Since getting the car on the road, I've already:
Raised the rear (independent) suspension - to increase the ride height/clearance and to reduce the negative camber (and stop the inner walls of the rear tyres scuffing on the bodywork when the car is loaded. Raised the front suspension.
Set the front suspension with slight negative camber - which has eliminated the front from skipping over bumps.
Changed the timing belt as the engine had done 98,000 miles before I got it - with an unknown history. A fairly routine exercise - except for being supplied with a belt with 119 teeth instead of 122. No wonder it wouldn't fit!
Had my first bee strike - right in the middle of my forehead.
I started making a 30 litre (7 gallon) fuel tank to replace the 20 litre jerry can that serves as a tank at present - but gave up as my welding skills proved not to be up to the job. I'll redesign it and have it professionally welded.
Fuel consumption is working out at about 20mpg - so some work on the engine and carb will also be need to improve on the present 90ish miles between refills.
Miles since SVA (18 May): 210
Cost since SVA: £10 (Timing and drive belt) £21 (sheet of 1.6mm steel)
With most of July's weather (accurately) described by the Met Office as "autumnal" there hasn't been much chance to get out in the car. I made the occasional trip to town in it and some times, when I went in the evening to lock up the lock-up, I couldn't resist going out for a run - just for the sake of it.
I got a tip that Jim Kelly in Watson Crescent, Edinburgh, might be able to make a soft-top for the car. I went to see him. His main business as a car upholsterer is to repair/restore car seats - but he said that if he could take patterns off the car he could make a hood. First I need to make a windscreen - so this is definitely looking like an over-the-winter project. Did some rough measurements of screen and roof heights with me sitting in the driver's seat. Decided that my existing seat position is going to dictate a pretty high roofline - so the luxury of driver seat runners has gone and the seat has been bolted direct to the floor. With them at a slightly more raked angle, it looks like the height has dropped about 70mm.
On the routine maintenance front, I checked the tappets (which were OK) and replaced the rocker cover gasket (which wasn't OK). The brakes have been pulling to the right - so I removed the left calliper to have a look at it. One of the pistons was seized. Eased it off and braking is a bit more straight-line now.
The redesigned fuel tank is coming along - slowly. But I think I've definitely conceded that it's a professional job to finish off the welding after I've tacked it together. Still got to work out how to get the filler to join up with the tank. Hoping for another middle-of-the-night bit of inspiration to sort that out.
Miles in July: 190 (now reading 400)
Cost in July: £3 Rocker cover gasket £21 Sheet of 1.6mm steel for fuel tank
I did absolutely nothing to the car during the month except try to get a reasonable finish on the alloy - unsuccessfully. Took it out for little runs when the opportunities arose.
Miles in August: 100 (now reading 500)
Cost in August: Nil
The month's travels started off well - I ran out of fuel. Fortunately it was less than half a mile from the lock-up and a 100 metres from a filling station. I now know that I can do exactly 100 miles on a tank of petrol!
Despite the iffy weather during the month, the car has been out and about a lot. On Sunday 9th Osy and I met up with the Kirkcaldy Boys, Bob and Andy/Dave, at the Halbeath Services and we went up the M90 in a 3-car convoy to attend a rally at Scone Palace. Felt quite chuffed - us in our crash-helmets.
Despite believing from with the others that cruising speed would be about 60, Bob (in the lead) soon had us cranked up to **mph (note not quite ***mph) and passing everything in sight along the Kinross/Milnathort straight. Against a crackin' headwind at that. Fastest the car's been. (Remember, we don't have a windscreen - so that is a lot of wind in yer face.)
A slightly daunting feeling as I still wasn't ready to trust the welds in my car's (professionally) rewelded shortened propshaft - that was whirling away at 5,000rpm in the tunnel only 50mm away from our thighs. Well, I suppose that's that checked out then.
At the Scone Palace showground we met up with members of the Scottish Kit Car Club - and joined the Club. In addition to that, "The Scottish Vintage Tractor and Engine Club 25th Rally - Farming Yesteryear" (to give it its proper title) and of which we appeared to be part of the exhibit, was a great day out. Clydesdales ploughing fields; chain-saw sawing demonstrations; lot (and lots) of tractors and all sorts of other weird agricultural implements parading round the show ring; vintage cars; not-so-vintage cars. So many trade stands and exhibitors I gave up going round them all We even had to parade our car round the ring - and got a chunky brass plaque for doing so. All in all (although a bit chilly), a good family day out. One for next year's diary. A slow drag out of the exhibition site at the end of the day, though - so it might be worth making a weekend of it next time, based in the campsite next door.
Osy and I (without the Fifers) came home at a slightly more sedate pace on the A9 - which gave us a nice wee sprint through Glen Farg - ah, the A9, takes me back to the skiing days.
On top of that, Amy (daughter) and I have taken to shootin' the breeze around town of a Saturday afternoon. Cool! (I'm told). Very cool on one occasion. Got caught in a shower on the way back to Amy's flat. Chucked Amy out of the car at Causewayside (to walk the rest of the way home) and made a hasty retreat along Melville Drive. Rain doesn't half sting at 30mph.
Took Brendan (Amy's boyfriend) for a round trip of the Arthur Seat one sunny morning. Seemed to enjoy the experience.
One Sunday morning I took Lee Johanson for a wee run to Cramond. Lee is an Australian who was staying with friends while here on a trip to Scotland. He had a big grin on his face most of the time and managed not to get flies in his teeth. Lee's brother is Jon Johanson - builder of a homebuilt aircraft in which he has flown round the World several times. Now there is an interesting guy with an interesting history. I met him when he was in Scotland a couple of years ago. For more on his exploits click on: http://www.jonjohanson.on.net/
On the mechanical side, must do something about the car's idle speed. Even with the throttle-stop backed right off it still idles too fast. Need to start preparing, too, for all the improvements I plan to make over the winter when the car is off the road.
Miles in September: 250 (now reading 750)
Cost in September: Nil
Still managing to find days or part-days with good enough weather to use the car.
Gordon (car mechanic in adjacent lockup) put the car on his Crypton and sorted out the timing, idle speed and emissions - and confirmed that the compression, plugs and leads are ok. Not bad for a 100k miles engine. We'll see what this does to the fuel consumption. Exhaust note is sounding a bit better but I've lost quite a lot of the nice popping and banging on overrun.
Also converted the choke from automatic to manual. What a skitter that was - because the conversion kit covered about 6 different Webbers and the instructions were ambiguous and the multiple choice parts in the kit weren't at all clearly identified to particular carbs. Nevertheless, got it fitted. One thing is now clear - the carb was heavily over-choked with the automatic set-up. The engine now fires with virtually no choke and the choke can be put away after less than a minute. Another measure to improve on the 17mpg in town?
Made a towing eye to bolt onto one of the lower front members. (Was in serious need of one when the car wouldn't start at the SVA testing station on the second visit (had flooded the carb - but better than wetting the pants). Attached a line to one of the lower wishbones to get it started - but that resulted in cracks in the fibreglass nose-cone.)
Wednesday 31 October - it all came together. Started cloudless with a sharp North wind that looked like it would bring in clouds some time during the day. Last day the "wee car" is taxed - taking it off the road for the winter. Still a half tank of petrol - and I plan to replace the tank over the winter. Just had to empty it on a last run down the coast.
Set off at 8.30 - chilly, even in leather jacket. Mixing it with the suits on their way to work (poor souls), got a Metro from a very smiling fluorescent man at Randolph Crescent. Highly amusing he thought it was throwing the paper into a car with no roof or windscreen.
Bit of a mistake trying to avoid a jam at Jocks Lodge. Nipped round the back of the houses to find a minefield of speed bumps. They weren't there the last time. Anyway, as they seemed to be made of some sort of industrial pumpernickel, they were very forgiving as the sump scraped over every one. Definitely must cut a bit off the sump.
Got off the A1 as soon as pos. Ahh!, the little winding and undulating road along Gosford Bay. Waited till there was no traffic and found out that the tighter the corner the more the wee car gripped. The wonders of low centre of gravity/rear-wheel drive. Stopped at Gosford and Aberlady to finish off a film on the car. Could hardly stand in the wind. Still no clouds. Freezing.
Even more good road between Aberlady and Gullane. A slow circuit of Goose Green in Gullane (at what I estimated to be half the remaining fuel I stared out with (calculations needed as the car doesn't have a fuel gauge)). Return route, the reverse of the outward. Coming back through Musselburgh, an old man on the crossing said "Must be cold in there". "Freezing" I said. "But great, eh!" he replied. Yup.
Got back to the lockup before noon. The clouds rolled in from the North. Removed and emptied the fuel tank. Less than half a jamjar-full of fuel left in it.
The simple pleasures.
Miles in October: 150 (now reading 900)
Cost in October: Choke conversion kit £28