Time for another installment. On the 30th September 2012 the car passed it's first MOT, the run from Harrow to the station in Watford was its first drive on the public highway in 50-ish years, on 50 year old crossply tyres, and I couldn't resist but give it some beans when I found Oxhey Lane unusually clear. Did surprise me at how well it went, very lively even on hills, it seemed to crave speed. In the days prior I busied myself getting the little things up to scratch, wipers, lights, etc. The horn push didn't work and had in ancient times been rewired to a big Bakelite button on the dash underside, a wire had been pulled inside the steering column and once resoldered was working again. Screenwashers are the vacuum powered big glass jar type, lots of perished rubber piping running to and from a push button valve under the dash, for speed I borrowed a bag type washer bottle with inbuilt electric pump from a Nissan van, and dropped it in the under bonnet cubby next to the wiper motor then wired it to the big Bakelite button I'd just liberated, plumbed it in and found the jets to be clear and aligned. All lights worked on replacement, just a bit of headlamp alignment needed. There was no charge from the dynamo, or rather the control box wasn't, I decided the quickest way would be to pop on an alternator, had a good one from an old VW van, but the Bristols engine mount fouls the short mounting bracket spacing that goes with an alternators fat, dumpy physique, so had to weld a little extender piece on, I rushed this a bit and finished with it just running out of adjustment before the belt was quite tight, didn't have time to go hunting a smaller belt, luckily the VW alternator has a split pulley so a little filing saw it right if messy, maybe I'll re-do it neatly.
The car has since sat in a lockup, my garage at home is too short sadly, I stashed it away for winter and will decide what to do next in the spring. I can continue working on my drive, again, too short but can go in at a right angle and I'll have privacy. The bodywork will be the biggest challenge, much is in bare alluminium and while I am capable and would enjoy repainting, I don't have anywhere to do so. I'd best pull my finger out and go earn some money to pay someone else to do it.
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