:: Sunday, January 2, 2011 ::
Well my New Year Resolutions didn't last long.
The first was to try to stop swearing. So I set off to put the new brake disks on, and replace the calipers, brackets etc. Not too hard, eh? The nearside is a doddle - bracket on, screw brake pipe into caliper, grease the edges of the pads and the front of the piston, then bolt the caliper in place, and bleed the air out. All is sweetness and joy.
The offside one goes on exactly the same - no problem. Then when I try to bleed it, that bleed nipple snaps off flush. Shit. Ooops, careful.
Never mind, easily fixed - get one of those left hand thread "eezy out" screw things down the centre of the nipple, a bit of plus gas, and out she'll come. Except the eezy-out snaps off inside the nipple. Fuck! Pile of shite!
Now the eezy out bit has also snapped off flush, so I can't get a grip of it. It's also harder than a drill so now I can't drill the nipple down the centre. Which is a right bastard.
So I take the caliper back off again and clamp it in a vice, then try to rurn the nipple with a hammer and drift on the edge. That doesn't work either. I need a new caliper.
As I am halfway through hammering fuck out of the stupid fucking caliper, I remember my second resolution, which is to try not to lose the rag so easily. Bugger that, too fucking late.
To be fair, I had thought while I was painting it, that the caliper was a bit past its best - it looks as if it's been sticking on the sliders or something. So getting a new one is probably a good idea. Unfortunately the motor factor is closed so it'll have to wait till tomorrow.
There are a few for sale on the 'bay but I'll see how much they are locally, first.
I also find a very nice kit that fits the original Sierra hub mountings, to convert to twin-piston alloy calipers, with bigger disks. If I hadn't already bought the disks, I'd be tempted. Maybe next time.
I've also remembered now, how hard it is to add a new year on to the web site menus! It takes bleeding ages.
:: Monday, January 3, 2011 ::
The motor factor doesn't have any calipers in stock but he can get one in for Wednesday. Cheaper than the on-line prices too, plus there's no delivery charge.
So that's the S immobilised for another few days, which is a shame because I wanted to have a chance of a wee run out in it.
It snows again later in the day anyway, though, so it doesn't really matter!
:: Friday, January 7, 2011 ::
The caliper has arrived at the motor factor, so I nip up to collect it. I have to stand in a queue that's even longer than the queue I had to stand in to buy it in the first place. I can hear the man at the front of the queue who is buying a wheel bearing (I forget what car it was for). His car is a September 2004 model. The wheel bearing design changed - there's "up to September 2004" and "September 2004 onwards". Despite various assurances by the customer that his is the "pre-2004" design, the man behind the counter won't sell it - he wants to see the old one first. "Look" says the customer, "I've checked against the vin number, I know it's the earlier one I want, just sell me it." Nope, still refuses without seeing the old one.
Just when I am reaching the stage of offering to buy both the bleeding bearings for him, just to get the queue moving, some secret masonic signal seems to be made and the deal is finally done.
It then takes 20 seconds to hand over my box with a caliper in it.
I don't have time to fit it though because first I have to go to the garage to collect the Lexus which is in for recall work. The plan was to get the caliper on, so that I can take the S to the Club meeting in Sunday.
First I have to paint it, so I mask off the piston and seals, the bleed screw, the slider rubbers and the pipe connection, then spray on a couple of coats of satin black and leave it to dry. Drying is assisted for an hour or so by the trusty fan heater.
:: Saturday, January 8, 2011 ::
Right snow, it's not funny any more. It's been snowing all night so it looks like no TVR run this weekend.
The forecast is for sub-zero temperatures for days, so I decide to clear the snow before it freezes. Unfortunately, after I've cleared about 5 square feet, my back gives out with such a click that for a second, I think that somebody has booted me up the backside. That's me on light duties, then, but my son clears a fair bit before I get back on to it again after a wee rest.
There is no prospect of me taking the S to the car club because (a) I can't fix it till my back is a bit better, (b) I can't get in or out of it till ditto, and (c) I'm not driving it in the snow.
:: Sunday, January 9, 2011 ::
I don't go to the car club meeting because my back is still sore, and it's still snowy so I might not get the Lexus back up the hill..
By late afternoon, I'm so bored that I decide to put the caliper back on the S. It doesn't take long - grease the pad slides and piston face, then put in two slide pins, then bleed, wheels back on and lower from axle stands.
As soon as the snow disappears, the S is getting a run!
:: Sunday, January 23, 2011 ::
I still haven't been out in the S - partly because the roads haven't been great, but mainly because I've just had other things to do.
I decided today to go along to the farm and check on the Cerbera. I haven't even laid eyes on it since the last week in October! Better take the battery boost pack then, eh?
When I get there, the car is totally dead - there isn't even enough power to open the door, never mind start it. Fortunately I left the car unlocked, so I am able to use the emergency entry procedure (which I'm obviously not going to describe here!) and connect up the booster pack. Now the pack has a safety device to prevent it short-circuiting - it needs some voltage to be still left in the "dead" battery, to switch it on. The battery is so dead that the booster doesn't even know it's there.
So instead I connect up the power pack using smaller cables, so that it acts as a trickle charger. The doors work, the alarm arms and disarms, but obviously it's going to take ages for it to reach any decent level of charge.
The farm owner offers me an extension lead so that I can plug in my accumate (which was in the boot) but I don't want to do that, in case the charge reaches a level where the alarm goes off in his shed in the middle of the night and he might not be very happy.
So the plan now is to go back with jump leads and a volt meter, and see if I can get the car started and running, and see how it charges up.
I think that realistically, I am going to need a new battery. I might just get one and swap them, and start the car off the new battery.
:: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 ::
Right, back along to the Cerbera to figure out what's going on.
First I check the voltage at the battery - 1.2 volts. No, that's not got the decimal point in the wrong place, it's a tenth of what is should be. I've never seen a battery as flat as that - I think it's knacked (or the car is drawing current even when it's sitting unlocked with the alarm switched off).
Anyway - the plan was to jump start it, but I don't want to charge it too quickly - it'll either explode or at least, the plates will buckle. So instead I connect up a fairly low-current battery charger and leave it for 3 hours.
When I go back, it's up to 10.5 volts - so a jump start should be ok. First I decide to try the booster pack, connecting up the earth last, well away from the battery in case of gasses after all that charging being set off by a spark as I connect (another cause of exploding batteries!).
It starts!
I let it run till it warms up, and the fans cut in and then off again. (p) After I switch off, I check the voltage again - 12.5 volts. Maybe I'll get some life out of this battery after all!
I connect up a trickle charger, and leave it to top up.
One thing I notice is that the drivers side window doesn't go right up when I lock the car - it stops about an inch short. I need to reset it, but I can't remember how - I think you put the windows up, and disconnect the control box, then reconnect it and lock and unlock the car a few times.
:: Saturday, January 29, 2011 ::
Took the S along to the farm today, and brought the Cerb back. The S starts first time, and drives perfectly. The new brake disks heve removed the brake wobble I had. It's bloody cold though, so I'm numb before I'm half-way there.
The Cerb has been on a top-up charger since Wednesday, and also starts perfectly - in fact the starter turns it over faster than I can ever remember it working before. I think the battery is losing charge when it's not on a charger. I'll keep an eye on that.
Anyway, I get the heater on, windows fully shut, and have a warmer drive home - and by a slightly longer route! The temperature is just above zero and the roads are a wee bit greasy, so I have to take it easy, but it's not far before I'm loving it!
When I get home I wind both windows fully up from inside, and then get out and lock the car - both windows go fully up. Then I put the windows down and lock it again - and again the windows go right up - so that's that problem reset!
I'm going to have to use both the TVRs more - I've only really been using them for TVR events last year, and not a lot else. I need to use them more day-to-day - although not for work because (a) they're not insured for that, and (b) I don't want to heve customers thinking they're paying me too much!
I've also discovered today that there isn't going to be a Big Northern Gathering this year, because instead they are holding "TAG" - TVRs at Goodwood - 430 miles from here! It's bad enough going to the Midlands for S Club etc (about 300 miles each way) but an extra 130 miles means 8 hours of driving (not counting breaks, meals etc) to stand in a grassy field for two days, in return for a £17.50 entry fee. There's lots to do, though, if you take the more expensive packages including parade laps, run out, Goodwood Hill Climb, evening entertainment, overnight parking and Breakfast Club on the Sunday for £110. For an extra £150 you can also add "the track experience".
No thanks.
Add to that the cost of accommodation for 3 nights (recommended hotel at £155 a night, or a caravan for £199 for the weekend) and fuel (at god-knows what price it will be by then - say £300) and you've got a cost of nearly £600 for the basic "stand in a field" package, or close on £1,000 for the full bhuna, assuming you don't fancy living in a caravan and want to get some proper sleep before you drive back.
Double no thanks.
There's always camping of course, at a cost of only £33. That qualifies for so many multiples of "no thanks" that we won't go into it here, eh?
The TVR Club has a problem, you know. They seem to be determined to organise events that become more and more expensive as each Region tries to outdo the corresponding event last year. It's becoming elitist.
I'm not complaining because I can't afford it - I could go to any of these things if I wanted to. But that, to me, isn't what TVRs were meant to be about. The Club, at all levels, should be catering for the interests of all of its members, not just those who want to "splash the cash" (or at least be seen to be able to, whether or not they have to extend their mortgage to do it). It's just bloody stupid.
In any case, any temptation I might have had to spend a day driving there, 2 days in a field, then a day driving back, has to be weighed against the fact that the Sporting Bears main charity fundraising event, Dream Rides at Thirlestane, is on that same weekend (4/5 June). That makes the decision easy.
:: Monday, January 31, 2011 ::
I managed to escape from work early today, so decided to clean the Cerbera up a bit. I don't want to take it out of the garage to wash it - it's bloody freezing for a start - so I clean it with Meguiars Quick Detailer. Spray on, wipe with terry towel, then polish up with a microfibre cloth. I manage to get around the bonnet, boot, and both sides of the car, but I can't do the back, because it's in shadow from the lights inside the garage, and I can't see what I'm doing. I can't do the front either, because that would involve opening the garage door and letting the heat out!
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