Not really. I just called Gaydon to get build data for a car as I have done hundreds of times before.
Apparently, they are now going to charge for this service and owners are being asked to only contact Gaydon through accredited clubs (which we will be very shortly). The charge is GBP 5 per enquiry, GBP 19 for a dataing letter and GBP 35 plus GBP 1-15 p/p for a Heritage Certificate. Visits to Gaydon archives to peruse the Progress Books are still free (once you have paid to get in).
This is not good news for us, as I can no longer obtain build data for members unless I charge GBP 5 a time. Luckily we at least have the OHC Genome.
I suppose this was inevitable really.
Here is their new website:
http://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/
Progress?
Moderators: Ian Grace, Will Grace
Re: Progress?
Both the VMR and the EMS are now fully acrreditted clubs in the eyes of Gaydon. So anyone who would like their build data, a dating certificate or a heritage certificate should apply through one of these two clubs and the charges will be as per my previous post - unless you want build data which I already have, in which case it will be free, and indeed can be found in the Member's Area of the website for OHC Minors, where build data for some 275 surviving OHC Minors can be found by following the link "Morris Motors Vintage Minor Chassis Progress Book Data".
Since it is still free to visit Gaydon and go through the Progress Books, I suggest we mount a raid some time and go in armed with pencils, pencil sharpeners notepadsa dn a hit list of data to retrieve, chief among which should be the construction of a SV Genome. Three or four people could easily do this in a day.
Since it is still free to visit Gaydon and go through the Progress Books, I suggest we mount a raid some time and go in armed with pencils, pencil sharpeners notepadsa dn a hit list of data to retrieve, chief among which should be the construction of a SV Genome. Three or four people could easily do this in a day.
Re: Progress?
Does this mean that Gaydon can identify what was on a build from just the chassis No.? 
if it's got wheels or chips - it'll cost you dear
Re: Progress?
Yes. The Progress Books (there are 8 for the OHC and 12 for the SV Minors) record every chassis built. One line per chassis, about 30 per page. Next to each chassis number are the date the chassis was laid down, when it was tested (rolling road), when it went to the body shop, when it was final tested (road test), when it was despatched from the works, the engine number fitted and the body type fitted. I made the Genome from the last column, so we now know the body type fitted to each chassis. This took 16 hours of writing over 2 days. It would clearly take weeks to get all the dates, although I did do that for the 250 or so known chassis at the time. Since then (about 3 years ago), I have been calling Gaydon regularly every time a 'new' car turns up and they have given me the build data over the 'phone. I then added this to the list I referred to above, on the website, and also to the Genome. But now we have to pay five quid for each chassis' build data - UNLESS we visit and extract the data from the Progress Books ourselves. Hence the suggestion that we plan a Gaydon raid sometime.
The history of these Progress Books is quite interesting. The Bullnose Club managed somehow to liberate all the Bullnose and Flatnose Progress Books from Cowley many years ago - before the advent of Gaydon. I would kill for the original Minor Progress Books. If the Morris Register had been more interestd in chassis details than selling tea towels, they could probably have done the same thing...
The history of these Progress Books is quite interesting. The Bullnose Club managed somehow to liberate all the Bullnose and Flatnose Progress Books from Cowley many years ago - before the advent of Gaydon. I would kill for the original Minor Progress Books. If the Morris Register had been more interestd in chassis details than selling tea towels, they could probably have done the same thing...
Re: Progress?
in the 70's a lot of BSA history was saved from skips, including very early, original design drawings on linen. This is probably how some rarities turn up in private hands. I doubt the mr could have got the books but i suspect they could have got microfiches done of them for club records. By the way, how about a club tea towel? We could get every member to draw themselves and then do a primary school style tea towel 
if it's got wheels or chips - it'll cost you dear
Re: Progress?
I used to visit the photographic section at Cowley. They had a huge collection of glass plate images dating back to 1913, and the department let me browse the unsorted plates. All these plates had been discovered by another visitor who happened to see them in a skip outside the photographic department and raised the alarm. One day I visited and was refused access. I was told that the previous week, a group ofM0**is Re**st*r members had been caught slipping glass plates into their briefcases.
I also used to visit de Havillands at Hatfield (ahhh... de Havilland) to visit their photographic section. On the first visit they took me to an old pre-war house on the far side of the aerodrome where they kept their pre-war photo albums. The roof was leaking and the whole place was running in damp. The albums were wet and growing mildew. I got straight on to Peter Masefield - the then Chairman of DH - and he saw to it that they were recovered back to the photographic section for safekeeping. Unfortunately, at some date prior to this, all the Stag Lane albums (i.e. everything prior to 1934) had 'walked' and have never been seen again. Now that Hatfield is closed, the surviving albums are kept at Farnborough.
I also used to visit de Havillands at Hatfield (ahhh... de Havilland) to visit their photographic section. On the first visit they took me to an old pre-war house on the far side of the aerodrome where they kept their pre-war photo albums. The roof was leaking and the whole place was running in damp. The albums were wet and growing mildew. I got straight on to Peter Masefield - the then Chairman of DH - and he saw to it that they were recovered back to the photographic section for safekeeping. Unfortunately, at some date prior to this, all the Stag Lane albums (i.e. everything prior to 1934) had 'walked' and have never been seen again. Now that Hatfield is closed, the surviving albums are kept at Farnborough.