News from Powervamp Ltd

Powervamp MD drives Minor restoration project - with major help from Vanstones Garage

When you're restoring a car from the 1960s, it can help if you're involved in a business that produces jump-starting equipment and supplies high-performance batteries. It can also help if you have close connections to a firm with a track record in vehicle restoration work.

Ken Walker benefits from both, and has made good use of them in a project to bring back his 1968 Morris Minor convertible to its former glory. He is managing director of Powervamp Ltd, a specialist in professional jump-starting and aviation ground power. As part of the restoration, the car has been equipped with several products from the Powervamp stable - "but without detracting from the look, feel and authenticity of the original," Ken emphasises.

Meanwhile a family friend, John Vanstone, played a key role in connecting Ken with Vanstones Garage in Launceston, Cornwall, which has done the restoration.

Ken originally bought the car, a Trafalgar Blue model which has been named Nell, as a restoration project, but it soon became part of the family. However, Ken wanted to restore the bodywork and ensure it was mechanically sound.

Initially Ken approached a Morris Minor centre in Bristol, not far from Powervamp's Weston-Super-Mare headquarters, to do the job, but they pointed out that its condition put it "at the very bottom of the depreciation curve".

However, John Vanstone told Ken about some of the classic car restoration work done by Vanstones, a business owned by his brother Darren. The company was established in 1985 as a Land Rover specialist, but had branched out into general servicing and insurance repairs, and in recent years had also expanded into restoration projects.

John invited Darren to view the car. "I could see straight away that it had seen better days," Darren says. "It's difficult to assess a car at first sight, but it was obvious that it needed a lot of work - the doors didn't fit well, and there were lots of patches below the waistline. But it didn't look beyond the realms of possibility."

Ken arranged for Nell to be driven to Vanstones Garage, and once a budget and timeframe were agreed, it was left to Darren to restore her to her former glory. 

Serious surgery

Following a closer inspection at the garage, it was decided to go back to basics. This would involve cutting out all rusty metal and fabricating parts no longer available from scratch. A decision was made to cut the car in half across the centre to allow the removal of the remaining bad metal, whilst allowing the application of rust inhibitor to the fresh metal and inside the subframe.

This unusual process involved a lot of work, as it meant manufacturing a bespoke jig to keep the shape and measurements correct. The car was taken right back to bare metal and rebuilt from the bottom up, since any deviations from the original dimensions could seriously affect the car's handling.

Darren comments: "Sean, my lead bodyshop technician, had to make a calculation to measure original distances rather than current distances, otherwise there was a possibility it wouldn't fit back together correctly and the door gaps wouldn't match.

"It's not normal practice - it's a last resort, because you can lose so much of the structure of the car. It is serious surgery, and given the severity and re-alignment issues, it isn't something we jump into lightly." 

Keeping it original

Owing to the extent of the corrosion, new panels and crossmembers needed to be installed and a brand new floor pan was formed which, if maintained properly, could last for many decades. Despite the extensive rust, as many of the original panels as possible were kept to retain the spirit of the Morris Minor, as well as keeping the cost down.

While Sean dealt with the bodywork, Darren focused on the engine and mechanical issues. He comments: "When we ran the engine, there was lots of rattling and oil was leaking from a number of seals. We had to replace the timing chain with a new duplex mechanism, and the failing oil pump and water pump were also replaced, as were the worn shell bearings."

"The engine was basically in good order, but it had clearly lacked maintenance over the years and was showing general age-related symptoms. The crankshaft was worn, but was deemed acceptable to be left in place, given that the car would only be used occasionally."

"The engine was tidied up and colour coded to make it look new, but we were also conscious of the need to keep it looking original." 

Reunited

The project was started in August 2013, and altogether took two years to complete. At one point half a dozen staff were working on the project to complete the rebuild.

Ken Walker invested what he terms "a respectable amount of money" to bring Nell back to life, but says it was worth every penny. "There can be no doubt Nell became a labour of love for the Vanstones as well, taking many hours to bring the car back to its former glory."

Darren comments: "When we first looked at it we didn't realise how much work was required, and the remit changed during the project. It started as a light restoration to give it a few more years, and ended up as "Let's do this once and do it for life."

"It was great to work with Ken on the project," he adds. "He understands mechanics, and he used to bring his family along to see how the project was progressing.

"The icing on the cake was when we waved goodbye and saw the car leave - I understand his daughter was sitting on the wall at home, waiting for the car to come back. It was as if we had brought a member of the family back to life." 

Upgrades

Nell has taken up full-time residence on Ken's driveway, and was used on many occasions throughout the summer of 2015. However, despite looking brand new, she still had the original worn electrical system and, like numerous classic cars on today's roads, would be prone to intermittent starting issues resulting from having a weak battery and an original dynamo.

Ken decided to use Nell to showcase some of the premium automotive products retailed by his company, Powervamp Ltd, whilst also making the car as reliable as modern equivalents.

* An Odyssey PC925 dry cell battery was installed to provide three times more cranking power than a standard battery, along with zero maintenance. It has the ability to hold its charge for over two years – ideal for any seldom-used classic car. The engine will turn over and fire up more quickly, lights will shine brighter and any ancillaries will operate more quickly and effectively.

* A Powerlite Dynalite alternator was installed as a direct placement for the ageing dynamo. The Dynalite retains the exact same look as the original factory-fitted dynamo, but provides all the benefits of a modern alternator whilst remaining sympathetic to the look and feel of any period car. The Dynamite can save up to 40 per cent of the original dynamo weight, whilst delivering up to 80 per cent more power.

* Highly flexible aviation-grade battery cable was installed to replace the original battery leads, ensuring all battery connections were free from broken strands and high-resistant hot-spots.

* Finally, Ken added a mini lithium jump-starter in the glove box, “not so much for the sake of the Morris Minor,” he says, “but you never know who else you’ll meet on your travels with a flat battery.” The pocket-sized pack can start 12-volt engines of up to 3 litres in capacity, and even has dual USB sockets to recharge a phone or tablet device.
  

The future

Nell is taxed and insured for use all round the year, and Ken is confident that he'll be using the car throughout the winter, whatever the weather - after all, a flat battery is now no excuse for not giving her a run!

Ken and his family acknowledge all the hard work that went into getting Nell on the road, especially all the staff at Vanstones Garage who went beyond the call of duty to ensure they delivered a first class service and within budget.

PLEASE NOTE

A wide selection of additional higher-resolution pictures for this Morris Minor story is freely available at this location:

www.wordspreeweb.co.uk/powervamp/MorrisMinor

For further information on Powervamp Ltd, please contact:

Ed Roller
Powervamp Ltd
22 Bridgwater Court
Oldmixon Crescent
Weston-Super-Mare
BS24 9AY

Tel: +44 (0)1934 643000
info@powervamp.com
www.powervamp.com 
 

For further information on Vanstones Garage, please contact:

Darren Vanstone
Vanstones Garage
Newport Industrial Estate
Launceston
Cornwall
PL15 8EX

Tel: +44 (0)1566 773551
aftersales@vanstonesgarage.co.uk
www.vanstonesgarage.co.uk
 

Photo caption:
Powervamp's Ken Walker chose Vanstones Garage, Launceston, for his Morris Minor refurbishment, which involved taking the car back to the bear metal and forming a brand new floor pan. Various non-invasive Powervamp battery-related accessories have been added to enhance the car's performance from day to day.

This email has been sent to you selectively on the basis of your known and previously expressed interest in this type of material. If you would prefer not to receive emails from us, please tell us and we will remove you from our lists. Send an email headed 'No thank you' to: editorial@wordspreeweb.co.uk. Please use the email address in the main text or click "Reply" in your email window to communicate with us about anything else.