Manky Monkey Motors

nsra swap meet 2011 6th march arena, essex. www.nsra.org.uk

Possibly the coldest place on Earth in early March, but also one of the coolest.  :)

Chevy Rick and I got there about 9:15 after an easy ride on pretty quiet roads.  Saw very few interesting cars on the way, just a Firebird and a suped up 100E. Saw some others early on in the journey, a very nice sounding kit car and a very early clean looking escort,  but I reckon they were going to Goodwood.

Yes it was very cold but loads of interesting stuff. Found most of what we wanted fairly early on so that allowed us to look around the second time at a more leisurely pace.

Saw some familiar faces including Andy aka Manky.

Good day with lots of interesting vehicles both in the Arena and in the car park. I am sure Rick will be posting some photos.

JayJay  :)  

Loony, Tom & I cruised around the bottom half of the M25 & through the Dartford tunnel this morning & arrived a respectable half an hour or so after the swapmeet gates opened. Spent another quarter of an hour queueing to get in -& found JJ & Rick already back at their car, laden with goodies. Did you guys camp out at the head of the queue or something?!
Lunatic & I have been to the Essex Arena venue several times before, but it was Tom's first visit. We warned him just how cold it gets there, but I don't think he believed us. What is it about that place that makes it so bitterly cold?
As usual, I went there saying I wasn't buying, just looking, but still managed to blow a nundred quid on bits & pieces. We paid our 7 quid entry & I bought some new door handles for the Pop, a bonnet hinge strip, a set of gauges, a gear change gaiter & various other odds n ends. Tom picked up a water pump for his Chevy truck. And Loony bought a coffee & a burger. Probably the most sensible browser of the 3 of us.
As always, being the first big event of the hotrodding year, there were lots of the regulars there. The swapmeet's as much about renewing acquaintances as it is bargain hunting. Nice to see the boys of the Surrey Street Rodders, several of whom had stalls -I bought a length of heater hose from Harold who was at Loony's workshop for the garage evening a couple of weeks ago. CJ & Sonia in their Caprice station wagon, Kev Rooney, Keith Harman, Tino, Toad, (hotrod Toad, not bike Toad), Calvin etc, etc. More European visitors this year, notably French & German, but a few other languages in the crowds too. One bunch of, (possibly), German rodders were organised enough to have a mini bus in the carpark & were serving up hot food for themselves from a generator powered contraption which appeared to be cutting slices from a large round cheese using a hot blade to create melted cheese on bread rolls. Ingenious.
Lots of interesting motors in the carpark, though as JJ said, not as many on the roads as previous years -maybe they all got there early. Some cool projects for sale inside too. If I'd had the money I could easily have come home with several new additions to our project collection. 
A good morning out & a great way to start the new season.

High
And low

Lots of trucks this year.
The little red Caddy engined wrecker was apparently on Ebay recently for 12 grand. I kinda liked it.

"Radio Flyer" type wagons are always popular -both for carrying the kids & the bargain buys. This one sported a nitrous bottle, zoomie exhaust headers, a parachute, complete with "Remove before flight" tag & a wheelie bar. Probably more Dad's toy than the kids'.

Interesting axle set-up on this trike. A single brake disc operating on one driveshaft by the look of it. Quad bike?
Check out the offset on those rear wheels.

.

Buick Riviera. I love the front of these.

Very nice model A Ford truck.

Ragtops.
Up
And down

Klunk's Rover.
Loony's next project -he wishes.

"Bad"?
Anyone else remember when Thrush sidepipes were cool?

A prospective project or two.

.

I'm always amazed at just how much old tin, both British & American, there still is out there.
If you enjoy ferreting through heaps of rusty old parts, looking for that elusive thingamajig to finish your rod for the Summer, this is the very place to find it.
Same time next year then guys.  ;)

Nice to see my old ride being treated as it should  ;D

(http://www.mankymonkeymotors.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=8572.0;attach=20783;image)

Bollox!!!!!! guess who forgot  :-[ :-[ :-[ ::) ::) ::) spent the morning fixing a fuel problem on the LR though....

You forgot?! Why, t'was the place to see & be seen Shaun. Everybody who's anybody was there. And us.

Trucks always look at their best covered in road dust I think Kev.  :)

The colds taken its toll this year mate... all those day's & evenings rolling around on the garage floor working on Bobcat in readiness for the Dragon in minus temps has frozen the brain ....

 ;D  Ah well, there's always next year -we'll see you there in the Pops.

just down the road from me and I didn`t know about it.................bah!!!!!!!!

A great day for bargain hunting came away with some goodies on my want list, the Austin big six in the photos caught JJ's eye, had to drag her away before she layed some big notes out for it  ;D ;D ;D


(http://i.imgur.com/JkCDi.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/V758t.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/rXTcV.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Kzlvw.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/kMzfT.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/RRJCf.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Af0dp.jpg)

We saw the "Purple Turtle" mark 1 Consul/Zodiac, apparently broken down on the way home. Passed it before we could stop, but hopefully they got home O.K
The puppy was gorgeous & a big hit with the show goers.

By the time we came past it Andy, it was already on the back of a big yellow recovery truck.

Keith

Hope they hadn't just bought it!

Never mind the axle, I want a towing device like that!

I want it.

Purdy, ain't it.

Real, real purdy.

No no no no no, I don't need more toys.

I'm cheering myself up by noting how much that Chevy Nova looks like an upgraded Austin Princess.