"That`s no good, its Monkey Metal" AKA `foreign`

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Sun 13 Jul 2008 21:31
"That`s no good, its Monkey Metal" AKA `foreign` - oilrag
Spoken by a man I knew in the 60`s on him examining the all alloy bike engine I had at the time.

An older chap at the time, he had grown up working on iron heads and blocks and just hated alloy in all its forms.

Idiosyncratic views of one ageing mechanic or a symptom of island nation, car industry malaise, at anything `foreign`?

`Foreign` is a term that often seems to crop up, a term that is outside my acquaintance socially for at least 40 years, laden as it so often seems with inbuilt prejudice and value judgements.

My point is that a certain insularity of personality that has helped us as a nation in difficult times, has seemingly done us no favours at all in the post Second World War motor trade.
(british bike industry as an example)

The UK as a `Little Englander` theme park holds no attractions to me, with its country and village prejudice towards `outsiders`

Its in the Human Psych then.. and the best that can be hoped for is a new liberal justice generation fighting protectionism in the EU.

You know it makes sense, especially regarding ease of motoring across borders in our new commonality of Europe and beyond.

`foreign` What`s that then?
;)
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Sun 13 Jul 2008 21:42
"That`s no good, its Monkey Metal" AKA `foreign` - Lud
Watch out, you tripe-guzzling, frog-torturing, sausage-eating, bull-baiting er, fellow Europeans!

Here comes Euro-oilrag with protectionism in his sights!
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Sun 13 Jul 2008 21:51
"That`s no good, its Monkey Metal" AKA `foreign` - oilrag
Well, I asked GB for a topic last week. In its absence I spun a mental dice.

(must re read `The Diceman)

;)
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Sun 13 Jul 2008 23:09
"That`s no good, its Monkey Metal" AKA `foreign` - gordonbennet
Well I asked GB for a topic last week.


And i only keep a stock of picnics...boom tish..i thankyou...-;)

I'm completely lost in this one where it's going, way over my downtrodden proletariat head, but i can see many dangers out the corner of the one good eye, so i'm keeping schtumm.

I don't recall the topic request by the way, apologies if t'was i you refer to, my limited working class academic and language abilities pale to insignificance beside your remarkable choices of subject....keep it up.

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Sun 13 Jul 2008 21:57
"That`s no good, its Monkey Metal" AKA `foreign` - Screwloose

Not sure if he was referring to it's origin or it's quality.

"Monkey Metal" is a very poor form of [recycled?] aluminium that's very prone to crumble when corroded and is almost impossible to thread reliably.

When compared to top quality aluminium-based alloy; like tooling plate, it's chalk and cheese.
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Sun 13 Jul 2008 22:01
"That`s no good, its Monkey Metal" AKA `foreign` - oilrag
My expensive Honda bike engine (to me at the time) and those beautifully crafted solid alloy brake and clutch levers.
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Sun 13 Jul 2008 22:03
"That`s no good, its Monkey Metal" AKA `foreign` - nortones2
That's what many said about the ohc high revving Honda CB72 for example, compared with contemporary Brummagem wares. Somehow, the Japanese with their monkey-metal managed to keep in business, but the antiquated cast iron/pushrod specialists have vanished.
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Sun 13 Jul 2008 22:57
"That`s no good, its Monkey Metal" AKA `foreign` - qxman {p}
"Monkey metal" is Mazak (an alloy which is mainly zinc with aluminium and something else - can't remember the details). I know they used to use it for door handles and trim on older cars and it corrodes and crumbles badly.
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