So following the disastrous attempt at running fish and chip shop we sold the business at a loss. I started work at Applyards Jaguar in Leeds and Adie and my mum kept the shop running until a sale went through. Following the sale the new owners promptly split the house / shop / cafe / flat into several properties and sold each for a big profit. Hard lesson to be learned.

So following Appleyards I took a job at Swan self drive looking after the hire cars. During this period Adie and I had bought our first 'proper' house and I was building hot rods on an evening with a mate John Broadbent who had access to some space in a mill workshop in Batley. We had sold several kit cars by now so when the oportunity came up to rent a garage in Gildersome came up I took it.

I tried hard at Greenfield to make a real go of both general repairs, custom paintwork and full on custom car and hot rod building. Its here I first met Martin McFadden, a car dealer for whom I did a lot of work over the years. Bottom line; I failed and eventually had to close the business. I had promised John Broadbent, with whom I had been designing and building the kit cars, I would help finish building his hot rod. As a thanks for all the help he had given me with the kits and during the build of my Ford Pop hotrod; the fact that I had to renage on this promise is one of my lifes regrets.

Time for another aside I think. 😄 So I thought it would be a good idea to document all the jobs / employment I have had over the years. Not promised to be exaustive or in the exact order, but as near as I can remember!

So following that disaster I continued doing work for MRM, but using Alwyns garage outside Woodlands Drive. Then comes the next stable period where I started work for Prospet Garage in Morley. I worked there a good few years, had a slight break when I went to work with Colin at Minster Minerals. Then managed to get my job back also managing to get as far as acting foreman in the workshop. This was a good job where I made many friends, I even ended up with a company car, happy days.

During this period I was approached by an acquaintance - Alan Staniforth, a keen amateur motor racer who new of my experience of building carsfrom the ground up. He knew of a company in Yeadon called Sarcon who were looking for a research and development engineer to take a mini based kit they were developing to market. So began another chapter. For a bit of background see...

Wonderful personal development, but a career mistake! The history of the company was that the startup had contraced companies in the midlands to create a kit car based on the Mini. A space frame chassis and a fibreglass sports body. However the companies failed to bring the project to fruition. Whereupon the two directors decided to take the project in house and this is where I come into the picture.

It was clear from the getgo that there were major issues in making this a commercial proposition, great as a racing car but too expensive to produce, especially the space frame. Also the body design meant that during rain the water ran down your neck, no roof. The answer build a hard top. We did manage to produce several and took them to the Hull Show where we sold several. Part of the deal was that we would also produce my kit cars under licence so these continued to sell and did bring in some income. It all came crashing down when it turned out we were on the payroll of a mill in Guiseley, a bit of creative accounting of one of the directors.