:: Diary - January 2005 ::

:: Monday January 3, 2005 ::

Went out today to check that the boot was dry and had withstood the rains and snows of yesterday, after my extensive time spent repairing it on Thursday.

It didn't. Still a wee wet puddle under the boot lock.

Remember on 30 December I said that water was dripping off the bolt, and I fixed it with sealer? Well that seems to be where the water is getting in now. (At least it's now leaking in small enough quantities to be able to see where it's coming from!) The sealer around the top just isn't working, apparently.

I can't shift the bolt it's just too rusty. Instead it flexes the fibre glass and I don't want to crack it. I need to spend a bit of time just cutting the old bolts off from underneath and putting new ones in.

In the meantime I spread a better clear sealer over the bolts, and make sure it's properly stuck to the bodywork. It'll have to do.

Can't help feeling like the Captain of the Titanic though.

:: Tuesday January 4, 2005 ::

Lay in bed last night listening to the wind demolishing my neighbour's fence, which I could only just hear over the racket of the rain pelting against the windows. These melodic noises were accompanied by the timpanic base provided by two overturned wheely bins, whose lids were clattering against each other in the gale. I lay awake devising a syphon system, which I would inevitably need to empty several gallons of condensed cloudburst from the boot.

So, dear webreader, it was with some trepidation (and a pair of wellies on) that I opened the boot this afternoon, to be greeted by the sight of three tiny drips of water on the boot floor under the boot lock. A quick grope confirmed no water on the boot lock itself, or on the fixing bolts. A small damp bit of carpet on the inside of the boot lip suggests that the seal is leaking very slightly in that back corner. Remove seal, whack some more sealer on and replace.

It's looking promising though!

I'm still going to investigate the price of drizabone bags...

:: Thursday January 6, 2005 ::

Still persistently raining.

Ordered two 22 litre waterproof bags. Just in case, you understand.

:: Friday January 7, 2005 ::

Still persistently raining.

Examination of the boot shows that it is bone dry! Yaweebyooteh!

:: Saturday January 8, 2005 ::

Still persistently raining.

Replaced carpets and relined the insides of the boot. No signs of any water leaking in. I noted that the carpet is damp in the centre of the boot but I suspect that's a result of previous leaks that I didn't dry properly. I hope.

I did find a wet bit on the carpet under the drivers feet - could just be water from shoes, but might be leaking through the bulkhead behind the engine - it can't be coming in around the windscreen because the hood cover hasn't been off for a fortnight! I'll have a look if the rain ever goes off.

:: HaggisHead aka Noah ::

:: Sunday January 16, 2005 ::

The rain's off!

Well I left the car all that time under its nice new christmas hood cover, thinking it would keep the interior nice and dry in all them storms we had last week. This wasn't a cheap nylon thing - name no names but it's supposed to be one of the best.

Result - one nice dry interior!

Only problem is that the paintwork right round the edges of the cover, and especially the rear edge of the bonnet and the front edge of the boot, has been scratched to hell by the edge moving slightly in the wind...

I would have posted a picture but I'm crying too hard.

I'm not a happy pixie. I need a garage - how much does a detached garage cost?

Still at least the interior of the boot is still dry...

:: Saturday January 28, 2005 ::

Since I bought the car, I have been meaning to paint the most vulnerable part of the chassis - the two arms at the front of the outriggers, just behind the front wheel arches. A well known rot spot but mine look ok - but you can't see them properly unless you take the inner wheel arches off.

So with some trepidation at what I might find, I took off the wheel arches, and scraped off the loose plastic coating. Although there is some surface rust where water has got under the plastic (same as the rest of the chassis) there is no structural rust damage. Not nearly as bad as I expected.

The other side is exactly the same. Good news!
I have also found one of the main electrical earth points! I have mentioned before (don;t ask me when, because I can't remember) that I think that the electrical earths need some attention, because the dash instruments waver about all over the place, depending on what is switched on! I take the cables off, clean up all the terminals, washers and the chassis with an electric brush, cover them all in vaseline (oo-er missus) and bolt it all back together again.
Having sorted that, I get my faithful 2-year-old nearly-empty tin of Hammerite, which is fast turning to jelly, and paint up the chassis. Lovely!
I can see, however, that the top of the outriggers are nearly bare, with the plastic peeling badly. I can't get to that without lifting the body off. I need to waxoyl the chassis soon as well, to rustproof all the hidden bits.

As I put the car away, I switch on all the lights, heater, wipers, cooling fan, the lot... and the rev counter doesn't waver. Looks like the restored earth connection has sorted the dodgy instruments problem as well... AND the instrument panel illumination is brighter.

Sometimes I'm too clever for my own good. I'll pay for this, something bad is going to happen.