S1g

It seems that many different wheel options were tried on the 800. Mine came with wheels similar in design to the standard gem. Allthough there was plenty of tread left on the existing tyres, through standing for so long they were very badly perished so a new set of Vedestrain and tubes were fitted.

As can be seen the clutch was fit for scrap so I have rebuilt it, this machine has a twin plate set up, so in turn this means that the kohler crank extension with the longer lugs has to used. I dug through my spare and found one the correct spec. For good measure I also fitted a new centre berring. The nearest bell housing that I could find came off a standard gem, one of the mounting holes will need adapting to fit properly.

It does sound sweet, I've been after one of those slopers for years but never quite managed to turn one up. Looks. Fantastic job you've done on the paint.

I was promised another one at the start of the month,however to cut a long story short this is now not going to happen. I remembered then an ex fire brigade water pump that has sat in the hedge round the back of my work for 13 years after being robbed of most its external parts. I wasnt hopping for much but after removing the head I could see luck was on my side, the piston had stopped at tdc so it is very good internally just needing a new set of rings, as the old ones are seized in the groves. It will be a bit of a bitsa but should make a very good engine once sorted.

The biggest issue is the engine, or rather lack of it. Checking the factory records there's no mention of what machine had which engine fitted. Due to the experimental nature of the 800's it is very likely that the engines were switched round and round. After studying original litriture an talking to an ex howard employee it turns out there was 3 different options. Sachs 600 diesel, today very difficult to find and can be a bit temperamental. Howard's own twin cylinder 810 cc engine, I ruled out this option because it would require a front starting set up which I only ever seen one photo of one, and never any in the flesh. The 3rd option is a kohler k301 which is what I plumped for, as they are easy to find, -or so I thought! The first engine that I obtained had the Conrod gone. The next was this one which looked and felt ok till I took it apart, the long and short of it is that it is shot!

Got to admit though my favourite "car" of all time is my subaru pickup, even though its a rust bucket nothing quite puts a grin on your face like this does, particuarly when it snows.

One of the first jobs after checking the condition of the gears was to rub down and spray the gearbox with some high build primer.

As a lot of you have seen on the other forum last year I aqquired a howard 800 which was a prototype replacement for the howard gem. However due to costs the machine never went into production. This will be a very slow project as it is in a shocking state and as most parts are unique it means everything has to be reconstructed. Possibly as few as 20 machines were built, and its likely only single figures still exist! It is also said that due to continual development work no two machines are the same.

The worst car I've ever owned is my 2008 ford focus. Build quality is awful, parts are very expensive as apparently to have a 1.8 in it is rare compared to the 1.6, fuel consumption is awfull early 30's for a diesel. The dashboard clocks have a mind of there own, rust allready starting,th bonnet is a nightmare to open (two person job),the windows don't work for the first 2minutes of driving and to top it all the flywheel has gone. This is my first and very last ford ever! Give me my Astra van any day.

Recently I've only posted it on www.mvbrumbybrat.co.uk . Several year ago I posted a request on tractor box for help with the welding. Initially I was only going to do the arch and sill, however the deeper I dug then the more rust I turned up, combined with sourcing a fortunes worth of new old stock parts and panels it has accidentally snow balled into a full blown restoration. Originally I used it for moving my Howard's about, however by the time it's redone it may be to good for that and I've kind of outgrown it in the terms of rotavators.

There's a few about with imprezza lumps in them, however I've allways fancied subaru s boxer diesel, however they are still too new to purchase one at the right price and the ecu etc would be a nightmare to sort out. It's surprising how quick the standard 1800 is also have never found anything like it in the snow. Getting very rare now only about 380 left on britains roads, so I will probably leave it standard.

It called the MV over here and the brumby in Australia. Surprise, surprise hear in the uk ours were all supplied down to the lowest pec possible.

Don't know if anyone is interested in what I've been up to recently but here's my accidental project. Boy don't they rot! Lots of holes and hidden rust. I've just completed a welding course at the local college, should get plenty of practise on this.

You'll have to watch you don't singe your beard if using it as a fag lighter!