Preparation for the Beaujolais run

Burlington Diary June 2007.

Sat.16^th. June. I have just returned from France with the usually fuck ups to put right.

 

Preparation for the Beaujolais run 2007

On a brighter note, whilst staying with Dave and Julie Green in Buxy, I have met “Katinka” a very pleasant, helpful young lady from the office of Tourism who can arrange all the details for the Beaujolais run in November; she is prepared to arrange accommodation along with organising the invitation to the Gala dinner at the local wine cooperative for our visiting group Wigan group. The area is so beautiful that Jo and I are thinking seriously about relocating to the Burgundy region. We have made some valuable estate agent contacts who I plan to telephone this week. 

I can list just a few of the incidents that have pissed me off whilst I have been away. On arrival Don Mikey ‘probably’ knifed my tyre because I parked in his place whilst I was unpacking the car, the renters have systematically murdered the Jasmine, the drains were blocked again, the emulsion has fallen off the damp wall, but more disturbingly, even with effusive assurances due to pure neglect, my motorbike has developed terminal problems. Finally, on a personal, level I have painted four shite landscapes. Naturally, the present people at the Blanchesserie still continue to be the best liars, lazy soap dodging misfits comprehensive smiling thieves that live and breathe: they would be definite candidates for the ‘fuck off’ bin. As a consequence, since my return, I have been running around all weekend like a headless chicken searching for parts for my motorcycle that I cannot access in France: this is due to the model not having been imported to the country. I have had numerous promises of locating the components but so far, just like the car part suppliers, they all seem to belong to the same club. I have been offered only the wrong ‘bits’ at top prices. 

On a positive note however, Alain Luzan, my local artisan carpenter has kindly made the dashboard blanks. He spent the afternoon rummaging at home for some vintage seasoned timber. I have had two pieces cut and planed, both 120mm x 20mm x 10 mm; it is always necessary to have the security of an extra piece in the unlikely event of a mistake. I lovingly stored the pieces in the sejour until my return to England but to my horror when I came to wrap the timber for the flight home I discovered that the wood had disappeared. Having searched high and low, after much cursing, raucous ripping combined with a great deal of strident swearing to the heavens, such as, “the bastards have had them away!” and “those fuckers never, ever fail to surprise!” and “I’ll fuckin’ have ‘em!” the red mist eventually cleared, the light revealed, luckily with an inspired guess I wondered if anyone had thought of using them as shelves in their grubby shithole bedrooms. Sure enough a new tenant, a very personable kind of guy, Pete, had knicked them to build a display unit to place his music CD’s, personal photos, paperbacks bordering a big ‘fuck off’ radio. I was so pleased to recover my treasure that I could actually see the funny side of the theft. This, however, rapidly turned to anger when I realised that the timber had warped due to the weight from his trophies. Just as you think that it has been another problem solved someone always turns up to bite you on your arse. I packed the wood managing, along with my damaged bike bits, to take them onto the plane back to the safety of England.

Meanwhile, Chris has polished the uprights but has been suffering from tete dust poisoning, as such he has not made much progress on the car. He suspects that this evil micro fine toxin has totally infiltrated, infusing the entire house. Not only, does he have an inflamed swollen throat, a twangy rattling cough and puffy running eyes but so does Marion his long suffering wife. But it would be a brave man to admit to her what exactly is the cause of her demise.

Internal panels

Sat.19.05.07. Chris has worked tirelessly blending the engine panels into the body tub. Only able to labour for several hours at a time he has eventually achieved his desired outcome, the side of the vehicle is now one sweeping, seamless, sexy line. For the past few weeks I have remodelling the cockpit panels gradually refining the design by adding extra curves to reflect the other panels of the car. The dashboard has been ‘mocked up’ at least 6 times but is still not quite in harmony with the overall internal plan. In an attempt to accommodate most of the switches and dials from the vintage Jaguar dash the central area has become muddled, seriously over cluttered. There is always profit in the maxim ‘less is more’ so I intend to revert back to a minimalist approach.

I leave for my summer break in France tomorrow but for the first time with a little trepidation. In good heart, Chris wants to finish the cockpit area requesting that I leave the units I have been constructing over the past month. I could be over reacting at this suggestion with unnecessary feelings of being robbed of a creative area that I have felt contented, fulfilled, as a consequence have maintained sole possession. The threat of all of my work being altered, assimilated or even abused is disconcerting. In particular, Chris still harbours an idea of completely changing the style of the dashboard. Having made decisions by using endless drawings, cardboard, plywood and MDF models I genuinely feel that I am only one last modification away from perfection. To have this triumph usurped at the eleventh hour is quietly pissing me off. When there are much more pressing tasks to tackle such as, the engine bay still needs to be lined, the body tub removed, primed then repainted, the boot box space has to be re-cut, the petrol pipe has to be routed, the exhaust needs to be fixed to the car, the wings should be dispatched to Danny to be painted, the workshop must have another total ‘clean up’… etc….etc…but once again a focussed, ordered approach has been abandoned to be replaced by chaotic, random options. 

I am increasingly worried about leaving the work that I have personally designed and fashioned, but I have always been a possessive bastard and must assume that “Chris knows best and that I should unflinchingly trust him”. My arse!

      

Whitby Folk

Andy, coincidentally, had also had an eventful weekend at the Whitby folk festival. Swaying back from the final night escorted by Jimmy the Axe they stumbled across the local plod harassing a drunken, puny seventeen year old folky slumped awkwardly in a deck chair inside a shop doorway. One of the pernickety PC’s unnecessarily demanded that the young innocent preceded any slurred response by referring to him as ‘Sir’. Passing by, Andy suggested a possible reason for the young mans demeanour was that he had obviously been ‘oversevered’ with strong ale at the ‘gig’ but he was by no means difficult, aggressive, a serious danger to the town, stating also that he in fact was conspicuously quite harmless, clearly and obviously disturbing no one’s peace. In fact, if he himself was in the young man’s position, being requested to refer to the Pc as ‘Sir’, he would probably react by informing him to ‘fuck off’ or worse, stick the nut on.

   

Jimmy waved goodbye as Andy was arrested for threatening behaviour to find himself spending the rest of the night in gaol; the morning after regretting his involvement vowing that his days of being on the wrong side of the law were over. The desk Sergeant agreed that he should probably ‘mend his ways’ but felt that his younger colleague had been over zealous, sympathetically confessing that he really should not have been banged up. 

He did, however, question Andy’s occupation as a Solicitor, especially after pulling his lengthy crime sheet, asking how such a perpetual law breaker could have possibly qualified as a lawyer. Andy explained that he was in fact a ‘building solicitor’. He was released without a charge, fined £80.00, but still had to pay £25.00 for taxi back to Whitby.

Cockney Mick and Preacher

Tues.08.05.07. I have continued to work on the re-modelling of the cockpit. Chris has spent odd hours on the engine panels.

Cockney Mick along with the Preacher were propping up the bar sampling the 6% ‘Inch’s’ cider that was the latest brew in the Oak. “its fackin’ great this brew, smoove and dry wiv a kick, you wanna fackin’ try it”. Perhaps not, if it makes me fackin’ speak like you.Andy Lewis joined us greeted by the the news that his £600.00 chop saw had been stolen from the the Oak over the weekend. Mick needed the saw to build his “fack off” deckin’ at ‘is noo ‘ouse and had previously asked Andy to drop it off at the Oak before he left for the annual folk festival in Whitby. Mick had felt a certain responsibility for the security of the machine generously offering to make up the loss. Andy chuckled, stating that he had not, in fact, had time to drop off the saw, so the joke instead was on Mick. “Fackin’ ‘ell, I’ve bin awt and bought a fackin’ ovva one, you cant”. Whilst everyone else was enjoying this wheeze reversal Andy suddenly realised that his foreman ‘Bodge’ may have dropped off the said chop saw. A quick phone call confirmed that that was the case. Andy was down one chop saw, Cockney Mick feeling slightly guilty, repeated his original offer being good to his word was prepared to make up for the loss offering £200.00 in the form of compensation. Andy accepted the bid knowing that he would claim the debt from ‘Bodge’ his dumb workee. Perhaps ‘Bodge’ was once the partner of ‘Scarpa’ the locally renowned builders?  

More suppliers

Suppliers visited

 

·      Woolies. They remain the top suppliers of trim, rubber extrusions and carpet products; they are also ‘old school’ moreover they very ‘nice’ people.  

·      Europa. Very professional, large purpose built stand, computer link up to their home store, importantly, they have products of authentic superiority.

·      H and H Ignition Solutions. I thanked Phil and Lee for their help with the replacement dizzy cap and damaged Lucas coil. I also noticed that they supply electric fans of various sizes starting at around £25.00. The fan sounds too cheap but why not ‘take a punt’?

·      Spax, Avro suspension. None of these manufactures were represented at the show. I wonder why?

·      Car Solutions. They had a large external stand but most of their components were of foreign manufacture, exuding dubious merit.

·      Producers of Cobras, F40s, D type Jag for Chris. I managed to collect all of the information, expensive brochures, took endless photographs of these beasts, the toys of the unworthy rich. Completing one of these vehicles costs in excess of £80,000  which poses the natural question “why not buy the real thing?”

The poor weather did not fill me with encouragement as I travelled the 130 miles to Stoneleigh but the day has actually proved to be exceptionally productive. I tended to have a much more measured approach, ignored the sparse club stands in favour of the main suppliers of parts. 

I was better prepared to recognise the shite from the genuinely original. Prices did not always reflect the difference, so the experiences of the past year, particularly the bad ‘karma’ we had endured from several of the ‘so called’ professional purveyors proved to be invaluable. I have returned with much information, extensive contacts as opposed to a shopping bag brimming with inferior product. I am learning, albeit, slowly, as a consequence, too late. 

The suppliers

·      Push button starters and ancillary switches for the dashboard.

I trawled all the component suppliers for switches but they were either of poor quality at approximately £5.00 per unit (the total cost of everything that I would need would be in excess of £35.00), or ultra modern catering for ‘supercar’ enthusiasts. I did discover some original Jaguar switches plus all the relevant instruments at John Gordon of Accrington that had been rescued from a very early vehicle. Heavy toggle switches, a three-way clockwork light control, push button start, all in near brand new condition:  the entire vintage collection of parts for £55.00. I sweated for the rest of the day in the hope of getting a more favourable deal patiently waiting until the end of the afternoon. Luckily, John had not sold the unit but would not budge on the price. 

He pointed out that the switches alone would be worth every penny of the asking price, but I suspect he knew that I was mad keen to have this glorious section of old dash. He could smell my desire as soon as I had walked into the hall to once more search out his stall feebly delaying to make my bid. He allowed me one photograph of his beaming face for my journal. But, I still have to present this selection to Chris. Recalling everything that I brought back last year, the poor purchases that I had foolishly made, all that I acquired this weekend may possibly be confined to the ‘fuck off’ bin, along with myself, regardless of their obvious suitability, simple elegance and beauty.  

·      Aluminium nose cone grills.

RNR Aluminium Stockholders provided a galvanised section of honeycomb alli for £7.00, but could also supply the same size piece but in stainless for £70.00. I was definitely tempted but it may be prudent to fashion the grill initially from the cheaper alternative. Life’s Motors also have a backing screen for £75.00 which may also be a sensible addition.

·      Minilite wheels, genuine spoked Dunlop wheels.

Midland Wheels have offered four 5x15 genuine Minilites for £265.00. Chase MG needs to check their stocks before they submit a price but will be attending the Tatton Park Show in June and August. I understand that most of the component suppliers will be subscribing to the Show; sensibly the timing to buy most of the remaining items in Summer would be more appropriate.  

·      Spax adjustable platforms and how they operate properly.

Spax were not at the show. Demon Tweeks could not answer any of my questions but Track Developments of Swindon who specialise in professional racing ‘set-ups’ recommended a lighter spring choice for the front suspension units but were completely baffled by the configuration that Spax had provided, particularly the inability to adjust the damper whilst on the car. Their advice was to start again using Protech shocks combined with ‘off the shelf’ springs. They could also make brand new platform seats to accommodate a 2.25 ID spring at a cost of approximately £60.00. They also felt to have new springs built subsequently tempered could potentially incur a serious cost.    

·      Side screen fixings for doorless vehicles; possibly Caterhams? 

Most of the side screen fixing solutions involved two brackets being attached to the main windscreen uprights using a French hinge to open and close the assembly. None of the mechanisms appeared very effective having a real air of ‘afterthought’.

·      Mig welding suppliers for a demonstration. 

Weld UK has a comprehensive stock of everything involved with welding. They are based in Pinxton Nottinghamshire. Their suggestions to ‘seek professional training’ were succinct, bluntly honest and I shall certainly be back in touch after a few lessons with the illusive Colin. 

·      Motalita steering wheels, prices and styles.

The preferred choice of wheel has to be specially ordered from Motalita and could take up to 6 weeks for delivery. A 13 or 14 inch wheel would cost about £200.00. The Chase MG alternative may actually win the day, but we shall see?

·      An alternative seat trimmer if Terry continues to drag his feet.

Interior Seatings of Mansfield could cover my ’63 spitfire seats for £400.00. Fuck me, these costs are spiralling out of control.

·      Bonnet catches and engine panel vents.

Europa had the strongest selection of quality catches, but until we actually decide what we need or want I was not able to purchase anything.

·      Quality stainless steel nuts and bolts.

Aidpac of Bilston have the best Stainless. Unfortunately, I didn’t take the windscreen tilting nuts to the show so I could not gamble on the size. Oh well.  

Stoneleigh 2007

Burlington Diary May 2007

Fri.04.05.07. I have spent the week re-modelling the internal gearbox console along side other related areas. I have tended to adopt a practical, ‘hands on’, design and build approach; fine tuning the construction refining the subtle curves with additional mouldings. With each minor ‘tweek’ the design improves. This is a slow ‘suck it and see’ method but with each laborious alteration emerges a subtle transformation adding to the ‘wholeness’ of the entire proposal. 

The Stoneleigh Show has come around again. I have prepared a shopping list and intend to be far more focussed this year particularly with another years experience of the project behind us.

Mon.07.05.07. The Shopping list for Kit car show at Stoneleigh

The results

·      Windscreen mounting rubber, cockpit trim from Woolies.  

Woolies can provide any rubber extrusions that are needed for the car: I have obtained a new catalogue for that purpose.

·      Bonnet catches and louvred vent for the engine panels.

Europa seems to be the best option. They can also provide a Motolita wheel as well as a blank boss for £200

·      Carpet suppliers.

Woolies again are the best choice for sound proofing and carpets.

·      Harness alternatives.

Sabelt UK of Carlisle or Demon Tweeks can supply a lap type belt for £45.00.

·      Visit the Burlington stand. Badges for the SS. 

There were absolutely no cars at the Burlington stand (there were only 3 Arrows last year). I have a terrific photograph of an empty area of grass where the cars should have been. I am not really sure whether or not this is a good or a bad omen. According to the person I spoke to last year he had not seen a SS in 12 years, it appears that the other cars that were produced have since died. I can only imagine what an impact 001 will have next year; probably the only SS still on the road, certainly utterly unique in terms of excellence of finish. This car is already becoming very special. When I return I intend to visit the Burlington internet site to see if there any still out there?

·      Photograph dashboards of period vehicles.

It was such a pissy day most of the ‘good’ vehicles were covered up. The cars in the exhibition halls tended to be of the exotic genre apart from the latest Marlin which had quite a tidy interior. The XK Jag fakes, oddly enough, were shabby.   

·      Oil cooler systems and radiator manufacturers.

Chase MG had an oil cooler system for £42.00, a perfectly acceptable fake Motalita and Triumph boss for £99.00 (Europa quoted £200.00 for the genuine article). They can also supply wire wheels. The rims are produced in India, the spokes, hubs, splines assemblies are totally British