October 2006

                                     Burlington Diary October 2006

 Mon.02.10.06. All the problems, delays and distractions of September must now be confined to history. The connections that have been forged over the past week should be pursued. Paddocks are in a position to provide most of the quality new stock, similarly Max must supply the ‘local’ knowledge together with the ‘used’, original, guaranteed parts. Colin has re-established his worth but his visits must be controlled, guardedly invited when he is able to deliver maximum input. Coordinating the work programme, as previous abandoned schedules have revealed, could potentially prove to be quite difficult, nevertheless the pursuit and achievement of which could successfully deliver the late October deadline or not. The team is enthusiastic, motivated and much happier. With all of the background work completed and the excitement of the ‘new build’ to look forward to, the mood in the camp is positive.

“America is playing poker whilst Iran plays chess”. This refers to a recent report regarding U.S. foreign policy in Iraq stating that the propaganda war is being won deservedly by the methodical, intellectual yet ruthless approach of Iran as opposed to random knee jerk aggressive, ostensibly woolly guesswork of the States. If only the two main protagonists in the Burlington battle could ‘sing from the same hymn sheet’, ‘pull together’, ‘stay focussed’, ‘apply simple, basic logic’ and ‘follow the script’ we may be triumphant, if not we are ‘all doomed’ and the project may go ‘tits up’, ‘belly down’ and ‘pear shaped’.                                                                                                 

Softly, softly, catchee monkey.

Over the weekend the return fold on the bonnet has been fashioned by Colin. This 2cm. strip matches exactly the upper face side of the engine panel to meet perfectly: forming the two edges that will be the main fastening points of the bonnet to the engine compartment of the car. The strip has been constructed from a length of angled metal, bonded to the bonnet with fibreglass then finished with filler. This has produced a seamless horizontal joint: another example of the craftsmanship of both Colin and Chris. The section of the transmission tunnel which will house the handbrake mechanism has also been completed. This has allowed an extra 6cms.of width to the rear of the cockpit proffering not only a tidy central handbrake console but also the possibility of fitting wider traditional sports car seats. The narrow nature of many inferior kitcar cockpit designs usually prevents ‘retro’, aesthetically pleasing seats, most builders commonly to resort to modern, bucket varieties that appear totally out of character with the rest of the car.

It was with a feeling of typical trepidation that I arrived with at Westmead. I had brought the two knackered 60’s Spitfire seats that I had bought from Max on Saturday. But mercifully, after placing them into the car the mood in the garage was lifted. They exactly filled the space in the cockpit; additionally they were able to travel to the closest point of the dashboard and to the furthest recess of the tub. A bonus came in the fact that the seats complemented the appearance and ambience of the vehicle. They looked as if they had been ‘made’ for the Burlington. This was the first genuine vision of how the cockpit area could be realised, naturally both Chris and I felt that, perhaps, we were actually approaching the home straight. Even the anti-roll bar and the ‘U’ bolt clamps acquired from Nutty Steve met with the seal of approval. I had eventually won one.

The momentum of the project should now gather pace. It is time for yet another ‘programme of work’. I shall discuss this idea with Chris tomorrow