Best laid plans...

[bil]

Well friday nights challenge was to rebuild the nearside exhaust manifold ready for the trip to rockingham saturday morning, much wrenching and cojolling of manifold gaskets (3No. seperate gaskets, ford no longer make or stock the 3in 1 gaskets in nottm and leicester at least) and enough copper grease to ensure the new bolts (6No. M8x1.25, the old had me a little confused as a 1/2"AF spanner was a much better fit than the 13mm M8 norm) tested and cleaned the head threads with a second tap to ensure a smooth refit. oh and hours of trying to get the lower elbow into the new manifold, Mr 7lb finally providing the cure. so its 2am on saturday morning but the exhaust is on. a quick kip, coffee, wash me and the car and were off to rockingham, making good progress and ..... hmm selecting fifth was all of a sudden rather difficult as there was no clutch...pulled in cant select any gears, no pressure in the clutch pedal, pop the bonnett and the pool of fluid below the clutch slave cylinder is not good news. Poured some of the spare fliud i carry in through the master but result is a bigger puddle, MR A? is called for, the nice receptionist took the details ive tried to convey, but when she asked if the clutch was hydraulic for the third time this wasnt going to turn out well, cutting a long day short, one breakdown man and one recovery man and 5.5hours later i was home, coffeeed and ready to replace the seals that i was sure were the problem, loosened the copper pipe off and oh that comes away without fully undoing the union and as i dont own a flaring tool that brings that exersize to a swift end. i did go to rockingham on sunday and thoroughly enjoyed the day and watching the racing, but at the same time was gutted i couldnt take part in the world record attempt and driving the daily home was not the fun it should have been. Well done to all at TVRCC for the event, i could fault what a saw of it.

[Barkychoc]

Sorry to hear that Alan after all your hard work, what a drag.
Unfortunately I couldn't make in to Rockingham.

Where in East Mids are you ?
I'm in Bingham east of Nottingham.

Chris

[bil]

In Wollaton west of nottm, outside of the averaging limit ring road.

[mycroft]

Hi Bil remember talking to you at the burger van , you should get an award for effort to get there in your S , I hope there will be a next time and you have better luck.
Dale

[Barkychoc]

Bil, you're not a million miles away then, I'm also managing a major project at the University.
I have changed all my shocks - but retained the original springs - but they are too long so the ride height is now too high on the lowest setting (new 4x4 V8S!)
Its all got to come off again !

Know how you feel Bil.

Chris

[petclub]

Hi Alan, you're not that far from me either, sorry I'm not much help with mechanical techie stuff but I can do beer and morale support! Dave

[bil]

thanks for the support folks,
mycroft, i take it the chap and his son hadnt taken any liberties with your S?
barkychoc, sorry to hear about the suspension,ive been lent a flaring tool to remake the clutch hydralics, then when ive cured the gear box mount [i think the root of all evil] we'll need to meet up for a tyre kicking.
petclub, moral support works for me, nice selection of cars by the way, is the garage the size of a field?

Bil

[Barkychoc]

Yes I'd be up for a tyre kicking sometime.
Still waiting for the springs to turn up.
Also have a bit of play in a trailing arm bush.....

[mycroft]

Yes he returned the car to me with a smile on his face
I think it made their Day .