Help Facel Vega, Facel 2
Discussion
theadman said:
Hideously expensive, if I recall correctly was about £500 a pair, but it was a long time ago and I don't want to be accused of exaggeration as Hans provides an invaluable service.
Whatever the number was, it made me wince and go to great lengths to find an alternative!
Yes Hans does like to charge.Which might be justified if he stuck more closely to the original in some cases.Windscreen rubbers for instance should be capable of easy gluing.They are silicon based and defy easy attachment.As to why he should think that stainless steel chassis plates are better I really don't understand.I have refused to stamp numbers on customers plates with the original number stamps because they were designed to stamp aluminium and not hard stainless.I have no intention of ruining the original stamps with correct typeface etc on stainless steel.He obviously has now the silk screening setup and should offer aluminium.Whatever the number was, it made me wince and go to great lengths to find an alternative!
Took my Facel 2 to Arundel today - did I get spotted? No, I never get spotted - and came back through Midhurst to fill up with petrol - as you do quite often with over six litres of Chrysler. Who was at the pump next door, filling his HWM-registered BMW but Mike Harting, the man hired by George Abecassis to sell the Facels for his HWM offshoot Intercontinental Cars? I don't who know was more delighted, him to see the car or me for him to see it! We spent so much time chatting that I never even filled up!
Bob CD said:
Took my Facel 2 to Arundel today - did I get spotted? No, I never get spotted - and came back through Midhurst to fill up with petrol - as you do quite often with over six litres of Chrysler. Who was at the pump next door, filling his HWM-registered BMW but Mike Harting, the man hired by George Abecassis to sell the Facels for his HWM offshoot Intercontinental Cars? I don't who know was more delighted, him to see the car or me for him to see it! We spent so much time chatting that I never even filled up!
Great stuff, I love the fact that PH has a threadon Facel Vega.Mike is a lovely chap who has some very interesting anecdotes!
I had quite a bit to do with him through work 10 years ago. He knew I was slowly restoring an HK and one day when I turned up at his office he presented me with a large framed print of the well known photo of Sterling Moss picking up his HK500 from Facel's Paris office. I have a feeling it had adorned the offices of Intercontinental Motors in years gone by.
When they handed over new cars in the early years HWM would give the new owner a white silk scarf as a gift (not sure if the Kamikazi reference was intentional)! Mike still had one or two left at that stage and offered me one when the car was finished as an incentive to get it done. Sadly, the incentive didn't work too well...the car's still not done!
Bob, I can imagine the two of you talked for ages and it probably made his day to see a Facel ll in use.
I had quite a bit to do with him through work 10 years ago. He knew I was slowly restoring an HK and one day when I turned up at his office he presented me with a large framed print of the well known photo of Sterling Moss picking up his HK500 from Facel's Paris office. I have a feeling it had adorned the offices of Intercontinental Motors in years gone by.
When they handed over new cars in the early years HWM would give the new owner a white silk scarf as a gift (not sure if the Kamikazi reference was intentional)! Mike still had one or two left at that stage and offered me one when the car was finished as an incentive to get it done. Sadly, the incentive didn't work too well...the car's still not done!
Bob, I can imagine the two of you talked for ages and it probably made his day to see a Facel ll in use.
I forgot to add that the Facel 11 immediately misbehaved after my chat with Mike Harting. Re-starting it, it sounded as though the battery was flat. The engine would scarcely turn over, but then it did get better and re-started. However, very soon after, it stalled twice more and again, the engine would scarcely turn over. It did, in all three cases, eventually re-start.
I just feel that the engine gets very hot and tightens up so much that it won't tick over and it is a massive effort for the battery to turn over the engine. When I first bought the car and mentioned this fact to the car's previous owner Rob Walker, his very first words were not 'how interesting, where did you get it from?' or 'what state is it in?' He simply said 'how are you going to solve the awful overheating?' Facels are known for it.
I have a fan (which I didn't use) and a bigger catch tank. The thermometer indicated 80 degrees, but I'm still sure that it's overheating that is causing this bad behaviour. Anyone got any hints or ideas what other tricks I could use to get the temperature down? I have to drive tactically and refuel when the car is fairly cool and I know that I can restart without the problems above.
I just feel that the engine gets very hot and tightens up so much that it won't tick over and it is a massive effort for the battery to turn over the engine. When I first bought the car and mentioned this fact to the car's previous owner Rob Walker, his very first words were not 'how interesting, where did you get it from?' or 'what state is it in?' He simply said 'how are you going to solve the awful overheating?' Facels are known for it.
I have a fan (which I didn't use) and a bigger catch tank. The thermometer indicated 80 degrees, but I'm still sure that it's overheating that is causing this bad behaviour. Anyone got any hints or ideas what other tricks I could use to get the temperature down? I have to drive tactically and refuel when the car is fairly cool and I know that I can restart without the problems above.
Hi Bob CD,
I have a liking for Facels so do keep tabs on this thread :-) Ref the slow turnover when hot starting, I have a Jensen with the Chrysler 440, that also can display a similar hot start behaviour. It may sound simplistic, but do you hold the accelerator down/open slightly when trying hot starts? I've found that presumably due to the vacuum in the manifold, if you don't do that it can really struggle to turn the engine over when hot. If it then keeps stalling when started, that may be fuel vapourisation, I've insulated all the fuel lines which seems to help. Is there a anti-vapour lock canister fitted on your engine? (placed just above the mechanical fuel pump)
Of course the slow turn over may also be electrical or starter motor related.
Hope this helps
Geoff
I have a liking for Facels so do keep tabs on this thread :-) Ref the slow turnover when hot starting, I have a Jensen with the Chrysler 440, that also can display a similar hot start behaviour. It may sound simplistic, but do you hold the accelerator down/open slightly when trying hot starts? I've found that presumably due to the vacuum in the manifold, if you don't do that it can really struggle to turn the engine over when hot. If it then keeps stalling when started, that may be fuel vapourisation, I've insulated all the fuel lines which seems to help. Is there a anti-vapour lock canister fitted on your engine? (placed just above the mechanical fuel pump)
Of course the slow turn over may also be electrical or starter motor related.
Hope this helps
Geoff
Thanks for your replies facelman and RossoGriff.
I think Ian Webb had the radiator blanked off by Serck when he was restoring the car, and it's been to Serck in Brighton since, John, maybe ten years ago. So in theory it should be OK. I met the guy who used to be in charge there in Haslemere the other day where he runs a motor factors, and he remembers you. However, I have thought of having it re-cored... There is that valance under the radiator which, in my case, doesn't have any air intakes, but I've seen some cars with intakes built into it.
Interesting tips there, RossoGriff. I shall try that with the throttle, but I'm always wary of flooding the carb. I shall also check the pump etc, but what we both, basically, suffer from is lack of space and air around the engine so they suffer massive heat sink when they stop. Many thanks to you both.
I think Ian Webb had the radiator blanked off by Serck when he was restoring the car, and it's been to Serck in Brighton since, John, maybe ten years ago. So in theory it should be OK. I met the guy who used to be in charge there in Haslemere the other day where he runs a motor factors, and he remembers you. However, I have thought of having it re-cored... There is that valance under the radiator which, in my case, doesn't have any air intakes, but I've seen some cars with intakes built into it.
Interesting tips there, RossoGriff. I shall try that with the throttle, but I'm always wary of flooding the carb. I shall also check the pump etc, but what we both, basically, suffer from is lack of space and air around the engine so they suffer massive heat sink when they stop. Many thanks to you both.
[quote=Bob CD]Thanks for your replies facelman and RossoGriff.
I think Ian Webb had the radiator blanked off by Serck when he was restoring the car, and it's been to Serck in Brighton since, John, maybe ten years ago. So in theory it should be OK. I met the guy who used to be in charge there in Haslemere the other day where he runs a motor factors, and he remembers you. However, I have thought of having it re-cored... There is that valance under the radiator which, in my case, doesn't have any air intakes, but I've seen some cars with intakes built into it.
The air intakes are probably a good idea.But it really is essential to block off the side gallery in the radiator.We always did this and at the same time fitted modern cores.If Mr Walker had the problem in period then you should not expect it to be better today with the traffic levels that we have.
I think Ian Webb had the radiator blanked off by Serck when he was restoring the car, and it's been to Serck in Brighton since, John, maybe ten years ago. So in theory it should be OK. I met the guy who used to be in charge there in Haslemere the other day where he runs a motor factors, and he remembers you. However, I have thought of having it re-cored... There is that valance under the radiator which, in my case, doesn't have any air intakes, but I've seen some cars with intakes built into it.
The air intakes are probably a good idea.But it really is essential to block off the side gallery in the radiator.We always did this and at the same time fitted modern cores.If Mr Walker had the problem in period then you should not expect it to be better today with the traffic levels that we have.
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