ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO

by John and Pat Cooper (published in the Isetta Gazette June 1979)

On the momentous day our Isetta 583 ECG passed its MOT test, we felt we had to take time off to tell you about our 'job lot'. Having been looking for a bubble car for six months, since our son came home with a Cassel Book of the Isetta, 1957-1961, that he purchased for 5p at a jumble sale, we had a phone call from Bryan Luker to say that he had heard of some cars for sale.

We phoned the seller and were told that he had, "Three for sale, but I want the 'readies' in cash, and I must sell them today." So we went to see the cars. One was in a junk yard, and two were stuck in a field some miles away. They were full of snow, dead leaves, and brambles, and they went as a job lot, or not at all. None of them were runners, one had no headlights, one a colander floor, and the third had all the wiring cut, but we decided to take a chance.

Next day, in bitter January weather, we hired a car trailer and got the two from the field. The third one we towed until the binding brakes started to smoke, so we had to go and pick this one onto the trailer as well. This was a maroon and grey car, 583 ECG, and as this was the newest one, registered in 1962, we decided to start work on her.

Three weekends later, after digging snow off of the drive to put down a mat to lie on, and slowly freezing, we hired a garage to work in. The engine was stripped and cleaned, and luckily was in fair condition. Then the wiring was re-connected and - Lo and behold - the lights, wipers and one flasher worked. Then started a frustrating session of re-wiring and re-connecting everything at least three times, until we discovered the flasher switch was shorting out on the steering column. Then the battery wouldn't charge, so we had to strip the commutator to check the magnetic field. Perfect! Then we discovered a spare cut wire, and when this was reconnected some 30 seconds later, the battery charged. Almost beside ourselves with cold, we realised that we had wasted a whole day, but now we knew how to strip and rebuild that little lot. In the meantime, in early March, between bad snowstorms, we had three days Spring Bank Holiday to strip and re-spray her bronze and gold. Then the roof needed replacing, so we made up a new tan vinyl roof and riveted it back into place, hoping the tension was correct. It was!

The floor only had one small hole in it to be covered, and then the interior was relined with gold coloured carpet. The seat, luckily, only needed the springs re-wiring underneath and a good scrub to be as good as new.

The last job was the brakes. Four week ends, complete brake rubbers, two new pipes, and six pints of brake fluid, we actually got them bled and hard. Then the dip switch broke. After trying unsuccessfully to repair and then adapt this, we stole the one off of the orange Isetta!

Then, with much trepidation, we took her for the MOT test. She failed because the only rubber brake pipe we hadn't replaced was sweating. The tester however said that we had obviously spent a lot of time and effort on her, and if we re-presented her back within a week she would be free. So £1.37 and an hour's work later she went back and passed. Whoopee!

Next winter, our blue Isetta, 542 BEL will be worked on for daughter. Then the orange car, YOW 788, which we have given to our fourteen year old son will come last. Still, as we have three years before he can drive, time is on our side.