:: Saturday, June 3, 2006 ::
A lovely day for the TVR club meeting.
New member with an S - a white one which I remember seeing for sale about 2 years ago. It seems to be a very nice solid car, just needs a bit of TLC (the kind that never stops, like my car does!)
I've got a sunburnt head.
:: Sunday, June 4, 2006 ::
Today is the annual car show of the Borders Vintage Automobile Club. This event is one of the principal car show events in Scotland, and has been held for yesrs at Mellerstain Castle in the Borders. The last time I was there was in June 2003, not long after I bought the car - but I had to park it in the public car park that time - it wasn't in show condition.
Now it is!
The show will be held this year at Thirlestane, for the first time. And I have an exhibitor's pass.
I set off at some ungodly hour to meet Dave, and we discover that we have got the times wrong - we though we had to be there by 9:30, but gates open then - you have to be there by 10:30. This leaves us with a dilemma - what shall we do to pass that extra hour? It takes us about 10 seconds to plan a route for a blatt around the borders that terminates at Mellerstain at about the right time. And off we go!
After close encounters along the way with a small herd of stray cows, then two pheasants and then a rabbit (all of which we manage to avoid squishing / being squished by) and a close encounter of the fourth kind (the kind that leads to looseness in your drawers) with a space cadet in a Lexus who decides that it might be a good idea to go a-wandering over to the wrong side of the road while staring at the car that's overtaking him, and forcing said car halfway up the grass verge, we arrive at Thirlestane at 9:45. Spot on.
We find the (vacant) TVR stand and park up, and spend an enjoyable 15 minutes dissolving our new insect collection from the front of the two cars, and then another 15 minutes eating a couple of bacon rolls each. The rest of the TVRs (from the NE England Group) arrive at about 10:45 and park up. Some pleasantries are exchanged and then they retire into their little cabal. I admit that maybe it's me, but I was more interested in speaking to the various members of the public who showed an interest in the TVRs. Our two S types had a fair wee crowd around them and lots of people to chat to, including:
(i) the man who bought James's S and who lives in Edinburgh. We managed (I think) to persuade him to show up at a club meeting. We shall see.
(ii) the man who was determined to convince me that I have always wanted to turbocharge my TVR. Apparently this results in about 250 brake horsepower (the car has about 170 as it is, so that's a 50% increase). I think he's trying to kill me. He has owned gazillions of silly turbocharged cars and says that it is definitely the cheapest and best way to get more performance. He's right as well.
(iii) the man who owned one years ago and wants another one.
And loads of others just asking about the car.
A couple of walks around looking at other stuff, lots of interesting cars, too many to mention.
During one of these walks, the NE England group dismantled their gazebo, and packed up ready to go. Fortunately they were still there when we walked back, else we would have missed the chance to say bye-bye.
Another absolutely superb day, a day that makes owning this wee car most worthwhile.
Click here for photos of the day!
I've now got a really badly sunburnt head.
:: Friday, June 9, 2006 ::
The weather has been roasting all week so I decide to take the car in to work. Of course, it's foggy when I set off, but that'll soon burn away, eh?
Em, naw.
It gets sunny about 5 minutes before I reach work and have to get out,never mind, at least the drive home will be nice eh?
Em, naw.
5 minutes after I leave the office, it gets foggy again.
Still a nice drive though!
:: Saturday, June 10, 2006 ::
I decide to polish the wheels with a polishing ball - and what a magic bit of gear it is!
Wheels are now shinier than new! (Well maybe not quite, but still super-shiny).
Then I decide to clean the car - not with water but with Meguiars Quick Detailer (handy tip from Dave there!). It doesn't take very long at all (there again, the car isn't too dirty) - a sweep with my dust brush, spray on the cleaner, wipe off and buff with a terry towel, a panel at a time. No water puddles, no streaks, no wet bits underneath. A wee bit more expensive though!
:: Saturday, June 17, 2006 ::
Another attempt at sealing the exhaust manifold which now comprises mainly sealer paste held together with the odd strand of rust. I am resigned to replacing it - just not quite yet!
I leave it overnight to dry.
Both front carpets have been falling to bits - the foam backing is disintegrating and they now keep rippling up under your feet when getting in and out (not that there's much room for the hokey-kokey in a car this size). Now I have two choices:
1. Replace both front carpets (again) when there's nothing wrong with them apart from the backing, or
2. Put new backing on.
But the question is - what do I back them with? While I am pondering this question I drop in to Halfords for general inspiration and spot a heap of assorted shop-soiled carpet maps going cheap. A tenner later and I am the proud owned of a set of 4 rubber- backed mats.
Back to the garage and rip the tatty old foam off the back of the TVR carpets. Cut the mats to shape with a stanley knife, spray with glue and leave for 5 minutes to dry, then press together making sure there are no ripples - they stick together like Heather Mills to a Beatle's wallet (at least I think they did - by this time I'm so high on evostik fumes that it could be totally crap and I wouldn't care). All you need is love, man. It's been a hard day's night so I stop there and go home.
:: Sunday, June 18, 2006 ::
Our second run this year to the Doune hillclimb, except the weather isn't quite so kind this time - it's threatening to rain when I set off. Still take the roof off though!
We meet up at Stirling again for the drive up. This offers a photo opportunity for those who are able to get back up off the ground without a winch or a friendly tug-o-war team.
We park up beside the Ford Capri Owners Club, and it is at this point that the rain comes on. Lovely! Fortunately it dries up a bit before lunchtime.
This is good news because at lunchtime, the TVRs are doing a parade run up the hill. I missed out last time but this time I'm ready! While we are waiting at the bottom, a marshall comes over - I remember him from last time, he was particularly interested in the S. I offer him a run up the hill as a passenger.
The first two photos are on the track on the way up, and the third is in the holding paddock at the top (where the cars wait till everybody has finished and then come back down together). The fourth photo was on the way back down again.
At around the point where the photos were taken, the road is about 10 feet wide with a hard steel barrier along one side and a stone wall lined embankment on the other. I am concentrating on not hitting anything. The marshall tells me at this point that the single-seaters are doing about 100 mph here, on slick (bald) tyres in the wet. I glance at the speedo. 45. I will never be a racer.
Then we park up again and sit back and enjoy the rain.
Oh and the interior mirror fell off the windscreen - it's been threatening to do that since I got the car!
Oh and the boot is leaking again - it's that drain pipe again - I need to glass it back into the bodywork properly.
Oh and the exhaust blow is much better (very very slight now, so bearable).
:: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 ::
Although not directly connected to the TVR (well it is really, I'll explain later) I've spent today at Knockhill racing circuit, on an "ultimate drivers experience" - first half involving ripping round the track in a single-seat racer, the second half being a skidpan and then a rally car drive.
Particularly enjoyed the single-seater - although I probably wasn't that fast, I learned a lot about circuit driving and about the lines etc to take. I hope that this will help me if (well when) I decide to take the TVR to a track day - I didn't want to be too "green" when I do my first one.
An absolutely fantastic day.
On the way home I drop in to see Dave - he had his windscreen replaced today, after a stone-cracking incident last week. Apparently it was a nightmare of a job, and took the fitters most of the day to get the old screen out and the new one in. One problem was that the aperture doesn't quite fit the screen, and had to be filed a bit. Another problem was that the screen doesn't have a "lip" to sit on, at the bottom, so locating it in the right position isn't easy. A third problem is that TVR fit the screen AFTER they have trimmed the interior, and bits of the trim are under the screen and you can't get it out without damage.
So the TVRgit recommendation, boys and girls, is "get those stone chips repaired before they grow into big cracks, beacause you don't want to be changing the screen unless you have to".
To be honest, it looks ok, although the filler needs to be trimmed back and refinished, once the screen has stuck in position.
:: Saturday, June 24, 2006 ::
First job - fix the rear view mirror back onto the screen. I have bought a Loctite mirror glue kit rather than sticky pads. First step is to mark on the outside of the screen, around the old mirror pad, then remove the remains of the old sticky pad from the glass and the mirror stem. A stanley knife blade and a rub with white spirit sorts that bit.
Then I rough up the back of the mirror with a dremel tool. I also use the same tool to roughen the glass on the inside, where the mirror is to stick.
Then all you have to do is spread the adhesive all over the mirror stem, and put the "activated mesh" on, so that the glue saturates through. Do remember to cut the mesh to shape first! Then stick the mirror onto the screen and hold for a minute or so. Job done!
At this point I notice that the adhesive has gone clear as it sets so the pad-roughening shows through the glass.
Then it's on to the fitting of foam to prevent the bonnet from rubbing on the body.
You can see here, where the bonnet has been rubbing on the edge of the wing. You can also see a residual bit of the original foam which has now hardened to a plastic. First I remove all the bits of old foam (both of them!). A lot of the foam wasn't replaced when the bonnet was fixed.
I make a couple of templates by holding the card that the mirror glue was fixed to, against the edge of the wing and drawing round it with a marker. I then cut out the shapes with scissors and check them against the wing.
I then transfer the template to some sticky-backed foam I happen to have lying around (thanks Dave), clean the paint and then stick them on the wing. Same again on the edge of the bonnet arch.
This is what it looks like with the bonnet shut.
I then stick some more foam onto the rear corners of the wing, and the corresponding place on the body, at the bottom of the windscreen pillars. Another couple of bits go on to the scuttle, where the bonnet has been rubbing.
I then have to slightly adjust the left side bonnet catch which is now too tight to close properly. Careful not to move it out of alignment!
Dave also gave me a piece of rubber trim for the rear edge of the bonnet moulding. This stops stuff coming out of the engine compartment onto the screen. It also stops rain dribbling down over the distributor and other electrical bits. It's the same trim that goes over the rear hoop to seal the roof panels when they're on. The trim he gave me is in better nick than the one on my hoop, so I swap them over so that the best seal is on the roof.
The old seal is parting from its mounting strip in 2 small places - I stick it back together, then cut the trim to size and put it on.
:: Sunday, June 25, 2006 ::
How does this happen?
You buy a car and write a wee list of things that need doing.
Then you spend 3 years doing them.
Of course, other things crop up as you go so you add them to the list and work through them as well.
At the end of 3 years you still have a longer list than you started with!
Well today I decided to blitz a number of items on my list and shorten it a bit. Where shall we start?
Well first, we'll adjust the mirror and make sure that it's attached properly to the windscreen. Looking good so far.
Then we'll glass that drainage pipe back into the boot channel. First remove the loose pipe and use the dremel to clean up the pipe and the adge of the hole. Mix up a wee drop fibreglass resin and spread in on both then stick the pipe pack in. A tiny bit of matting around the inside and leave it to dry. OOps too much hardener it's solidified in the wee bowl already! Pipe fixed firmly in place - still looking good!
Right - next step is to wash off the muck along the sills. Easy.
Then jack the car up one corner at a time and clean the inside of each wheelarch, which are, frankly, minging. I wash the arch and the suspension, then change the centre caps (Oh did I mention I bought new wheel centres? No? Well I did, they arrived yesterday). Then of course I decide to polish each wheel before I put it back on... gawd this is getting sad...
I remove the front wheelarches from the car. so that I can clean them at home, and also make up wee extensions like mudflaps, to prevent crap getting chucked all over the chassis outriggers. I found a bit of black plastic in the house which will do the job nicely.
All of this has taken me... em... 4 hours. Only the boot drain pipe was on the list. At least that's one item ticked off eh?
Oh yes... I found a split boot on the top nearside wishbone ball joint. That'll need replacing. Saab 900 unless I'm much mistaken. I'll add it to the list.
Oh and when I took the wheelarch liners off I found that the Hammerite is starting to flake off the front chassis outriggers, so that'll have to go on the list as well.
The rear trailing arm mounting points also need to be repainted - a well known rust point on the S. On the list!
So what's the scores on the doors then Anthea? Oh, the "Completed" family scored one point while the "New shit to add" scored 3. Right on to the next round...
Oh and I've lost the sheet of black plastic I wanted to make mudflaps out of - it was "tidied up" on bin day. Fantastic.
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