[Mick O'Malley]

Since my last post I have made the 'spanner access' diagonal cuts to the inboard ends of the mountings and pondered how their proposed diagonal braces up to a frame tube could be made. I found a rusty old piece of 1" angle and offered it up to TDW's side diagonal frame brace. The old mountings were braced to these so I reasoned that mine would be OK. I bought on Ebay a one metre length of 30x30x3mm mild steel angle (which the delivery guy simply rammed though my letter box) and wondered how best to cut the necessary angle where it met the mounting. Its top end will simply rest over the box section diagonal, possibly needing a belt with the lump hammer to open its angle up a little with it resting against one jaw of the open vice. I hit on the idea of making a cardboard template, found some stout card, cut it 60mm wide to the length-ish needed, and folded it to replicate the angle. Snipping off small amounts at a time with repeated offerings-up soon had it nestling snugly at both ends.



The mounting was both tied on and bridged to the frame with a magnet to ensure its correct location.

Together with the rear seat belt mounting frame, the rear fuel tank support, and the headlamp mounting stubs, that's now all the metal cut for the welding sortie, towed behind the Jazz using the Dutton towing gismo. I discovered the other week that there is a legal requirement to have a safety line in case the massively strong towball should snap off . I bought and fitted one to the gismo as the frame as towed will probably weigh almost 100 kilogrammes/two hundredweight. One can't be too careful...

I scan Ebay each morning for a Hillman Imp sport cylinder head and yesterday I snapped up for a thoroughly acceptable sum a tubular steel sport exhaust manifold for said head. I'm sure this can be pressed into service with a side silencer for that distant 'firing up' day

Regards, Mick