About

About Rusty Love

Gav, Mano and Paul of Rusty Love sitting on the 1969 Ford Capri
Gav, Mano and Paul on the Capri, early days. Also a band.

Spring 2019. I spotted a 1969 Ford Capri on eBay and fell for its shape. Beyond that, there wasn’t much of a plan. There rarely is.

For years I’d been glued to YouTube, watching other people’s barn finds: engines that hadn’t turned in decades, rusty, filthy, hopeless-looking things coughing, spluttering and then roaring back into life. Seized wheels creaking round again. Something everyone had written off, driving out under its own steam while the owner looks on in disbelief. Eventually I thought: why am I watching this when I could be covered in oil doing it myself? So I bought the Capri and pointed a camera at it.

The Capri’s engine was seized solid, the kind of solid that makes grown men lean on a breaker bar and question their life choices. The day it finally fired is still stored in my memory as a proper triumph. The car’s gone now. The itch hasn’t. There’s no cream for it.

It started in a garage in West Bromwich. These days it’s our workshop in Brierley Hill, still full of rust, still where the noise happens, and still nowhere near tidy.

The Capri on the driveway in West Bromwich, tools on the bonnet
Where it started: the Capri on my driveway in West Bromwich.

– Emmanuel

The crew

Who’s in the workshop

Ray, Tony and Gav in the Rusty Love workshop with the Capri behind
Ray, Tony and Gav, with the Capri behind.
Emmanuel, a.k.a. ‘Mano’Holds the spanner, the camera, and the grudge against seized bolts. Still has his destroyed National Geographic hoodie, holes and all.
GavGuest appearances, usually when there’s a carb to sort or a drum kit nearby. Also the workshop’s snack chef: if something smells good, Gav made it.
TonyThe “magic eye”, better than any spirit level. Fabrication, panels, axles: if it needs lining up, Tony’s on it. Builds his own hotrods too, including a 5-litre V8 Ford Model Y.
RayPanel work. Always throws himself in at the deep end.
PaulRegular in the early Capri episodes, and in a band with Mano and Gav.
SusieMy sister, and chief merch tester. First to try on anything with the logo on it.
SocSocrates, the workshop dog. Newest member, chief inspector of anything dropped on the floor.
Along the way

A few milestones

From the workshop

The crew, the shows and the odd one out

Each machine’s build photos live on its own page: Kate, Ford Pop, Transit, Frogeye and VW Beetle.

The blue Rusty Love and Classic Carbs workshop in Brierley Hill from outside, yellow Ford Pop in front.
The workshop from outside, with the Pop parked up.
Emmanuel, Tony and Gav in the workshop, Gav with a banana tucked in his cap.
Me, Tony and Gav.
Gav realising the scale of the work in front of us.
Gav realising the scale of the work in front of us.
Ray having a challenging day.
Ray having a challenging day.
Gav on his drums in the workshop.
Gav on his drums in the workshop.
Gav with one of our best followers.
Gav with one of our best followers.
Mr Garak on Emmanuel's shoulders in the workshop at Dudestock, with Kate behind.
Mr Garak, one of our biggest fans (and we’re his), on my shoulders at Dudestock.
Black Classic Carbs show banner reading Home of Rusty Love, propped up in the workshop.
Our banner for the first car show we did as Classic Carbs. Rusty Love got a mention too.
Tony’s hotrod: a 5-litre V8 Ford Model Y.
Tony’s hotrod: a 5-litre V8 Ford Model Y.
Rusty Love sticker on the bare-metal flank of Tony Model Y hotrod.
Tony’s Model Y hotrod, Rusty Loved.
A mower that got Rusty Loved.
A mower that got Rusty Loved.
A moped that got Rusty Loved.
A moped that got Rusty Loved.
Rusty Love merch
Merch being made: the logo going on.
Gav and Mano on a cup.
Susie trying out the new merch.
The metal cup, Rusty Loved.
Safety goggles. Worn correctly, for once.
Two blokes, one love. Kate.
The merch cabinet, lit up like a chippy.
Yes, it comes in pink. Hard men wear pink.
Bandanas, for the dog or the bloke.
The dog bandana. Kaida, very good boy, not included.
Rusty Love on holiday. The cap, not the car.
The range
The tee, black.
The tee, dark chocolate.
The tee, military green.
The tee, sport grey.
The hoodie, black.
The hoodie, bottle green.
The hoodie, navy.
Zip hoodies. Thumbs up included.
Trucker cap, black and red.
Trucker cap, chocolate and caramel.
Trucker cap, olive and black.

Wear the rust

T-shirts, hoodies and caps with the Rusty Love logo, embroidered properly, not printed on. Plus the mug with Mano and Gav on it, for your tea break.

Got something knackered or seized?Mowers, motorbikes, engines, anything that’s been left to rot. Tell me about it.
Send it in