Sue's bought a Teal which needs a bit of work; she and Howard have also bought a Ronart sports car - which at the moment is just a pile of parts in the garage and a Jaguar donor on the drive. Read Sue's amusing blog as she records their progress towards two sparkling classics on the road...
Tales of Toad Hall
Chapter One - Two Dreamers
Mr Toad as first seen
Hello readers, and welcome to the first instalment of our blog. Some of you may already be aware of a few of our adventures, and may even have spotted us on the pages of this great website.
For those who have not, however, here's how our story began....
A couple of years ago we visited a local game fayre in the beautiful Broughton countryside. There was the usual range of country attractions, including falconry, bagpipers, home-made flying machines involving grown men jumping off a ramp into the river below - and a modest collection of classic cars and bikes. Howard and I played the game of 'if you could take one home with you, which would it be?' I shared my dream with him of one day restoring an old barn find, and that evening I hopped onto the internet to get an idea of price and condition of the old barn finds available.
The cost and scale of some of the projects were staggering, especially to someone whose car restoration experience so far had only got as far as changing the brake shoes on my old Datsun. This would clearly take more pennies than I had in my piggy bank.
Note to self: purchase lottery ticket and respond to Readers' Digest letter regarding prize draw.
Howard also shared the dream of owning a vintage sports car, but not content with mere dreaming, he wanted to build it himself!
Further note to self: purchase copy of Hiller's - Fundamentals of Motor Vehicle Technology, subscribe to Classic Car Weekly and join RAC
Tales of Toad Hall - Chapter Two - Towards The Ronart
Once we had decided to build our car - it sounds an easy decision now - we were left with the dilemma of what to build. This gave us an excellent excuse to visit a variety of car shows and events looking for inspiration.
Sue and Howard
We covered the country from North Yorkshire to the south coast, including the Goodwood Revival (that's another story), and then went to the Stoneleigh Kit Car show in 2007, primarily to look at Cobras.They had seemed to us to be an exclusive and rare form of transport, but after being at the show for a while we realized that there were hundreds - every other car seemed to be a Cobra or a Lotus 7 lookalike - urgh! Finally at the end of the day, in the last exhibition hall and almost around the last corner Howard's eyes met, no not mine, but a sculpture of fibreglass, steel and emotion, a Ronart W152.
Ronart W152
The Ronart appealed to both of us instantly, and the minor practical obstacles of not having a garage big enough to build a Ronart kit in, neither of us having any experience of building a car, and not actually being able to test drive one were not enough to put us off. Nor was the prospect of owning an open-top car in one of the wettest countries in Europe! (I know this applies to most Teals as well - fear not, the Teal stuff is coming!)
Note to self: purchase a copy of the beginners guide to building a garage, and waterproof mascara.
We embarked on our garage and workshop extension and learned more about the Ronart from magazines, the internet and by visitng the car's creator Arthur Wolstenholme at his workshop in Peterborough. Howard finally found a suitable donor car on Ebay in the form of a Jaguar Series 3 XJ6 4.2 litre manual, which after many adventures with the DVLA we drove down from Newcastle, passing everything on the way - except the petrol stations!
Delighted with our purchase, we pressed on with the garage build, joined the Ronart Drivers' Club and the Jaguar Enthusiasts' Club too - but we didn't tell them we were going to carve up our Jag!
Early in 2008 we joined the Ronart club members at Hanbury Manor for their AGM, and got to see a whole row of Ronarts. We had a great time, but I was intrigued by the fact that all the owners seemed to be men, none of their partners seemed to drive the cars, and none of the women shared my enthusiasm for actually building a Ronart. Surely I can't be the only woman ever to want to build a car - can I?
Note to self: look up women's motoring sites on internet, cancel subscription to Women's Realm and subscribe to Kit Car magazine!
Tales of Toad Hall - Chapter Three - Enter the Teal!
It was at this stage that we found out with a shock that Ronart kits are not being produced at the moment, since Arthur the designer is busy with his high-performance electric car, complete with loudspeaker engine sound effects for safety reasons! Disappointed , we returned to Stoneleigh in 2008 for inspiration, and there met the Teal Owners' Club - and I was smitten! Although the Teal also was no longer being produced, the infectious enthusiasm, friendliness and 'can-do' approach inspired me that a car could be available - not just in kit form.
After much soul-searching, Howard and I decided that we would have a car each - a Teal for me and a Ronart for him. So we placed wanted ads in both the club newsletters. And thanks to a couple of thoughtful members and a bit of divine intervention, we managed to find both the cars we wanted within the same part of the country - the south - a few hundred miles from us, unfortunately!
We went to look at the Ronart kit in Oxford, and agreed to pick it up with a trailer on the following Saturday; but between seeing the Ronart and picking it up we spotted an advert for a rather splendid-looking Teal....
After a brief chat with the owner to find out a bit more about the Teal, we were on the road to Southampton on Friday lunchtime with a borrowed van and a hired trailer. It was getting dark when we arrived. Excitedly we waited while the garage door was opened. We seemed to know as soon as we saw the Teal that it was just what we were looking for, and tried not to grin like Cheshire cats (not part of the negotiation skills manual). A firm handshake later we were loading the newly-acquired member of our family onto the trailer and setting out (initially taking a couple of wrong turns down unlit roads) on the long return journey to Yorkshire, where Howard, the Teal and I arrived at 4am.
Note to self: purchase Sat Nav and bag of opal fruits.
A van oil leak, a wash and brush up and a sleep later, we were back on the road for Oxford, old hands at the pick-up business now. By Sunday night we were in possession of both the Ronart kit and the Teal (now christened Mr Toad) as well. Success!
Tales of Toad Hall - Chapter 4 - We Make a Start
Having finally got the garage completed we were able to bring the cars home and make a start on our new hobby. Our original plan was to have the Teal available to play out in while the Ronart was being built. But given the time of year (November 2008), we are now in the process of servicing the Teal over the winter, ready to make our debut in the spring.
Note to self: Order a copy of Haynes' Manual for the Morris Marina and MGB - and a box of rubber gloves!
So far Mr Toad has had the benefit of a thorough clean and polish on the body and brightwork. The seats have been treated with a product called Leather Forever which has produced a great finish and protection, and the stiff, dry bonnet straps, which defied gravity, have been painted with liberal quantities of Neat's foot oil from the saddlers, and have responded well.
I've also been busy compiling Mr Toad's history, and thanks to the well-informed and much-travelled members of the Teal Owners' Club I have managed to piece together the Toad's past. V5s inherited with the Teal gave me all previous owners, and some early editions of The Teal Newsletter filled in some more gaps in its history.Using a steel box girder chassis from a kit produced by Bob Jones in Farnworth, and equipped with 1978 Morris Marina donor suspension, the Ferrari red, aluminium bodied T35 replica was built by Ben Trumble in Leeds in 1987.
The Toad's original owner took it on a number of European adventures with the club, and I have kindly been given some early pictures of its trips. We hope to take it on some adventures of our own in 2009 - details to follow.
Note to self: order a small set of travel luggage (very small!)
We have found that the best approach to take is to make sure that we never tackle a job unless we are armed with a supply of biscuits - and a large mug of tea.
This is the story up to November 2008 - more chapters will unfold as we progress with the build of the Ronart and get Mr Toad on the road. I hope you find our blog of interest - andplease do leave any comments for us on the Forum Page of this website....
Tales of Toad Hall - Chapter Five - Engine Out Christmas at Toad Hall is traditionally a lavish affair celebrated with family and friends, with dinner being prepared by ourselves. This year we received an inviation to dine with Howard's sister and her family in the rural village of Thorpe Wood, North Yorkshire (bliss - no sprouts left over till March this year).Because of this kind invitation we had a little more free time to devote to working on the Teal and the Ronart. But what with carol singing (not only for the mulled wine and mince pies), putting up trimmings, making holly wreaths and watching re-runs of Genevieve, we had only enough time to remove the Jaguar donor engine, gearbox and prop shaft for the Ronart - and it was a job and a half as we hadn't fully realised the size of the unit.
The manual gave the impression that this procedure was pretty straightforward, just release the engine from its mounting brackets, unbolt the gearbox from the prop shaft and lift out using an engine hoist (I never knew Haynes published works of fiction!). The removal was indeed fairly simple; it was accessing some of the bolts and releasing their grip after years of rust and heat that proved to be a challenge even for the compressor. There was also the tricky business of trying to push a two-ton Jag around in order to get the engine hoist in and out! But oh how wonderful was that celebratory mug of tea. Note to self: buy a set of body-building weights and a large can of WD 40. As part of our pre-Christmas celebrations we took time out to meet our fellow TOC members over two delicious lunches. It was at the one in the Lake District that we met with Phil and Jennifer Searle, who are not only Teal owners from Yorkshire like us, but had also heard of the Ronart and even considered building one themselves ( even Dame Edna Everidge would have thought that one spooky, readers). Having only had time for a brief chat we arranged to catch up with them at their North Yorkshire home to exchange car building experiences (well, more listen to their experiences, as all that we've done so far is a lot of dismantling and drinking tea!), and to look at their beautiful car. Howard admires as Phil Searle reverses his delightful Teal Phil and Jennifer's stylish vision is based on Ettore Bugatti's view that good engineering can also be good sculpture, and has been realised in the form of a very elegant and exclusive creation. As the shining image of brass and polished aluminium emerged from its housing it was clear that every aspect of the car had been subject to Phil's meticulous attention to detail, and the Teal was a joy to behold. It is a great inspiration to Howard and myself ( "a challenge to aspire to" ) said Howard. Note to self: purchase a copy of Car Design for Beginners and an electric car polisher!
All that's left is to wish all fellow TOC members a wonderful 2009. Sue and Howard. 31 Dec 2008 Sue and Howard will be updating their blog as they progress with the Teal and Ronart in 2009.... Tales Of Toad Hall - Chapter Six - Spare Parts A happy New Year to all, and welcome to our first blog of 2009. This month has seen us focussing our attention on The Toad. We have started by embarking on a fault-finding process (no, not blaming eachother) and parts replacement in order to improve engine performance (well, to get it starting, actually). New plugs, leads and a battery top-up have all helped to improve the ignition, but sooty deposits on the plugs suggest that the fuel mix is too rich; the next job is to check the carburettors set up. (bedtime reading: You, Me and SU too).
Note to self: ask beautician for a face cleanser that contains paint remover!
The local auto jumbles have also provided a useful source of parts, though the stall holders seem to purvey rather an eclectic mix of wares including slippers, table lamps and pipe tobacco. I'm all for making the garage homely, but some of this gear would be more at home in a gentleman's club! Howard says that I shouldn't worry if we can't find all the parts that we need as we can always make them ourselves (gulp!) and he wasn't joking. It seems that owning a Teal is a little more involved than it looks - and I thought that a 14-hour road trip to pick The Toad up was tough. Looks like buying it was the easy bit. Note to self: enrol on a car restoration course.
Tales of Toad Hall - Chapter 7 - February 2009 Hello readers and welcome to the final chaper of our blog, sad to say. We are pleased to report that we have finally managed to find someone to take away the remains of our Jaguar donor car, and we were happy to wave it goodbye - yet more oil on the drive! The space created in the garage, more like a cathedral it seems now, has allowed us to make room for the Ronart build area as well as the home for Toad - and just before the snows came, luckily. The work on the Toad is finally complete, and the MOT is arranged for the end of February through an old mechanic family contact (remember, never throw away those old Christmas cards - you might need to resurrect an old contact). Our friend Brian Crook once told me that when you own a Teal you always feel that there is some further job you could do before the Teal is complete, some additional feature or enhancement perhaps. He's right, of course, and our car is far from being the finished article, but the winter work is almost over and now is the time to get the Toad on the road - Poop Poop!
This month has also seen us attending the only car restoration course in the country, where we have been learning the rudiments of MIG and oxy-acetylene welding in preparation for making our own body panels for the re-styled Ronart. It's an interesting course that speeds by rapidly, though the goggles and gauntlels are not for the fashion-conscious girl about town! Hope my bum doesn't look big in these overalls! Our car events calendar is already looking busy as we hope yours is: Race Retro, St George's Garden Party in Berkshire and Drive It Day, along with a couple of car club AGMs. We look forward to making our debut in the Toad and hopefully meeting old friends and new at the coming events. Sue having a little lie down Howard's Ronart in rolling chassis form with Jaguar engine. Sue and Howard are planning to design their own aluminium bodywood, based possibly on the style of a pre-war Auto Union. Exciting. Toad Hall Teal and Ronart Update - November 2009 One of the highlights of the early summer was going back to Broughton on a very hot and sunny day with the Toad . Sitting at the back of our Teal drinking rose wine and eating fresh scones with clotted cream and our homemade strawberry jam seemed to capture what owning a beautiful open-top car in the British summer is all about. By contrast, another not so fond memory was when we put the cat among the pigeons by taking our beloved Toad to watch the Vintage CC hill climb at Harewood, and the stewards directed us into an excellent vantage point on top of the hill. Unfortunately this seemed to be reserved for originals not replicas and although the Toad didn't seem to mind being among a bunch of old fogies, the rudeness and ill manners of some of the spectators made it unlikely that we shall ever return. As a result of this, when we set out to meet Wetherby Classic Car Club a few weeks later we pulled into the car park with some trepidation, fully expecting the same unpleasantness that we had experienced with the VCCC, and we parked strategically in order to beat a hasty retreat. We were in fact treated with great warmth and openness, and, despite not actually being members at that point, we were kindly awarded second prize in the club concours competition!
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