The joys of a blow heater

OK so it might be cheating - but here's a tip - if you want a classic car to start after a week in -4 deg then stick a blow heater on it for an hour. E-type started first time. Ran it for 10 mins.

Rain and more Rain

Only a modern again today. Rain and more rain.

Yesterday's highlight - Alpine windscreen wipers - tried them out for the first time since re-setting the arms on the splines. Better visibility for driver as the sweep went at least 60 degrees this time.

Back in the driving seat

Tinkering with break fluid leak ?

10 miles in Alpine - thums up in car park.

Mk 3 Spitfire up there too and then followed home by a Lotus elan +2.

Back seat driving

Four miles in the back of the SAAB.

Heated Alpine sump up but ran out of daylight so no driving again.

1 mile at most

Must get back to the wheel tomorrow or I'll forget how it's done.

Two on the trot

Boxing day and zero miles by car again - my God if this continues the planet will cool down !

None-by-car

First for a long time. No driving at all.

But at least the quiz had a car reference.

Slush

Just SAAB pottering in the slush

Still winter and quite cold

Sssso still SAAB'ing it

There is still snow 4 days later - it's a record !

SAAB doing well - still no de-icer in the shops though.

Winter ebbs

But thoughts turn to the Summer drive to Le Mans in 2006

Cresting the hill at 80 mph with an early Porsche 911 and a Spider on my side and feeling something is not quite right. The urgency of the throttle of the leading Porsche has faltered, what they saw was the Gendarme 500 yards ahead levelling his radar at the brow. Luckily we’ve all slowed to tolerances and suspect the surprise of three 1960’s classics cresting the hill in line made him hesitate on the trigger – not knowing which to take a pop at.

Feeling him shaken off at 110 was good - given the lightness of the car's feel. How 150 felt I would not like to imagine. Stopping to chat at the garage filling up with fuel – outcasts ?
Three days and three Bugatti Veyrons. OK one in a day is going some, bit I saw two at a standstill and one driving past down the scruffy back road running past the campsite at Le Mans.

Dust and dirt with the odd British classic parked up next to the battered oil drums and the Bugatti hovering alone like an extra out of a 60’s Sci-Fi film. Aliens in a small low slung fake car of alpha centauri production. Wide and low (looking at it from the seat of the e-type) and a bit Pug looking actually.

100 miles in slush

Back from London in the slush, but as the sun sets the big freeze starts again.

london less snow

Waiting for the snow tonight, before driving back to suffolk in the morning. SAAB doing well.

Real Winter for 2 days

So real winter Ice and Snow - ho ho ho.

Just commuting today so easy.

Many people not on the roads at all though - when was the last snow we had here ?

Winter sets in

OK so there might be a pause in classic activity as snow is falling even in the south and the salt is down.

Looks like Sweden's finest will have to do.

First Salt !

Ok soft Suffolk frost. Had to de-ice and de-mist but noting more.

De-ice and go.

But bad news - first of the salt was laid today.

No classic car action for a few week - well until massive melt/rain wash it away.

Alpine only now...

M1 J37

Day two and diversion 2. Nice de-tour via Barnsley in Swedish steed.

But Leaving is always better than arriving.

Pulling into two lanes of on-coming traffic is never a good idea.

I’ve done it twice.

Once in 1981, in Paris, at night, in a 1968 MGB. Driving into the centre of Paris singing Dr. Hook lyrics in my mind, I turned right at a set of light and went the wrong side of the barrier up the main road. I was faced by two lanes of stationary traffic about to launch themselves at me. One quick spin round and I was off. Well at 21 your reflexes are a bit sharp.

Twice was in 2006. In a 1964 E-type FHC. On the way to Le Mans. I had had little sleep and was flagging mentally and physically. Again I went the wrong way across the junction and passed the wrong side of the barrier at a set of traffic lights. This time it was in the country where the traffic could go a little faster. In fact the lorry that was heading towards me was going considerably faster than it should have been and locked all 16 wheels up trying to stop as it saw me amble across the road. I could hear the skids of the tyres and they locked and luckily it slew to the left as I passed to the right re-gaining composure as I went.


Anyway today was less dramatic. A14 again. 270 miles, rain, diversion, roadworks and more rain. Using SAAB as it's a Transport day not a travel day.

It was definitely better to arrive than to travel today.

Slow Sunday

Not even tempted to open the garage doors - as the rain relentlessly rushed down.

Can you relax in a Classic ?

It’s always there, that sense of worry, not that sense of occasion, just that nagging doubt about breakdown. Listening for every odd noise adding mechanical catastrophe to each rattle and knock.

A bird tweeting in the hedge is translated into a rhythmic squeak that makes it a wheel bearing about to fail. That odd smell is not the neighbours bar-b-q but the immanent overheating of the delicate engine that you’ve had to coax out of sleep. The fine point between warm, running and hot can be upset by a junction, a set of slow cars or the odd roundabout.

And just as it’s running fine - all gauges at normal - as normal as you could possibly hope for, well now you look at it, the amps seem to be overcharging and the oil pressure is a bit down. Anyway basically it’s all OK. Then the M25. Madness. 125 miles of toe to heal, ass to bumper, tail to bonnet traffic. Stop Stop Start.

Anyway today some routine maintenance. Why is water on the floor ? It's the overflow pipe venting into the bonnet and running back. Fix it. Can you improve the windscreen wipers - can you even get them off the car. Eventually.

Heated Seats - ummmmm

OK whimped out and went SAAB today. It was cold and damp and almost frosty. Well it is mid Dec.

What global warming - when I was a lad it would have been 12 feet deep in snow by now ?

Winter on the Way

Lovely drive into work - cold and crisp. Warm enough - with two coats on at least. Another short commute.

Evening too damp and cold. Misted up windows so had to drive with window down to help un-mist the car - shivering when home. Must look at heater in the Summer.

One way in a SAAB

Quick spin to the station in a warm, modern (only 10 years old) SAAB. Why we have to change cars every 2 years I don't know ?

Dry but Cold

So the plan worked - car dripped on the drive and not in the garage. Dryed out during the day.

Cold but OK drive home. Wipers not right - still sweep only 75% of the drivers side. Will change the arm on the splines and see if it sweeps better.

SORN Italian Tin next week.

Alpine Rain

So I mean driving rain in the Alpine.

Driving home in the dark and wet at 6:30. Road works and drizzle all the way. Now I remember why intermittent wipers are sooo good.

At least the screen did not mist up - to many gaps between the windows and roof. The hard top is mostly dry though, but the car is staying out tonight in the drive to dry off. Sun suggested on the Beeb for Tuesday.

100 miles in a 49'er

Ok so it's not a 49'er in the American way. It's only 49 years old, but 100+ miles through Suffolk countryside in a Rootes Alpine from 1960 is enough in the rain and sun.

Only us and one other braved the warm Wintry weather, but the setting sun again shone and lit up the road for us.

Italian Tin in the bubble later on that day.

Here is to many warm Winters now global warming is here - UEA or not. So is the car to blame ? As much as other consumption.

Keep the cars 5 years longer and the global horrizon will be pushed back by the same.

3 cars - 18 pistons

Just shuffling the cars around today - ready for the Winter. British salt permitting there will be some more action but - better safe than sorry - setting one up for the "bubble". That's the thin Italian Tin one naturally.





Just a few jobs - toped up clutch fluid, checked water, poped to shops in the 4 and 6 cylinder ones to give them a run. Setting sun glinting off the bonnet lourves for the last run was stunning.





Hope for sun in the morning.