Richard,
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Gosling" <richard.gosling@exprogroup.com>
| Congratulations, you've made it. All it really takes to be a successful
| home maintainer of your car is confidence. There are very few jobs (on
| Spitfires at least) that can't be tackled by someone with a bit of common
| sense and a smidgen of experience (plus a reasonably well-equipped tool
| kit!), all you need on top of that is the belief that you CAN do it. Oh,
| and all your friends on the list advising/confusing/talking you through.
Im finding that as I do more and more jobs, they all sort of all relate to
each other, and therefore I can tackle more complicated tasks easier. Its
certainly got a lot easier over the last 13 months - considering I knew
nothing about anything to do with cars - I honestly started from a completly
clean slate. I remember the first "problem" - a sticky throttle cable - I
can laugh at it now - but at the time it was a big problem. I have to admit
I was a bit of a car nut, but never cared how they actually *really* worked.
Im someone that loves learning new things - and so just looking back at how
much Ive learnt excites me. Never in a million years would I have thought
I'd know this "much" so quickly. I find it funny when friends now come to me
for advice - or I can dish it out. Hey, Ive even been advising my friend
who's just got an old bashed up Vespa he's putting back on the road what to
do - well, they have wheels and an engine...
You're certainly right about the tools - in terms of time saving too - there
is also the knowledge of how to use them right (there is a knack to using
even a spanner) - on my christmas list already is a smaller socket set (you
*can* do those damn manifold nuts! you just need a wobble bar - but my 1/2
inch socket set is too big) and a torque wrench (surely a spanner?) I may
even ask for one of those engine stands... the Machine Mart catalogue is
dangerous!
What I really want is a compressor with some air tools.... but I think that
maybe too far as I dont have a proper garage yet!... although that is sort
of coming soon...
Confidence and the belief that you can do something is certainly important,
I leave the doubt to my the rest of my family! My mum especially - the very
fact Im driving around in a car Ive "put together" myself scares her. She
asked me if I was sure I had secured the engine in properly, I told her
there are only 4 bolts at the front that hold it up - I can't have really
missed any - that scared her even more, and come to think of it scares me a
little too.
Oh and I think I should mention this again, I certainly wouldn't be able to
do all this without the fantastic set of listers I am very proud to call my
friends.
| BTW, did you order stainless steel exhaust parts? They really aren't that
| much more expensive, and for the knowledge that they will never need
| replaced again it is money WELL worth spending - particularly on a car
like
| yours that is used in all weathers, a mild steel exhaust may well need
| replacing in a couple of years.
Yes, I did order a stainless steel downpipe from TRGB, however they don't
sell the intermediate pipe (at least I think thats what he said, it was
windy and I was on a mobile), so Im getting the intermediate pipe from a
local exhaust place - it'll be mild steel - well it is only 11 pounds or
something. I would have gone for SS, but I ordered it in a hurry.
My plan anyway is to replace the exhaust with a new one once I've reconed
and tuned up (I'm thinking Stage 2... (that's Triumph Tune) I already have
the airfilters and the electronic ignition - that's my excuse anyway...) the
old engine - although I've yet to diagnose the the old engine - the
crankshaft moves about 0.5 mm with a nice clonk sound - so I'm guessing
thrust washers have something to do with it. I'm yet to look inside -
started the cylinder head removal yesterday - all went well until I actually
tried to remove the cylinder head... none of the suggestions that the Haynes
manual made worked, but I may have been being a little too gentle in case I
hurt the thing.
Oh, for a few photos:
The radiator is sooooo rusty, I literally held the hose there for about 3 or
4 minutes until the water turned clear.
http://www.pbase.com/image/6353954
The new engine... she may look rusty, but she roars like a Tiger...
http://www.pbase.com/image/6353959
Of course I was the one who was turning the key....
http://www.pbase.com/image/6353958
On stand by was the fire extinguisher - freshly out of the boot and
unwrapped (should have done that when I got it last Christmas) - this was
wielded by my 11 year old brother - with the digital camera in the other
hand.
http://www.pbase.com/image/6353960
James
1977 Pimento Red Spit
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