Soldato
Some great stories in this thread. 
Strangest thing to happen to your motor?
- Thread starter [SKR]Phoenix
- Start date
1972 Triumph Toledo
Not my car per se (Actually, at all - it's my friends), but it's got a few stories about it!
We once decided to take a trip to Plumstead, where there's a spares place that stocks a lot of old Triumph stuff and the like. Easiest way there was in to London and across the Woolwich ferry.
As we approach the docking point the car stars revving quite high in the middle of a gearchange. I'm thinking my mates going to try some sideways action and is planning to dump the clutch or something, but he's got an odd look on his face. I see his legs performing some sort of tango, then cue the little 1296cc engine being at full throttle with no gear engaged on a blowing exhaust system! Major noise surrounds the area and everyone standing at the dockside is looking at us like we're some sort of zoo animals, curious as to what the hell is going on.
A few seconds later my friend stops and turns the engine off. Starts her up again and we hit multi-thousand rpm heaven in an instant. At the moment, we're blocking the entrance to the dock with everyone doing an "Ohh, the old car's broken down" look. People are starting to get out cars, and so we thought we'd best do the same. A bit of pushing later and we're staring in to the engine bay wondering what the hells going on. We have broken down literally 400 yards from a Triumph garage with the Thames in between! Then my mate notices what's causing it - the throttle release spring... isn't there anymore! We search the car for an alternative trying string, elastic bands, bits of bendy metal but to no avail. The guy who works at the dock comes over and offers us a helping hand. Apparently he used to be a mechanic and worked on the Toledo's quite a bit, but any help was a bonus. While I was chatting to him, my friend was wandering around when he trod on something - his throttle release spring! The top "loop" of the spring had snapped away, but a bit of plier action later and I'd bent a new loop in to shape and we were attaching it back on. Started her up, and she was fine! Off we went to the garage to buy a new spring
Another funny, but worrying story was when another friend and I were in the car, with me in the front passenger seat. He was saying how this car was unsafe because it had no airbags and wouldn't crumple etc. I said we don't need airbags because it doesn't crumple - we can push everything out of the way. "What about seatbelts? I haven't got any back here!", "You can use the back of the seats as a block", I said, "But we've got good seatbelts here!". I then gave the seatbelt holder a demonstratory tug... and it came off the chassis in my hands!! It just broke away!
Not my car per se (Actually, at all - it's my friends), but it's got a few stories about it!
We once decided to take a trip to Plumstead, where there's a spares place that stocks a lot of old Triumph stuff and the like. Easiest way there was in to London and across the Woolwich ferry.
As we approach the docking point the car stars revving quite high in the middle of a gearchange. I'm thinking my mates going to try some sideways action and is planning to dump the clutch or something, but he's got an odd look on his face. I see his legs performing some sort of tango, then cue the little 1296cc engine being at full throttle with no gear engaged on a blowing exhaust system! Major noise surrounds the area and everyone standing at the dockside is looking at us like we're some sort of zoo animals, curious as to what the hell is going on.
A few seconds later my friend stops and turns the engine off. Starts her up again and we hit multi-thousand rpm heaven in an instant. At the moment, we're blocking the entrance to the dock with everyone doing an "Ohh, the old car's broken down" look. People are starting to get out cars, and so we thought we'd best do the same. A bit of pushing later and we're staring in to the engine bay wondering what the hells going on. We have broken down literally 400 yards from a Triumph garage with the Thames in between! Then my mate notices what's causing it - the throttle release spring... isn't there anymore! We search the car for an alternative trying string, elastic bands, bits of bendy metal but to no avail. The guy who works at the dock comes over and offers us a helping hand. Apparently he used to be a mechanic and worked on the Toledo's quite a bit, but any help was a bonus. While I was chatting to him, my friend was wandering around when he trod on something - his throttle release spring! The top "loop" of the spring had snapped away, but a bit of plier action later and I'd bent a new loop in to shape and we were attaching it back on. Started her up, and she was fine! Off we went to the garage to buy a new spring
Another funny, but worrying story was when another friend and I were in the car, with me in the front passenger seat. He was saying how this car was unsafe because it had no airbags and wouldn't crumple etc. I said we don't need airbags because it doesn't crumple - we can push everything out of the way. "What about seatbelts? I haven't got any back here!", "You can use the back of the seats as a block", I said, "But we've got good seatbelts here!". I then gave the seatbelt holder a demonstratory tug... and it came off the chassis in my hands!! It just broke away!