BUILDING A VINTAGE BENTLEY PART TWO.
THIS PART 2 IS BASED ON AN ARTICLE THAT I WROTE FOR THE B.D.C REVIEW BUT NEVER SUBMITTED IT.
INTRODUCTION
THERE ARE NOT SO MANY VINTAGE BENTLEYS OUT THERE BUT THERE ARE MANY THAT WANT TO OWN ONE.
THANKS TO THE CHARISMA OF THE VINTAGE BENTLEY AND MARKET FORCES, THE PRICE IS BEYOND THE MEANS OF MOST THAT WOULD HAVE ONE.
THOSE OF US WANNABEES THAT ARE FINANCIALLY DENIED OWNERSHIP OF A BENT, HANG AROUND BDC SILVERSTONE AND THE BDC CONCOURSE, WATCHING THOSE PROUD BENTLEY OWNERS SITTING AT PIC-NIC TABLES NEXT TO THEIR BENTS QUAFFING LARGE QUANTITIES OF WINE AND FOOD. ALSO THERE ARE THOSE OWNERS STRUTTING AROUND IN THEIR BURBURY STRIPED BLAZERS AND BOATERS SHOUTING GREETINGS IN CULTURED TONES TO THE OTHER CLONES, LOOKING AS IF THEY BELONG AND BECAUSE THEY OWN A VINTAGE BENTLEY, SO THEY DO.
DON`T DESPAIR, THAT VINTAGE BENTLEY IS WITHIN YOUR GRASP, BY READING THIS ARTICLE YOU ARE HALFWAY THERE. BY FOLLOWING MY SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS SOONER OR LATER YOU WILL BE BUYING THOSE BIGGLES GOGGLES, FLYING HELMET, STRIPED BLAZER AND BOATER AND THE OTHER ESSENTIAL ACCOUTREMENTS TO YOUR NEW BENTLEY LIFE.
STARTING OFF.
BY BUILDING YOUR OWN CAR YOU WILL JOIN AN EXCLUSIVE GROUP OF BITSA OWNERS THAT BUILT THEIR BENTLEYS FROM SCRATCH. IN MY BOOK, THERE`S NO POINT IN JUST BUILDING A CAR BY STICKING A BENTLEY RADIATOR ON A KIT CAR OR A HOTCH POTCH OF VINTAGE CAR PARTS, A BITSA HAS TO LOOK AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN AN ORIGINAL CAR AND HAVE ORIGINAL RUNNING GEAR. ADMITTEDLY THE PETERSEN CARS ARE WELL BUILT AND LOOK GOOD BUT UPON CLOSE INSPECTION THEIR RR ORIGINS CAN BE SEEN.
ONE DISADVANTAGE WITH A BITSA IS THAT IT WILL NEVER BE AS VALUABLE AS AN ORIGINAL CAR. HOWEVER, IN MY OPINION. THE ADVANTAGE OF LOW BUILD COSTS OUTWEIGH THE OTHER DISADVANTAGES.
THE MOST NECESSARY ATTRIBUTE YOU WILL NEED TO BUILD YOUR CAR IS A DETERMINATION TO SUCCEED, WITHOUT WHICH, YOU WILL NEVER COMPLETE THAT BITSA YOUR PASSPORT TO A NEW LIFE.
SO WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF BUILDING YOUR OWN CAR?
A/ YOU CAN BUILD THE CAR THAT YOU REALLY WANT THAT LOOKS BETTER THAN AN ORIGINAL CAR FOR LESS THAN THE PRICE OF ONE OF THOSE KNOCK KNEED HORRORS THAT SEEM TO BE AROUND. BUYING AN UNFINISHED KIT MIGHT BE A SHORT CUT, BUT IN MY EXPERIENCE, MOST KITS OFFERED CONTAIN A LOT OF USELESS PARTS AND ARE OFFERED AT AN UNREASONABLY HIGH PRICE.
B/ YOU ARE IN FINANCIAL CONTROL OF THE PROJECT SO THAT THE BUILD COSTS CAN BE SPREAD OVER TIME AND YOU WON`T NEED TO TAKE OUT LARGE LOANS FROM THE BANK.
C/ YOU MEET AND GET TO KNOW OTHER BITSA BUILDERS AND ALSO THE CLUB MEMBERS THAT YOU WILL BUY PARTS FROM.
D/ IF GREAT AUNT GEMIMA SNUFFS IT AND LEAVES YOU ENOUGH DRINKING VOUCHERS IN HER WILL TO BE ABLE TO BUY AN ORIGINAL CAR, YOU CAN ALWAYS SELL ON THE PARTS THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY COLLECTED TO OTHER BITSA BUILDERS AND GET YOUR MONEY BACK OR EVEN MAKE A PROFIT.
E/ THIS CAN BE A TOTALLY ABSORBING HOBBY AND AS WELL AS BEING ABLE TO DRIVE AROUND IN THE FINISHED PRODUCT, GO ON CONTINENTAL RALLIES etc. YOU WILL ALSO EXPERIENCE THAT HEADY EUPHORIA OF ACHIEVEMENT AND WILL VALUE THE CAR MORE THAN IF YOU JUST BOUGHT ONE.
F/ ANOTHER GREAT ADVANTAGE IS THAT AFTER RECONDITIONING THE MECHANICALS, YOU WILL GET TO KNOW THE INNARDS OF THE CAR INTIMATELY AND KNOW THE HISTORY OF EVERY COMPONENT, MAKING IT EASY FOR YOU TO MAINTAIN AND REPAIR THE CAR WHICH WILL GIVE YOU A FEELING OF CONFIDENCE IN THE CAR. SOMETHING THAT YOU WON`T GET IF YOU JUST BUY A CAR.
COST OF A BITSA.
THE COST OF YOUR CAR WILL DEPEND LARGELY UPON YOUR MECHANICAL SKILLS. THE LESS SKILLS, THE MORE THE COST. I THINK IT WILL BE FEASIBLE TO BUILD A CAR FOR UNDER 50 GRAND IF YOU BUILD YOUR OWN ENGINE, BUILD YOUR OWN BODY, DO YOUR OWN UPHOLSTERY etc. MY CURRENT PROJECT A FOUR LITRE ENGINE IN A 4.5 LITRE CHASSIS WILL BE WELL BELOW THIS IN FINAL COSTS, ALTHOUGH I MUST SAY THAT I`VE BEEN COLLECTING PARTS FOR THIS CAR FOR OVER TEN YEARS.
BUILDING A BITSA WILL NOT BE CHEAP BUT IT WILL BE A HECK OF A LOT CHEAPER THAN BUYING AN ORIGINAL CAR.
ESSENTIAL RESEARCH.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT YOU MUST DO BEFORE COMMITTING FUNDS IS TO SIT DOWN AND THINK VERY CAREFULLY ABOUT WHAT CAR THAT YOU WANT TO BUILD. A LOT OF DECISIONS HAVE TO BE MADE. I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT AS ANY CHANGE IN DIRECTION AFTER BEGINNING THE PROJECT WILL INCREASE YOUR TIME AND COSTS.
GO TO AS MANY BENTLEY FUNCTIONS AS YOU CAN, TAKE PHOTOS AND DIMENSIONS OF THE CARS THAT INTEREST YOU, CAREFULLY NOTE THE ORIGINAL DETAILS ON ORIGINAL CARS AS ONLY CAREFUL DETAILING ON YOUR CAR WILL ENSURE THAT IT APPEARS TO BE CORRECT.
DO NOT RELY ON A BODY BUILDER TO CONSTRUCT A BODY THAT IS CORRECT, HE MAY HAVE PRODUCED SEVERAL BEFORE BUT THEY ALL MAY BE WRONG! THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO TAKE DIMENSIONS FROM A KNOWN ORIGINAL BODY PLUS BOTH PERIOD AND TODAY`S PHOTOS OF THE CAR. AND PRESENT A DOSSIER TO THE BODY BUILDER OF YOUR CHOICE. OTHERWISE YOU MAY BE DISAPPOINTED WITH THE RESULT AND IT WILL BE YOUR OWN FAULT.
HOW TO FIND PARTS AND HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
ANYONE WHO MAKES A LIVING KNOCKING ON OLD GRANNIE`S DOORS TELLING THEM THAT THERE`S A TILE LOOSE ON THE ROOF CAN PROBABLY SKIP OVER THIS CHAPTER.
UNLIKE BUYING SPARES FOR YOUR MODERN CAR THERE ARE NO BOOK PRICES FOR VINTAGE BENTLEY PARTS. THE NEAREST THAT YOU CAN GET TO THIS IS TO GET PRICE LISTS FROM THE USUAL SPARES SUPPLIERS INCLUDING THE BDC VINTAGE SPARES SCHEME ALTHOUGH THERE IS A FEE FOR THIS.
THE TRADITIONAL WAY TO FIND PARTS IS TO LOOK AT THE ADVERTS IN THE BDC REVIEW AND THE VSCC MAGAZINE, HOWEVER MORE AND MORE PARTS ARE BEING ADVERTISED ON THE WEB ON SITES SUCH AS www.prewarcar.com OR SEE THE LIST ON MY "LINKS" PAGE.
RESTORERS SOMETIMES HAVE USED SPARES SALTED AWAY, IT PAYS TO KNOW THE ESTABLISHMENTS IN YOUR AREA.
PRICES VARY A LOT DEPENDING ON WHO IS SELLING THEM AND I REPEAT FOR YOUR BENEFIT A PIECE OF ADVICE THAT MIKE HAY GAVE ME MANY YEARS AGO WHEN I COMPLAINED ABOUT THE HIGH PRICES OF BENTLEY BITS. HE SAID " IT MAY SEEM EXPENSIVE TODAY BUT TOMORROW IT WILL SEEM CHEAP".EXPERIENCE OVER THE YEARS HAS CONFIRMED THIS.
GOOD BARGAINING SKILLS ARE REQUIRED, ONE SHOULD NOT BE TOO EMBARRASSED OR OVERAWED BY THE WELL KNOWN SELLER TO HAGGLE, AFTER ALL, IT IS EXPECTED!
A VERY IMPORTANT POINT THAT I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IS THAT IF YOUR BUDGET IS SMALL, ONLY BUY THE ORIGINAL MAIN CASTINGS OR PARTS AND DO NOT BUY ANY NEW PARTS UNLESS YOU NEED THEM TO PUT TOGETHER AN ASSEMBLY. THE PRICE OF NEW PARTS IS ASTRONOMICAL AND IN MOST CASES DO NOT REFLECT THE ACTUAL COST OF MANUFACTURE BUT BUT ARE BASED ON WHAT THE PUNTERS WILL PAY.
WHAT I ENJOY DOING IS TO FIND A MACHINE SHOP THAT WILL CHARGE A LOWER HOURLY RATE DURING SLACK PERIODS. ALL THAT YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO GET DRAWINGS FROM THE BDC FOUNDATION AND ASK YOUR MACHINE SHOP TO GIVE YOU A QUOTE. IF YOU LIVE IN AN INDUSTRIAL AREA THEN THE PRICE THAT YOU ARE QUOTED COULD PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE BUT IF YOU LIVE IN A RURAL AREA WITH FEW MACHINE SHOPS THE PRICE MAY BE NOT SO GOOD. ALWAYS MAKE SURE THAT THE PARTS ARE MADE FROM THE CORRECT MATERIAL, IN MOST CASES IT`S DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHAT MATERIALS WERE USED AS THE MATERIAL IS NOT NORMALLY SHOWN ON THE DRAWING BUT ON THE PARTS LIST. "THE TECHNICAL FACTS OF THE VINTAGE BENTLEY" IS ESSENTIAL AND CAN BE BOUGHT FROM THE BDC SHOP.
ANOTHER VERY SATISFACTORY WAY TO GET PARTS IS TO REFURBISH PARTS THAT HAVE BEEN CONSIGNED TO THE SCRAP BIN. THERE ARE TECHNIQUES SUCH AS WELDING, HARD CHROMING etc. THAT CAN BE USED TO MAKE THESE PARTS AS NEW, BUT BE WARNED, ONLY USE KNOWN SPECIALISTS IN THEIR FIELD.
CLICK HERE FOR PART THREE.
INTRODUCTION
THERE ARE NOT SO MANY VINTAGE BENTLEYS OUT THERE BUT THERE ARE MANY THAT WANT TO OWN ONE.
THANKS TO THE CHARISMA OF THE VINTAGE BENTLEY AND MARKET FORCES, THE PRICE IS BEYOND THE MEANS OF MOST THAT WOULD HAVE ONE.
THOSE OF US WANNABEES THAT ARE FINANCIALLY DENIED OWNERSHIP OF A BENT, HANG AROUND BDC SILVERSTONE AND THE BDC CONCOURSE, WATCHING THOSE PROUD BENTLEY OWNERS SITTING AT PIC-NIC TABLES NEXT TO THEIR BENTS QUAFFING LARGE QUANTITIES OF WINE AND FOOD. ALSO THERE ARE THOSE OWNERS STRUTTING AROUND IN THEIR BURBURY STRIPED BLAZERS AND BOATERS SHOUTING GREETINGS IN CULTURED TONES TO THE OTHER CLONES, LOOKING AS IF THEY BELONG AND BECAUSE THEY OWN A VINTAGE BENTLEY, SO THEY DO.
DON`T DESPAIR, THAT VINTAGE BENTLEY IS WITHIN YOUR GRASP, BY READING THIS ARTICLE YOU ARE HALFWAY THERE. BY FOLLOWING MY SIMPLE INSTRUCTIONS SOONER OR LATER YOU WILL BE BUYING THOSE BIGGLES GOGGLES, FLYING HELMET, STRIPED BLAZER AND BOATER AND THE OTHER ESSENTIAL ACCOUTREMENTS TO YOUR NEW BENTLEY LIFE.
STARTING OFF.
BY BUILDING YOUR OWN CAR YOU WILL JOIN AN EXCLUSIVE GROUP OF BITSA OWNERS THAT BUILT THEIR BENTLEYS FROM SCRATCH. IN MY BOOK, THERE`S NO POINT IN JUST BUILDING A CAR BY STICKING A BENTLEY RADIATOR ON A KIT CAR OR A HOTCH POTCH OF VINTAGE CAR PARTS, A BITSA HAS TO LOOK AS GOOD OR BETTER THAN AN ORIGINAL CAR AND HAVE ORIGINAL RUNNING GEAR. ADMITTEDLY THE PETERSEN CARS ARE WELL BUILT AND LOOK GOOD BUT UPON CLOSE INSPECTION THEIR RR ORIGINS CAN BE SEEN.
ONE DISADVANTAGE WITH A BITSA IS THAT IT WILL NEVER BE AS VALUABLE AS AN ORIGINAL CAR. HOWEVER, IN MY OPINION. THE ADVANTAGE OF LOW BUILD COSTS OUTWEIGH THE OTHER DISADVANTAGES.
THE MOST NECESSARY ATTRIBUTE YOU WILL NEED TO BUILD YOUR CAR IS A DETERMINATION TO SUCCEED, WITHOUT WHICH, YOU WILL NEVER COMPLETE THAT BITSA YOUR PASSPORT TO A NEW LIFE.
SO WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF BUILDING YOUR OWN CAR?
A/ YOU CAN BUILD THE CAR THAT YOU REALLY WANT THAT LOOKS BETTER THAN AN ORIGINAL CAR FOR LESS THAN THE PRICE OF ONE OF THOSE KNOCK KNEED HORRORS THAT SEEM TO BE AROUND. BUYING AN UNFINISHED KIT MIGHT BE A SHORT CUT, BUT IN MY EXPERIENCE, MOST KITS OFFERED CONTAIN A LOT OF USELESS PARTS AND ARE OFFERED AT AN UNREASONABLY HIGH PRICE.
B/ YOU ARE IN FINANCIAL CONTROL OF THE PROJECT SO THAT THE BUILD COSTS CAN BE SPREAD OVER TIME AND YOU WON`T NEED TO TAKE OUT LARGE LOANS FROM THE BANK.
C/ YOU MEET AND GET TO KNOW OTHER BITSA BUILDERS AND ALSO THE CLUB MEMBERS THAT YOU WILL BUY PARTS FROM.
D/ IF GREAT AUNT GEMIMA SNUFFS IT AND LEAVES YOU ENOUGH DRINKING VOUCHERS IN HER WILL TO BE ABLE TO BUY AN ORIGINAL CAR, YOU CAN ALWAYS SELL ON THE PARTS THAT YOU HAVE ALREADY COLLECTED TO OTHER BITSA BUILDERS AND GET YOUR MONEY BACK OR EVEN MAKE A PROFIT.
E/ THIS CAN BE A TOTALLY ABSORBING HOBBY AND AS WELL AS BEING ABLE TO DRIVE AROUND IN THE FINISHED PRODUCT, GO ON CONTINENTAL RALLIES etc. YOU WILL ALSO EXPERIENCE THAT HEADY EUPHORIA OF ACHIEVEMENT AND WILL VALUE THE CAR MORE THAN IF YOU JUST BOUGHT ONE.
F/ ANOTHER GREAT ADVANTAGE IS THAT AFTER RECONDITIONING THE MECHANICALS, YOU WILL GET TO KNOW THE INNARDS OF THE CAR INTIMATELY AND KNOW THE HISTORY OF EVERY COMPONENT, MAKING IT EASY FOR YOU TO MAINTAIN AND REPAIR THE CAR WHICH WILL GIVE YOU A FEELING OF CONFIDENCE IN THE CAR. SOMETHING THAT YOU WON`T GET IF YOU JUST BUY A CAR.
COST OF A BITSA.
THE COST OF YOUR CAR WILL DEPEND LARGELY UPON YOUR MECHANICAL SKILLS. THE LESS SKILLS, THE MORE THE COST. I THINK IT WILL BE FEASIBLE TO BUILD A CAR FOR UNDER 50 GRAND IF YOU BUILD YOUR OWN ENGINE, BUILD YOUR OWN BODY, DO YOUR OWN UPHOLSTERY etc. MY CURRENT PROJECT A FOUR LITRE ENGINE IN A 4.5 LITRE CHASSIS WILL BE WELL BELOW THIS IN FINAL COSTS, ALTHOUGH I MUST SAY THAT I`VE BEEN COLLECTING PARTS FOR THIS CAR FOR OVER TEN YEARS.
BUILDING A BITSA WILL NOT BE CHEAP BUT IT WILL BE A HECK OF A LOT CHEAPER THAN BUYING AN ORIGINAL CAR.
ESSENTIAL RESEARCH.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT YOU MUST DO BEFORE COMMITTING FUNDS IS TO SIT DOWN AND THINK VERY CAREFULLY ABOUT WHAT CAR THAT YOU WANT TO BUILD. A LOT OF DECISIONS HAVE TO BE MADE. I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING WHAT YOU WANT AS ANY CHANGE IN DIRECTION AFTER BEGINNING THE PROJECT WILL INCREASE YOUR TIME AND COSTS.
GO TO AS MANY BENTLEY FUNCTIONS AS YOU CAN, TAKE PHOTOS AND DIMENSIONS OF THE CARS THAT INTEREST YOU, CAREFULLY NOTE THE ORIGINAL DETAILS ON ORIGINAL CARS AS ONLY CAREFUL DETAILING ON YOUR CAR WILL ENSURE THAT IT APPEARS TO BE CORRECT.
DO NOT RELY ON A BODY BUILDER TO CONSTRUCT A BODY THAT IS CORRECT, HE MAY HAVE PRODUCED SEVERAL BEFORE BUT THEY ALL MAY BE WRONG! THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO TAKE DIMENSIONS FROM A KNOWN ORIGINAL BODY PLUS BOTH PERIOD AND TODAY`S PHOTOS OF THE CAR. AND PRESENT A DOSSIER TO THE BODY BUILDER OF YOUR CHOICE. OTHERWISE YOU MAY BE DISAPPOINTED WITH THE RESULT AND IT WILL BE YOUR OWN FAULT.
HOW TO FIND PARTS AND HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?
ANYONE WHO MAKES A LIVING KNOCKING ON OLD GRANNIE`S DOORS TELLING THEM THAT THERE`S A TILE LOOSE ON THE ROOF CAN PROBABLY SKIP OVER THIS CHAPTER.
UNLIKE BUYING SPARES FOR YOUR MODERN CAR THERE ARE NO BOOK PRICES FOR VINTAGE BENTLEY PARTS. THE NEAREST THAT YOU CAN GET TO THIS IS TO GET PRICE LISTS FROM THE USUAL SPARES SUPPLIERS INCLUDING THE BDC VINTAGE SPARES SCHEME ALTHOUGH THERE IS A FEE FOR THIS.
THE TRADITIONAL WAY TO FIND PARTS IS TO LOOK AT THE ADVERTS IN THE BDC REVIEW AND THE VSCC MAGAZINE, HOWEVER MORE AND MORE PARTS ARE BEING ADVERTISED ON THE WEB ON SITES SUCH AS www.prewarcar.com OR SEE THE LIST ON MY "LINKS" PAGE.
RESTORERS SOMETIMES HAVE USED SPARES SALTED AWAY, IT PAYS TO KNOW THE ESTABLISHMENTS IN YOUR AREA.
PRICES VARY A LOT DEPENDING ON WHO IS SELLING THEM AND I REPEAT FOR YOUR BENEFIT A PIECE OF ADVICE THAT MIKE HAY GAVE ME MANY YEARS AGO WHEN I COMPLAINED ABOUT THE HIGH PRICES OF BENTLEY BITS. HE SAID " IT MAY SEEM EXPENSIVE TODAY BUT TOMORROW IT WILL SEEM CHEAP".EXPERIENCE OVER THE YEARS HAS CONFIRMED THIS.
GOOD BARGAINING SKILLS ARE REQUIRED, ONE SHOULD NOT BE TOO EMBARRASSED OR OVERAWED BY THE WELL KNOWN SELLER TO HAGGLE, AFTER ALL, IT IS EXPECTED!
A VERY IMPORTANT POINT THAT I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE IS THAT IF YOUR BUDGET IS SMALL, ONLY BUY THE ORIGINAL MAIN CASTINGS OR PARTS AND DO NOT BUY ANY NEW PARTS UNLESS YOU NEED THEM TO PUT TOGETHER AN ASSEMBLY. THE PRICE OF NEW PARTS IS ASTRONOMICAL AND IN MOST CASES DO NOT REFLECT THE ACTUAL COST OF MANUFACTURE BUT BUT ARE BASED ON WHAT THE PUNTERS WILL PAY.
WHAT I ENJOY DOING IS TO FIND A MACHINE SHOP THAT WILL CHARGE A LOWER HOURLY RATE DURING SLACK PERIODS. ALL THAT YOU HAVE TO DO IS TO GET DRAWINGS FROM THE BDC FOUNDATION AND ASK YOUR MACHINE SHOP TO GIVE YOU A QUOTE. IF YOU LIVE IN AN INDUSTRIAL AREA THEN THE PRICE THAT YOU ARE QUOTED COULD PUT A SMILE ON YOUR FACE BUT IF YOU LIVE IN A RURAL AREA WITH FEW MACHINE SHOPS THE PRICE MAY BE NOT SO GOOD. ALWAYS MAKE SURE THAT THE PARTS ARE MADE FROM THE CORRECT MATERIAL, IN MOST CASES IT`S DIFFICULT TO KNOW WHAT MATERIALS WERE USED AS THE MATERIAL IS NOT NORMALLY SHOWN ON THE DRAWING BUT ON THE PARTS LIST. "THE TECHNICAL FACTS OF THE VINTAGE BENTLEY" IS ESSENTIAL AND CAN BE BOUGHT FROM THE BDC SHOP.
ANOTHER VERY SATISFACTORY WAY TO GET PARTS IS TO REFURBISH PARTS THAT HAVE BEEN CONSIGNED TO THE SCRAP BIN. THERE ARE TECHNIQUES SUCH AS WELDING, HARD CHROMING etc. THAT CAN BE USED TO MAKE THESE PARTS AS NEW, BUT BE WARNED, ONLY USE KNOWN SPECIALISTS IN THEIR FIELD.
CLICK HERE FOR PART THREE.