All the IDRIVEACLASSIC July meet details as below:
Saturday 6th July
Great British Car Journey, Ambergate, Derbyshire
TICKETS HERE: https://online1.venpos.net/ConsumerSite/Products?LID=632&PID=6120b67f-4bbc-44f8-bf99-7a5b2497a9dc&LNG=en&VD=2024-07-06T00%3A00%3A00&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1zQBiuhF98UR2mtX1VLKzYibwcttdEvhIPcq9D4wQPFpM3N_upeHaQVRw_aem_pBZX8-RxMwwbHxIniAdp0Q
IDRIVEACLASSIC Summer Meet is coming….and we want you there with us at Great British Car Journey on Saturday 6th July!
The event gives classic motorists of all ages (and appreciators!) the chance to gather at the museum and celebrate historic motoring, compare and admire classics and best of all – discounted entry into popular motoring museum, Great British Car Journey.
There will also be IDRIVEACLASSIC merch for sale and potentially (parts allowing!) a member of the fleet you haven’t seen on the road in over 12 months coming to join us!
The event will be priced at £16 per car (covering driver and passenger) with additional passengers priced at £7. This is a massive saving on the usual ticket price which is usually priced at £18.50. However, these discounted tickets must be purchased in advance and are expected to sell out fast.
If discounted entry, a stunning array of classics outside and a museum packed full of interesting exhibits wasn’t tempting enough; there is also a special prize giveaway.
Great British Car Journey have arranged for a very special one-off Masters of the Marque in addition to their scheduled programme of events. The IDRIVEACLASSIC Masters of the Marque event powered by Wera Tools will be judged by Steph from idriveaclassic; with prizes (supplied by the museum) including x3 glass trophies and a Wera Tools Set, Autoglym Luxury Bodywheels & Wheels Collection pack and membership to the Great British Car Club.
All classics are welcome in all conditions and there is no requirement to arrive in a British classic or a concours car – every classic makes our community a better place and modern classics and retro dailies are just as welcome as pre-war and mid-century motors.
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Keep on keeping on, Steph. You are doing well. Kev is doing a great job too.
Sorry for your loss Steph, I've not long lost my dog and it's the most devastating thing I've ever experienced. Hugs
Steph, so sorry to hear about your loss. I still think every single day about my old yellow cat that I lost at 19 years old in the summer of 2019, but now it's mostly good memories. Time helps for these things. I really really recommend you to start journaling, as it's a very low cost alternative to a therapist and it's proven to work well. Take a pen and a notebook and write a little bit every day about what you're thinking about, what's going on in your life, what's bad, what's good. You will see improvements within a few weeks. Also, for the Proton, try to add injector cleaner to the fuel. It makes miracles on old fuel injected cars!
Nice to see you both again. To you Steph, depression is a weird affliction. I probably was suffering for years before it finally hit me and almost killed me. I had been running my own business, putting myself under extreme pressure without realising. You were possibly suffering before, not really aware of it, and poor Lily was the trigger that came along to get you. With me it was one particular big contract that was going wrong. We had a cat for 16 years and were all heartbroken when he died, they become part of the family and life I'm afraid. My suicidal episode was back in 2013, I'd like to say I am totally OK, but in honesty I still have the odd bad day, often triggered by something or nothing. The main reason for me getting into the car restoration game was to train my mind onto something positive rather than negative, and thank God it worked for me. Enough doom and gloom! To Kevin, with welding there are definitely horses for courses. TIG is great for certain jobs, but quite hard to master as compared to MIG. With both though, do not buy a cheap welder. I bought a Sealey Supermig 150, which to be fair has done tons of work on 4 cars now, but if I had my time again I would spend more money and buy an R Tech. I have tried a friend's and it is way better than mine. In my experience, the only way you get the metal cracking after welding is when the weld has been ground down. It happened to me a lot in my early days and it was due to bad penetration of the weld. The main advantage with TIG is that the weld is much softer and can be planished, whereas MIG is pretty much impossible to planish, it's far too hard. When you master TIG, the results are very much like gas welding, you can control the amount of heat going into the metal and you can fuse the metal together without using filler rod, making invisible welds a reality.
Why is the Marina destroying clutches? It sounds like a problem with the whole clutch system rather than just the clutch. Input shift alignment? Slipping clutch? Best of luck finding the problem and get a permanent fix!😊
Lilly may be a cat but it's still like losing a member of family, take as long as you need, don't be so hard on yourself, yes it's a cliché but time will make things easier and you can remember the good times .
Good to see you guys back together again. Life and it's various complications do get the better of us sometimes but hang in there.
💝
I notice that there seems to be a tow hook attached directly to the rear bumper. Does this work? Is it safe? Will the bumper fall off when towing? 🙂
Kev, the impact to the left rear could explain the door gap issue on the right hand door. Have you done careful measurements?
Lost my pup of 15 years a few weeks ago (June 20) after losing my dog of 8 years in September (after my Euro bike trip) and lost my job after 28 years (while on vacation with wife in Hawaii no less). I do feel for you. Life happens. Was planning on retiring in September anyway, but really miss my Rocky and Tela (my old dogs) horribly. Still kinda hard to get and stay focused, but getting used to this retirement thing. It will get better, good to have friends like Kev and the rest of your compadres when life kicks one in the ass.
Good to see you both carrying on despite all the difficulties and changes. No need to excuse yourself feeling 'rubbish' or Kev being absent as we all appreciate and enjoy all you do for your audience! 👍
Love your videos Steph. I hope you feel better soon.
Steph your human not a robot ,take your TIME 😘
It’s so hard to lose your companion. Keeping you, both, in my thoughts. I started watching regularly when my husband recently passed. I wanted to thank you for a bright diversion and I enjoy your videos. Rest well, sweet LILLY.
Love these videos Steph and Kev, I completely understand how loosing your cat Steph who is part of your family hit you hard. Thanks for the update both.
Hi Steph, condolences on your loss; sometimes you don't realise how much the loss of a pet can affect us. It's because they are always glad to see you and love you unconditionally, I think. Keep your chin up hun and take solace in the happy times you had together
❤❤
Hello Steph and Kev. So GOOD to see you both in the workshop once again – missed your company! I do not think that you need to explain so much what has been happening in your personal lives, BUT appreciate your honesty! Wonderful tour and update on the MG – great progress, even if it is slower than you would desire, though patience is a real virtue!! Thanks for the updates on the other cars. Best wishes from Lincolnshire
Big hugs to you all!
Great to see you two in the workshop again. Steph, losing a pet is literally losing a child to a pet parent, so just be kind to yourself.
But keep working in the garage. 😉
As we say down here in New Zealand, "Kia kaha" (Stay strong).
Great video! I make a few bicycle frames so got into TIG for that, and also use it on the car. It takes a bit more practice than MIG and can be awkward on a car because you need a free hand for the filler rod and you also need to get in very close and be very precise (wear reading glasses under the hood!) Everything needs to be absolutely spotlessly clean shiny bright metal. Much less forgiving than MIG in that respect. But you have a lot of control and can make very tidy and extremely strong welds. I would certainly recommend it for anything structural like a subframe or strut tower for that reason, and it's also good on visible bodywork because of the neatness. TIG brazing with silicon bronze filler rod is also often useful on car bodywork (don't worry it's very strong). The welds are also easier to grind down than MIG welds for some reason. The YouTube channel to watch about this is one called Trev's Blog. He is an extremely skilled car bodywork guy and has made several videos about MIG and TIG, and also specifically about how to use TIG on car bodywork which is different from most generic TIG videos. To learn TIG generally "welding tips and tricks" is the best channel but "This Old Tony" has also made some great introductory videos that are also super amusing and well made. It will seem hard at first but just keep practicing. It's not like MIG where you can do decent welds after an hour or two. You will need to put in the time on some scrap metal offcuts to learn the muscle memory and how to react in time when things go wrong (you make holes etc). Good luck!
My welding skills are limited so I won't make any precise suggestions on that other than to say TIG needs some practice. I've watched a body shop man do 'spot welds' along a panel then go back and start to fill in. That way he says you put less heat on the job, and yes I know people have different ways of doing things. Kev, I would dress out the rear panel as much as you can and see how it fits with the tailgate but if it wont 'marry' then it might be best to fabricate a new section and scribe it in. One other thing I feel I should mention is the doors. I would spray the inside and not do the outside. You can spray all the 'jams' and of course the inside of the tailgate and bonnet. Why do I suggest that? When you mix paint, even with the correct paint code, if you spray parts on a different day you can get a different shade ( more so with metallic I agree) even with solid colours there can be a difference. Once all the 'jams' are done 'hit' all the outside in one go. Finally keep your chin up Steph and try and think of 'a glass half full' rather than 'half empty'. I now have ill health but I have always considered the 'glass to be half full'. Take care both of you and of course your respective families. 👍👍
Steph, our furbabies are a massive part of our life. To be honest, people who have never had pets just cannot grasp how much our pets mean to us. I recently lost my wife, we would have been married for 30 years this year. Our current furbaby is 13 now, so I am worried about her too, particularly as she was a mummy's girl.
We are our own worst critic, but please don't be so hard on yourself. Easier said than done I know.
Take your time both, things happen in life that change priorities. It's great to see you are both OK. Take care.
Well, losing a beloved pet is devastating
So sorry to hear this sad piece of news. Our pets are part of our family aren't they?
Oh, congratulations on Tom's distinction!
TIG welding, you can get great quality and deep penetrating welds, but the process is slow and uses a LOT of gas!
I decided to learn TIG myself, as I liked the look of the process over that of MIG. I bought the kit, and watched lots of YouTube videos! After a few attempts I was producing decent butt welds on bodywork. I found plug welds tricky, as the edge of the plug would attract the 'flame' and melt back the edge. I found that marking where the plugs were on the bottom sheet, and making little spots of weld BEFORE the panels were sandwiched together made the plug welds possible.
The one thing I wish I'd got was a foot peddle control, as I need to start the weld on a low power, stop, turn the power up and continue – If I had the pedal, I could increase the power whilst I was welding.
To sum up – I enjoy TIG welding, and I can produce very good results, but it is slow, a little tricky sometimes, and is expensive on the gas.
Good luck with your projects, and all the best.
Takes time to Heal . Lost a Cat 🐈 that I loved dearly to 18 years old . They're with us always ❤️ and forever .
Thanks for being so open about your loss of Lily. I am so sorry, and have every empathy for what you are going through. Loosing a pet is an incredibly difficult and painful time. They are part of your life, a part of your family, and having lost elderly cats myself, the impact can be really quite devastating. It really does impact on your mental health. I'm sorry you have had such a challenging time, so please do take care of yourself Steph. It takes time, so I send you hugs from one cat owner to another.
Steph, I knew you were going through the wringer. My only advice is this: Be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to grieve. Fighting grief makes it worse. Never let anyone tell you how or when, or for how long you should grieve. Anyone who tries is no true friend. Tea and empathy are the best medications. Making positive changes for yourself is only going to help, too. Big hugs, lovely Lady. Keep being your own wonderful self.
Kev, you must take it easy on yourself. Dealing with elderly parents is not easy at all. As time goes on you become parent to your parents. I went through it 5 years ago with both of mine, then the last 5 years with Ma after Dad died. It is never easy. You will be exhausted. You will get frustrated. You will want to cry. Trust me, I know. Allow yourself to feel all of the feels. Crying when you need to will allow you to enjoy the good times better.
Tell Tom CONGRATULATIONS. A Dissertation is no mean feat. My Husband-To-Be is getting ready to start year 4 of his Doctoral studies in Archeology. A lot of work, but the rewards are worth it
so sad to hear about your cat, that is a very difficult time to be sure. good to see you back!
TIG welders are pretty suitable for car bodywork, but best if you have good access to both sides. The weld is soft, but needs flattening. Tig is also good for brazing. On the other hand. it is much more harder to master than MIG and needs a lot of practice and a good teacher.
it's really wonderful to see both of you and loosing your cat is not a pet but a family member ie your fur baby and Kev congratulations to your son very well deserved and I hope that both your mum and dad get better soon and sending lots of hugs to the two of you and you both will get their as it takes time .
Sorry to hear you're a bit low. You have Fred, Kev and no doubt other good people around you to support you and I have no doubt you are also a valuable support to your friends and loved ones yourself. Family and friends are what it's all about and you are lucky to have them and them you. Congratulations to Kev's son too, quite an achievement. What's his degree in?
Steph, your gonna be ok. It takes as long as it takes, but you will get there xx
On the TIG Kev, I must point out that I am not a pro-welder, just a self learnt garagist. I have a good old Mig-welder at home. But I also got access to a TIG welder at my daily work. When you get the hang of the TIG I would say in my opinion it is almost faster and simpler to use than the MIG. Mainly because it saves you so much of the grinding afterwards. It also makes smaller neater jobs much easier or even possible. Since you got a lot more control of whats happening. I rather bring a lot of my smaller jobs to my work rather than to do them with the MIG at home.
Hi Steph, so sorry to hear the news of you losing your cat and the resulting low mood. Sometimes it’s hard to reconcile this when other things in life are going well. Take time to look after yourself and thanks for the great content xx
I lost my 19 1/2 year old kitty companion in 2020- I was broken. Would you get another Steph?
I'm so sorry that you've not been feeling great recently, Steph. You are such an inspiration, and I love your channel. Please be gentle with yourself and ease yourself back into everything. Thank you for your openness and honesty about everything. xx