Bollocking and more

Tues.20.06.06. Fortunately, when I finally arrived Chris was already in full swing preparing the chassis for corrective welding, as a result he hadn’t noticed the broken screen. Now exposed, with the body panels removed the naked chassis can be fully appreciated. In its original state it was in very good condition needing only minor welds to the outriggers. With the addition of the modifications to the rear end, extensions to the central outriggers adjacent to the re-modelled inner bumper and wing restraints it presents an extremely professional persona. When the final welds are in place, the sandblasting followed by the powder coating are completed this engineering masterpiece will form the solid backbone of the car. 

This morning rather fortuitously, next to the flower market I discovered, a unit full of old cars, go-karts and scooters. Towards the back of the unit there was an old Triumph Spitfire. The unit was being used as storage for ‘Fixed Up’ a charitable organisation that runs vocational training courses for disaffected kids. Chatting to the person in charge he informed me the main garage was at New Springs and if I wanted to know more I should talk to a guy called Ian Tomlinson who ‘appens to be the main mon’. The garage was sprinkled with juveniles of all ages, shapes and sizes, all wearing the ‘uniform’, distinctly  badged up with the corporate logo, E.D.F. (educationally dysfunctional fucker), the chequered Burberry baseball cap, dirty grey Nike polo shirt, black on white Kappa baggy tracksuit, bottoms tucked into white socks stuck inside brown Timberland boots,  loosened, undone laces. High cheekbones on narrow, pimply ashen faces, ear rings, nose rings, lip rings, dick rings, tongue studs, eye studs, belly studs, muff studs, tattooed necks, fingers and foreheads; clones prolific in every town in the UK. Our society has certainly nothing fear, if such juveniles represent our future generation. I understand that our government, in its wisdom, have labelled this united group as NEETS. These are people principally between the ages of 16 to 25, both male and female adolescent youths, ‘persons who are Not in Employment, Education or Training’. There is a prediction that the present numbers of this collective will grow menacingly as the jobs that could be available to them will be gobbled up by the rapidly increasing immigrant population; who conversely, tend to have a durable, resolute work ethic unlike our indigenous equivalents who regularly refuse any offer of a job. The demographic spread also reveals that within the ‘NEETS’ there are increasing numbers of drug and alcohol abusers, single parent families and benefit dodgers. Maybe, I could be ‘tarring’ this ‘cooperative’ of oddballs with the same brush, but we shall have to wait and see.

Later in the afternoon I planned a visit to ‘Fixed up’ to check out the quality of the components. I was met by Ian in his well tooled up garage, the forecourt of which was littered with cars in various states of dis-repair. I explained that I had, coincidently, just met one of his colleagues at the market and that I was interested in any Triumph parts that he may want to get rid of. “I’m placing a £2000 order with Rimmers tomorrow but I would prefer to buy the parts from you, thus, generously adding to your ‘charitable’ pot instead of their capitalist coffers” I spuriously grovelled, badly mimicking Uriah Heep. They were not his to sell but they belonged to another work colleague who presently was ‘on the sick’ (I could never guess why) but he suggested that I should “Go onto E’bay”. Oh fuck, another Dick anorak. He fired up his machine whilst informing me of the countless bargains that he’d acquired on the site. “See that 5 series BM, £200. They thought it had a busted gearbox but it was only a faulty connector. I fixed it up with a £10 cable ‘off  eBay’ , what do you think about that?” Fuck all, thought I.

After typing in the details a wealth of advertisements were displayed on his PC. There were complete cars, used parts, brand new, boxed parts, everything that I was about give two grand for at Rimmers, but for a fraction of the price. “What do you think about that?” boasted Ian, humble pie springs to mind. Ian found one particular vendor who appeared to have everything that I wanted. New boxed parts direct from the supplier, abandoned project forces sale. An e’mail was sent immediately with my details. Later in the evening Gavin called from Doncaster with the good news that he had recently spent £1800 with Rimmers for a Spitfire project that he, cannot continue with because he recently suffered a heart attack. The burning question is, should I tell Chris? Encouraging the response, “you stupid bastard I told you to go on E’bay ages ago” might be his immediate reaction, so I could land myself buried deeply in the cak, but equally I could be in liquid doo doo if I don’t tell him. I decided to e’mail Gavin with all my requirements half hoping that none of the parts would be compatible.   

I have started to mock up the dashboard and engine compartment with cardboard. The boys at Cyrils can use the engine panels as templates for the aluminium lining that they will cut and fold into the required shapes. These will eventually cover and finish off the bay. The dashboard pieces should help Dave Brown when he begins constructing and altering the cockpit area.

I was later dispatched to meet ‘Warning light’ Mike, in the afternoon, to transfer a car to Salford. It was this opportunity that I was patiently waiting for all day. I smuggled the ‘injured’ windscreen out of the garage secreting the damaged item under the rear seat of the Land Rover. Before meeting Mike I wizzed the said screen around to Mark who expertly patched it up. When asked by Chris as to where the screen has been I shall claim that Jo wanted to see what a wonderful job we had made of it. Check mate.