:: Diary - September 2009 ::

:: Thursday, September 3, 2009 ::

The web site is still down, because Virgin still haven't set up my broadband services and web space. I got an email from them a minute ago saying the services will be active today. I'm not sure how they propose to do that seeing as they haven't sent me a modem or a router etc...

I've decided that I would be better with a separate web host independent of my ISP. In any case, this site has more than 2,000 files (mainly photos) and is nearly 80 megabytes, and Virgin's free web space is too small, so i would have to cut down a lot of the old stuff. I don't want to do that.

So, after a bit (well a lot) of research, I sign up for a proper web host and upload the site. Now, as I say, I've got no broadband, so the whole site is uploaded using a pay as you go mobile dongle - which is a bit like doing calculations of quantum physics on an abacus. It takes bloody hours...

But at long last, here we are, dear reader, back for your delectation and enjoyment. Or so that you can point and take the piss. Please yourself.

:: Sunday, September 6, 2009 ::

Spent yesterday afternoon and an hour this morning replacing the glow-worm bulbs in the garage with 4 foot strip lights, including extending the wiring so that I have 4. It's excellent - nice and bright and an even spread of light for working in.

I also took the S back along to the garage at the farm, so that I can get the Cerb into my own garage to change the thermostat. And the dampers. And the front brake disks. And the drive shaft gaiters. I think I've forgotten something else but that's enough to be going on with.

I've been away for most of the day so didn't get out to the garage until after tea time, then I decided to have a wee potter about with the Cerb. I drained the coolant and took off the F1 panel, and then spent nearly an hour looking for the stainless steel hose clips I bought, but couldn't find them. I have a feeling that I know where they are... in the boot of the S...

Anyway, I didn't come out to get stuck into it, I'm not really dressed for that, so I decide that's enough for the night. No packing tools to take home, no locking the car up, no trying to remember what to bring next time, just lights off, lock garage door and walk into the house. Luxury!

This is the first time I've ever had my own garage, with all my stuff to hand. The garage along at the farm is great, there's no doubt about that: bags of space and very secure, and much better than working on cars in the street or in a drive way (which is all I've had till then). But the downside is that it's 4 miles away, so you can't just pop out to do a few quick jobs: once you're there, you have to make a day of it and get on with what you're doing. You can't pop along after work (especially in the winter car-improving months) because they don't like answering the door after it's dark.

Every trip to the garage is an expedition, you have to work out what you intend to do, work out ALL the stuff you need for that, and then cart it along. Even then, if something doesn't work out right, you can guarantee that the extra tool you need will be back at the house.

It's good to know that all your stuff is to hand (even if you can't yet find it) and that there's no pressure because you can finish it tomorrow or the next night if you feel like it, and leave your stuff out in between!

So: next steps on the Cerb are to jack up the front and take the wheels off (a) because it makes access to the thermostat easier and (b) might as well do the front suspension dampers while I'm down there, and then get that thermostat off.

:: Monday, September 7, 2009 ::

I decide to make a start to the thermostat - although I can't replace the new one because I can't find any hose clips and I forgot to buy more.

First though, some pictures of the car's new home - well they'll take turns, depending which one needs attention at the time...

The first pic shows that I still have a stack of empty cardboard boxes left over from the house move. I'll flatten them back down when I'm sure I don't need them any more. If anybody's thinking of moving house, I've got all the cardboard boxes you'll ever need - half of them never even reached the stage of being assembled...

I've parked the car at an angle so that I can work around it, just in case I decide to do those drive shaft gaiters and all the suspension dampers while it's there. I think I'll change the thermostat first and test to see if that works, though.

You can also see in the third picture, where Git Jnr has been doing a bit of component spraying for his own car, and has fitted the part, but kindly left all his painting stuff out for me to clear up. Aye that'll be shining bright... He's got his own problems though, he and a pal (mainly the pal I suspect) have fitted replacement cam shafts to his car tonight, and one of them snapped as they tried to start it up. Not good news but I don't know how much colateral damage that's caused.

Anyway, to the point. I jack the car up and take off the front wheels - the left hand one has to come off anyway to improve access to the thermostat. One of the wheel nuts is very stiff coming off, but seems to be ok on inspection. It doesn't seem to want to "catch" the stud thread when I try to refit it though - the last thread seems to be damaged although the rest aren't cross threaded.

On to the thermostat itself. It's a relatively simple matter of removing three jubilee clips and pulling the hoses off. I spend more time mopping up the water that's released from the bottom hose to the engine when the stat comes out.

Here's the three hoses behind the nearside of the radiator, that the thermostat connects to.

And here's the old and new thermostat. The blue handled screwdriver is a magic bit of kit - the pistol grip lets you apply loads of torque, and the wee socket fits the hose clips perfectly and doesn't slip off like a screwdriver might. I got it as a christmas present about 25 years ago and it's still giving sterling service!

The other screwdriver with the wooden handle is even older - I remember my dad using it when I was learning all this stuff, so it must be at least 40, but I don't think it was exactly new even then. It's deteriorated a bit due to being used as a drift and lever (it's old and blunt so especially good for prizing off coolant hoses!)

So - thermostat off, need to go to the shops and buy new hose clips then we can get this back together and hope it makes a difference eh?

:: Tuesday, September 8, 2009 ::

Replaced the thermostat tonight - easy peasy, 3 hoses pushed on and new clips fitted.

The hard bit is bleeding the system - it only takes about half of the water back, that came out of it. First I bleed it cold, then with the engine running as usual, but despite my efforts at squeezing hoses etc, there's clearly a massive air lock somewhere because it gets far too hot even at idle. I switch it off and leave it to cool, we'll let that settle then try again tomorrow.

:: Wednesday, September 9, 2009 ::

Another go at beeding the coolant in the Cerb goes a bit better. At the end I put the radiator cap back on and let it go through a few fan on / fan off cycles, and it seems to behave exactly by the book (which is worrying because TVRs aren't supposed to do that.

No time for a trial run though, I get distracted by the need to help repair Git Jnr's rear axle which he's managed to maul.

:: Sunday, September 13, 2009 ::

Two things today. Well two things that turned into three: such is the way of the TVR warrior.

First thing is Git Jnr's car. He's been away for 4 days and comes back today and I promised to make up new brake pipes to replace the ones we've had to maul to disconnect the back axle. Making the brake pipes is easy. Connecting one of them to the rest of the car isn't. After footering aboyt for an hour I get it finished. p> That lets me turn my attention to the second thing which is a bit more enjoyable. I want to try the Cerb and see if it overheats. After a run of 40 miles or so it's running fine and although the temeratue moves around a bit it's all within the "normal" range with no signs of overheating even in trafficc. I'm a happy scone and can relax a bit and enjoy the car.

Then I'm reminded that relaxing and enjoying a Cerbera is never a clever move. As I return home I decide that since the fuel gauge is below 1/4 full, I'll put more petrol in, as you do. Drive into petrol station to an audience of admiring stares and glances. Revel in the attention as I try to look cool as I stroll around to the rear of the car. Casually press the switch to open the boot. Nothing. Press it again. Still nothing. Try again. Nope dead.

I don't have any tools to apply the secret entry method. I have enough fuel to get home though so I try to stroll casually back round the car as if I never intended to put petrol in in the first place. I don't think my audience are convinced though, somehow.

When I get home I get the boot open mechanically and then start to diagnose the problem. When I press the switch I can hear a fast ticking from the door / window control box but the lock doesn't open. I try disconnecting the control box to reset it but that makes no difference.

I notice that when I press the switch the ticking goes on for ages but stops if I disconnect the switch. Seems the switch is sticking on. I take the badge off and clean the switch then test it and it seems to be working fine. It still doesn't open the boot though.

I short out the switch with wire an it makes no difference. The switch isn't the problem then - it's either the control box or the boot lock solenoid. No time for further testing today.

:: Monday, September 14, 2009 ::

Right back to this Cerbera boot lock. A bit of diagnosis with a voltmeter shows that power is getting to the solenoid but it's not moving. I peel back the boot carpet and remove the solenoid, the boot lock and the connecting actuator wire. When I try the solenoid straight on to the battery it gives one half-hearted flick then gives up. It's beyond its useful service life (my dad told me that phrase so that I would stop saying "fucked" - didn't always work though).

Down to the local branch of Maplins, who sell exactly the same part (even the colour of the wiring is identical) for £7.99. Back up the road, put it all together and after a bit of footering to adjust the actuator rod length it's all working perfectly again!

While all this is going on, Git Jnr and his mate have managed to detach his car from its rear axle, and have loaded it into a van. Tomorrow they are going to remove the rear axle from the mate's car and swap it onto Jnr's. The mate is scrapping his car anyway, so doesn't care that it will have about 35 degrees of positive camber on the offside rear wheel. I try very hard not to get involved by pretending that it's all too complicated for little old me.

:: Thursday, September 19, 2009 ::

I walk along to the farm to bring back the S, so that I can give it a tidy up before the Selkirk Rally on Sunday.

I only have time to clean the wheels though, because I spend the rest of the evening until it gets dark, finishing off Git Jnr's car by bleeding the brakes. He's done most of the rest of it himself though, so he's high on that sense of achievement that a bodger like me never gets. Well, if I do, it's masked by the fact that by the time I've finished anything, I'm usually too knackered to feel anything...

:: Friday, September 19, 2009 ::

I have to go to work today, but when I get home I'm delighted to see that the washing and polishing fairy has been! The car's looking good!

:: Sunday, September 20, 2009 ::

Trundle gently out of the street at dark o'clock to go and meet Dave for the drive down to Selkirk. We have bags of time so it's a fairly easy run down.

Even then, though, there isn't much space and I have to park on a yellow line - I mean lion

After we've flattened down the grass a bit, got the cars organised and opened the hot water flasks, we settle down to the business of the day - selling bears for charity. Everybody has brought bags of bears, there are hundreds of the things, so we have our work cut out. The show is pretty good though, and we end up with only 2 bags of bears left, and raise £561 in the process.

It's a busy show with loads of autojumble and trader stands, as well as hundreds of cars on show.

For me, though, the star of the show is this Model T Ford. 100 years old, and completely unrestored, left exactly as it was found. It's absolutely beautiful. It runs, too!

Unfortunately, it takes us over an hour when we leave, to get from our space, out to the main road. Apparently some of these old classic cars have broken down and blocked the gate. If only everything in life was as reliable as a TVR (well, these ones anyway). As a result (well not directly as a result but it's an excuse) we have to press on up the road, so various vehicles are caught and passed in pretty short order.

The car is going like a sweetie - sounds good, goes well, no problem. Famous last words, I know...

:: Saturday, September 26, 2009 ::

Decide to give the Cerb another run to check the temperature situation. Start off by heading over the Forth Road Bridge and up the motorway, with the temperature moving about between 80 and 90 degrees, up to 92 when moving slowly, but all within "normal" running. It's a bit disconcerting how the needle moves about so much though.

I turn off the motorway to cut across to Knockhill, past the race circuit - and encounter one of my pet hates, something that I never used to notice, but which happens all the time now, and that is: you're turning off the motorway, right? So you get into lane 1 well in advance, and start signalling (if there's anybody to signal to) around about the 300 metre board. You're following a car in front, which you can't pass before the slip road. Well, you probably could, but you'd be pushing it.

Why has it become common, now, for some arsehole to come flying past in the offside lane, and cut across your bonnet RIGHT at the end of the slip road (I don't mean 100 yards back, I mean straight into the slip road) and expect you to stick out the anchors to let him in? It's happening more and more and I don't get it...

Anyway, having passed the said arsehole on the slip road and turned left, I find myself following a lorry over a crest, and here's lane-change boy right up my chuff. Jees...

Anyway, he disappears backwards at the next straight bit so that's the end of that. I carry on and back over Kincardine Bridge and back home, including crawling at about 3 mph through Linlithgow (20 minutes to travel a mile). Temperature gauge rises but still only to 92. It's looking good!

See when it's good? The Cerbera is absolutely brilliant! It's comfy, fast, everything you could want except anonymous (and 100% reliability too, perhaps!)

When I get home I put the F1 panel back in, then wash the cerb and the Lexus. Then I order new screws for the F1 panel because the ones on the car are a wee bit rusty (and I lost one, which doesn't help either). I also order a new coolant rail bleed valve to replace the one Hexham burst It still works at the moment with pliers, although it's getting a bit crushed now and I think it'll break when (not if!) I try to open it again.

:: Monday, September 28, 2009 ::

Day off work today so in amongst the gardening and other errands, I decide to fix the cracked door mirror on the S. It's a bit disconcerting to look in the door mirror and see 3 cars, where there should be only one. It's even worse in the dark, as I discovered last Sunday, where you're followed by an array of headlights, although the car behind only has 2. You have absolutely no idea where he is or if somebody else is passing, unless you move your head about like a demented budgie.

You can see here how the mirror is cracked into 3 bits, all at a slightly different angle. First I take the mirror to bits and make up a template by drawing around the glass on to a piece of card, and then cutting round it. A quick check againts the mirror confirms that the car is the same shape and size as the glass.

Then I nip down to Halfords to check their stock of replacement mirror glass. I have no idea what the mirror was originally from (and even if I did, they probably stopped making mirrors for them years ago). I have to pull out each mirror glass and compare it with the template. None of them are close.

So I nip round to a local glaziers, who ask me to leave it with them for half an hour. When I go back they have made up a perfect mirror for the grand sum of £3. Lovely!

First job when I get home is to detach the old glass from the backing plate. It's held on with double sided tape so I prise it off carefully a tiny bit at a time. You should really wear gloves for this in case the glass shatters in your hand, and also eye protection in case the shattered bits fly into your face.

I somehow survive all these health and safety hazards, so the next step is to put the mirror back together without the glass, so that I can be sure that when I stick the glass on, it won't catch against the mirror frame. Then I spread some glue onto the backing plate and onto the back of the glass, wait till it goes tacky and press the 2 bits together.

It worked! Undistorted rearward vision is restored!