoid such stupidity and their help. That said I am looking forward to visiting you and seeing your fine collection some time in the future in Dubai. Question: Are firecrackers legal in Dubai? | ||
| Robert Noel Reddington Grand Master Username: bob_uk Post Number: 1584 Registered: 5-2015 |
I have imported lots of greasey crudey car bits through UK customs, they just waive me through. I was reading about Al Capone the other day, all prohibition does is give criminal opportunity. I say legalise and tax. | ||
| Brian Vogel Grand Master Username: guyslp Post Number: 2513 Registered: 6-2009 |
Vladimir, Yep, that Fleetwood was the last of the giants! I will say, though, that the "downsizing" between 1977 and 1979 was appreciated by me, not so much then, but definitely now. It was minimal overall and the cars went back to looking more proportional. I wasn't wild about the changes between 1974 and 1976. My favorite era was 1967 and 1968 with the stacked, raked headlamps and the incredibly huge, yet remarkably graceful, bodies. I still hope to have a Coupe de Ville convertible from that era before I die. If I can't have that then a Chrysler Imperial convertible of the same vintage will do quite nicely, too. Brian | ||
| Omar M. Shams Grand Master Username: omar Post Number: 1361 Registered: 4-2009 |
Dear Richard, The fans came through no trouble mate. I have taken all sorts of things that have tickled the customs men and women. An AC compressor made them bring their supervisor once. But the one thing i will never bring in my luggage ever again are accumulators for the hydraulics. Dear oh dear oh dear!!! To Customs people they look like your typical comic book bomb but without the fuse!! A petrol tank would be a piece of cake to take through. simply because it looks like a bloody petrol tank!! Vlad - come and get it mate..... | ||
| ross kowalski Grand Master Username: cdfpw Post Number: 633 Registered: 11-2015 |
Vlad, The 500 is a great thing. Good find. I will post some pics of the 63 soon. It might end up a ute or a convertible. X frame on that car so both are doable. |
