Any Gordon Keeble Owners Out There?

Any Gordon Keeble Owners Out There?

Author
Discussion

V10Mike

584 posts

205 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
quotequote all
For those of you who missed it in 1999, I've just noticed that someone has uploaded to YouTube the old BBC2 documentary "Several Careful Owners" about the Gordon-Keeble http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWqVxYRsrvg. I have to admit to being the brother of the opera singer rolleyes I actually kept and ran the car for about 9 months before taking it to France, but I obviously wasn't interesting enough for the BBC to be included! The sculptor who "would never sell" sold it in 2005 and it's now in Ireland.

Huntsman

8,028 posts

249 months

Thursday 21st June 2012
quotequote all
V10Mike said:
For those of you who missed it in 1999, I've just noticed that someone has uploaded to YouTube the old BBC2 documentary "Several Careful Owners" about the Gordon-Keeble http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWqVxYRsrvg. I have to admit to being the brother of the opera singer rolleyes I actually kept and ran the car for about 9 months before taking it to France, but I obviously wasn't interesting enough for the BBC to be included! The sculptor who "would never sell" sold it in 2005 and it's now in Ireland.
Thanks for that Mike, very interesting.

soaringace

78 posts

151 months

Tuesday 26th June 2012
quotequote all
Haven't been on here for a while and noticed that this post is suddenly active!

I've had No 60 for a couple of years and been gradually getting it sorted, but not there yet. I did have some initial work done by Terry Harris in Kilburn and can vouch for his good work. Engine not running well at the moment but hope to get that sorted. My Carter carb has also been replaced with a Holley.

The car has been used a few times for some car photography sessions run by Jason Dodd at Brooklands Museum - see example.

Alan

Edited by soaringace on Tuesday 26th June 19:12

JeffreyB

82 posts

154 months

Wednesday 4th July 2012
quotequote all
Seems like we're creating a useful forum for G-K owners here. Good luck with the new acquisitions and, if my experience is anything to go by, you're hooked for life. Here's mine as found 20 years ago and now.




V10Mike

584 posts

205 months

Thursday 5th July 2012
quotequote all
soaringace said:
Haven't been on here for a while and noticed that this post is suddenly active!

I've had No 60 for a couple of years and been gradually getting it sorted, but not there yet. I did have some initial work done by Terry Harris in Kilburn and can vouch for his good work. Engine not running well at the moment but hope to get that sorted. My Carter carb has also been replaced with a Holley.

The car has been used a few times for some car photography sessions run by Jason Dodd at Brooklands Museum - see example.

Alan

Edited by soaringace on Tuesday 26th June 19:12
I looked at number 60 back in February 2000 before I bought number 06. One of Gordon Proctor's fleet. Shame he lost the front screen trim. The engine wasn't running well then either! You might want to check how many threads you have engaged on the knock-offs -when I looked at it, they were only holding on by about 3/4 of a turn!

I've got a dozen or so pictures of the car from back then if this is of any interest.

Mellow Yellow

Original Poster:

885 posts

261 months

Wednesday 11th July 2012
quotequote all
As predicted, the GK was not ready for Le Mans classic this year, see below:



My thoughtful travelling companions did, however, apply some graffiti to the Volvo to make it feel a bit more Keeblish:


We also took this:

Not a Keeble to be seen at the classic but there was Keeble DNA to be found, one Peerless competing and despite a last minute quest for a replacement dynamo he did
complete all three stints:

Expecting the replacement gearbox to be with Terry later this week, it's not proving to be a cheap job but I didn't expect it to be. The gearbox side of things is probably not going to be too far over budget but there are a lot of other things that've turned up. None of them are big in themselves but they all add up. One of the suspension turrets had rusted through from the inside yet the other is fine, similar story with the trailing arms so all being replaced. At least once it's all done I'll be confident of having a solid vehicle, I think some photos will be appearing in the club mag. Ch76 is one of the cars that had an Ernie Knott body off chassis restoration and most of the chassis is in excellent condition, just seems to be a few points that have suffered. Well worth poking around with a screw driver for those new owners.

Huntsman

8,028 posts

249 months

Thursday 12th July 2012
quotequote all
Looks like its coming along.

I always think its worth replacing core plugs while you've got as motor out, unless you know when last done (apologies for potentially adding to your list of 'while your in there' jobs).

Are you going to be at the GK owners club thing on 2nd Aug? I'm going in the evening, wife can't make it but the chap that knew where 57 was that I pestered for years (!) is coming along.

B7trr

123 posts

143 months

Thursday 12th July 2012
quotequote all
Buying the GK is just the beginning it seems!

Le Mans looked like a worthwhile jaunt, wouldnt mind doing that myself with ch81 but not before I follow a similar path to you Yellow and start having a good poke with a screw driver.

Huntsman, I've committed to the 2nd for the evening.

Mellow Yellow

Original Poster:

885 posts

261 months

Friday 13th July 2012
quotequote all
Yep, will be coming on the 2nd, just the evening do.

JeffreyB

82 posts

154 months

Friday 13th July 2012
quotequote all
Nice to see that Peerless being used in anger. They make a better competition car than a daily use road car. I had one many years ago and I've lost count of how many times I had to re-attach the exhaust - the ground clearance was rubbish! A common bodge (or should that be 'development engineering'?) was to remove one of the fuel tanks from the sills and route the exhaust through there. A somewhat noisy solution but at least if both tanks were removed and replaced by a tank in the boot it got rid of the worry about sitting in a bath of petrol if you had the misfortune to be T-boned. Still, a great fun car and many happy memories.

soaringace

78 posts

151 months

Saturday 14th July 2012
quotequote all
V10Mike said:
I looked at number 60 back in February 2000 before I bought number 06. One of Gordon Proctor's fleet. Shame he lost the front screen trim. The engine wasn't running well then either! You might want to check how many threads you have engaged on the knock-offs -when I looked at it, they were only holding on by about 3/4 of a turn!

I've got a dozen or so pictures of the car from back then if this is of any interest.
Yes still missing the front screen trim, which I haven't been able to source. Read about the threads on the knock-ons in the GK book, but seems to have been sorted in the meantime.

Would be great to have some earler pictures of the car - if they are digital can you email them to me at soaring.ace@btinternet.com - thanks.

Was also at the Le Mans Classic but took the normally reliable Daimler SP250, which unfortunately had a minor electrical problem on the way down, but fixed relatively quickly as the several of the world's best SP250 experts were with me! Not quite GK related but here is a clip of the first of three track laps at Le Mans - quite cautious as it was damp, but great fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJJL91ixHws&lis...

Also hope to be at the 2/8 event but not sure in what car as #60 may not be ready by then.

Alan

phj

29 posts

173 months

Sunday 15th July 2012
quotequote all
Hello GK owners...well there's another one here !

I was just reading the latest edition of Keebling that dropped through my door this weekend and I noted David Yeomans' comments that PH seemed to be forming a good GK forum. And it seems he's right. I am over in Cardiff and last year bought CH48. I had long fancied a GK and as someone on this forum said, they seem to attract genuine petrol heads. I made a fairly pathetic attempt at CH36 - the lovely Powder Blue car back in 2009 but it was up for £50K plus £5K for the GK reg. I dithered and I think it went to Germany. Ended up buying a Lambo Espada which has been brilliant but I am now (reluctantly) selling to fund a resto on the GK. I have 4 other classics so I can't keep on adding!

I want to get CH48 all sorted for the Anniversary in 2014 - if the Lambo goes shortly then thats on plan but any delays will have me in a spin. I picked up CH48 from Godin Banks for £33750 - its very original, no altered gearboxes, arches, sunroofs etc - thats what I was after. They in turn had bought at the Goodwood revival Bonhams Auction in Sept 2011 and put some work into recommisioning it. Its very good but not perfect and thats why I want to put some work into it but its a lovely thing. I have traced a lot of its history back to about 1970. The whole GK thing just drags you in.

Great to have this forum and hope to meet you chaps at some future event. All the best.

Huntsman

8,028 posts

249 months

Sunday 15th July 2012
quotequote all
I'm delighted to know more of 57's history, I wonder if anyne knows which edition of mayfair contains the Bill Boddy article, I'm not sure I'll get away with buying copies of Mayfair until I find the right one!

Mellow Yellow

Original Poster:

885 posts

261 months

Monday 16th July 2012
quotequote all
Mellow Yellow said:
One of the suspension turrets had rusted through from the inside yet the other is fine...
Some nice photos of this (Supplied by Terry Harris) in the new club magazine.

V10Mike

584 posts

205 months

Monday 16th July 2012
quotequote all
Huntsman said:
I'm delighted to know more of 57's history, I wonder if anyne knows which edition of mayfair contains the Bill Boddy article, I'm not sure I'll get away with buying copies of Mayfair until I find the right one!
I just happen to have the original Mayfair article -I only bought the magazine to get it, of course!

The other car featured is, of course, Ernie Knott's -now returned nearly to standard.










Mellow Yellow

Original Poster:

885 posts

261 months

Thursday 19th July 2012
quotequote all
More progress.
Dashboard:

Pedal box:


Clean Engine

Cleaned Chassis:


Some way to go before it reaches Mikes level though!

Parabola

1,848 posts

196 months

Thursday 19th July 2012
quotequote all
Is anyone displaying a car at the Silverstone Classic this weekend?

RoyD

10 posts

185 months

Friday 20th July 2012
quotequote all
And then there were eight!
Well, strictly speaking, there has always been one more than you thought, as I've been a GK-owning Pistonhead for yonks now. It hasn't appeared lately though - was a regular for a while at Lavenham Rare Breeds and Helmingham Hall until a few years ago, but then a diverting interest gobbled up most weekends.

RoyD

10 posts

185 months

Friday 20th July 2012
quotequote all
Correction! I added one to the wrong total. Doh! So now there seem to be 11..........not 8! I'll read ALL the messages in future, instead of skimming!

Won't be at Silverstone - attending local Fun Day at Ufford in Suffolk. But will be attending the JSW event on August 2nd. We'll be doing the whole thing - Sub, boat trip, Spinnaker Tower et al.

Will see you later at Waterlooville. That's where our GK lived for several years in the late sixties, following its move from the City of London. Believed to be due to retirement by the car's first owner. Touch of Nostalgia, maybe?

soaringace

78 posts

151 months

Friday 20th July 2012
quotequote all
Will be at the Silverstone Classic just for the Sunday but will be in my Daimler SP250, not my GK.

I'm also organising a Classic Car Show for Saint Francis Hospice on Sunday 2nd September, which apparently can't be mentioned on the events part of the forum, as it's for charity?

It's at the Ford Technical Centre at Dunton, Laindon, Essex and should include some low speed parade laps around their Test Track. If any one is interested in attending, there is a small entry fee which all goes to the charity, but let me know.

Alan