Yes what happened to the story about Bruce McLaren hacksawing up shifting spanners?
Yes what happened to the story about Bruce McLaren hacksawing up shifting spanners?
That photo was taken a bit before Bruce had that sort of control. Mike Barney (stilson in hand) was still working for Coopers at this time. Not sure if I ever saw/heard of him cutting up a 'Shifter', but I did witness him once remove a 'nut knurgeler' (as he would call them) from the hand of a very surprised mechanic, and throw it in the rubbish bin after he started his own team.
In the earlier photo we have our Mayers mixed . Teddy standing on the back of the wagon, Timmy driving.
Just a quick explanation.
Knurl (roughen the surface)
Geld (remove the nuts)
Knurgeld - the resultant finish on the surfaces of a nut after having a knurgeler applied.
Knurgeler (noun – the ‘d’ being dropped in this form) - the adjustable gap tool used to mutilate the hexagonal pattern of a nut just prior to it slipping and smashing your knuckles into an hard object.
I must confess that I do have a couple of these tools in my tool box at the moment, but they are used only when all else fails, and even after all these years I have a quick look over my shoulder to make sure Bruce is not watching.
Classic Wal!
Mike Barney was/is good company. I recall him filling out an 'arrival form' on a flight into America, and where they asked 'occupation' he wrote 'Scrunch knurgeler'. I wonder if he was thinking of the tool he has in hand in that photo.
I also wonder what ever happened to that form when it reached the person who was to vet it, they are probably still trying to figure that one out.
In a similar vein Steve Horne once told me of a piss take of Van Der Straten's son who was not that skilled engineering wise. during the annual stock take of everything including the truck, there was always a box of a dozen " swooples'' to be account for and ticked off the list
A few years ago! Jim Richards.