A Day for the Arks

Most of the day was dull grey and very wet. As predicted. I did pop out and look at the Alpine tyre though.

I think it might have gone down a tad.

Got Away with It

I started the day sweeping the drive while the E-type got the fan heater treatment. 

Then backed it out to put the bubble bottom sheet down. 

It looks bigger each year. 

Then I risked a run. 

That went very well I was glad to report. 

Just one Job - and Not Again !

I decided to get the Imp into the external bubble before the cold and wet comes at the end of the week. 

While it was warming up I checked the Alpine tyre. Yep - a slow puncture on the rear offside tyre. I left it a few pounds over inflated. 

I also unpacked the Alpine boot which I’d forgotten to do. 

I tried to move the Imp to clean under it and found it would not move - but why ? Some fool had left the handbrake on.  So car out and floor swept and car back in. Putting the top cover on I spotted I’d got it upside down. Oh well do it again. 

In the end it was all packed away and ready for the Winter by 11:30. 

So pm I thought I’d cheer myself up and take the Ferrari around the block so I put the fan heater on it for an hour or so. Oh no. 

It was not happy idling when I got it out of the garage, popping and banging on the run to start with and then just went back to feeling like it was not running cleanly on all 8 cylinders - just like last time. 

Oh Shit.

Finally SAAB to Harkstead. Dull but reliable.

A Little Golfing

A dull day mostly waiting for the rain to come back. So a little trip out in the morning to break the monotony which did the trick.

That's the MK2 in Abbott's yard . It seemed to be going well too.

There's a catch

Late morning I unpacked the rest of the stuff from the Alpine and decided to look at the catch. I adjusted it all the way out.

The door closed correctly but was too tight !

So I've bought a secondhand one and will grind off some of the lug and see if I can make it fit better.

PM MK7 lift to Stutton for a quick hour to BBSit.

Back to Work - Back Home Safely

The day dawned bright and warm … Er well somewhere it did but not in Solihull where I awoke to a misty cold day. Rain was predicted too for the evening.

Back at the show I checked over the car. The tyre was still up and hard … ish and the paintwork still looked clean and bright. A few finger prints but nothing to worry about.

I started looking around the show and I found a few things to interest me - but actually not a lot. Have I reached 'peak car' ? However I did like this Maserati Bora.

I would prefer it in blue though. I have enough red cars !

I did a few stints on the stand and the Alpine got a lot of attention - the team also pointed out a few things not right with it which was actually very helpful. Here I am at work.

One strange event was the man who came to find 'Martin' with the red S1 who had given him a lift once. He told me I'd given him and a couple of other people a lift back from the theatre with my wife Jan - 'Jana' I corrected. It was only when I asked where and it turned out to be Sutton Coldfield that the penny dropped it was not me. Odd. 

Finally as the hours passed slowly I started to fall for the 1950's Sunbeam Alpine opposite me.

But then the claxon went, horns were blown and the show was over. I stayed to help pack up - while there was an embargo on cars moving - but soon we were allowed to go. As predicted the rain started just as I was leaving, but I was out just before 5:30.

However the exit was chaotic - extremely busy as all the cars fled home - and confusing as it was not well signposted. Slow going too with the traffic, darkness and did I mention the rain ?

Luckily the car was running well in the cool air - and I was snug and warm with most of the rain going over me. The drizzle kept up for about half an hour until I was on the A14, but from then on it stayed pretty dry for the rest of the run. The car was going well (if a bit wobbly at times) and I able to keep a constant 50-60 mph depending on road surface and how much I could see. I passed Kettering services and everything felt good so I thought I'd go all the way - depending on the petrol gauge.

About an hour later, as I neared the Newmarket services, the gauge was hinting I'd not make it home without topping up and more importantly I needed the loo.

I put a quick 20 litres in the car and about the same came out of me !

Back on the road I picked up a truck running at about 55 so I followed it all the way to Ipswich. I was home just before 8:45 tired but happy.

I suspect those LED tail lights did their work too - you could probably see them lighting up the drive from Space ! 

So yesterday I'd thought to myself, I’m going to drive a 65 year old car 150 miles home - in the dark and in the rain. Rear tyre going flat - front wheel wobble and no roof - but it will be fine. The car will cope better than the driver as usual. We’ll see. You can't create content staying at home reading the Daily Telegraph.

As hoped then the car did very well and in the driver ? Well he just went along for the ride.

There It Is

So I started the day with a lift in the Mk7 Golf to the station and then Train/Tube/Train up to Birmingham. The easy bit. Just over three and a half hours. 

And the car ? 

So here it is - showing off those fins nicely - next to a Le Mans car. 

The tyre has not deflated which is good news and still feels quite hard - I’ll check again tomorrow. 

But oh my God - the first impression of the show is bewildering and a bit overpowering. 

After a look around our hall I booked into a ride with a Lotus Europa. 

The run was good and showed the car off well - flat cornering and race car like seating. Then I went in search of my quests. First the Volvo couple who were happy to chat and joke with me. 

Then I found the NSU RO80 and they remembered passing me too. 

I kept wandering around until I found the VSCC stand but it was quite empty with no Blue Diamond staff there at all. In fact the Bugatti and Aston Martin stands were also quite deserted. 

I took a shortcut back to the Alpine stand and people helped me identify things that needed sorting. Like the door where I’ve been moving the plate in the wrong direction. Oh and the rubber seals are wrong too - and the clock and the ammeter !

Swapped Back

I picked up the SAAB late morning so the grey cars got swapped.

I prefer mine. It passed the MOT but came up with a few advisories on rust - we'll keep it going though.

We Made It

So here we are 7:30 am and ready for the off. Weather dull but forecast is fine.

I pottered along at 55-60 mph with the Lorry’s and the car felt good. Even the wobble on the front wheel was fine unless I hit a pothole or lorry tram line. I got a toot from a chap in a smart blue NSU R80 (I think) who passed me near Stowmarket. 

All was well with the weather too with only a few spits of rain as I approached Newmarket Services - my first planned stop - but I just sailed past. The car was on song, we had lots of fuel and I felt fine - so I decided to press onto Kettering. My knees were a bit cold but the rest of me snug and warm. 

That’s when the journey started to get harder. Firstly hitting Cambridge around 8:45 am the traffic ground to a halt and it took a long while to crawl past the traffic in first and second. 

Then we sped up for a while and headed North on the new stretch of the A14 - back in the groove. Off at the right turning when the A1 split too. Then the rain started in earnest as the traffic stopped for a broken down lorry just past the junction. That was hard going for another 30 mins of stop start traffic.

A chap in a red Volvo P100 with a squeak shouted over to me “getting wet !”. He was off to the NEC too he told me. So eventually we passed the breakdown - but then the rain started in earnest. With the rain and the spray from the Lorry’s it was a bad time. I pulled my rain coat over my knees as a few drops were starting but oddly the car seemed to leak less that it had with the roof on. 

I stopped at Kettering for fuel and a slight rest. A young chap in a white van yelled over “I bet you’re wet !”.  In fact I was fine. The car even looked good after all that rain and muck - the power of wax.

Back on the road for the last leg and the rain eased off eventually. I sped up a bit but noticed that past 55 we had a bit of a shake - wheel probably. 

I chose the right exit from the M6 - having had to dash cross 4 lanes a bit abruptly - and then followed the torturous route round the new developments and into the North end of the NEC - just as the sun came out. There was even a Tiger on a trailer in front of me as I arrived which was a good sign. 

I was directed to the entrance for Hall 5 and eventually found the Alpines and Tigers after hearing Jeff shout at me. 

So we arrived in sunshine as predicted. Well that was after 4 hours on the road - 2 hours of rain, a broken down Lorry and two sets of roadworks on the A14.

But we were there - 150 miles almost exactly.

After a coffee and a rest I re-cleaned the car. I noticed the tonneau had rubbed on the top of the door but that was all. Oh but then I spotted a very flat tyre at the back too which I pumped up. 

I helped with the stand until about 2:30 and decided I better get going so left them to finish the stand. The tyre was still up which was a good sign. I handed over my keys and my now clean car and headed for the train. 

So we’ll see what I find on Saturday. 

Passing through Coventry Station on the way back I thought it was a very long time since I’d been at Warwick. 44 years in fact. Bloody hell. 

Train up from London just like old times - packed and delayed. 

Finally mk7 ride home. 

SAAB Swap and More Prep

Dropped the battered SAAB 95 off first thing for the service - and drove away in a battered 93 diesel.

It had done over 233k miles but is still going strong ... ish. So that's two strangers on the drive now.

Then after a quick job at the allotment it was Alpine prep time again. Here we are putting on the polish.

I fact I counted seven times around the car. Wash, shammy, dry, polish-on, polish-off, wax-on then wax-off. Tyres done too and under the car cleaned as well.

Then MK2 run to Harkstead for a quick job ...

... and back for a final run around the car to catch all the bits I'd missed.

So that's eight times.

Finally off to the RGEA meeting - in the MK2 Golf again as the Alpine is sooo clean and nothing else is really suitable tonight. This Daimler was there looking splendid though.

A very warm evening too - on the way back at 8 pm it was dry and still 15 degrees.

Yes it was Stupid. They want it !

I woke to the news that the organisers want my Alpine at the NEC this weekend. No pressure or stress then. Why do I do this to myself I wondered ?

After clearing the leaves away - so I could actually get into the garage - I swapped the cars around, put the Imp in the car port and moved the Jag out so I had room to work.

The plan was to finish the foot wells off with new boards. I spent quite a bit of time templating the first one and then went into the loft to get the sheet of board. Ah - there I found the ones I made all those years ago - so it seemed stupid not to re-use those.

I put some black backing on parts as well and the whole lot make itself disappear in the dark foot well. Not sure what should be above that though - I'll have to look. I then moved the Alpine over to the other side of the garage and got to work on the drivers side - which was not quite as neat but worked fine. Having the extra space with the Jag out probably saved a few hours too. Then I looked at cleaning the stones out of wheel arch bottoms. Here they are.

Quite a haul. I then checked the Alpine Oil (needed lots) and water (needed some). Finally I packed everything up, swapped the Alpine back and went for a run in the E-Type to say 'thanks' for sitting outside all day.

Good end to a car focused day. 

Harkstead again

Just another local run. 

Yep - Harkstead again.

In the evening I spotted that the SAOC had not got a Series I Alpine for the NEC stand and was desperate for one - it's all about the fins apparently. After dithering I offered mine. Probably a stupid idea.

Mr E to the Swede

Rain AM and then Sun PM so I decided to get the E-type out for a run to the boat. Looked very red against the leaves on the drive.

Nice potter to the Marina - but we parked and walked to the boat rather than drive over the bloody speed bumps. That was looking inviting in the dying sun.

Then back again as the day cooled and the sun set.

Finally SAAB to the bottle bank - with more old bottles I’d cleared out - so another Swede ended the day. 

An Impish Treat (2)

Started the day pottering while trying to sort the IT problems out. Got a lift to Harkstead to deliver a Tesco's shop and do jobs and then quickly home.

However the sun was out and for November pleasantly warm so I was also warming the Imp over lunchtime.

Here we are er ... back in Harkstead. 

The steering went crazy several times but the trick of steering into the problem worked fine. On the way back we went the long way in the sun until it began to set - and get a bit colder. However we did 17 miles which felt good.

Then the task of the day - get rid of lots of jam jars.

That's the SAAB full of them.

Autumn is definitely now on-going with Winter not far behind so we'll have to start to pack the cars away - just where ?

So Good we went there Thrice !

Another run to the Heath first thing. This time in the van with the wheel chair.

Then PM SAAB to Sutton for DIY, followed by a late evening run back to the heath by van to collect patient.

Then we had a long wait to extract her and then a struggle to get the wheel chair in but we made it. Only to realise we'd not paid - and there was no obvious way to do so at the weekend !

So after a struggle to get her out of the van - we'd got a seat belt trapped around it - back we went (in the SAAB) for a third time to pay. eventually after a short frustrating struggle with the machine and it's pictures of the number plate that was done too.

Finally SAAB to Manningtree and back for a well earned supper that Zoe would not have approved of.