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Just after last months update Lucie was booked in for her MOT on 30th March at 11:45am at S R Tomson in Tamworth. The day before I went round to the garage to check that everything was OK and that she was ready. Caroline also came along with me with her camera which resulted in this little video being made. On the test drive everything seemed fine and Lucie ran really well and seemed to enjoy being out in the rain.
After a restless night wondering whether she would pass or not, next day I took her down to S R Tomson and I’m glad to say that she flew through the MOT with no advisories. Like last year the MOT chap could not help but smile at how basic a vehicle this is compared with later vehicles. Many features that folks take for granted on even the most basic of cars just do not exist on a Mk VI. We were therefore thinking about the basic things that a MK VI does not have and within seconds came up with this list though there are probably more to add to it:
- No seat belts
- No heater
- No windscreen de-mister
- No wind down windows
- No interior light
- No radio
- Synchromesh on first gear only
- No water pump or thermostat (uses thermo-cycle)
Mid-month I got around to doing an oil change and fitting a new oil filter ( A new old stock Esso 1106 Oil Filter ). When I changed the oil last year I used Morris straight cut 30 though it seemed a bit thin when the engine got warm so after a bit of shopping around and reading various reviews, I went for Halfords Classic Motor oil 20W50 that even comes in classic type metal can.
After the oil change I took the car for a spin and all seemed fine though once she has properly warmed up occasionally she had the odd backfire and ran slightly lumpier so I think the tuning need more adjustment. One thing that is much better though is the tick over. When the car is slowing down or whenever stationary she ticks over quite happily without a hint that she is about to cut out. This is probably thanks to the new carburettor.
Thanks to Norm Mort in Canada sending through a video I also got to see Lucie in the TV programme “The Royal” and she looked great in there (still no news when it will be on UK TV though). I also managed to get a 1961 brochure for the Mk VI van off e-bay that amongst other things mentions the vehicles ”modern lines and attractive finish”. Ironically I live in Tamworth, Staffs UK (home of the Reliant) and the brochure I purchased came all the way from the USA.
Elvis Payne.
April 2010
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