MadaboutKitcars

Jag - Unfortunately what I really need is a garage.

Building the car on my driveway was a dumb idea and parking it here is not much better.

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Short Saturday
This morning, I tried to squeeze a quick drive in before the promised rain arrived in the afternoon.

But first it was time to check the oil and I'm still lovin' the bonnet opening.



Unfortunately, I'm not lovin' the fact I haven't sorted out inner front wheel arches yet, as there is mud everywhere.



I barely managed 15 miles in an hour as there was nothing but roadworks and traffic jams in all directions.

Then to rub slat into the wounds, I got caught in some light drizzle that had a brief flurry of sleet in it.

It was easy to keep a stiff upper lip as I drove though this, mainly because the lower half of my face was frozen.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

Paul L I have a hard half tonneau cover from a Spyder knocking about the workshop.
Why not collect it and adapt it for you car ?
It will help keep out the rain when the covering sheet is on and help keep you warm and dry when your driving.

Stunning just stunning Paul.

-

As for this little car you spotted.

Nissan GTR R35
3.8 twin turbo
420 bhp in standard form but this one has been played with
195+ mph
With a price tag of pushing on 100k.



Sorry my geeky knowledge of Japanese sports cars is greater then kit cars

It surely puts my daily drive with 4 drain pipes out the back with only 230 bhp to shame. But mine has a wankle engine.

Mike - Thanks for your kind offer.

But I've got my wooden tonneau covers for when the car is parked on the driveway.
( Note the P & D were added before the steering wheel was fitted & at one point these were a single unit. )



And when the weather finally warms up I will get a proper cover made, something like Mister Towed's.



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WelshOne - That GTR certainly sounded evil just crawling along.

A very long time along, I remember reading about someone fitting a wankle engine into an Alfa Spyder.
( Possibly in Street Machine? )

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Even Shorter Sunday
Domestic stuff had to take priority today, but I did get a very quick spin out.

And as it wasn't raining, I did take a couple of photos.





But by now the sky was starting to cloud over...



So it was a quick stop at Sainsburys.



Where no sooner had I stepped out of the car when a man and his young son came over for a chat.

The amazingly positive reaction the car gets really does help take away my disappointment with the paint.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

I know those feelings well! My paintwork is blistered, star crazed and cracked in quite a few places, but it's more than compensated for by the 'dropped jaw' looks from old boys as I cruise past. I generally drop it a cog, give it a squirt for their benefit, and check in my mirror that they're still gawping as they drink in the six-pot music .

Regards, Mick

Why are you disappointed with the paint - it looks nice and aged and suits the car. Is there anything in particular that bothers you?

Marc (from the Miglia page)

Mick - Thanks for the kind words.

I know the real problem is my own standards/expectations, as everyone else likes what they see.

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Marc - It is really hard to get a decent photo of the problem, but there is a scratched/milky finish on the paint now.



At least the 'survivor' look is more popular in the old car world these days.

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Hell's Bells It's Cold Out
Forecast said it was around 3 or 4 degrees when I headed out today, but it felt much colder.

I took my go pro out, so I could get some photos without stopping.

I have to work my way through the built up areas…



Before I finally get onto the open road.





Tried another 'Italian Job' angle.



And finally one 'selfie', where the exposed part of my face is freezing.



Until next time, take care, Paul.

PS
Had a weird passerby this morning who stopped for a chat while I was just starting the car up on my drive.
He said he had taken photos of my car "without wheels" and wanted to know if he could take some more.
English wasn't his first language and, for a Sunday morning, he absolutely stank of drink.
But in the spirit of goodwill, I said just let me pull the car into the road so he could get a better view.
Then, to my surprise, he pulled out a HUGE professional SLR camera and proceeded to click away.
It turns out his previous photos were taken when the car was freshly painted and left uncovered to dry.
( Hence the lack of wheels. )

Paul, this may not be any help but worth considering.

A number of years ago, I painted some wooden garage doors in a very nice green external paint, similar in tone to yours. This was done September/October time and a combination of the cold and heavy dew made it go milky in patches. It stayed the same over the winter, but during the spring and early summer, the heat and sunshine dried the paint out thoroughly and it was good for many years.

Don't panic until you have had the chance for the car to get a good dose of fresh air and warm sunshine. Fingers crossed.

Barber - Cheers.

My current plan is to wait until the warm weather returns and then see what can be done.

Triumph Swordfish 1500

Short and sharp
You know it is going to be a cold trip when there is still unmelted flakes of snow on the car cover.



Once again, don't let the sunshine fool you, the wind chill was biting on exposed roads.







Note: You can really see the 'milky' paint finish on the rear arch in the photo above.

Although I did like the ray of sunshine peaking through when I filled up.



And I still enjoy the Sainsburys' car park.



Until next time, take care, Paul.

Last Man Standing
My wife and daughters spent most of the half term week ill with a cough/cold.

Unfortunately, I've now got it as well, so all I did today was to peel back the covers and start the engine.



The only good news is that the battery seemed fine today, as it sounded like it was dying last time I started the car.

Cheers, Paul.

Short Sharp Shocks:
I'd forgotten to send a birthday card in time, which was a good excuse to drop it around in person.



This area is also a good example of the madness that is the London property market.

My mate and his sister bought their first house in this area in 1995 and spent less that £100k.

These days, these little two bedroom terrace houses will set you back over £800k, bonkers!

I also took the scenic route to Sainsburys, where this pickup was HUGE!



So around 14 miles yesterday and 9 miles today, which isn't much, but better than nothing.

Also, if it wasn't so cold, the sunshine and clear blue skies would be a real joy to drive in.

Cheers, Paul.

Winter Wonderland:
No chance of taking the car out for a spin in this weather, so here are a few snow photos instead.

Unfortunately, my camera couldn't capture just how 'blood red' the sun rise was.



This was the first day of snow arriving here.



After a few days the driveway was looking like this.



Whilst we've had snow here before, the icicles hanging off the car cover were something new.



Take care, Paul.

Quiet week:
A combination of work and weather meant I only managed a 6 mile 'scenic route' round trip to Sainsburys last week.



Then to make things worse I discovered that the micro heater has sprung a leak 'somewhere'.



I hope it is just a jubilee clip on a hose needing tightening.

But I need some dry weather to start crawling around in the footwells with a torch to find the problem.

So until next time, take care, Paul.

Swings and Roundabouts:
I did get a chance to go on a longer detour (just under 20 miles) to Sainsburys on Friday which was very nice.



The 3 series convertible arrived after I had parked and I couldn't help but wonder what car design Tribute could bolt to it.

Without doubt, it was the warmest day I'd driven in for months, but there was rain in the forecast, so I didn't push my luck.



Saturday was spent driving taking my wife and eldest daughter on a University campus tour.
( Snow while driving there and back and as we walked around outside the various buildings. )

Which meant this was the scene outside first thing this morning.



With a bit of luck, this will be the last of the snow and the good weather will finally arrive.

Cheers, Paul.

Some Small Signs of Spring…
Got a chance to go for a proper drive this afternoon and there was real sunshine on the car today.



Unfortunately, by the time I'd reached St.Albans the sky was looking like this.
( Photo taken while I was stuck at a set of temporary traffic lights. )



So I decided to take the M1 south to save a bit of time, even though it is alway nerve racking.

Cheers, Paul.

Looking good Paul !

Loving that green. And the wheels ... yummy

Dave

Dave - Cheers.

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A few more miles…
A combination of family stuff, work and wet weather have kept me out of the car for a while now.

But I did get a chance to use the car for a 'drop off' on Thursday evening, setting off around 6.45pm.

Heavy evening traffic heading into London meant 6 miles in 30 minutes.

Then it was back again just as some street lights were coming on, so this was me back home around 7.45pm.



I also have a small time window earlier today and headed into Harrow shopping centre.

Quite by chance, the 8th floor of the car park was pretty empty so I got a few photos.

Unfortunately, I had my small camera with me and it struggled to cope with the contrast in light.











I remembered to made a note of the mileage today and I've now clocked up just over 1,600 miles on the road.

In other news, I baked my first batch of chocolate chip cookies on Tuesday night.

As you can see, I need to leave a bit more space for the cookies to expand during cooking.





Until next time, take care, Paul.

Or, make the cookies smaller.
Glad you are getting out and enjoying the car!

Molleur - "I like big cookies and I can not lie.
You other brothers can't deny…"



My first batch of cookies were for an event at work, where, despite their shape, they were all eaten.

Then my wife and daughters complained that I should have saved three for them to try.

So I made a second batch, which were miles better & looked more like 'real' cookies (but I forgot to take any photos).

The key differences were:
- Halved the ingredients to make just five cookies per tray.
- Switched Lurpak butter to Stork Cakes (which my daughters use).
- Left the 'balls' of cookie mix in the fridge to chill a while before baking (an internet tip).

But that is more than enough about baking, so back to getting out and enjoying the car...

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Sunny Saturday…
Despite the beautiful sunny morning, I had to put domestic chores ahead of taking the car out.

Thankfully, the sun was still shining when I finally headed out after lunch.

So I took a chance and dusted off my summer hat and gloves.



I also chanced wearing just my light blue polo shirt, but did leave a jumper in the passenger seat.

At slow speeds, with the sun out, it was lovely and warm.

At anything over 50mph, or if there was shade, it was a bit chilly, but I wasn't going to complain.

The car continues to get extremely positive reactions wherever I go.

Hearing a small child say "Wow! Look at that car!" will always gladden the heart.

But my favourite comment of the day came as I crawled through St.Albans traffic...

"It even smells like an old racing car."

Unfortunately, that would be due to the oil leaking onto the hot exhaust pipe (see below).

Obviously, convertibles with their roofs down were everywhere, including a nice red F Type.

Also passed a McClaren, 3 Ferraris, 2 Aston Martins, 2 Maseratis, 1 BMW i8, countless Porsches, etc.

Only saw one classic car out (a TR2/3?) and to this day I've still never seen a Sammio/Tribute/Miglia/Formosa/etc. on the road.

I clocked up just under 70 miles and was out for almost 3 hours including stops for petrol and photos.

Found a modern industrial estate for the photos.







Which reminds me that I really do need to wash the car at some point as it has been a long Winter.

Parked the car on the street when I got home…



Which allowed me to check the oil when everything had cooled down.



Note the mud sprayed all over the inside of the bonnet.

Unfortunately, I'm still leaking / burning oil, so I will have to get that looked at by a professional at some point.

This was the oil left on the street during the short time I was parked before moving back onto my driveway.



Until next time, take care, Paul.

Mud Glorious Mud

I don't have a picture, but the A352 also suffers from this. A couple of weeks ago I had to unavoidably drive though standing water, which resulted in a misfire from wet electrics. I pressed on and engine heat soon dried it out, but, with my Le Mans trip coming up, I'm wondering if splash guards might be a good idea?

Regards, Mick

Mick – Building some sort of splash guards is on my “To Do” list.

I quite liked the way Jerome fixed this problem on his Sypder.
( As I don’t want to mess about with the bonnet any more. )





I always remember these photos as they came when he had the car craned over his house!



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Despite the beautiful sunny weather around here lately, I’ve not had a chance to go for a drive.

Work is very hectic at the moment and the good weather also brings a load of domestic chores too.

So in the last week, I’ve:
- Given the grass its first ‘high’ cut of the year to tidy it up a bit (OL, a lot).
- Given the garden furniture a couple of coats of protective oil.
- Given the Bar-B-Q a post winter clean too.

Which meant that on Thursday night we were able to have our first family BBQ.

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I’ve got to put a few hours of ‘real’ work in over the weekend, but I hope to get out in the car at some point.

Cheers, Paul.

Grey Sunday
It was just after 2pm when I finally had a chance to go out for a drive today.

My woolly hat was back and I also went for my 'Autumn' black leather gloves.

But I should have picked my winter ones, as it was COLD!

After around 45 minutes I actually had to stop in a garden centre cafe to warm up a bit.





Then it felt like rain was coming, so I called it a day after just over an hour's driving and around 20 miles covered.
( Note: The clouds were so dark I was making a point of not heading too far from the house 'just in case'.)

Cheers, Paul.

Is that a G Wagon you've parked next to? It looks huge.

Mr T -

Jokes aside, I keep looking at cars like this and wondering what Tribute could do with them.

Note: I'm just looking, with absolutely zero chance of building anything else for years to come.

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Very Busy
I hope to catch up with a load of forum replies over the weekend, as work has been manic lately.

But I do have one small bit of car related news…

I saw an advert on Ebay for 5kg of alloy off cuts for £20 + P&P, so I thought I would take a chance...



Despite having a full mix of sizes on display, the advert was very clear that what you get would be 'pot luck'.

At this point, I am only thinking about covering the main sections of the cockpit sides, not the rear cockpit wall.
( Mainly because it took me so long to fit the seats I just can't face removing them to get access. )

So as a guide, the short & fat piece in the centre is 30cm x 40cm and the cockpit sides are around 1m x 50cm.

Which means I will need to create some sort of overlapping patchwork quilt design see what that looks like.



Until then, take care, Paul.