Club Page 2021
Members in the News
David Spruce Has Been Busy
Happy New Year to you and all the fellow members of SPWCC.
You have some fascinating stories in the monthly newsletter so I thought I would write one of my own.
If too much I am sorry and if you don't use it it may make you smile .
For years I have been a collector of vintage motorcycles and back in March I stepped on the vintage car ownership.
Having convinced my lovely wife Val that a car would look lovely in our collection she agreed.
Little did she know I had been asked By the widow of the late Gordon Nutt if I knew anybody that might like to buy her Model T .
I showed Val the pictures I had taken and a few weeks later I had borrowed a trailer and was fetching it .
As I was planning on taking the car out all year behind our motorhome a couple of days later I had bought a car trailer of my own and it was in Chesterfield ready for me to collect .
Then stopped in the path of Covid 19 I could not go and fetch the trailer I had paid for so it was thankfully put into safe storage by the seller for what turned out to be quite a few weeks.
This is when I realised I would have to spend some more money to look after it properly.
The First problem when I got the car home was my lovely 1925 Tudor Model T was too tall for the garage doors I had got fitted, a very quick bodge and it was in but this had to be resolved very quickly.
Over the coming weeks I worked out how to lift the door by buying a lovely new set of taller doors and fitted them,
I could now get the car in and out easily except for the tight pace around it . This was now my next challenge to see if I could create more room around the car.
After weeks of measuring and drawing ideas it was about to start a planning application with Dudley MBC.
6 weeks later I now had building permission from Dudley MBC to extend my garage 7mtrs forward .
I had a couple of quotes which were coming in around £17.500 and nobody could start straight away .
Now as I had been on furlough from my job with Midlands Air Ambulance since the 23rd March and having what I called decent DIY skills I thought I could do most it myself.
But before this all started I needed to move the Model T for the duration of the work, so I decided to build a temporary shed at the side of the house and it was squeezed in with just a few inches to spare.
I sourced a local bricklayer who could make the brickwork look as good as the rest of the house and I had a good friend who does all kinds of gardening and building work who agreed to help me on a daily basis.
So the 1st week in November I had got all the materials I needed on order and due very soon, I now had to dig out the footing which was not as straightforward as expected due to a not so helpful building inspector but after 2 builders skips of dirt and rubble it was ready for the concrete.
The next week or so was all in the hands of the bricklayers .
Over the next 4 weeks I got the job complete and passed by the inspector ,
Thankfully I could now get the Model T out of its shed and now in its new home for Christmas .
So all in all my mate and I built the extension for £7500 .
So now I have my shiny new car trailer. I cannot tell my lovely wife that I have spent more money after buying the car than I did buying it in the first place.
Sadly a few days after I had finished the garage extension I had the news I was being made redundant as my job had dried up and was not going to come back for the foreseeable future.
Hope to see you all out and about in 2021 if we are allowed and invite all of you to both of my Vintage Rallies at Trimpley on Sunday 1st August and Arley on the 30th August assuming we will be allowed .
Best Wishes
David Spruce
ps
So a little lesson learnt is that I should think before I buy and maybe it is a good thing I don't always tell my lovely wife the true cost of everything . ( I am sure she will guess anyway )
You have some fascinating stories in the monthly newsletter so I thought I would write one of my own.
If too much I am sorry and if you don't use it it may make you smile .
For years I have been a collector of vintage motorcycles and back in March I stepped on the vintage car ownership.
Having convinced my lovely wife Val that a car would look lovely in our collection she agreed.
Little did she know I had been asked By the widow of the late Gordon Nutt if I knew anybody that might like to buy her Model T .
I showed Val the pictures I had taken and a few weeks later I had borrowed a trailer and was fetching it .
As I was planning on taking the car out all year behind our motorhome a couple of days later I had bought a car trailer of my own and it was in Chesterfield ready for me to collect .
Then stopped in the path of Covid 19 I could not go and fetch the trailer I had paid for so it was thankfully put into safe storage by the seller for what turned out to be quite a few weeks.
This is when I realised I would have to spend some more money to look after it properly.
The First problem when I got the car home was my lovely 1925 Tudor Model T was too tall for the garage doors I had got fitted, a very quick bodge and it was in but this had to be resolved very quickly.
Over the coming weeks I worked out how to lift the door by buying a lovely new set of taller doors and fitted them,
I could now get the car in and out easily except for the tight pace around it . This was now my next challenge to see if I could create more room around the car.
After weeks of measuring and drawing ideas it was about to start a planning application with Dudley MBC.
6 weeks later I now had building permission from Dudley MBC to extend my garage 7mtrs forward .
I had a couple of quotes which were coming in around £17.500 and nobody could start straight away .
Now as I had been on furlough from my job with Midlands Air Ambulance since the 23rd March and having what I called decent DIY skills I thought I could do most it myself.
But before this all started I needed to move the Model T for the duration of the work, so I decided to build a temporary shed at the side of the house and it was squeezed in with just a few inches to spare.
I sourced a local bricklayer who could make the brickwork look as good as the rest of the house and I had a good friend who does all kinds of gardening and building work who agreed to help me on a daily basis.
So the 1st week in November I had got all the materials I needed on order and due very soon, I now had to dig out the footing which was not as straightforward as expected due to a not so helpful building inspector but after 2 builders skips of dirt and rubble it was ready for the concrete.
The next week or so was all in the hands of the bricklayers .
Over the next 4 weeks I got the job complete and passed by the inspector ,
Thankfully I could now get the Model T out of its shed and now in its new home for Christmas .
So all in all my mate and I built the extension for £7500 .
So now I have my shiny new car trailer. I cannot tell my lovely wife that I have spent more money after buying the car than I did buying it in the first place.
Sadly a few days after I had finished the garage extension I had the news I was being made redundant as my job had dried up and was not going to come back for the foreseeable future.
Hope to see you all out and about in 2021 if we are allowed and invite all of you to both of my Vintage Rallies at Trimpley on Sunday 1st August and Arley on the 30th August assuming we will be allowed .
Best Wishes
David Spruce
ps
So a little lesson learnt is that I should think before I buy and maybe it is a good thing I don't always tell my lovely wife the true cost of everything . ( I am sure she will guess anyway )
