:: Diary - October 2008 ::

:: Sunday, October 5, 2008 ::

After a week of rain, today is dry and even sunny. Still bloody cold though.

I head off to meet Dave, Mike and Jim, for a run through to the Car Club meeting. Just before we set off, we are surrounded by a group of bikers stopping for a McDonalds. Judging by the size of the bikers, that particular branch of McDonalds will be closing early today. Some of them are so big that their leathers are made from two cows sewn together.

We set off for a run over the Forth Road Bridge, then along the coast road through various historic villages, past pleasant scenery, breathing in clean fresh air, and poisoning it with 4 gas-guzzling engines. Magic.

Then we carry on along a twist wee bit of road, behind the world's wobbliest sidecar rider. He obviously isn't used to bikes that don't lean on corners so ends up hanging off the seat trying to get his knee down, while the bike stays completely vertical. He's so cautious, especially on corners, that I start to suspect that he's been hijacked by biker fundamentalists and has a side car full of fuel cans and detonators. Either that or he's fallen far behind the fat bikers we met earlier because the sidecar is full of doughnuts.

There are 19 cars at the meeting, which is brilliant for a winter meeting. Again, there are two or three new faces, including 2 bastards who arrive in Cerberas.

Don't they know that Cerberas are the most lovely, evil-sounding cars you can buy? Don't they realise that not only do they look beautiful from the outside, but they are also beautiful inside so that you can appreciate them even as you drive them? Don't they know that every time I see one, I want one? Of course they do, the gloating gits.

I am somewhat reassured when both owners start to tell me stories of how long their cars have been off the road waiting for parts, and how much repairs cost. I think my not-quite-so-fast S series will do fine, thanks,

Dave leads us on a run back home, along some brilliant driving roads, even including a stop for ice cream! It's all just too much excitement for one day.

:: Saturday, October 18, 2008 ::

I was hoping to have a wee run today but it's raining heavily in the morning and I don't want to get my ankle wet - so instead I decide later in the afternoon (when it's dry) to try to trace where the water might be getting in, and fix it.

I'm pretty sure it's not around the screen - I resealed all that last year with Sikaflex. Before that, I had tape on it, and although I didn't use it much in the rain then, I'm sure it leaked then too.

First possibility is the two holes that the bonnet pins go into. I cut some foam to cover up the bonnet catches, both to improve their appearance and to seal the edges. There are also a couple of wee holes on the inside of the wing just under the bonnet catch so I stick a bit of foam over those too.

Then I put some clear silicone sealer around the wiper spindles. I don't think it's them but sod it we'll do it anyway.

Then I find a grommet just under the brake fluid reservoir, that the heater valve cable and some wiring goes through. It's been repaired in the past but the sealer has gone off, and it looks as if it's bound to be leaking. I strip off the old (white!) sealer and put some clear sealer on, wiping awy the excess. I suspect that's the culprit of the water ingress!

Then I remove the chrome strips from the front bumper and put new longer ones on, that extend from the wheelarch around under the lights and then along the top of the indicator. This serves two purposes:

1. it helps to integrate the indicator into the bumper; and

2. (more importantly) it helps to hide the scratches from the edge of the old indicator.

:: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 ::

Well the time I spent on Saturday trying to fix the water leak was worth it. No wait a minute, that's bollocks - it was a waste of time because when the rain comes on, my ankle still gets soaked. Great.

Today Dave and I drove down to Carlisle to meet Mummy Polar Bear, to hand over a cheque to a school for children with special needs. The drive down was pretty uneventful except for the breakfast stop where we found ourselves sharing a motorway service area with coachloads of Celtic supporters.

We parked up in front of the school and a group of kids were brought out to see the cars and to have their photo taken by the local press. Then the kids had a look around the cars and some had a sit in them and had photographs taken. The kids were clearly delighted to see the cars, and to hear them too!

It makes you think, you know, about how much in your life you take for granted. Those kids treated these cars like they were a dream, and couldn't believe that we actually owned them. You get used to what you have, whether it's your cars, your health, or whatever, and you forget just how lucky you are. Watching those kids today, makes it all worthwhile. i wish we could have stayed longer but I had a meeting arranged in Glasgow in the afternoon so I had to leave after an hour and a half.

Unfortunately Dave's car wouldn't start, and I couldn't stay back to help him diagnose the problem. I spoke to him later though and he'd managed to fix it and get it home.

:: Sunday, October 26, 2008 ::

I was planning to take the car back along to the garage today but it's still raining, and I'm not keen on walking home in the rain. I'll be using the car next Saturday anyway so I'll leave it where it is.

At least all this rain might help me to find where the leak is! The front drivers side carpet is almost floating by this time. The problem with looking for leaks after driving the car is that the car's movement means that water runs about everywhere, so that by the time it's hit the floor, it's run along trim panels, wiring etc so could be miles (well, feet then) from where it first came in. At least when the car is sitting still it's only going to run downwards!

I lift out the carpet and hang it up so that the worst of the water runs out, then I dry the floor underneath. Then after making sure my hands are completely dry, I have a grop up behind the dashboard looking for wet bit. Nothing. Not on the wiring, the back of the dash or anywhere.

I notice that the little square of carpet on the bulkhead is peeling off. It's also damp, although it's above the level of the wet bit on the floor. When I pull that bit of carpet back, the vertical bulkhead underneath is wet. There are drips of water around the steering column bulkhead bush. I thought I had sealed that but obviously not.

So that's another job added to the winter list - I'll take the whole steering column and bearing out and make up a gasket and seal it properly.

While I am there, I have a look around the car and make up a new list of jobs to do over the winter, including:

polish exhaust manifolds
change fuel filter
clean up fuel pump (it's a wee bit noisy)
replace the leaky rocker cover gaskets
lubricate the alternator
fix drivers door lock (it doesn't lock with the key)
realign bonnet (it's could do with being raised slightly at the fron)
clean chassis (it's been a long wet summer)
waxoyl front outriggers (I had to repaint them after cracking the Hammerite with the jack)
paint boot edges
renew carpets especially behind the seats
restore seats, especially the driver's one which is "distressed"

plus just generally clean and tidy the car up a bit.