Someone has stolen the distributor from the Hoe

[Offgrid]

Today I got the chance to sort out the heater pipes, and get the Hoe ( 1990 740 estate) ready for an MOT. On opening the bonnet, I discovered that some euphemism had stolen the distributor. I had planned to take Cinders ( 1988 740 saloon ) off the road to modify it a bit. So my question is - Can I take the distributor of Cinders and install it in the Hoe? Cinders is a B230E engine, and the Hoe has a B200E engine. On checking the new distributor sales sites ( priced at £350) it appears that the "E" series uses the same distributor. Is this true? Out of interest, is there any other make of vehicle that uses the same engine or distributor?

[classicswede]

As long as it has a working hall sensor you can use it

[Offgrid]

Theft of parts from cars has always been a nuisance, but it seems to be increasing as a result of the government push to force people to buy new cars, and the scrapage scheme removing good old donor cars from the market. The demise of breakers yards also makes things difficult for those of us who want to preserve good working vehicles. New cars are incredibly damaging to the environment, especially if they are EVs, but the government push to take active control of our motoring means that they will continue to increase on our roads. The difficulty and expenses in maintaining them will mean more dangers and increased insurance premiums. I'm starting to see an increase in the number of late model cars with inoperative lights for example. Where it can cost £300+ to rectify a failed headlight or taillight, many drivers seems to be tempted to ignore the repair. A new headlight bulb for one of my Volvos costs less than £5, and is a simple do it yourself fix. It doesn't require an OBD reader to effect the repair.

I guess we can expect to see a further increase in parts thefts for classic cars as people turn to them for motoring freedom.

[john.wigley]

Originally Posted by Offgrid

Theft of parts from cars has always been a nuisance, but it seems to be increasing as a result of the government push to force people to buy new cars, and the scrapage scheme removing good old donor cars from the market. The demise of breakers yards also makes things difficult for those of us who want to preserve good working vehicles. New cars are incredibly damaging to the environment, especially if they are EVs, but the government push to take active control of our motoring means that they will continue to increase on our roads. The difficulty and expenses in maintaining them will mean more dangers and increased insurance premiums. I'm starting to see an increase in the number of late model cars with inoperative lights for example. Where it can cost £300+ to rectify a failed headlight or taillight, many drivers seems to be tempted to ignore the repair. A new headlight bulb for one of my Volvos costs less than £5, and is a simple do it yourself fix. It doesn't require an OBD reader to effect the repair.

I guess we can expect to see a further increase in parts thefts for classic cars as people turn to them for motoring freedom.

Couldn't agree more, 'Offgrid'. I mind one such - Super Central, on Ascot Drive, Derby - in the late '60s. A muddy morass the size of several football pitches, cars piled three high, a decrepit portacabin next to the entrance with a big bloke, tats and a roll up, with an even bigger Alsatian on a chain at his side.

No VAT of course, no receipts, either. Walk in with your own toolbox:

"Excuse me, do you have a six volt starter motor for a 1954 Ford Pop by any chance, please?".

"Yeah, over there in the corner, mate.".

Proceed to indicated vehicle and remove required part unsupervised using own tools. Return to aforementioned portacabin.

"Find one?".

"Yes, thank you. How much do I owe you?".

"Ten bob all right?".

A ten shilling note (remember those?) changed hands (Most things were 'ten bob', larger items a pound, after all they only gave £5-£10 for any car driven to the yard) and you were back on the road for a few weeks until the next time ...

Wonderful, but it would never be allowed today ...

Regards, John.

[omc 47]

John,
what an excellent assessment of life in a world of common sense and equal respect.
We had a similar scrap yard near to me with a brand new state of the art stone house built smack in the middle of the sprauling mass of cars complete with the obligatory alsatian dogs in large cages.
Tool box in hand it was better than Christmas morning to have access to a such a wonderful array of goodies at such a fair price.
I'm still running a Wentworth and at 29 years old and 216,000 on the clock my adventures with this old girl will see me through till the DVLA price me out of excistance.
I have everything (yes everything) for future situations but knowing how reliable they are l have no fears that whatever challenges we face together we will overcome.

[baggy798]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Wonderful, but it would never be allowed today ...

Bollocks, John boy! Lakes in Wyboston and Looms at Derby are still like that.🙄

Picture taken 2004 at Looms, it is still more or less exactly the same. You're still allowed to wander around freely, the only big change being you have to wear high vis.

[Moomoo]

Originally Posted by john.wigley

Couldn't agree more, 'Offgrid'. I mind one such - Super Central, on Ascot Drive, Derby - in the late '60s. A muddy morass the size of several football pitches, cars piled three high, a decrepit portacabin next to the entrance with a big bloke, tats and a roll up, with an even bigger Alsatian on a chain at his side.

No VAT of course, no receipts, either. Walk in with your own toolbox:

"Excuse me, do you have a six volt starter motor for a 1954 Ford Pop by any chance, please?".

"Yeah, over there in the corner, mate.".

Proceed to indicated vehicle and remove required part unsupervised using own tools. Return to aforementioned portacabin.

"Find one?".

"Yes, thank you. How much do I owe you?".

"Ten bob all right?".

A ten shilling note (remember those?) changed hands (Most things were 'ten bob', larger items a pound, after all they only gave £5-£10 for any car driven to the yard) and you were back on the road for a few weeks until the next time ...

Wonderful, but it would never be allowed today ...

Regards, John.

That is the land of lost content,
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went ,
And cannot come again.

A. E. Houseman.

[john.wigley]

I suppose there will always be an exception to every rule, 'baggy798'. I also used Albert Looms as well back in the '60s and '70s, but they were a little further away than S.C. That was significant when you were on a bike with your toolbox on the rack and a starter motor in your rucksack.

Their yard may be the same - I haven't been recently - but I'd wager that even they charge VAT and issue receipts these days!

Regards, John.

[Pidgeonpost]

+1 for what @john.wigley says! I was pleased to discover (through this forum I believe) that Harry Buckland near Cheltenham is still very much alive and kicking. It was one of 3 yards that I used to try and keep various disintegrating Britmotors on the road from the mid 60's until more recent years.
http://www.harrybuckland.co.uk/

[RollingThunder]

Sadly most of the nearest breakers to me in Doncaster all closed down many many years ago when the environment protection laws came in, requiring all vehicles to be on hardstanding with no fluids contaminating the land etc. All good reasons, but it decimated the trade.

Only the largest one survived, which is now Synetiq https://www.synetiq.co.uk . Its a decent breakers to be fair, but you can't get parts yourself anymore - you have to enquire and order them online. As its a volume business now, they don't stock anything for our old cars, just the newer trash boxes And its VAT on everything lol


NB I also remember clambering up a stack of 3-4 wobbly cars to get a dashboard switch out of a Renault 21 The strange thing is that I never heard of anyone - ever - being hurt by one of those stacks falling over. The worst injury I ever received was a sliced finger when I was removing something else under a dashboard and caught my finger on some super sharp metalwork.