General Chat

Have been watching my usual chick flicks today, yes, you know the ones, they are about Hitler.

Anyway, I was watching one about the V W Beetle and the man driving one crunched the gears.

It just reminded me that, because I always drove disreputable wrecks, I learned to double de-clutch and often needed to do it as a matter of course, now I sometimes still do it.

:-S
I think the ex used to do this with the moggy van, before we decided
on a biennial gear box change :-D

The first car that I learnt to drive in was a low-line Ford popular

Three speed gearbox (plus reverse) No synchromesh between first and second gears. Had to double declutch tho change gears.

As it was my dad's car I learnt swiftly and painfully :-D

A 100E?

I don't know, Sharron, it could have been. I'm not very mechanically minded. No doubt at least one person on these boards would be able to give chapter and verse ;-)

I do remember that it had rather a long gear stick. I was driving it in the centre of Manchester one day, went to change gear and the gear stick came out of its housing. :-D

Blind panic until I reinserted it on the move :-D

We had one of those Allan, (don't know Sharron), I too learned to double de clutch.

They had side valves as well!

I also learnt to double-declutch and, in Malta, how to "stop ze car by ze engine brake". This was a very useful bit of information to have if your brakes ever failed.

The car in question was a Morris Minor.

Another art, is to start /drive/stop the car when the clutch wont disengage.

I was never taught that one, Bob.

Even though our new car is automatic I still prefer the control you have when driving a manual car. Feeling the 'bite of the clutch, listening to the engine revs as an indication when to change gear.

I never went rallying, but if I had done those days would now be well and truly past so I might as well relax and let the car make those decisions :-D :-D

Sharron, what I do remember about it was that when the bonnet was opened the engine seemed so tiny. To my fevered mind you could almost jump into the engine compartment and walk around it :-D

Mainly follows on from motorbikes,Allan .....if the clutch cable broke.....

or you lost the clutch cylinder...



I agree there.. it used to be a hole with an engine in it... these days the hole is filled with engine management equipment...!