CARROT TOWN Catch up
Classic American catches up with Stuart Davies, proprietor of Carrot Town Garage, to find out the latest goings-on with the business…
Workshop update
Stuart Davies explains his motto: “If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing right… And if you own, or have owned, a classic American car you know that these cars were not that good when they left the factory, let alone 50 years later. They were mass-produced to a budget, but were simple and many different cars used the same components to keep costs down. The biggest problem with these cars 50 years later is not the parts availability – most cars have a huge supply of replacement parts and upgrade parts available. The problem is the 20-plus different people who have done various ‘repairs’ to the car during its lifetime. Many cars would have been owned by people who did home mechanics back in the day and when something stopped working, they just ran a new wire to it directly.
“We recently had a gorgeous custom 1975 Corvette in the shop, it had been fitted with a Viper alarm at some point in the Nineties which really wanted removing. We removed the dash pod to gain access, but then discovered that the custom shop had literally ripped the dash out and glued it back in place. The wiring was a mass of scotch locks, plastic connectors and electrical tape. Even the upgraded headlight motors had been scotch-locked into the car’s wiring loom. We basically had to remove and rewire the entire dashboard wiring loom as the wiring was a fire hazard. We sorted the wiring, then set about repairing the dash so it could be reinstalled properly. The Corvette was delivered back to the customer, who now has the peace of mind that his pride and joy was safe to enjoy.
“Recently a customer brought in a 1981 C10 pick-up to us for a service and wanted a new heater matrix fitting. We fitted the heater matrix and then found the thermostat was missing, so we fitted a thermostat. There was a small leak on the radiator which we were able to repair with a bit of brazing. While the radiator was out we discovered someone had welded the viscous fan together as the bearing had probably failed at some point, so we removed the viscous fan and replaced it with a modern electric cooling fan with adjustable thermostat.
“Another problem we found was the power steering pump wasn’t in line with the pulley, causing the engine to chew the fan belt. At some stage someone had fitted an aftermarket bracket that was too thin and it had twisted. We fabricated a thicker bracket and lined everything up properly. The important thing is that the customer now has heating and the cooling system is working correctly.
“Most things are simple fixes and just take a bit of extra time but the important thing is doing the job right in the first place.”
Carrot Town Garage Car Club update
Come and be part of the show! We have our own American car show booked on Sunday, July 25 at Stonham Barns near Ipswich. Everyone is welcome and we can finally get out in our cars for the day. Stonham Barns is a great location as they have lots of things going on and all facilities are on site. Please check out their website for more details: www.stonhambarns.co.uk/whats-on
We’re really excited for this as we can’t wait to get out and start doing car shows again. If you are putting your car on the display field, entry is free for car and driver. Any subsequent passengers or walk-in attendees are £10 on the gate. We will keep you updated on the show via our website and Classic American magazine.
Spring specials in partnership with Classic American magazine
We are still running our workshop spring special to readers with a full service for just £200 plus parts. We also have another incredible deal with the help of Lucas Oil products with 10% off lubricants and Evans Waterless Coolant is offering a 10% discount on waterless coolant. So call today to get your car serviced and ready for the show season. Please mention Classic American magazine when booking your workshop spring special.
(Offer valid until June 30)
Merchandise
Our T-shirts are selling like the proverbial hot cakes and are available through our website and by calling us directly to place your order today. Please keep a lookout on our website for more details and the latest news.