Ups and downs: what's new?

Wed.31.05.06. I have spent the morning cleaning out the lock up at Marylebone to enable both the salvaged and scrap parts to be stored. A visit to the Frog lane tip concluded a fruitful, but dull, few hours. It was difficult dragging myself the few short miles to Westmead: anticipating the torment that is ‘fitting the screen’ would inevitably be waiting, standing by patiently to spoil yet another day. I had produced a work schedule for the week, which I hoped, would encourage some semblance of order moving the project steadily forward. I don’t think for one moment Chris will take any notice of the proposed weekly targets but quietly I have sufficient resolve to push through the value of such an approach. 

Chris greeted my arrival with a broad smile. “I’ve cracked it, I was still working at midnight when I suddenly realised why we were struggling with the screen. We had not measured the width of the screen incorrectly but we had simply fitted the brackets the wrong way around. I think that Haydn Davies must take some of the credit because just as reversing the turrets to move the engine towards the centre of the car was his brilliant idea, so likewise, switching the screen mounting brackets is an  equally mind blowing concept. What do you think?” Standing in the doorway studying this solution that had caused, almost, terminal problems was a monumental moment of enlightenment. I realised at that point that any difficulty, constructional or aesthetic, can be overcome triumphantly, resolved properly, not cobbled or fudged.

The theory still had to be proved, the next four hours would be critical. More than ‘fine tuning’ was required. Would the spacers be a part of the fitting or even required? At which angle would the screen sit? Could the folding mechanism operate efficiently? Finally, would the screen still be too narrow? As the afternoon progressed all these questions were to be answered. Some help from John, at Life’s Motors, who verified the rake of the screen. He informed me that, “When the screen is folded it should lie, approximately, parallel and 4 inches above the sloping bonnet. The angle of the screen roughly rises 3 inches from the vertical. Having said that, John reminded us, it is always better to use ‘rack of eye’ as the primary guide.

Recalling our previous visit to Life’s Motors, when he calmly informed us “that every car is different, because they are all hand made”, we realised instantly that we must trust our own judgement, there is no right or wrong but just ‘better’. Slowly, but steadily, we resolved every minor problem. The spacers were rejected, the rake was settled and the mechanism operated effortlessly. The screen sat on the scuttle majestically. From being, genuinely, depressed, frustrated and worried only 24 hours before, I feel uplifted, rewarded, bursting with enthusiasm. What a difference a day makes, thank you Billy Ocean.                          

This has been a ‘proper’ roller coaster month.