:: Diary - September 2005 ::

:: Friday September 2, 2005 ::

I got a pile of stuff from the brake hose supplier. The manufacturer has come back to me again, saying that "maybe I'm wrong and it's not a Ford caliper" or alternatively, "maybe I made a mistake in identifying the fitting I need" - as far as they are concerned, they list convex fittings so that's what's right... and I'm a tube for being wrong...

Aside from their rather gratuitous assumptions, they have sent me the Lockheed / Girling catalogue listings for the Sierra brake hoses, and that does show a convex fitting right enough. They say that many manufacturers of rubber hoses use "dual-seat" fittings - ie a part concave / part convex seat. That does seem to be what I have, see the photo.

I have had loads of Fords, from Escorts to Sierras and Granadas and now the S, and they have all had these fittings. Could it be that the hose manufacturer is right and Ford have fitted cheapo dual fittings from new?

When you put it that way, the answer is obvious!

The easy answer would be to take a brake caliper off and inspect the inside of the fitting - but because the car is still at the bodyshop after my muppet moment, I can't. Fortunately, somebody on PH has already looked and assures me that the fitting will indeed fit the inside drilling of the caliper.

This is at least some reassurance. I email the supplier and agree to take the hoses provided that they understand that if they are wrong, and I kill myself due to catastrophic brake failure, I will come back and haunt them by jangling brake disks in the middle of the night.

:: Saturday September 3, 2005 ::

Today it's warm and sunny and withdrawal symptoms are now kicking in big time. I decide to wash the Saab. Properly, for once, wheels and engine and underneath and everything.

Then I Vaccuum out the inside. Then I shampoo the seats. And clean all the trim. And the leather. And the windows.

It's never looked better.

I'm knackered.

:: Thursday September 8, 2005 ::

The brake hoses arrived back today. I need a car to fix them to, now.

:: Saturday September 10, 2005 ::

The garage say the S will be ready on Wednesday! Yay!

:: Sunday September 11, 2005 ::

Ordered extra bright headlight bulbs, to make up for the dimness of the driver. I tried to fit these before but couldn't get the lamps off, forcos the screws were rusted in. Well I'll get them changed now, seeing as the headlights have been replaced!

Brain starts to dream up new list of jobs to carry out when I get it back.

:: Monday September 12, 2005 ::

Advised that car will be ready except they are waiting for a pair of chrome strips for the front bumper, which are on order.

:: Thursday September 15, 2005 ::

Collected the car today but no time for a blatt. The chrome strips haven't come in yet but we'll sort that later. Otherwise the repair looks absolutely fantastic - the bonnet fits perfectly and the colour match is spot on.

Halfway home I realise that the exhaust is still blowing. You may recall that this was what I was trying to fix when I broke the car in the first place.

So at least I am back to where I was before I started. Except shinier.

:: Saturday September 17, 2005 ::

The best laid plans o' mice and men gang aft agley. And Burns didn't even have a TVR.

After looking forward to getting the car back and spending a weekend blatting about at random, and after a week of good weather while I have sweltered at work, suddenly today it's raining...

I did manage to seal the exhaust better, with gun gum, foil and wire. It'll do for now.

In the process I knocked my new specs off the roof, and then stood on them. Effing wonderful.

:: Sunday September 18, 2005 ::

Oh I'm just so happy. The sun is shining and the birds are singing in the trees. Laughing their tits off more like. Wee flying bastards.

This morning I discovered that the car had been bird-bombed overnight, right in the dead centre of the new bonnet - I washed it off but the paint is badly marked, this bird must have been eating nitromors, battery acid and builders sand, judging by the state of the paint...

This has been the latest in a catalogue of disasters recently, I've staggered from one mishap to the next. Acid-eating elephant-arsed seagulls were the last straw today - I nearly did more damage to the door when I booted the half-full wash bucket up the driveway (if you've never been kicked up the driveway, then don't laugh) and it shattered... I'm a nasty bad tempered man...

Now on older paint, I would get the orbital polisher out and the meguiars 3-stage polish system, and polish it off - but what do you do when the paint is new? You're not supposed to wax it for a couple of months. I think the safest thing to do is to leave it and then polish it once the paint has cured.

At least in November the weather will be cool enough for proper polishing...

I also had a better look at the paint job now that the car is dry (I haven't seen it dry since I picked it up) and noticed that the fibreglass has quite noticeable ripples when you look along the wings etc. The TVR badge on the front is squint, the bonnet doesn't close straight (it didn't before but I didn't charge myself a wallet-blistering amount of money not to do it) and I had to peel quite a lot of masking tape off the back of the top grille.

I'm not entirely happy, but I suspect it's post-bird-shit fallout in my system.

Anyway, as a result of all that, plus other stuff I was doing (I was away at a hillclimb most of the day) I got no blatt again...

"I can't get no... blattisfaction...
I can't get no... blattisfaction
and I try, and I try, and I try, and I try
I can't get no...
Wish I'm driving in my car
and I can't even hear the radio
cos the exhaust is far too loud
and I can't even hear the MGB doing just the same speed as me
I can't get no... blattisfaction

:: Friday September 23, 2005 ::

After several days of rain, I finally get a chance to see the car in sunlight and it doesn't half look all right!

Today I am breaking a rule - this site is supposed to be about the car, but today the car took second place when we went to Robert and Vicki's wedding. 11 of us met up first, and after a bit of "will it rain / oh it's already raining / roof on / roof off" hilarity, we set off for Robert's house where he was, I think, mildly surprised to see us all pitch up in the street outside to take him to the ceremony. He chose Brian's 350 (who wouldn't?) as his preferred transport, and after decorating it with the customary white tape, we all set off through the town centre to the hotel for a few more photos and then home.

Vicki you were lovely. Robert, you were... em, Robert. Best wishes and congratulations to you both.

:: Saturday September 24, 2005 ::

The roof is manky with sandy-type dust - I suspect from the body shop (certainly I noticed that the roof was mingin' when I visited the car while it was being repaired). Cleaned it with the last of my Autoglym cleaner, even though I have no waterproofer left.

Instead I waterproofed it with Thomson's water sealer - the first time I waterproofed it, I used that, and it worked really well. It also slightly darkens the fabric which I think looks better.

I also noticed that the top hose is still leaking very slightly at the radiator.

:: Sunday September 25, 2005 ::

Another coat of waterproofer, just to be sure.

Also managed to track down some chrome trim, and stuck it to myself first, and then the front bumper.

Main job today was to clean the plastic rear window with Renovo. I only had time for a fairly quick wipe rather than the full abrasive polish treatment, but even then, the difference is very noticeable.

Also tried out the new aluminium polish I bought, on the front quarterlights. Forgot to take a "before" pic though, so there's not a lot of point in showing an "after" one cos you wouldn't see the difference!

I meant to fit the rest of the stainless steel front brake hoses today but didn't get around to it. Mainly because I went for a tiny blatt instead. That slight exhaust blow is starting to get on my wick...