HomeTRUE STORIES - A.A. MEN BY Ian Pinkney
I know they can't help it, but how Is it that they alwaystry to be so helpful but in the end almost useless when itcomes to fixing something?I was going to my first Morgan Sprint in my BSA when it hada four cylinder- engine, Jeff Morgan (ex-secretary of theClub and recently seen at the Holly Run after 20 years inCanada) was my co-driver, and we set off early, speeding upthe motorway to somewhere near Rugby. Unfortunately myspeedo was reading slow, and after overtaking coaches andlorries all the way up the motorway (surely more than 20years ago?) we just saw the Rugby turn-off when a big endwent. I had just converted the car to 12 volts, and bodgedup a dynamo drive using cork floor tiles as a spacer, thesehad given way and lost a lot of oil.
I filled up with oiland carried on to the Sprint, where for the only time I sawSid Rayfield's trike in action. Unfortunately I can'tremember anything about the sprint as I removed the sump,took out the offending piston and con-rod, put a Jubileeclip over the oil hole, and started back home. This is whenI first realised that engines should be balanced, thevibration was awful so we progressed by getting up to 5O mph,then drifting in neutral until about 20 mph, then startingagain. The queue behind us got really confused! StoneyStratford came, up and the pubs were open, so in we went.Some time later out we came, and would the car start - notlikely!!, we pushed the thing up and down the High Street tono effect. One Morgan stopped to help, then half an hourlater, another."Funny," I said, "your car is the same colour as the lastone.""Not surprising," said the well known driver, "we both usethe sane numberplate, tax disc and insurance!Those were the days!
It was now dark and we thought it was electrics, but with aflat battery we were in sore trouble, Then along came "can Ihelp?", it was an A.A. man.
We weren't members, but he saidhe would give it a look over. We explained it was theelectrics, possibly the distributor. Ten minutes later hesaid "lt's obvious" there's no spark plug in No 2.I explained that If he looked down the plug hole he wouldfind no piston either. He didn't say a word, just walked tohis van and drove away.I phoned my long-suffering father who said he would collectus in the morning with a towrope. I took off the steeringwheel to give more room, and without the benefit of a hoodwe eventually went to sleep. We got some odd looks from acrowded High Street when we awoke, though. Two men in afunny car with bonnet open, no steering wheel and a pool ofoil underneath, but I had dreamed of V-twins and. racinground Brook lands, would it come true? Read on.
I filled up with oiland carried on to the Sprint, where for the only time I sawSid Rayfield's trike in action. Unfortunately I can'tremember anything about the sprint as I removed the sump,took out the offending piston and con-rod, put a Jubileeclip over the oil hole, and started back home. This is whenI first realised that engines should be balanced, thevibration was awful so we progressed by getting up to 5O mph,then drifting in neutral until about 20 mph, then startingagain. The queue behind us got really confused! StoneyStratford came, up and the pubs were open, so in we went.Some time later out we came, and would the car start - notlikely!!, we pushed the thing up and down the High Street tono effect. One Morgan stopped to help, then half an hourlater, another."Funny," I said, "your car is the same colour as the lastone.""Not surprising," said the well known driver, "we both usethe sane numberplate, tax disc and insurance!Those were the days!
It was now dark and we thought it was electrics, but with aflat battery we were in sore trouble, Then along came "can Ihelp?", it was an A.A. man.
We weren't members, but he saidhe would give it a look over. We explained it was theelectrics, possibly the distributor. Ten minutes later hesaid "lt's obvious" there's no spark plug in No 2.I explained that If he looked down the plug hole he wouldfind no piston either. He didn't say a word, just walked tohis van and drove away.I phoned my long-suffering father who said he would collectus in the morning with a towrope. I took off the steeringwheel to give more room, and without the benefit of a hoodwe eventually went to sleep. We got some odd looks from acrowded High Street when we awoke, though. Two men in afunny car with bonnet open, no steering wheel and a pool ofoil underneath, but I had dreamed of V-twins and. racinground Brook lands, would it come true? Read on.
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