Stone guards and coolant

Couple of simple jobs tonight after work. First up fitting the stone guards to the rear wings. Both sides of the car had quite a few chips and marks where stones had been thrown up so these new pieces serve to cover the existing marks and prevent further damage. Finished in black carbon effect they also look quite nice.

Fitting was quite easy once I’d prepared myself for drilling the body work. Each one hooks over the outer wheel arch and then is fixed in place using the supplied black rivets. I didn’t use as many as had been supplied as more than 6 seemed unnecessary. In each case a small Hole was drilled first then it was enlarged with a second drilling. The black rivets are quite discrete although the finish on a couple of them came away when fitted so I might replace them at a later date.

Before – chips and marks and even a hole on this side.

The new panels are drilled and riveted on

After – new panel in place

After – new panels fitted

Next job this evening was to drain the coolant and remove the pipes I want to replace so I can measure up. The only easy way to gain access to the bottom of the radiator to drain the coolant is to remove those. This was straight forward enough. Disconnect the indicator wiring on each side then there’s 3 bolts to remove and the nose comes straight off giving good access to the radiator and the lower connecting pipe work.

The old hoses that I am replacing to alter the coolant circuit were tricky to remove having been in place for 15 years but eventually they came off. The connection to the water pump was particularly stubborn.  The new steering wheel boss had arrived and I tested that for fit too. Hopefully I’ll get to the parts shop at or before the weekend and I can start to put things back together and get back on the road.

Easy jobs

It’s been a sunny afternoon in Shropshire so I escaped work early to go and potter with the car. First up was an easy job – new gear nob. A nice aluminum Westfield one. 

Then I installed the storage nets I ordered from China. They are Velcro backed so stick straight to the carpets. No drilling or fixing required. One on the passenger side of the tunnel and one between the seats.

  

The owner of the site had found some proper vehicle loading ramps so I tested those out and had a quick run up the road. Finally I removed the steering wheel and had a great time counting splines to establish what type of column I had (48 so Austin/Rover).

Relocation Relocation.

So today was relocation day; moving the car from winter storage to a new home where I can access the car almost anytime and store tools and parts etc. with it.  Typically the dry forecast for today turned into overcast intermittent drizzle. Not ideal but I was committed to moving today so just had to get on with it. 

I arrived and the winter storage and they had the car at the from all ready for me. After a bit of chatting it was the moment of truth – would it start after 3 months? Well no, it wouldn’t. The battery was too weak so after some faffing about we push started it in the yard outside the facility. It took a couple of attempts but luckily the car is light enough that pushing wasn’t too hard. One it was started it seemed fine and I left it running while I checked it over and topped up the tyre pressures. 

There then followed a 25 mile drive to the new location in various amounts of drizzle. The car ran fine with no problems and everything was great. It was wierd driving it again after so long but I soon got the hang of it again. We arrived at its new home – an 8 foot by 20 foot shipping container which had been floored out and insulated to prevent damp and condensation but as I already knew from a prior visit the front was not flush with the ground with a 6 inch step. The owner had provided some metal ramps but they were not long enough to allow the underside of the car to clear the step so we added some lengths of wood and after some anxious moments with rear wheels slipping on the damp wood we managed to get the car in. 

  
It wasn’t ideal and without a second pair of eyes watching the wheels aligning it would be a real struggle. However we later found some proper longer and wider ramps with a non slip surface which will be much better so I’ll try those next time. It’s a great space to work on the car in though – clean and dry and there’s plenty of room to get around the car and space for tools etc. I’m looking forward to getting to work in the coming weeks. 

  

Spring is coming!

Well, it will be soon anyway. With that in mind and my 3 month storage period ending in 3 weeks I’ve started to think about renting a garage nearby. Most of the ones advertised seem to leak or are in poor locations in terms of proximity and security. However I’ve a lead on a storage container that might be suitable as its been insulated and is very secure. Loads of room for the car and tools too. 

I’ve also been considering the upgrades and fixes list I want to progress. Clearly the fuel sender is top priority but after that other than pre MOT checks and an oil change I can pick and choose what to do. 

First up will be trying the wind deflectors I grabbed on eBay this weekend. They slot in to the door hinge fittings and should be a good compromise between full doors and no doors. There’s a pic below and I’ll take one of them fitted once they have been cleaned and I have the car back.