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I'll leave the last month's news on here then achieve it into 'Old latest News'. You will need to read from the bottom up for it to make any sense. Don't forget to read last months exciting episode's, these can be found in 'Old Latest News'!
I've also added 'hotspots' to the small pictures here as I know most of you are old and the eyesight isn't what it was. Just click on the picture when the cursor changes and a slightly larger picture will appear in a separate window.
 29th January 2012.....Spent some time finishing clearing up and then spent a few hours making a roof rack to fit my Dad's Korean thing. He can't get the wheelchair in so wants to stick it on the roof. I've worked out a plan so will be perfecting it over the evenings next week. I did start to remove the offside inner wing from SHW. Pictures to follow when Jessops finally fix my new camera.
28th January 2012.....Today was the big clear out day. Over the evenings of the previous week I have been building my wood burning stove. To much mirth from certain quarters I have proved them all wrong and can now reveal my home made stove. Click here. There are no leaks from the stove and as soon as I can find a chimney solution it will be up and running. It boiled a kettle with ease but Joanne won't let me try bacon and eggs. What I'm getting at is that the garage is now a real mess and needs a clean and a good sort out. On another subject my Dad, (70+ and insane), asked if he could use the estate to take my Mum and two of their friends down to Chichester on the south coast, a journey of some 100+ miles each way. I asked if he had been taking his tablets, but said he could if he wanted too. He said he couldn't fit the four of them, their luggage and Mum's wheelchair in his little Korean thing. I said he should drive it before he takes it as driving a 44 year old car probaly isn't what he remembered it to be. So last week I took him out and he drove it for about an hour. He couldn't find the gears easy, he couldn't get use to only 4 gears, he couldn't get use to the clutch and for some reason known only to him, he kept trying to pull away in 2nd, even thought I repeatedly told him she didn't like it. When we got home he said it was alright so wanted it in February. I said I'd give her a service the wekend before and may even change the rear shocks if she had to carry that amount of people. Friday night I dropped in only to be told he'd changed his mind. Tablets had at long last kicked in! The majority of the garage was cleared up and I even chucked out some old nuts and bolts etc. that had been sitting there for years.
Weekend of 21st January 2012.....Well I had the weekend in the garage but not much done on the car. I've been spending my time building a wood burning stove to keep me warm. I was hoping to put some pictures in but after collecting the camera from the menders Saturday morning, I had to take it back Saturday afternoon as it had a different fault this time. (Not happy!). The burner is made from two old calor gas cylinders and is a work of pure genius if I do say so myself. I managed to fire it up on Sunday in the garden, (no flue added yet), and it worked a treat and gave off plenty of heat. I had spent every night after work last week working on it and it is a thing of beauty and would rival anything Isambard Kingdom Brunel ever did. I still need to add some short legs to it, (hopefully tonight), then work out a flue system. It will be capable of boiling a kettle and cooking eggs and bacon on. The only real downside is that the garage will require a complete change to fit it in! I did start removing the offside inner wing from SHW. Got to go and boil the kettle now.
8th Jamuary 2012.....I had to clean Joannes Astra inside and out this morning then I did DHR. DHR was really, really bad. She has been uncovered while I've been doing all this welding and grinding and she was covered in dust etc. I left her outside then gave the garage floor a brush out. The estate was then given a quick service which all took until 2. The rest of the time was spent on SHW again. I had to remove the front downsection which was holding the offside front slam panel on. A new section was formed and tested before the old one was cut out. With the new one welded on all fitted nice. The only downside was that the top came away so now the nearside inner wing isn't connected to the front. Still this can now be removed to give me better access.
7th January 2012.....First job of the day was to find a puncture in my bike after Thursday's ride home. It was an eventful journey. Stuart and I have started cycling the 13 miles home every Thursday, this Thursday however I got a puncture and he fell in the canal. I couldn't see for laughing! Today I was on SHW all day, still working on the removable front section. I finished filling in the last hollow and started adding a lip to the edge which will help when I fill the removable section. (This will be clearer later). I also managed to steal my daughters camera and takes some pictures for you all. Click here. This might make my drawing make sense.
2nd January 2012.....First of all Happy New Year to you all. Second Santa didn't bring me a hoist but luckily Mr. Credit Card will later this month. I had the day to myself today so managed to finish the removable front end. Now I have the valance area done I could strenghten the front by inserting a bar of quater inch angle iron, 2" wide up inside the front valance which hides it from view. I then used a bit of the same metal to make a centre strut to support the cut out section of front panel. This was checked and checked again for height. A flat was welded to the bottom and two holes drilled through. With the panel held in place the holes were marked on the hidden angle and this was drilled, then two stainless bolts tack welded underneath so the bolts stuck through. The centre section could then be lower onto the bolts and bolted up. (It will be clearer when you can see some pictures). Withe the panel now held in place at the centre I used some flat quater inch plate, 2" wide to weld under the slam panel to either wing side. The removable section then had a hole drilled through it, (it's hollow inside) and a tube was inserted and welded in place to reinforce the hole. (This stopped you crushing the top panel when tightening the bolt up). The the ends were sealed up using the same metal. Once back in situ I drilled through the top panel hole and through the flat metal which I'd welded to the underside of the wing section. Keeping up? I simple put a bolt through from the top and hey presto it was done. I do have one end to fill as I needed to get the gearbox back off as I need to take it for repair Wednesday evening so ran out of time. I have put a small drawing here of what I did, just click on it to see a bigger view. It's not great but it might explain better than my words. I have also added a third bolt in the rear of the centre angle to hold the centre section better. Overkill I think but I was enjoying myself.
29th December 2011.....Had all day in the garage and finished the tunnel apart from putting the top on. I can't do that yet as I need the engine out to gain access properly. Some people say I can do it, (Spot), but I want to get it right and it will be easier if I can get to both sides at once. I spent the rest of the afternoon working out how I was going to cut the top front panel of the engine bay. Some of the DTV cars use to cut out the front panel to make engine removal easier so I thought I would do it, especially as the V8 is a bit of a tight squeeze. Spot had already sent me a detailed drawing of what he would do so, I totally ignored that and did my own thing. No that's not really true. I did do most of what he said, just changed where I cut and how I connected the top slam panel after. So after taking a very deep breath I cut the panel out. Then looking at the front I realised I needed to repair the curved section near the nearside front bumper mount as this was basically non-existant. When I did the offside some time ago it took me two weekends, this time I think it took me a day in total. Now I have no pictures to show, apart from two I took of the tunnel work, as the camera has gone back to be repaired. I hope to borrow one soon and I'll do a catch up but it will only be of the finished work of course.
24th December 2011.....I managed half a day in the garage today which was very unexpected as it's so close to Christmas, but Joanne said I could disappear! Maybe she wanted to wrap my engine hoist. Anyway I managed to carry on with the tunnel on the drivers side. I made the main template and cut it out of metal but I wasn't happy with the outcome so re-did it.
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