Richie's bobbin sander

Weds.10.10.07. I have been working with Richie to fine-tune the contoured shoulders and cavities in the dashboard blank but also, cut another undertrim. The bobbin sander was effectively applied to the gauge holes, likewise the steering column ‘U’ cut and the space for the timepiece, all of which required some enlargement. Before the reinforced back plate can be permanently glued to the dash it will be necessary to dissect the Jaguar control panel, which was purchased at Stoneleigh in May 2007, in order to verify that the original switch configuration is compatible to the proposed design. The location and mounting of each switch is critical to the overall dash assembly. The switches are secured to a central plate but individual mechanisms have quite different diameters requiring subsequent build procedures. The previously drawn out shapes for the trim were cut on the band saw. The 15mm plywood still forms the base but a strip of Maple now caps the laminated unit. 

Once shaped the option of ‘finish’ can be finally decided, whether it be, natural, stained to replicate leather or the colour of the steering wheel or simply trimmed with leather.

Afternoon phone calls to John to confirm the order for the paint materials, Reg Caldwell who has not yet received the windscreen, due to the postal strike(my arse) and ‘Distant, Strange Michael’ who claims to be ‘on with the job’ concluded a fruitful day. I wonder what Chris has done?

But, annoyingly, down in the Oak, after the inquest about the inconsistency of the recent beers, Philip Santus grabbed the opportunity to sneer condescendingly after I had proudly showed him the sample paint colour that John had brought into the pub, then, perhaps foolishly, boldly informed him the car was going to the ‘painter’ tomorrow. Philip naturally responded by gloating, “You don’t expect the car to be finished for the Beaujolais run, do you? No chance!” Mumbling I returned with “Oh yes it will,” as per usual, I spinelessly, retreated back from giving the arrogant dim bastard a forceful tongue lashing. Flooding back in an instant came all the reasons why the car would not be finished; which actually in part is a result of his, annual, invitation only, back slapping sycophantic Anglo Scottish, mutual admiration society, dipped generously in droning, slippery, repetitively, patronising, humourless Celtic banter, drippy fuckin’ trip to Keswick, which happened, ‘unluckily’ to correspond to the third Thursday in November.

I feel quite justified, at every turn, to blaggard the chinless turd: because systematically, he has thieved any intention Chris, perhaps, had even dreamed of to enjoy the delights of driving through the French countryside in the vehicle that he has painstakingly built over the past two years by dangling the annual Keswick bonding loyalty card comfortably in his face, thus giving my mentor and master a gilt edged opportunity to slow the project down discovering new, facile excuses not to complete. The worst aspect of all of this, even though I meekly contradicted his smug prediction, the tosser is right. 

Secret work

Tues.09.10.07. The work on the bootbox is reaching its conclusion. The assembly, after yet another fill and rub down, has had a coat of resin applied to smooth off any bumps or ripples where road dirt may lodge. The recessed brass handles have been masked and the lid sprayed to reveal any blemishes. I shall allow another day for the resin to completely harden before the assembly is complete.

In the meantime, Chris has continued to revive any of the affected areas of the tub that have become tarnished since the first applied treatment. Under the rear wheel arch, the engine bulkhead and the front wing side rails have been the main sections that have suffered peripheral damage. Other aspects, particularly the routing of the fuel/ brake lines, the choke/accelerator cables and the hydraulic clutch as well as the brake systems have also been confirmed.

I have had a preliminary meeting with John who can supply all the materials to paint the car. The chosen colour, a very dark almost black green is FO661 from the ‘URKI color truck system’. I have matched the colour against that of the leather seats with the proposed shade of the carpet, for comparison, suitability and blend to complement the divergent range of tones. The required quantities of the entire package being 3 litres two pack mixed colour at £58.80, 3 half litre activator-winter at £20.67, 1 litre two pack fast thinner at £4.95 and 1 litre two pack high solid primer at £14.84. The total price being £116.63, but John has offered a deal of £95.00.                

Later in the Oak, David volunteered the use of a curtain sided truck on Thursday lunchtime to transport all of the body parts to Nigel Penk. At the same time I mentioned to Chris that I needed to go to France on Monday for a few days to tie up a few loose ends in Tarascon but also confirm the arrangements for the Beaujolais run. Predictably, this was met by a grunt. “How do expect the car to be finished if you are buggering off to France all the time!” We are, in fact, travelling to Burgundy to sign the ‘final acte’ to purchase the property that we first saw in summer. Because we need to remain a ‘tad’ secretive about our latest venture it is prudent at this delicate stage to adopt the stance of a politician, principally when ‘any’ lie is always much better than the truth; I feel my hands ‘cupping’ at the very thought.  

Eviction. The Doc also mentioned last night that he has great plans for a substantial ‘proper’ smoking area at the front of the Oak. He intends to have four 4 metre brollies with halogen lights integrated heaters, appropriate seating securely concreted into the pavement. He has also located a purpose built commercial Marquee for beer garden, again, heated and brightly lit. This doesn’t sound like a person who is ready to bail out?   

Daft Darts

Sun.07.10.07. To create a stronger, firmer in addition to a cleaner assembly the underside joint of the framed collar has had a further application of filler. The 2mm recesses in the boot lid that will contain the flush fitting brass locker handles have been cut utilising the recently purchased chisels from Wickes. A supplementary socket to house the handle cup and hinge was drilled later, but possibly this section will need an extra reinforced plate to underpin, the now, quite thin 6mm plywood boot lid.

The Sunday afternoon darts match continues to grow boasting teams consisting of eleven a side 901. Having dominated the earlier rounds the Preacher has lost his way in the past few weeks. ‘Bradford’, normally solid, definitely peaked in July, Katie, plagued with present form, perpetually misses the board, Lowtie’s bizarre, unconventional diagonal style remains excruciatingly fruitless, the Doc, Nurse Brennan resemble fish out of water and Tall Danny is utterly useless. All his key bankers have seriously dipped in form compared with ‘team Chris’ whose members have confounded all the doubters. The tax dodgers who are normally pulling pints along with ‘faces’ have excelled particularly Still Waters, Serious John and also perpetually pissed Tattooed Matt. Visitors, Ringers alongside endless ‘subs’ have all pulled their weight pressurising the Preacher into mistakes. So much so, that for the past three weeks the Cheatham Cup has been retained by ‘knees up mother Brown’ Cockney Mick, Fat Dry Kenny  plus Si with his most recent, very impressive three dart finish. As each contest begins both teams currently have adopted the All Blacks Hacker; slapping knees, waggling tongues together with scary eye popping gesticulations that have raised the stakes from simple noisy barracking to meaningless empty schoolyard threats. Only ‘gun slinger styled’ Captain Salty refuses to bond with the rest of the team sighting dignity as an excuse or perhaps it is just embarrassment, most combatants having consumed ten ‘Stella’ compared with his gill of mild. Friendly enthusiastic rage eventually concludes with both teams ineptly fighting over double one until a lucky dart strikes victoriously home to end the misery.  

Mon.08.10.07. The reinforcement plates using 6mm ply were drilled filed then glued to the underside of bootbox lid. The brass hinges were subsequently installed being secured with the four screws provided; the complete unit was then masked with tape, the edges filled later rubbed down to achieve a clean, firm fit. The bootbox has had an additional rubbing down being prepared for the first coat of Hammerite both to seal but mainly to weatherproof.    

Discussing the painting programme, Nigel, of Penk Autos, now prefers to receive all of the panels of the vehicle simultaneously, namely, the body tub, bonnet, nose cone and the front and rear wings. By Thursday most of his local work will have left the ‘shop’, there then will be sufficient space to accommodate all of the parts. To transport the body sections Chris has already arranged to borrow one of Andy Lewis’s tipper trucks, which has a loading capacity that measures 8 by 6 foot. This is certainly large enough to accommodate all of the pieces with just one journey.  

I have also tried to keep up to speed with the logistics of the Beaujolais run by first of all again writing to Suzanne Riches, the Angers ambassadress, but she still has not replied to any of my requests. Secondly, Matthew Johnson of ADM generously will print the Beaujolais Polo shirts without charge because ‘Brad Europe’ will kindly finance the purchase: 10 shirts at £3.75 each, including 2 XXL shirts, one for ‘Big Dave’ and one for ‘Fat Dry Kenny’. Lastly, five double rooms in The Mouton Blanc hotel in Cambrai have been reserved on the 16.11.07., this includes breakfast and dinner.  

More boot box

Hello to all my friends in the Ukraine!!!

Thurs.04.10.07. Applying a lighter, liquid mix of resin, several thin strips of fibreglass have now been adhered to the underside of the box. The joint between the collared frame and the box edge has now been totally sealed. The outer edge of the boot lining has been treated with a combination of PVA and strips of paper to reinforce the overall construction. Being principally an internal assembly these materials are entirely acceptable. They have certain water resistant properties remarkable strength similar to ‘glass and resin’ but are much more suited to internal dry conditions. Once the box is place subsequently coated in ‘sound proofing’ the total unit will be solidly rigid.

Chris has produced an inventory of the sizes plus quantities of the essential nuts and bolts required for the final build: a tedious but an utterly essential task. More importantly, I reported, with a great deal of trepidation, that ‘Richie’ had completed the initial dashboard blank, which Chris was determined to inspect. Returning to Wigan we descended into the cellar, fingers crossed, I wondered if it was going to be one of those ‘friggin’ shite’ moments or ‘at last, a craftsman who knows what he is doing’ instances. Happily, it was the latter, “now that’s what I call a professional job, that’s goin’ to look the dogs in the car, a proper piece of work.” Chris genuinely admired the detailed bevelled shoulders, the simplistic arrangement of clocks, gauges and switches in particular, the decision to use the warm, honey coloured seasoned timber supplied by Master Artisan Alain Luzan of Tarascon. The dash must now be laminated to the plywood before the principal instruments can be introduced to simulate the end result. The undertrim, sadly, still remains the only undecided component. I personally favour the unit covered with BRG leather to reflect the tones of the carpet or paintwork, but Chris feels that using the same maple hardwood would be ‘orgasmic perfection’.

This conundrum reminded me of one evening when I was swaying back from the Oak and happened to overhear two young girls discussing one of their friends, who had recently been on a first date with a ‘gorgeous’ classmate who she wanted desperately to impress. “She looked well, didn’t she!  painted up like ‘Coco’ the clown, definitely death by makeup,” they concluded. 

Fri.05.10.07. The boot lining has been completely covered with paper and PVA for added strength, similarly a layer of filler has been applied to the underside of the box to be later sanded down to form a smooth surface. Chris, meanwhile, has fiddled about, stared seriously, then feckled. This has been a day when eight hours work has generated, seemingly, very little progress. 

Body advancement

Weds.03.10.07. Several other finer layers of filler have been applied to the ‘box’ carefully sanded to achieve a flatter ‘pit free’ surface. After another fruitful ‘in situ’ fitting at Westmead, to double check the relevant measurements, the framed collar was then glued, screwed and filled to complete the robust assembly.

To my astonishment, Chris, over the past three days, had lifted the body tub off the chassis. He had used a combination jacks, crowbars as well as raw muscle to raise the tub by 30cms. subsequently wedging a pair of tyres and wheels to suspend the cab above the rear section of the chassis. He has since been able to refine all the difficult access points that had to be widened and tidied, namely the gear box slave cylinder portal, bootbox space and rear spring cavity. The rear locating bracket, designed by both Chris and Colin, is a mini engineering masterpiece. This single bracket accomplishes three common objectives by securing, the tub to the chassis, the rear exhaust silencer and the rear bumper assembly. Any ‘three point, triangular’ configuration has always been the sturdiest most effective method in any form of construction. This bracket exemplifies that notion.

Excitedly, Chris explained all of the modifications he had achieved since the tub had been raised. “I’m really into it now, why didn’t we perform like this before, we must get it painted, I can’t wait!”  Together with the ‘wonder bracket’, he was most proud of the joint that he had fashioned between the tub and the engine side panels. This has proved, not only, to be seamless but also tremendously strong. Consequently, the fear of cracking if moved no longer seems to be a consideration. To have the body tub painted without being bolted to the chassis is now a viable option.  The favoured procedure is sensible: easily transported in a transit van, rather than a trailer initially delivered then, when finished, comfortably collected from Nigel at Penk Autos. So much so, I later contacted Nigel who can begin the work next week.     

Today has been significant. For the first time, for a long time, I am optimistic that the project may really be concluded before November. 

Another month

Burlington Diary October 2007

Mon.01.10.07. I cannot remember the number the absurd amount of times that I have stated that “This is a very momentous month” so I won’t bother.

The bootbox has been glued and screwed to strengthen and reinforce. Having bought a fibreglass repair kit from ‘John the Paint’ I began to cover all the exposed plywood laminate edges. In theory this replicates the original method of protection it has stood the test of time, the years of damp, neglect, lying forgotten, abandoned in a leaking crumbling shed. The only problem is that I have never used the stuff’ before, as per usual the process of applying layers of glass and resin is much more difficult than it looks. The matting was far too dense, the resin mixture to strong, consequently folding the fibre over the corners was problematic. Air bubbles, blobs of glass with very clumsy methodology concluded in a disastrous outcome. Lumpy edges that should have been smooth, spiky outcrops of thread drips the size of stalagmites was the result: such a promising morning had turned into black afternoon. I need start over again possibly to make a fresh box tomorrow. As ‘Lyn Dad Pills’ always said, ‘Haste makes waste’.

It was only when I had left the Oak that I realised why there was such a healthy gathering of bodies on such a seemingly quiet night. As well as David, Chris and I, the Preacher, Lowtie, Danny Brennan and Captain Salty all pitched up. The early conversation began with the match analysis from Sunday’s marathon darts game, eleven aside 901, segwaying neatly into the much later sing along to Hendrix, The Dubliners accompanied by various other 20 verse Irish anthems, an over-served Cockney Mick falling offavva ’is chair in due course concluded by a forgotten ride home with Harry the Rat. It only occurred to me later the genuine purpose of the ‘grand meet’. It was all about ‘Keswick’, Philips annual ‘middle aged back slapping tour’. Unable to bring up current matters, whilst I was there, they waited until I had left for home to discuss travel arrangements and the like: the cowards. 

02.10.07. Having spent so much time constructing the bootbox with the supporting frame the choice to scrap then to re-start could have been a mistake, so I decided to spend at least one hour in an attempt to rectify the mistakes from the previous day, if ineffective, a visit to Savoy, to run the ‘Meatloaf gauntlet’, would be required. But, by using an electric drill with a two inch wire wheel most of the rough glass from the sides was successfully removed. The fibreglass on the base of the box had been laid properly so only needed some light sanding to produce a level ‘bump free’ surface. Copious amounts of wood filler were then applied to the edges and walls that had suffered extensive damage from the action of the wire wheel. A further build up of filler will be necessary not only to create a perfectly flat surface but for strength. Nonetheless, the box has been salvaged.

I, disappointingly, suspect that Chris is having a quiet week. The body tub has still not been lifted from the chassis this operation remains the most crucial drawback to legitimate progress. 

It's not going to happen

Sat.29.09.07. It was necessary to drill 20mm holes in each of the corners of the ‘boot collar’ to enable the rectangular space to be cut using the jigsaw.  This frame will become the support structure for the ‘bootbox’. A 6mm rebate was later cut in the corners of the actual box to accommodate the rounded edges of the collar. The box was then secured to the frame by a series of 10mm screws at 60mm intervals. A definite consideration at this point, to ensure the weather proofing of the assembly, would be to line all the exposed exterior panels with glass fibre. As in the original construction, the body parts that have best survived the neglect of 27 years have been the ones where the marine ply has been smothered in glass: this combination of materials, particularly on the more vulnerable bare edges has endured, extraordinarily, every extreme type of environment.  The construction, gluing, eventual screwing and glassing will be completed after a further dry test on the body tub itself. The boot lining has inevitably suffered some peripheral damage that has been effectively repaired by bonding and clamping the laminates. Just as with the ‘box’, although not quite as open to the elements, the boot lining would also benefit from a substantial layer of glass.

The fine moulding of the undertrim continues with minute additions of filler to achieve the definitive form. The further employment of ‘maple’ for this appendage still remains an uncomfortable design decision. Leather or wood, an S and M dream.

Sun.30.09.07. I made a sneaky run up to Westmead, whilst Chris was in ‘Sam’s’, to verify, uninterrupted, the accurate fitting of the bootbox, before I begin to reinforce the structure with a layer of fibreglass. Mon dieu, whilst there and to my dismay, I noticed that it also appears that Chris has spent some time, yet again, flatting down the bonnet and nose cone. If my memory is correct Young Danny undertook this work many months previously, his toil had been accepted to every body’s satisfaction and approval. The fact that Chris had decided that this work was no longer up to standard was another reminder that in his eyes ‘nothing is’ or ‘ever will be’ good enough. But, to re-peat, re-do, re-plicate and re-work, at this critical stage of the project, is utterly pointless, down right wasteful as well as just plain strange, but more significantly, this simple act is yet another signal that also, in my view, potentially undermines every other persons contribution to the overall project.   

This is the last day of September. The body tub has not yet been removed and we have a maximum of 30 days to get the car on the road for tests. NFC.