MadaboutKitcars

hole for statue

crikey that must have taken a couple of weekends graft with a pick + shovel !!!!

Paul actually started with a ready-made, perfectly square hole, but then went at it with angle grinder, chicken wire, fibreglass and filler to achieve the rather fetching not at all square hole you now see pictured. Only took him five years to finish too.

"pauls hole"

nice one towed "lmao"

Mister Towed – In an attempt to avoid posting a rude reply, I’ll just say this…

Haven’t you got a new build thread to start?

”I have an RX8 five speed box sitting on a '67 spitfire chassis in my garage at the moment ready to take the engine from the 1.7 Puma sat next to it.”



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Meanwhile, back in Gotham City…
Last night there was still snow left on my car cover, so still no driving for me at the moment.

However, there is one bit of car related news, as yesterday I wrote to those nice people at Petrolicious.

I’ve been slowly working my way through their video back catalogue picking up ideas for The Harrow Job – Part 2.

As the big lesson I learned from my first video attempt was you need a way of joining different clips together.

But the simple fact is that professional film makers will always do a much better job that me and my little GoPro.

So I figured there was nothing to lose by asking nicely, as the worst that can happen is they say no.

Thankfully, Roadster and his son have already kindly offered to help with filming again.

So there will definitely be a sequel ‘sometime’ in 2018 when the warm weather returns.

Cheers, Paul.

Recycling:
Taking a leaf from Scottie22's book, I saved some sections of black leather from our old sofa.



Our new one is already in place, but I had to dismantle the old one into smaller sections...



So I could fit it all into the back of my car and take it down the dump.



At some point I will try to make gaiters for both the gear lear and hand brake from this leather.

I may also use it for the aero hump head rests, when I get the tonneau cover made.
( So they have that 'lived in' look. )

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Daylight:
Spotting the Wembley Henge starting to line up this morning.



Which means there isn't long to wait before the days start getting brighter again.

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Pay It Forward:
Micky1mo was kind enough to donate the Lucas rear lights and reflectors to my build.

So I now have the chance to continue the good work by donating my old plastic lights to another build.

They will be used as a temporary arrangement on Medusa over on 'Rods 'n' Sods'.





As they will be good enough for the first MOT, while the hunt continues for some more appropriate 'Steam Punk' versions.

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With a bit of luck, I will get a chance to go out for a spin in the next few days.

Until then, take care, Paul.

Soggy Sunday:
Our new sofa is in, the old sofa has gone, which just left the new sofa packaging in the Summerhouse to take care of.



Which was a good excuse to have a proper tidy up and rearrange the numerous boxes in there.

Believe it, or not, but there is actually a big improvement on the inside at this point, after I've made another trip to the dump.



However, I still had to work in all this mess today, so I will finish the tidying up another time.

Instead, I peeled back the covers…



So I could undo the work I had done to tidy up and tuck the wiring loom safely out of the way.



Then I could remove my LED reflectors and compare them to the Lucas rubber mounting.



First job was simple enough, just drill an extra hole for the LED wiring.



Not easy to see in the photo, but I have just made a start on removing a lip on the inside.



Removing this lip helped the different profile of the LED reflector to fit in.



As did filing down the edges of the reflector too.



Sorry about the poor photo, but the back end now worked like this.



And the front like this.
( With one done, it was much quicker to do the second one. )



Unfortunately, by this time it was raining steadily outside.



So these will be re-fitted another time.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

The new, old style, reflectors should match you rear lights nicely!!

Mike - They really do look the part, see below…

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Just one of those days...
For the second day in a row, I was outside working on the car with my breath visible due to the low temperatures.

Then what was meant to be a quick job refitting the LED reflectors turned into anything but.

I noticed that there wasn't much thread to play with on the fixing bolt due to the extra layer of Lucas rubber.

I then proceeded to drop the first nut and just could not find it anywhere.

So I needed to trip to the Summerhouse to find a suitable replacement.

This time I got the nut on with no problem before proceeding to over tighten it and break the bolt out of the back of the reflector.



Oh how we laughed.

So it was back to the drawing board and I drilled a hole in the centre of the reflector.



The good news is that this allowed me to bolt the thing into position.





The bad news is that this stopped the LEDs from working.

So I've ordered replacement and will try hard not to break it when I fit it.

At least I was able to get the other one in without any drama.



And despite this morning's mishap, the reflectors look great and are well worth the effort.



So, for now, I just have a single fog light working on the driver's side.



The photo above was taken around 4pm when the sun had already set.

As all the dilly dallying in the morning meant that I had a pile of domestic chores to do before I could go for a spin.

Given the number of people driving around will fully misted up windows I decided a short drive was better than nothing.



A mistake with the camera settings gave me this 'arty' shot, which I quite like.



So until next time, take care, Paul.

Looking good !!

Very nice!

Paul L As you only need one fog light, why not set the other reflector up as a reversing light, very useful in car parks ect. .

Paul,
Looking good. A quick question regarding the LED fogs is whether drilling the hole stopped them working. Did you nick a wire you think?

I ask as one of my options for my lights was to drill a hole on the centre of the reflector/light and put a white LED in that hole to act as a reversing.

If the Wiring is too close for that I will put my rear reversing lights somewhere else

Dave

Mike & Molleur - Cheers chaps.

As for the reversing light, I've removed all the reversing light wiring, so I will stick with fog lights for now.
( See below. )

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Dave - The external wires are OK.

But looking at the LED light pattern, I guess there is a circuit board of some sort in use.



So even though there are no lights in the centre of the reflector, I guess there is something 'important' in the middle.

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Friday Plans:
Plan A was to use the car to drop off some Christmas presents to my mum so she could see it painted.

Then I would see if I had enough time to reshape the edges of the replacement LED reflector that arrived yesterday.



Unfortunately, there was a light mist all morning, when meant I had to take my Mondeo instead.

But by the time I got home the weather had finally started to clear up a bit, although it was still grey.

So I managed to get out for an hour, which is around 15 miles in traffic, but I had a few good bursts in the middle.

Stopped off on Harrow Hill for a few photos on the way home.





Then decided to turn up the final slope to the church on the very top (where the Harrow Job video ends).

There I was greeted by a small crowd all very well dressed and a professional photographer clicking away.

Turns out there was a wedding about to start, so I quickly turned around.

Thankfully, I managed to get out of the way just as the bride arrived.



So just time for one quick photo and I was on my way.



So that's all for now, cheers, Paul.

Odd Jobs:
It was an early start as I was at Sainsburys at 7am for the final bits for Christmas dinner.

It was almost 3pm before I could start working on the car.

First job was to remove the broken LED reflector, start the the engine & switch on the fog lights.



This allowed me to check the wiring of the new LED reflector.



I then filed down the edges of the reflector so that it would fit into the Lucas rubber mounting and refitted it.

I had two other jobs to do in the boot while it was 'open'.

The first was to swap the standard nuts on the locating lugs for nyloc ones.
( As these were shaking themselves loose when I was driving along. )





I had also been having trouble with one of the boot lid locks not wanting to close.

Eventually, I spotted that it was fouling here.



Unfortunately, by this stage it was dark outside, so the following photos are rubbish.

But I covered the rear of the car up...



And ground the area back a bit to give me some more clearance.
( I'll repaint this black another day. )



The good news is that both rear fog lights are now working again.



The bad news is that I noticed a big chip in the paint in one corner of the boot opening.



And the engine blew oil all over my wife's car a few feet away.
( So I had to wash that down when I was finished. )





Despite being lit by the street light in the photo, the rear end really does look the part now.



Until next time, take care, Paul.

"This is only one more sleep 'til Christmas."



Which means it is time to log of the computer and get ready for the big day.

So I hope you all have a good one.

Merry Christmas, Paul.

Brrrrrrr…
Finally got a chance to head out for a short spin today.

First stop B&Q.



Then I tried in vain to find a suitable location for a photo shoot with the sun setting behind the car.

In the end, I had headed a bit further West than expected and it was getting pretty dark by the time I got home.
( The photo makes the sky look brighter than it was & note the frost still on my neighbour's car. )



But regardless of the light, it was bloody cold out.

Best comment of the day was from a guy who told me he had a Scalextric model of my car when he was a kid!

Cheers, Paul.

Happy New Year!
A couple of days ago I was up a wobbly ladder sorting out a blocked rain gutter here.



But I did get out for a quick spin today and recreated one of Mr T's photos.



Although my drive didn't start well, when I managed to spill petrol all over the paintwork while filling up.

I then managed to miss the sun setting for a second time.







Hope you have a great 2018.

Take care, Paul.

A Short Break
After a few days away with my family, I had a chance to go out for a quick spin this afternoon.

First job was to check the oil.



The bad news is that I am definitely burning and/or losing oil.

The good news is that I still get a kick out of opening the bonnet on hinges I made myself.

I was out for about an hour / 20+ miles, which was still long enough to freeze my ar$e off.

So I only managed to take one photo while I was out.



At some point I will need to give the car a wash as it is getting pretty filthy now.

A few highlights from my drive:

Let an old style Fiat 500 pull out from a side road in front of me and we exchanged big smiles as we passed.
As this '500' was on steroids, a 'Pro Street' drag racing style, complete with roll cage and serious sounding engine.

Waved at a hardy MX5 driver, who is the only one I've seen with the roof down in all my recent 'chilly' drives.

Was carefully weaving my way over Harrow Hill due to the small gaps left by parked cars.
Then just as I was pulling into the single car width space ahead of me, a young chap decided to play 'chicken'.
There was a big plume of black smoke out of the back of his old 3 series BMW as he tried to accelerate into the same gap before I got there.
He failed.
Instead, he just ended up blocking the road in front of me with nowhere for either of us to go.
Despite the Romanian number plate he appeared to fully understand the short blast of Anglo-Saxon that I gave him.
He also understood that his dumb driving meant that I wasn't going to be the one doing the reversing.
So I just inched forward as he slowly/carefully reversed back down the road, past at least 10 cars that were previously behind him.
As these were now all safely tucked in on their side of the road leaving him no where to pull back in.
[Del Boy]
"What a plonker!"
[/Only Fools and Horses]


Until next time, take care, Paul.

PS
Someone pointed me to this advert for a 1957 Falcon for sale in the USA.

https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1957-falcon-competition-mkii-falcon-works-sportsracer

Micra Mission:
My wife's car is due its MOT tomorrow and she was told about a YouTube guide to fixing her headlights.

As they currently look like this, it was my job to watch the video and then fix them.





First a dry sanding with 800 grit paper.



Followed by wet sanding with 2000 grit.



I ended up having to do this round twice.

Then I used some cutting compound, applied and polished by hand.



Then it was a light dusting with clear coat.



While I was hoovering and cleaning the rest of the car I was wondering how long the clear would need to dry.

At which point a fine mist of rain started coming down, so I figured that would have to do.

Whilst the end result isn't perfect, the lights are miles better than they were.



Depending on the weather, I might take my own car out for a spin at the weekend.

So until next time, take care, Paul.

Stupid boy!

You could have done it with a polishing mop and some cutting paste. The missed opportunity was that you had to buy if for the wife's car, in fact you could have got her to pay for it.
A missed opportunity, Stupid Boy!

Oi!

I resemble that remark.





It was someone in my wife’s work that suggested the fix and they even supplied the 2000 grit and clear coat.

So I would be hard pressed to argue that I needed a new tool for the job when they didn’t use one.

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Friday Suppliment
As well as fixing my wife’s headlights I also had to take my mum to a physio appointment.

Due to road works I had to take the scenic route back and saw the charred Grenfell Tower for the first time.
( As I said at the time, this is not very far from my mum’s house as the crow flies. )

Even having seen in on TV doesn’t seem to dampen the impact when you see it with your own eyes.

On a lighter note, I was also stuck in a traffic jam on the North Circular with this car next to me.
( The number plate was easy to remember and Google had this photo. )



Now most cars with 4 ‘drain pipes’ for exhausts don’t actually need then.

But it was clear this car had a serious power plant and it sounded very menacing just inching along.

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Saturday
Unfortunately, a number of chores got in the way of me heading out for a decent spin today.

But at least I was able to finally finish tidying the Summerhouse.



I also picked up my road bike from getting repaired today and needed to clear the space around it.



As I plan to spend hours on this Turbo trainer this year to lose some, OK, a LOT of weight.

I just hope the weather holds tomorrow.

Cheers, Paul.

I was discussing a keep fit regime with my son today. I plan to get a cheap treadmill (£150 foldable and motorised) and stick it in the shed (small log cabin 2mx2m) that I have just built today, then run an armoured cable. If rainy, walk fast -ish in the shed, if not do it on the lawn. Running is definitely out of the question unless my life is threatened. I may have to put a cooled energy drinks dispenser (beer fridge) in there too. Noise cancelling headphones and Free Live, fitness here I come.

Barber - For me, the big advantage of training in the Summerhouse is I don't disturb the family.

When I was training properly, I could happily do a couple of hours cycling before work, even if it was dark outside.

For the long steady rides, I have an old TV and DVD player with headphones to keep me occupied.

Power is run from the house via an armoured cable.



The cable comes in underneath/through the concrete base.



After back filling the hole, there is no sign of the cable at all.



Which gives me both light and power sockets.





Good luck with your fitness plan.

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Sunday Spin:
Managed to get out for around a hour and 20 minutes today, which equates to 33 odd miles due to traffic.

Took a quick blast up the M1 and was pleased to find that the overdrive switch seemed to be working properly.

Whilst it might be getting marginally brighter in the afternoons, it is still pretty cold out there, so just one photo stop.



At some point I need to make a final decision on some side mirror plinths.
( As I want them in place before I get my tonneau cover made. )

Until next time, take care, Paul.

Quick Catch Up
Recently, the weather has not been suitable for open top driving.



But I did get out for a decent drive yesterday, just under 2 hours and just over 50 miles.

Didn't see any other cars with their roofs down, but exchanged a nod & and a smile with an old guy on an old Norton coming the other.

When I filled up with petrol I also stopped for a coffee break to help me warm up a bit.
( Excuse the poor photo. )



Unfortunately, after taking the scenic route out, I took the M1 back and the wind really blasted me.

Not easy to get a decent photo of it, but I think the wind and rain lashing the car cover is ruining the paint.



So I will definitely be taking up JaguarTVR's kind offer of showing me how to cut and polish this properly when the weather improves.

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In other news, I've started getting back into a regular exercise routine in an effort to lose weight.

I've also finally started to work my way through loads of paperwork I put in "come back to later" piles during the build.



Note:
This was 'Round 1' and 'Round 2' was at least half as much again.
I even had to buy a new shredder after over working the old one.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

Looking at your picture of the car cover, you could do with a square of plywood with an upright to create a tent pole that could sit between the drivers and passenger seats, this would stop the water from pooling and might help keep the inside drier.