Moving forward.......... i think !

Again I'm suffering from laptop freezing. Three times I wrote this over the last week, only to suffer the cruelest of practical jokes from my friend the laptop.
On each occasion I'd posted two pictures and typed at least 300 words when it happened. Sad pity is it is all lost as I have to switch off and re-boot losing everything. So I'm typing this in three sections and posting as I go.
Bloody typical though, the last three posts/attempts were witty and interesting. Now I'm tired and its late and feeling melancholy.
But.............I have a glass of wine ( a big bottle even) so here goes.
The sill's are completely removed...........Hurrah.
Lots of rusty stuff has been painted with Hammerite rust killer.
The front footwell is all welded up.
The " trumpet" is repaired . No please don't laugh. That is its correct name.
The new sill's have been painted in anticipation.
Smelly red oxide paint has been sprayed everywhere I could think of before the aerosol ran out.
........................Oh I almost forgot. I repaired the gaping hole in the side footwell. Just to prove it here's the before and after pics. Look closely you can even see the welding too.

Sorry....lost photo in a fit of spellchecking & tidying up!

Grrrr (counts to ten slowly)...............that's the EIGHTH time I've lost a post

And now some other news from the world of Fufferfour

The bathroom is finally finished. And very nice it looks too !
I spent all day Saturday pasting and hanging wallpaper, fitting carpet trim, Laying vinyl in cubbyhole, tidying up and putting thing away, refitting all fittings taken down to wallpaper ( including Medicine cabinet & contents ) and washing the venetian blind blinds. By the way our medicine cabinet is fully equipped for a thermo nuclear war thanks to the ever loving wife.
Lost an arm sir ? No problem. Paul...pass me the thermal lance

Suffering from a headache ?......easy, we got Aspirin,Cocodamol,junior asprin,dicocodamol,asprinamol,Ibroprofen,disprin,paracetamol,paracetamol max, paracetemolmax+,calpol liquid, calpol night time, calpol daytime non-drowsy,nurofen. nurofen max,nurofen max with vanilla ( or rasberry) migralieve light. Migralieve heavy and finally Migralieve ........or course max.

Slight cut or gaping wound ? we got steristrips standard, steristrip extra long, 38 boxes of assorted waterproof plasters, 17 boxes of junior plasters, 10 pieces of cut to desired size plasters, red plasters with teddy bears, blue plasters ( just in case the environmental health call in the midst of food preparation) and crepe bandages, long, short, wide and rectangular. Even one smelling strongly of Ralgex ( lets not go there, its mine and I know where its been)

Well you get the picture by now I'm sure.

Now I've finally settled down and resigned to the fact of life that me and computers will never be an easy mix I can get on and concentrate on the more important things in life.

See you all soon for the next installment.

Lets try again

Still "issues" with laptop and strangely enough the letter S. Its sticky.
Suspect kids somehow.

Above are the photo's I missed on the last post.

Good job I struggled with the photo's yesterday, as last night I did some welding.
CR*P..............its the only word to describe it.
Well it was dark and I did rush things a bit. It got dark because I spent too long "modifying" my B&D jigsaw to work like the powersaw I used a college.
I'll have to spend time making square holes now and save the welding for a long weekend.
More soon...............if the welding improves.

Its off, and no turning back

Apologies for the delay in posting any news and events over the last few months.
Its been a very busy time with work, holidays, sunshine and family getting most of my attention. I'll have to be brief here too as my laptop keeps freezing up.
Three times I've posted wit and wisdom today only for it to be lost in cyberspace.
The title refers to the castle rail sill section finally off at last. Albeit in about seventy small pieces. It was achieved with brute force and ignorance and then a little intelligence and maturity.
After being stumped for so long on how the section was attached to the underside of the floor I decided to use the brush attachment in the drill and clean the inside sill bit.
Lo and behold.............semblances of spotwelds. Trouble is I buggered up the spotweld drill trying to sharpen it with the angle grinder. So hence the brute force and ignorance bit with a bolster chisel and medium claw hammer.
I eventually bought a new spot weld brill bit and here's a story to tell of the ordeal.
I was in Sheffield one midday between customer visits. A town I know well as I was born and bred there. I thought since I'm in the east end ( the grimy Industrial part full of every type of factory and service industry) I'll buy a drill bit.
Well..................................What a performance. I must have visited eight tool hire shops/engineers supplies/cutting tool specialists/tool shops and not one had one.
Well. actually Cromwell tools did but not the type I wanted. I bought it any way.
Some shops had no idea what a spot weld brill bit was !!! In Sheffield of all places. The home of steel and steel processing. The land of welding sheets and machining, railway parts and Iraq gun barrel's, inventor of stainless steel, cutlery and nickel plating and all things engineering.
I used said drill bit and it worked a treat. It was still hard work upside down drilling at only half arms length, hair and eyes, face and mouth full of tiny MG particles. Even the sunshine made it difficult as I had to lay flat face up half looking at the dark/black sill half looking into bright sky. Still the key to it was :-
a/. clean the surface thououghly before starting
b/. use the correct tools
c/. Don't give up, its often easier than you imagine
The photo shows the sills with a good view of the large hole I cut out ready to repair with the MIG welder.

Yes........................I'm sorry I should have told you earlier. I bought it on E-bay ( again)
for £60 and it works a treat. The guy even threw in a large sheet of 1mm thick steel too.
I'm currently scheming on how to buy an Auto-helmet.
.
.
.

.guffaw & snigger............................Its that word and my base sense of humor.
Anyways. I have to repair the small holes in the footwell and front footwell fascia before attempting the sills. It will be a good opportunity to practice welding in less critical areas.
By the way I have a huge repair section for the cut away area and the inside floor from the nice chap in Doncaster where I bought the sills ( E-bay yet again)

I promise I will report more often from now on especially since I'm likely to become more frustrated with welding.

FYI had a good hol in Spain with the extended family ( In-laws) several trips abroad with work like France and Sweden and France again.
Mini holiday in Belgium for the wifeys 50th ( weird people but fun place) but not seen Chris much due to hol overlap so will get humour injection on Friday night out this Friday...yipee.

My problem is this..........

That's how I ended the last section of my blog ( see below)
Apologies for that. I was waylaid/distracted/thinking of money/beer/ etc

Here's a lovely photo of me enjoying myself on Fathering Sunday.
I spent all morning looking at the sill and thinking how the hell do I remove it ?
It appears to be welded by magic.
I've drilled all the spotwelds I can see. I've even drilled some I can't see just for good measure.
What I meant to say at the end of the last blog is the vertical sill is behind the "A" post and between two other vertical parts, and at the B post, disappears altogether in a void of important structural looking parts. I do what I normally do in situations like this: look at it for lots, make a cup of tea and look at the restoration bible from Mr Porter.
I did glean some useful info. The new rear part of the sill can be welded on top of the tabs for the old one. And I managed to remove ( or most of) the offending sill part.
The really annoying thing is though, the castle rail is still there. I cannot see for the life of me how its held in position. Its stuck like glue, even welded solid, but where ?
The Previous owner had the castle rail cut down the centre and left the inside bit there, just welded a new one onto it. No wonder it took so long to get it off.
I was amazed when I'd spent 3 weeks grinding the bead welds, removing underseal and being frightened to death of the grinding wheel only to find half of another one there. Only this time it looks a little more permanent.
After consulting all the text books and internet pages, still no sign of how to remove them.
I find this so annoying that pages and pages are written about this subject and not one explains the procedure or difficulties of removing sills.
They all say " remove sills. careful their sharp..................Thanks a lot mate

How ? where do you start ? whats the most critical bit? whats the trickiest?

Enough said. More when I've calmed down.

As you can see I've been at it again.
The car that is. Although I've done lots otherwise but boring mostly.
Since a lovely bank holiday approached I hatched plans to remove the LH sill on the car.
Well "remove" is a fairly permanent word so I approached the job with some caution.
Its well said about MG sills that they are not a job for the beginner, need good welding skills and if done badly you may as well chuck the car away.
That's apart from the fact that the car can "sag" drastically in the middle if not supported correctly.
..........................Well just like me then !!!!!
( shot showing exuberance of grinding tool)

Left to my own devices I ground away the inner upper lip of the sill and peeled down the cover sill just like Mr Lindsay Porter says. So far so good.
I should have used a "Spot weld Drill" but I thought they were expensive last time I looked so I used the dreaded Grinder. I must admit this tool frightens the hell out of me.
Sure it looks cool to be grinding away with sparks flying everywhere, but one slip and that's a hand severed, a carotid vein obliterated or a facial scar the size of the cheddar gorge.
The inner sill was just about there through a thin veil of rust.
For those of you who don't know the sills are structurally important on an MG.
There are 3 main sills.
A flimsy outer sill between the door posts. Easily removed with trusty grinder.
A full length vertical sill underneath this which extends under & behind front and rear wings and acts as a Stiffener for:-
The castle rail. This is also full length and is on the underside of the sill assembly and also attached to the inside front wing rear arch and back wing arch front.
All three make up a strong box section each side of the car.
My problem is this

No you can't

Money troubles..........pah............Depressing,morbid,tense,lifeless and monotonous.
Yes we have big money troubles but for once I don't give a toss and feel none of the above.
The troubles started when a sudden realization that our annual holiday had to be paid for in six week time. The holiday fund was -£50.
So wifey and I decide on major plan of cutbacks and 3 month plan of action. Her idea is restricting my wine and beer intake which she claims will pay for two holidays.
Slight exaggeration there since her chocolate and biscuit intake would feed a small country.
Anyways, its been tough, and still is, but we are coping..........Just.
The kids don't seem to understand " we ain't got any money to give you". They think all things come from an endless money pit. It's not until you start to count up every penny that you realize how much goes on "incidentals" & minor things.
Decided to strip an old door of the MG and take it to the restoration class for "work". It took most of Fri evening to remove the glass, winder mechanism, hinges and quarter light frames. Still, I can get there early Sat morning with a definite plan.
The hinge plates look a little worse for wear and have been " modified" at some stage. How much will have to wait till Sat morning vehicle restoration class.
Saturday dawns bright and very very wet. In fact an absolute downpour.
Me off early with my old toetectors and new secondhand lime green and blue overall.
Shaun the resto teach looks at the door and says " we have just perfect equipment for that job" great methinks. He says " look through the rain outside to the big yellow thing "
yes I say then what. " Throw the bloody thing in it, its a skip" ( dumpster to our colonial cousins).
Ten minutes later Shaun and I had decided on how to tackle the door.
I will add I got lots of sympathetic looks from everyone. I didn't have the heart to tell them its a scrap door and will only be used for practice. In fact I think I forgot to mention this to Shaun.

Here is the door after a couple of hours work.

On top of the door is the "new" panel I made from sheet steel .
It involved "nibbling, bending, punching and joggling " It makes me feel good to just say those let alone do them. You can see where its going to fit. The bottom RH corner has at some time had a new panel welded directly on top of the rusty stuff. Its making it tricky to get the steel to align well. I wondered why there was a hole missing when i was taking all the glass mechanisms apart. The exposed nut was completely covered by the part of the panel I had ground away.
Looks like it combines all the problems and bodges I,m likely to come up against on the proper stuff ( Mine ) Still I looking forward to the practice.
Just to keep you interested here's a shot of the MG in its normal state.















Maybe next week we may have more wit and wisdom, if I can weather the financial storm.

What's next then ??

The DIY is almost complete.
Only the wallpapering to do, 2nd coat of paint on woodwork and tile bath panel.
All in reverse order of course.
At least wifey is willing to help.......or hinder.
Trouble is she thinks she can paint. I have to sneakily follow her two days later and rub down all the runs and ensure I do the final coat.
Thank heavens she has no interest in the MG restoration.
Youngest daughter No 1 did help last week wire brushing the right front wing area of accumulated crud. I promised her first ride. She knows she will be at least 25 before its finished.
I had another fruitful session last weekend.
Removed some rear window trim. Examined more rust around said area.
Stored both front wings. fuel tank and both bumpers down by garden shed covered by an old woven polythene garden sack ( erratum.... new garden sack 3 years old, it split when i tried to drag the kids round the garden in it)
As I write this I can see in the distance the shed and my precious parts. The bumpers ( rubber... sorry ....Polyurethane ) are stored up against the wall covered by the old rubber floor mats and an old dustbin lid.
How I love summer.......the lawn is green, buds are sprout'n, birds are sing'n and sh***ng all over my bumpers.
How I am becoming a convert to Poly refuse sacks and sheets.

I started my restoration course at local college this week.
How I'm going to love this.
Firstly upon wandering up to a group of folks I picked the course leader to ask
" Is this where I'm supposed to be ? "
Yes he replied, the kettles over there, its always on get a brew when you feel like it. Bacon butties are ordered an will be eaten at 10.30. Wander round with me and the group then we'll get started.
What a chap...........a man after my own heart.( even if he looks like a rockabilly version of Al Bundy)
"What you all want to learn then ? " was his first question.
The usual hesitance from a group of strangers.... then I piped up "welding"
Me too ! yes me as well ! ( me anorl......best Derbyshire accent there )
OK says Shaun ( course tutor )

WELDING............. first minute.......... easy peasy
second minute..........crap, holes everywhere.
third minute........long strands of wire everywhere + birdpoo
( That's what Shaun called it)
time to let someone else have a go
same results but, different order and probably worse.

WELDING PART II first minute.......change the settings..... no description
second minute......NO PENETRATION....bad word
third minute.......change settings.......!!!!!!!!!

Butty time........its the same the world over and it takes me back to my apprenticeship days. Get your butty first. Sure enough two butties were missing.
Luckily not mine though.......remember I've done this before. I used to have to fetch them as a lad come rain or shine Saturday mornings so I was prepared for this likely possibility, thus get in quick.

Over butty had conversations with fellow restorers. One guy is restoring on old Mini
and converting from Auto to Manual gearbox.
Another has a 1960's Triumph. And Another a 40's Jaguar !!!!!!
He wants to learn how to make the curved wings and fiddly bits.
Methinks the local college is not up to this standard. If he can afford that car surely he can afford to pay someone to make them !!

WELDING....Part III..............Shaun shows us ( without a mask and closing his eyes) how easy it is. Its all in the wrist action. keep moving and set it up properly.
first attempt............crap, spatter and crackle
second attempt...........much better with gas on
third attempt.............getting clever,butt joining two pieces
fourth attempt............too clever. big holes everywhere
fifth attempt.............bird poo and wire everywhere

Guess welding is not so easy. I will admit that things got better when Shaun,seeing my enthusiasm gave me an "Auto helmet " to use.

I'm laughing like a drain as I type this. It must be the word " Auto helmet"
Sounds like a STD or kinky gay sex toy. My sense of humour is base and kind of juvenile mostly. Guffffawwwwwww.

Now I want one. Its the only way to weld.

As the title says now I have a little more skill to progress....but to what.

I still can't seem to make a plan on what to do next.
I'm sure welding panels will figure somewhere. I,m afraid to weld just yet though as I don't want to weld little rusty holes into big rusty ones and ruin £ 85 quids worth of panels.

Procrastinate............that's what I'll do next.
Job settled. good night and thank you.

Some progress at last

Well time to report some good news at long last.
The restoration has moved forward somewhat thanks largely to an early morning leap out of bed. The kids were up early ( 7 ish) on my first days hol (Good Fri)
so I made a hearty breakfast for us all and set off down to the bottom of the garden by clearing out the shed and unearthing around the shed of old dead leaves and unknown things.
I really hate clearing up the leaves as there's always lots of worms and slimy creatures scuttling away to darkness. The 10 kg bag of chicken manure pellets didn't
help either. It had a plastic bag over it and a half housebrick.
I know why now.
At some point the lid had broken and since it was to be left outside a bag placed over it, however water had got in.
Got in big time, and it was supporting a whole new life culture of maggots, worms and other things.......All swimming in 10 kg worth of the smelliest liquid Sh*t ever. ( very good for the garden though.....but not mine, sorry ours)
I had to get the wife to move it further away from the shed area so I could carry on working. Smells are not my strong point ! Sorry don't do foul smells.
So, all non relevant things banished to on side destined for the dump-it site
and the rest, well..................How the hell is it all going to fit back in the shed ?
It was like Dr Who's tardis. Could this stuff really all come from Inside the shed ?
More ruthless discarding and several re-arranges of inside and there it was.
Loads 'o' rooooom.
Still a strong smell of Sh*t though.
Then another Idea. Wrap the tub in a strong black refuse sack and tie up tight.
thereby stopping said foul smell ruining garden and scenic tranquil atmosphere.
Smell all gone ( tub will be magically inserted into wheelie bin next bin day)
A more than slight improvement actually that would allow at least 3 or 4 boxes and trim bits into the shed.
Yipeee !!! Action stations restoration.
removed Right wing in less than 15 minutes ( It took nearly four weeks for the Left)
Admittedly most of the work had been done in a fit of frustration at the spinning nuts of the left wing.
Removed fuel tank after wrestling with only one rounded nut which I had to drill out.
This was a bit scary as it was the nut nearest the fuel filler hose inside the boot.
Today up early and drained oil ( wifey did not see this, good job a some has been deposited on drive) the old cat litter tray came in useful for once.
Emptied water....sorry coolant system. Removed radiator and hoses.
Removed oil cooler and some pipes.
Only bad news is that I broke the top hose connection on the oil cooler matrix.
Too much brute force and a cheap aluminium housing.
I think I can grind, weld and hammer to my hearts content now !!!!!
............If only I knew what I was doing...................

Who turned off the light at the end of the tunnel ?

The title just reflects my frustrated mood of late.
After attempting six time in two days to set up the tile cutter to cut six tiles I finally abandoned the effort to the weekend.
I did feel much better for it though.
The present tile cutter is new and works like a dream. Well it just works like any tile cutter should do. They fit perfectly. Next job is to lift all loose tiles
( approx 50% of them) and stick back down. It looks like I'll have to have a day off work to complete this or do it one evening to stop little feet walking on them till their fully stuck.
How I came to get to this stage is like a de ja vue dream. Similar to the cheap tools I bought earlier on in the year.
The present tile cuter is on its last legs. Its not mine, its my mates which I've had on permanent loan for about seven months. Brother in Law borrowed it for his tiled floor and I'm afraid it just wore out. perhaps the 15mm thick tiles he was cutting had something to do with it ?
Anyway,I decided to buy another one. Did the usual trawl of B&Q, Do-it all, Wickes etc. Decided on a "cheaper" model from B&Q: £ 29.99 and made of "stainless steel with 150mm cutting disc"
Gawd ......what a mistake.
When assembling on kitchen worktop ( yes it was raining outside) the "stainless steel" tops rectangular hole where the blade pokes through was mis-aligned.
Mis-aligned is a kind phrase. The only way the blade didn't touch the "stainless steel" top was when it was tilted at 45 degrees using the unique selling feature of " even cuts tiles on the angle". It a moment of testing I accidentally started the motor, only to see sparks fly, Howling graunching noise and a team of people rush into kitchen to expecting to see six tons of girders there with me underneath.
Crap............
I got out the trusty angle grinder to try and modify/remove the offending mis-placed hole. Reassembled and.........Crap.
Took the thing back to B&Q and got a full refund. I don't know where it was made but i suspect made in C**** was somewhere cunningly hidden.
Exactly one week later I visited B&Q and there I spied a Plas****s tile cutter for the same price. Admittedly a little smaller. I bought it and its wonderful. It did the job, easily with no fuss. I got frostbite from cutting tiles outside in the howling wind with wet hands, but hey.......the job done, almost.
My next rant is how ironic life is.
A while ago i posted on the internet somewhere, may have been this blog, the probs with the spinning captive nuts inside the wings where they were inaccessible.
I received last week a very kind and lengthy reply on how to resolve this issue.
In fact i had already resolved it, but nevertheless, the tips were excellent but not applicable in my case as the cages were inaccessible.
I still have faith in good ole E-bay. I was watching a bodyshell hoping it might go cheap. Did not win but decided to contact the winner.
A fellow MG restorer and by the sounds of it a willing and understanding bloke.
The shell is about to go to the scrapper as he has all the parts he needs from it.
Bless him, he offered to cut off the parts i need ( LH rear top wing, gutter section ect) I,m sure he will come through. Especially if he reads these pages.
I'm going for the sympathy vote.
All I've done MG wise is re-tie the poly sheet countless times after wifey bought some clothes line especially for me. To replace the 60 meters of telephone cable the Sky installer insisted on leaving I've been using.
The Easter weekend signals some positive action though...if....big if... the weathers good I'll tidy shed, dispose of lots of crap and organise the removed items from the MG.......hopefully, and after the tiling is complete.

When enthusiasm flies

Yet more wet and cold weekends have halted the frenzied pace of restoration.
Last attempts saw the removal of lots. Hope I can remember where it goes back and where I've stored it.
Frenzied is a term I've heard lots of lately.
Wifeys attitude to plotting a new bathroom......Frenzied.
Kids obsession with MSN and chats with mates.........Frenzied
Wifeys cajoling of me to make a start on said bathroom.......Frenzied
My resistance to do anything remotely interesting of a weekend........Frenzied
My boss's attempts at getting the sales team to sell more..................Frenzied.
OK you get the picture, there's some element of frustration embedded in me at not having a garage in which to work or store the items removed so far.
I guess I'm feeling guilty too of not having started on bathroom.
Well I did actually start and that was the prelude to.......well, P***edofness.
Like all males of the species I know best when it comes to DIY.
So tiling the bathroom floor should be easy. After all I'd done the toilet a few months previously ( 800mm x 1.4 meters, with 300mm square tiles)= 15 tiles including 5 cut tiles)that took best part of 2 days due to the awkward shape of the toilet base.
Under the tiles was regular hardboard. nailed every 2 inches ( just to be sure)
So they stuck fine and only one had to be uplifted and re glued.
Shaving an extra half inch of the door bottom made the largest contribution to the buggeration factor. ( undo 9 screws that have not moved for 45 years) move door downstairs, set up workmate ( all day job to remove MG bits from shed so I can see workmate, rest of weekend doing MENSA puzzle on how to extract workmate)
So work started in earnest. Except that I forgot brother in law had the electric tile cutter of mine ( I mean mine in the biblical sense, as it belongs to mate Chris. I borrowed it 5 months ago and he's forgot )
B in L used machine to do his whole bathroom and floor so its had some use and he says in need to cool down every now and then.
Frenzied comes back to haunt me again. That must have been B in L 's
F*****ed attempts at cutting at least 55mm thick cast iron tiles on a hobbyist machine.
The first cut I made the machine lasted exactly 2 inches before it conked ( sorry, overloaded the thermal protection device)
This required a wait of approx 30 minutes, still I could get on with measuring and gluing.
Things got decidedly worse.
After gluing and leaving the floor 80% tiled, the following morning displayed the tiles loose and wobbling like a see-saw.
Crap cement. Heating left on and little feet walking on them did not help.
However, my expert opinion is that I did not listen. I thought I knew best.
I used regular hardboard under the tiles. I needed to use at least 12mm thick chipboard.
So last weekend was spent chiseling off the cement from the tiles, cutting chipboard and laying tiles properly, leaving cutting tiles till the end.
By the way the cutter cuts exactly half an inch now between 2 hours cool down.
Should finish by Christmas then. Unless I ask Chris what's happened to his cutter and he buys a new one for me to borrow.
With luck the weather will improve and the bathroom finished in time for spring.
I hope the solicitor pays out by then, but that stories for next time.

When sparks fly

Well what a productive weekend. Well only Saturday actually.
After spending what seemed like ages without so much as lifting the Poly cover something actually happened according to plan...........almost.
Full of the joys of spring and having a Saturday not P***ing it down with rain I set about tackling the wing with gusto. Gusto may not be the right word as I was planning to use my new grinding machine. ( Thanks Ma, great x-mas prezzie)
I was petrified, I had visions of me in Casualty with it wedged in the middle of my forehead, or worse still the whole car going up in a fireball as I determinedly ground down the fuel filler spout.
Logic dictates that the Interior and seats should be removed but I still have no garage
in which to work or store said items, so they stayed put.
Donned in a XL disposable white paper suit I looked the strangest mechanic/repairman ever.
It is only as I write this I realise I was wearing a paper suit and would have made an excellent piece of tinder. As a practice I started on a screw on the lower valance.
He hehee....................................What sparks and noise !!!!!!!!
Positioned awkwardly under passenger footwell with grinder ready. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Nothing touched. The handle of the grinder fouled on the tie rod of the dash.
Remove handle and start again. He he heeee..........................
Sparks everywhere, heart pounding, mouth dry, very loud grinding noise.
I was actually grinding something.Exactly what I could not be sure but this was a sign that serious stuff was actually going to happen. Hope its to the car and not me.
Fed up upside down, I repositioned to the valance again. Still rather awkward to get behind the
headlight under the wing, so a moment of common sense hit me. Jack the bloody car up full tilt
and access will be better. And so it was, the two frozen nuts mentioned last year disappeared into a mass of sparks and blood red molten metal.
I have a feeling this car is going to be very much like a good woman.
Since I was highly delighted with the removal of two very rusty and awkward nut cages in a very inaccessible place it was then I noticed.........Horror.
I had accidentally ground a disc shaped hole of about 1" long into the front of the radiator support frame. Pants.........just when I thought I thought I was doing well. Still It can easily be repaired, sometime.
Then I realised all the wing bolts were free. I tugged the wing but it seemed still fastened somewhere. Tugged, tugged, no it must be fastened somewhere. I've missed a bolt.
Further check. Much tugging, some pushing then a quick jerk upwards and success.
I'm free....I'm Free.
Well not actually, the wiring was still attached to the headlight. Quick label job then it was well and truly free.
Only prob now is where to put it. Its only rusty on its bottom edge. Its actually wedged under a giant kids slide down the side of the shed at garden bottom.
Inspection of the new area and now exposed sill showed much rust. Only remnants of a sill visible, still the inner wing area is in sound condition.
The valance was unscrewed partially and ground down partially and it came away easily
again with only minimal rust, although it was a bit bent in one area.
I even had time to remove the other wings bonnet bolts and squirt my old friend penetrating fluid on the passenger footwell bolts. It would appear the right side is not as difficult as the left.
Hopefully.

Well...same old same old... nufin new there then

A new year dawns and time for some light reflection.

Yes its still raining each Saturday and not a jot has been done to the poor old MG.
All she can do is flap her makeshift polythene cover listlessly in the wind.
I can't even be bothered to re-tie down the noisy thing. I just peer at her each morning and pray for summer and cash.
The new year started like the old one finished, seamless and without fuss.
I fact I think I was first into bed before the missus, and asleep and snoring soundly before the appointed hour.
Made me laugh later on though recalling last new years eve to wifey.
We had ma- in- law staying overnight.
A fine woman and in full control of all her marbles. But..................
of all the towns etc. She decides that at 10.30 her waterworks are not functioning as they should. By 11.15 it was time for immediate action so off goes wifey an said ma-in law to local clinic/casualty..............credit to our good old NHS. They had her sorted and back ensconced in front of TV by 11.45.
I was Incumbent on sofa with leg in plaster, so that's a fair excuse. Besides, I needed lots of whisky to dull my pain. One visit up 15 steps with leg in full cast is enough to make anyone grumpy.
Work seems to have taken priority since the hols with my area almost doubling.... not the pay though. Still, I imagine I'll get more nights away and see a lot more of this fair and sceptered Isle.
I have seen more cardboard boxes though this year already!

No turning back......The project gets serious

Well the removal of the dashboard proved an enjoyable event.
If swearing, cursing, cramp in arms, cramp in neck, damp, cold, confusion and frustration can be called enjoyable.
Of course I'd read the book many many times on how to do this. In fact I'd read the book so often we needed a new toilet seat. So I was thoroughly prepared if not a little inexperienced.
More good news was that in the evening previous another cardboard box entered the house, it only cost £215 too, a bargain at half the price.
Don't know what to do with the new microwave that was inside though.

Before I embark on this new episode of no turning back let me pontificate on the dearth of cardboard boxes in our modern society. We all know what they are and what they are used for. We have all seen them many times. They are always free when you want one of them.
But let me warn you................Just try asking at a supermarket for one !!

My local 24 hour shop used to have thousands in the doorway at one time. Just take one sir, take thousands, build a new estate in Bulawayo sir, we just don't care, they are there for you because we don't want them.
Same went for the large multi nationals, Sainsbugs, TrespassCo, MoreReasons ect.
These often used but mainly Ingored items were there in their thousands ( hope the grammars good or Dave the teach will frown)

But like some Alien conspiracy now they have all GONE !!
Remember the rules on the wall in Orwells Animal farm, every time the downtrodden referred to the rule it had somehow mysteriously disappearedd.
Well supermarket cardboard boxes are like that.
First they were huge regular sizes and weird shapes that no-one ever took home.
Then they went to rectangular and square that were very handy. We all loved these.
At some point in the dim and distant past they began to get smaller and smaller till now they have disappeared completely.

Apparently they are a fire hazard and must be disposed of Immediately.
Disposed of by squashing flat in a regulation box squasher flatter , then Incinerated.
All by trained and certified supermarket staff courtesy of our wonderful H&S legislation.
I dare you, ask for a box near the large plastic doors next to the Deli counter and you'll get a look like Greek taverna owners reserve for German tourists.

On with the Dashboard.

Left hand upper bracket removed with socket set ( 1/2")
Cardboard glovebox liner removed frontwards by squashing slightly.
I must have spent 40 mins trying the former before latter occurred to me.
Removed both centre air vents easily. Dash showing signs of freedom as left side moves slightly.
Undid steering column bolts easy peasy. Whilst down there, upside down, head in footwell, feet splayed at odd angles out of window and out of sun roof I made a discovery.
previous owners of this vehicle lived like pigs. Nuff said.
I did find the trip re-set though and a "secret" switch which I will investigate sometime.
From this position of recumbent tranquility I also removed Right upper bracket.
Dash loose at both ends slightly but solid in centre.
40 minutes later it occurred to me as to why the centre vents should be removed.
" They hide the last remaining bracket holding the whole thing in position"

But that's when the serious stuff started.

Presented before me was a giant multicolour mess of spaghetti.......God what have I done.
It looks too difficult to but back quickly and run away, and its getting late.
Be brave Potter Pig.....Onwards and upwards.
To be fair the only tricky bits were the vent connections. Small nuts high under the padded top.
All the wires and cables were well colour coded.labelled them though just in case.

I have a feeling this statement will come back and haunt me later on.


Disconnect choke cable - both ends.
Disconnect & label up -:
Interior light
Cigar lighter
Ampmeter
Oil gauge
Fog light switch
Heated rear window switch
Speedo
Rev counter

And then it was lifted clean away...........Thus no turning back.

I'm sure I broke some switches or maybe they fell apart and disintegrated.
However boxed and labeled both ends and feeling rather smug.

Next job. Padded Dash top and heater pipes/vents. Maybe this can wait till after x-mas as yesterday we discussed wallpapering the bathroom this weekend.
Sacrifices. Sacrifices.

Oh yes I almost forgot..........I still need somewhere to store the bloody stuff.