Parts relay service

**great68** · 12-10-2009 18:03

I can store stuff, in N London

**Ratty** · 12-10-2009 18:19

Great idea Russ , one I included myself when I started the Relay service on the "other" forum . Unfortunately in my experience it won't work

Really not trying to shoot enthusiasm down in flames here , but despite best intentions its not as easy to operate as you might think . When I was doing nationwide relays a couple of years ago I was travelling to all corners of the country every month but with different trailers on my truck (I was pulling tilts for Estron at the time) so if I kept parts on-board I'd be forever tran-shipping them by hand into my next trailer to get them to their destination . Having somewhere to drop them off for more local relays or re-collection later would've been a massive bonus .

Many people volunteered that they could act as a 'parts depot' for me to drop bits and bobs off to , but in the main (And there were exceptions to this) they couldn't actually do this when asked . There's just too many variables involved .

For example , can you guarantee being there when parts need dropping off ? In my experience most people can't be flexible enough to do this . If you're travelling a few hundred miles and have offered to transport someone elses parts as well do you really want to hang around for a couple (Or more) hours , halfway through your journey , for the person to get home from work and take delivery ? Or drop it as his work-place between the hours of 9-5 ?

Many times I wound up being stuck with large parts on the back of my truck for up to two weeks due to not being able to drop them anywhere . I once physically dragged a complete Ford banjo axle/prop/wishbones in and out of trailers (Sometimes onto the ground and back up again) for nearly 3 weeks because the person who said I could drop it with them wanted me to fit in wth their plans and wouldn't adapt to mine !

I'm not having a bitch here , I got an enormous amount of satisfaction from helping out fellow hotrodders , possibly more so when there was a bit of effort involved , and there are a few (And I do mean few) people out there who can be there when you need them , but in the main people seemed to find it easier to say they could help than actually do it .

Here's some excuses I've had in the past ;

Can you make it a couple of hours later as I'm having a pint after work with my mates ?

You don't have an engine crane with you ? (Why would I on a continental trailer) Oh , well you'll have to bring someone else to help us unload it then .

Yeah , sure , drop it off anytime ! 6am ? Well , I don't get up til 7 , are you ok waiting an hour ?

I genuinely wish you the best of luck with your efforts , and I'll quite happily eat humble pie if I'm wrong , but 've been there and done it and I honestly don't think it'll work with any reliability .

Cheers , Ratty (Prophet of doom

)

**English Impala** · 12-10-2009 19:32

Or when you go out of your way to drop an engine off after storing it and receive not even a thankyou......

Running between Midlands & Essex & fetching & carrying en-route has brought me into contact with some great folks, but sadly enough (within the same hobby) there's been a similar number of ungratefull ones.

I still do it, but now I pick & choose.....

**ROCKIN WOLEY** · 12-10-2009 20:53

As with Torment metioned there is enough space in our workshop to store short term packages up to cars on trailors located at Lee's garage junc 24a or junc 25 on the M1 or junc 1 A50. I think this is a fantastic idea but there has to be a central point of contact so that the storage relay can be monitored without everyone else knowing

Jeff

Injection is nice but I'd rather be Blown

**UK RUSS 1960 OLDS** · 13-10-2009 01:20

Hi Ratty,

The parts relay you started is very good and would probably be more successful if people actualy bothered to follow the instructions as well, its amazing how many people dont put any contact details on. (also including the NSRA here as well).

However this should hopefully improve when Si puts up the private area where it can only be seen by established members. (assuming it goes ahead).

If you know about your journey, days or weeks ahead putting a post up is fine, but for me personaly i rarely know more tham 12 hours ahead where i am off to next and often i have almost no warning at all.

I was talking to Al "Hemi Bucket" today and he is in the same situation as me until the phone rings he doesnt know where he is going. Therefore we would need contact numbers and most people do have a mobile phone to hand these days, speaking for myself once i go out the front door i have no access to a computer.

The relay points/places are the bits we need to get right whether this can be done remains to be seen. As an increasing number of people tend to work from home nowadays they would be ideal candidates for relay points.

Anyway hopefully we may need to post up a thread for "the Humble Pie Recipe" in the future.

Oh, and i am glad you replied to the post re the HGV driving hours, when i saw that question i thought how do you explain that to anybody so as it will make any sense. (well done that man

)

Thanks for your time.

Russ. 07762 - 747643.

**Ratty** · 13-10-2009 10:07

Originally Posted by UK RUSS 1960 OLDS

If you know about your journey, days or weeks ahead putting a post up is fine, but for me personaly i rarely know more tham 12 hours ahead where i am off to next and often i have almost no warning at all.

I was talking to Al "Hemi Bucket" today and he is in the same situation as me until the phone rings he doesnt know where he is going. Therefore we would need contact numbers and most people do have a mobile phone to hand these days, speaking for myself once i go out the front door i have no access to a computer.

The relay points/places are the bits we need to get right whether this can be done remains to be seen. As an increasing number of people tend to work from home nowadays they would be ideal candidates for relay points.

Anyway hopefully we may need to post up a thread for "the Humble Pie Recipe" in the future.

Oh, and i am glad you replied to the post re the HGV driving hours, when i saw that question i thought how do you explain that to anybody so as it will make any sense. (well done that man

)

Thanks for your time.

Russ. 07762 - 747643.

I had a similar thing set up , asked people to mail me if they thought they could store stuff and built up a database of a dozen or so volunteers dotted around the country at various handy spots (London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Scottish Borders etc) , unfortunately only a couple or three people ever came through on their offers .

I was in the same boat regarding forward planning , waiting at the docks to be told which trailer to take where , and I was lucky enough to find a pet forktruck driver who'd help tranship stuff if he was about . But its no joke when you've got someones (often large and heavy) parts on board and no way to get rid of them , and I had a 45' trailer to play with . Even then I wound up with stuff strapped to the catwalk and stacked in my cab .

Like I said , not trying to **** on your chips , but its amazing how many people expect you to move heaven and earth to do them a favour . But I do cook a cracking humble pie

. Bell me sometime on 07789 378263 if you want to chat about it

Glad the hours regs reply was useful chap , just wish I could persuade the German police to read them , cost me 150euro last trip and I'm still sure I was legal ! Ah well , off to Poland friday , that should be fun

**Roadrunna** · 13-10-2009 10:20

People said another hotrod site wouldn't work

Maybe things'll go different in a different environment

Or maybe it won't

**tootall** · 13-10-2009 10:47

Let's hope it does work. I have some storage space for stuff in the wilds of the Cornish south coast. Work from home too so am here most of the time.

**Ratty** · 13-10-2009 10:58

Originally Posted by Roadrunna

People said another hotrod site wouldn't work

...

Not me though

Originally Posted by tootall

Let's hope it does work. I have some storage space for stuff in the wilds of the Cornish south coast. Work from home too so am here most of the time.

Had you on my list too didn't I mate , trouble is you I had to drive past pretty much every other hotrodder in the UK to get to you ! Why don't you move somewhere sensible you bloody hippy

**40Stude** · 13-10-2009 11:32

For what it's worth. Junction 1 M5, so good for M5/M6 links. Usually 8.30-4.30 but I only live ten miles away so could nip back out of hours if needed.