This Forum - New Member Start Here

[ChrisD]

Hi I'm Chris Dennis your new Competition Secretary. I have only been a member for 26 years, and have just got round to joining the Forum. I had an Invader Mk1 for 22 Years, but had to sell it when I was made redundant a few years ago. I have also had a Sunbeam Alpine, Maserati BiTurbo, and a couple of Formula Fords (Lola, and Royale). At the moment I am just driving a VW Polo as my daily driver. I look forward to talking to you all.

Kind regarads

Chris

[Greybags]

Hi Chris, and greetings..

Welcome to the forum and hopefully you will become one of our "regulars"..

Glad we have a Competions secretary as I love a good competion...

Particular favourites are crosswords, and pub quizzes, or another favourite Gilbern competition, is "how the *&@£ do I get that bit off?"

Grahame

[Sherpacat]

Hi. I'm Sam from Chepstow, South Wales, and have just joined the forum to find out some more information about Invaders. I'm in the process of tidying up a classic 1970s mini and have the bug for classic cars. I'd appreciate any advice on what to look out for when looking at a nice decent Invader. Looking forward to finding out more about Gilbern.

[genie]

Hi Sam,
the best place this year to get the info. you seek on Invaders?
Have a day out.......Sunday 30th June 2013, Erddig Hall, Wrexham , North Wales.
There will be a field of Invaders/Genies/GTs, the spares tent....& current Invader owners willing to open bonnet /doors/ boot & talk cars all day.
We always welcome new interested buyers or people just interested to look & find out more. Bring some cash to buy a tee shirt or coaster from our regalia man, Dudley. Hope to see you there. Regards Julian (treasurer).

[Myrddin]

Hello everyone,
I've just joined the forum after recently becoming the proud owner of an Invader Mk111 (M30179) which I purchased from a GOC member after being put in touch by Brian Gent - Thanks Brian.
Always wanted to own a Gilbern ever since I learnt to drive in the 60s. I enviously saw them being driven around the Morganstown/Pentrych area (close to the factory at Llantwit Fardre) while I was driving around in my first car - a 3 speed 1950s Ford Prefect 100E (cost me all of £30). Now I've retired, I at last can afford one and hopefully with the help of the forum and other owners keep it running for another ?? years.

This is the first forum I've ever joined so you may have to excuse me till I get up to Speed and get the hang of it.

Cheers
Chris

[Greybags]

Hi Chris and welcome to the Gilbern fold.

Remember the old Ford Prefect well, with those infamous vacumn windscreen wipers dead slow and stop going up the hill, and a blur of rubber across the screen going down the other side

Gilberns are a bit more civilised..

Enjoy the Gilbern, and enjoy your retirement, both of these were some of the best things I've done..

Grahame

[Steve 351]

Hi My name is Steve and I am based in Worthing West Sussex. Have just found and purchased a Gilbern Invader Estate which needs a complete rebuild. I understand that the car has been in a barn for nearly 18years,everything is there but needs tlc.
I am retired but have restored several cars TR7s and 3 Ford Anglia's. I also help run and work on two racing Rover Tomcats for my Son who races with the BARC Championship.
I'm looking forward to starting this project shortly and looking to ask members for help when stuck! which will happen.
Thanks

[Greybags]

Greetings Steve and welcome to the wonderful world of Gilberns.

There are a load of us around, and this is often a good place to find help, and as a member you will be able to source most of your part needs through our own parts supply..

I am also the Estate historian for the club, and keep records of for the estates, so as well as always looking to add more pictures and information to the files from owners, I am always willing to share what I have so that you can build the history of your own car ..

So please get in touch, email, phone, anyway you can think of, and I will help all I can ..

Looking forward to hearing more about your estate, which is already a rare machine and special vehicle, and hope that you will be able to get it back on the road ..

Grahame

[Steve 351]

Hi Grahame thanks for the welcome.
Still waiting to look at car in detail, but seems to be complete but in poor condition.
Just an up date the car seems to have been store in a barn for over 21 years, so am told !
The Reg No KWR 511J. Chassis No IN 1165. Colour Blue. Ford V6 3000cc engine.
If you have any History of this car it would be great?
Would it have been sold as a kit car or Factory finished.
I understand the last owner lived in Worthing and may have had the car for over 30yrs

Any details would be great

Steve

[Greybags]

Hi Steve..

Thank you so much for the info, and I would very much love to talk to you more about your car as it would appear to be possibly only the 3rd or 4th car built

It really is an exciting find for me as the historian as this is one of the few totally "LOST" cars and is a new find as far as any Gilbern records are concerned.

If you could please contact me via email or phone so that I can learn as much as possible about this car, and provide any help I can...

I look forward to talking to you...

Grahame Slope
Estate Historian
G.J.Slope@BTInternet.com

[Gavin McArdle]

Oooooooh Steve.
Kit cars are dirty words to Gilbern owner!
Technically they were supplied either PKD (partially knocked down) i.e. unfinished or factory finished i.e. complete.
The reason they were supplied as unfinished was if the purchaser did a certain amount of assembly then the cars were exempt from purchase tax, but all the parts to complete were in the box.
Kit car kits consist normally of say a body shell and maybe a chassis and the assembler sources the other parts such as engines and transmission from where ever, so although parts of the car may be knew other parts may not be.
Sorry to be pedantic.
Gavin
3 litre spares (no doubt you will be contacting me sometime!!!)

P.S. welcome to the Club!

[Steve 351]

Hi Gavin,
Thanks for the welcome to the Club.
Sorry about the word 'Kit' I shall remember not to use this!
I've built 3 of them over the years and still use that word.
I will take account that you have the v6 knowledge which will help when I start this project.
In the pasted I have rebuilt a V6 in a Ford Cortina Savage that I owned back in the 1970's.
But I think this one in the Gilbern has seized ? which I will find out shortly.

Thanks Steve

[DB1]

Hello

I posted a while ago (my first post) somewhere else on the forum, but can't remember where now! Is EMG 229J still about? I remember seeing some pics of it on the site. I'm asking after it's health, as I used to own it nearly 20 years ago. It was a lovely car, full of character, and it's one of the few cars that I regret selling.

Hope it's still running well and providing enjoyment (if it's ever for sale, I'd love to know!).

I do keep looking for Invaders for sale, but they're getting pretty rare now.

All the best.

[tobyboy]

Hi,

just trying to get my way back into the forum.

GS

[avanti]

Hello to the Gilbern comunity

I live in Switzerland and due to my age I do no longer work fulltime. So I will have more time for my hobbies: Cars, bikes and boats.
I own 2 Gilberns:
An Invader Mk 3, LHD which I bought abaout 20 years ago. It was dry stored all the time and moved about 4 times with me and my house. The car is original but in a relatively bad condition for the colour and the electrical things. The chassis seams ok and the motor turns! (I checked today). The car needs a nearly full restoration.
The second car was bought this year by incident when I bought a Scimitar GTE for spares. The car is totally disassembled and in very sad condition. The engine lays in the car also two gearboxes and lots fo other parts. Window glasses are separate and in good condition.
As these cars are rather special and there are only a few in Switzerland and I have lost contact with these owners (as I worked too much obviously, but couldn't have done with less due to competition on all levels) I hope that I can get some advise by other members who are much more experienced than myself.
Paralell I also work on a Scimitar which helps due to the similarities in the mechanical components.
I am happy as I have now a workshop with nearly all equipment which is needed to a lot of work by myself.
That's it for the moment, when I get used to the forum I will try to upload some pictures t the moment I am still learning how to use the forum.
Kind regards to all of you!! and keep driving the cars. That's what I intend to do next year hopefully.