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30th June 2009.....Told you it would work. I drilled the floor of the garage and put the two pieces of angle iron to the floor using raw bolts. This now enables me to use them as a gauge to tell when I'm in the correct spot in the garage which leaves me enough room in front of and behind the car. I can also rest the ramps against them and they hold the ramps firm so I can drive up them and I can also remove them by simply unbolting them when the garage is empty, so nobody trips o ver them. I have a suspicion that the first person to trip over them will be me! After getting the car up on the ramps I have now checked all the front suspension bolts. There was nothing really loose but a lot did need tightening. Spot did tell me that I should've done this after about 500 miles of running but who listens to him? I'm sorry folks and I know I said I wouldn't be writing any more about the g arden, but I wanted to put this picture on here to show the finished garden now the grass seed has grown. I am quite chuffed really, as usually I mess things up, but this has turned out okay and all out plans, (i.e. not having to use a strimmer etc.), have worked out.

28th June 2009.....Sunday and I got it right this time. The VBOA meeting was on in Luton. I made it on time and everyone was there. I didn't let on that I turned up last week, it would make me look silly! I managed to get another five stickers for Spot as we have had a late influx of new members in the Outlaws. Either my fame has spread and they are flocking to us or they just want a place to park at Billing! I want to check all the suspension bolts are tight after my visit to the MOT man this year so have started to bolt two bits of angle iron to the garage floor to help stop the car ramps from moving. I've had this idea after breaking my trolley jack and need a new way of getting her in the air until I buy a new one. This will also act as a stop when I drive into the garage...clever eh! I have marked it all out and will start drilling in the coming evenings. I will put pictures in as soon as it works....and it WILL work.

27th June 2009.....Is it me or are the weeks flying by at the moment? June is nearly over and Billing is approaching fast. So this morning I took DHR over to St. Albans to have the rear end of the exhaust made in stainless to match the rest. If you remember and have been paying attention, I made the end bit up myself and as always with me, it was wrong. The exhaust was hitting the floor, the rear anti-roll bar, the axle and the trailing arm. Not bad eh! After Joanne's first ride in DHR, at the International rally a few weeks ago, she said she would buy the back end for me for my birthday. As my birthday's not till October and I didn't want her to back out of the deal, I'd booked DHR in early just in case she changed her mind by then. I took Joanne and Alex with me and the idea was we would spend the day in the town and the lovely big park they have there. Saturday is market day to so we could shop as well! As you all know I love shopping! I love it so much that it takes a bribe such as a new stainless exhaust to get me to go. We did have a good morning touring the stalls and they also had a Morris Dancing contest on as well! Two of my favorite things rolled into one. They had finished by lunchtime and a good job they made of it too. (The exhaust people not the Morris dancers). I asked how much they would charge to make another one for my other GT and the bloke said between five and six hundred. When I told Joanne this, she nearly died. It's half the price of the system that's on DHR at present and that was without the rear section. Still at least the journey home was quiet...no noise from the exhaust and no noise from Joanne.

22nd June 2009.....Took DHR back to the MOT place and she now has another year of motoring ahead of her. Do you know I've done over 3k in her and just under 4k in the estate! Spent ages talking to the MOT man about cars, Millbrook and the likes. He has old cars and uses them and is adamant that most people should do the same. Good man. Saying about my memory etc., the girl at the MOT place thinks I'm mad. She just gives me a silly smile now, she even laughs when I phone them. You see I've booked the two Viva's in here now for two MOT's but have either phoned or called in about six times. I've either forgotten the date and time of the test, or booked the wrong date for the test. Senile that's what I am! This time I forgot the failure note...its on the side in the garage so I don't forget it!!!!!!!!!

21st June 2009.....Father's Day and I get tea and toast in bed from my little one. After opening cards and presents, (because I'm worth it), I get up and ready for the VBOA meeting in Luton. I get there at ten to eleven and say to the girl on the desk, "I'm here for the VBOA meeting". She gives me a funny look then says, "oh okay then go through". I go upstairs and guess what? Nobody's there. I get the agenda out of my folder and see that it's next Sunday! When I get back down stairs the girl see me coming and gives a kind of 'theres that silly old man smile'. I tell her I've got the date wrong and she just laughs! People...I'm getting old! I'm getting forgetful and loosing my marbles. What I need is a PA, or a nurse, or locking up. When I get home Joanne just gives me a look that says, "give me strength". Just think, she's got another thirty years of this with any luck!

18th June 2009.....DHR failed her MOT today. The horn wasn't working, (it was yesterday) and the O/S lower ball joint was knackered. I wasn't to upset as that was all they could find. The funny thing is that last year it was the N/S ball joint. I bought these as a pair ages ago, so perhaps they were duff ones? Anyway the man said just bring her back when you've done it, don't bother to make another appointment. He was a really nice bloke. Its a family run firm and they are into classic's and you get a discount for a classic car. The Old Dairy garage in Tring. Well while I was waiting he called me out to show me how bad the lower joint was and at the same time mentioned, "did I know that all the trailing arm bolts were loose"? "No I didn't". "Would I like him to tighten them up". "Yes I would". I was getting some strange noises from under the car and he solved them in one easy lesson. What a difference on the way home. When I got home I went through my new system to see if I had any lower ball joints. I have now given all my boxes numbers and written down what's in each box, this should make things easier for me to find things. Each box contains only items for the brakes, or the clutch, etc. So I look up 'suspension', to see that the list says I have one lower joint in box 29. This is a great system! When I get to box 29 I have 4...so that system doesn't work then! I try to jack up the front end with my trolley jack...it doesn't want to work! I put some more oil in it...it still doesn't want to work! I start to strip it down and get oil all over the place, now I don't want to work, then give up and ask Tony next door to borrow his. Anyway I remove the old joint and put the new one on and tighten everything up. Simple, no problems and all is well. I thought the horn was going to be simple because I'd jet washed under the arches the day before the MOT to get rid of all the muck from the Santa Pod weekend and assumed that the earth cable had come off, (it had done this before). Nope...all okay! I have a look at the fuse and that looks okay. I try the testers on the cables, have extra lengths of wire so I can press the horn and check the multi meter, but still it wouldn't work. By this time I was loosing my temper so decided to call it a day before I do something stupid. Saturday morning and I decide to have another go. I check all the cables, check the earth, still no joy. I get in the car to back her out of the garage and glance, as I always do, at the clock. (The clock looses ten minutes a day so I always set it right when I get in it, force of habit). The clock wasn't working? I look at the fuse again. It looks okay. Better put the tester on it. Bugger...it was duff. Now I can't put in here what words were uttered next, but suffice to say blue air was all around me. One new fuse later and she's ready to take back on Monday. The clock stopped at 12:03 and that's the time I got in the car to drive her to the MOT place. She did it on purpose just to make me look stupid.

16th June 2009.....I took DHR over to the stainless steel exhaust place in St. Albans this morning to get a price for the backend and a few other adjustments. I didn't want to let Joanne forget she said I could buy it so decided to get in quick. It's now booked in for the 27th. After that it should've got rid of the exhaust noise banging on the floor and I can see then hopefully find out what all the other noises are. I also gave DHR a wash ready for her MOT on Thursday.

15th June 2009.....I've had a couple of days off to use up my holiday. Taking some rubbish up the tip last week in the estate I caught one of the many speed bumps they now seem to be building on our roads. At this rate we won't need a forth gear. (I know you modern cars have more than four but you know what I mean). Anyway it pulled the exhaust apart again. I got her up on axle stands and made another bracket up to help hold the system higher and tighter. I nicked one of the old exhaust box brackets from SHW's old exhaust and used that. I forgot to take pictures but the next time I have to get her in the air I'll take some because I'm very pleased with my handiwork.

13th June 2009.....Spot's due here again for the Luton Festival of Transport, click here for the weekend report.

9th June 2009.....All hail me, the world's greatest welder. You are al l in the presence of greatness. Now modesty doesn't allow me to tell you how good my first patch on SHW turned out, but suffice to say that I am bound to be asked to join the guild of esteemed welders. As you may have gathered I'm quite pleased with the outcome of my first patch on SHW's wheel arch. This was a butt weld but in a nice comfortable position for a first attempt. I wasn't trying to weld upside down or in a hard to reach place, so a good place to start. I will admit to having to grind the welds down a fair bit, but not as much as usual and I did blow quite a few holes through the old metal at the beginning. The pictures will show that no filler has been used yet either. All in all I'm very pleased with the outcome and now plan to do the same to the other side next before attempting anything more awkward.

7th June 2009.....Santa Pod today. I was asked to put DHR on the 'Readers Cars' stand for Total Vauxhall. As they were so good to me with regard to the photos, I was happy to park her there for the day. They also sent me a free ticket which was another bonus. What a day though! It couldn't have rained harder for Noah. It didn't stop raining until about 1:15. By then I was soaked to the skin and the car was more steamed up than a night out in a derserted car park with just me and Liz Hurley. (I'd be boiling a kettle for a cup of tea of course. What did you lot think?). I'll add the report later.

6th June 2009.....Chucking down with rain so it was the garage for me. The intention was to hit the welding but I got side tracked. The shelf holding all my spares had started to bow under the weight and I was concerned about it coming down on DHR. I then decided to catolougue all the spares and remove the shelves. It took all morning and some of the afternoon to do this. Do you know I have nearly thirty sets of points. Thirty! When did I get all those? Still in the afternoon I did then do some welding and have now sealed all the small holes up. I've also given it a quick coat of primer becuase it will be a while before I next get the chance to work on it. It has turned out okay, I wouldn't put me down as a butt welder just yet but as a first attempt it's passable. With a little more time with the grinder and a little bit of filler you won't notice it to much.

3rd June 2009.....Compasses meeting tonight which must have been a record number, twelve. The young lad and his Dad who we met at Shuttleworth turned up which was good. Keith gave me my locks back so now I'll be able to lock the estate up....if I ever get round to putting them on.

2nd June 2009.....The estate was back to normal. She ran really well and no problems whatsoever. In the evening I gave DHR a very quick wipe over, mainly because of the flies. (After Millbrook on Saturday the engine bay was covered in flies). I then ground down some of welding which was a bit high, (as in half an inch high) and had another go. It is much better than it's ever been but I am tending to blow holes in the old metal. I put a light behind the repair patch and it's like a colinder. (Okay slight exageration but you know what I mean).

1st June 2009.....I got home at about one and I felt knackered. I had a great weekend and glad we now all went. Please read the report because it might entice you to go to next years in southern Ireland, all being well. I took the electronic ignition off the estate and put the points back on and re-set the timing. Now the timing was way out. I couldn't even see it at first until I turned the distributor right round. Anyway I ran her for an hour and a quarter and she was fine. My intention is to run her for a few days like this to make sure she's okay then add the electronic ignition again, it might just have been the timing to far out. Apart from unloading the car I didn't go up the garage as I was totally knackered in the evening. I'm really looking forward to work tomorrow!

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