Magnificent Machines!

Today Rory and I went off to The National Museum of Flight for their Monster Machines weekend. What a wonderfull excuse to get some superb stuff all in one place. V Bombers to Vespas, Road Rollers to Car Crushers, and the sun was shiny too!

never has mutually assured distruction looked so sexy

East Lothian Scooter club were out in force with a really nice selection of Vespas and Lambrettas. A friendly bunch of chaps too, they were happy to give me a bit of advice about my impending purchase.

personally assured distruction?

"they are the mods, they are the mods, they are - they are - they are the mods..."

The traction engines were lovely. The sights sounds and smells took me right back to Steam Rallys I was taken to as a child.

pleeeeease can I have a go...

Of course Rory found the tractors...

and there were the monster trucks.... (not my thing, but Rory seemed to enjoy them)

Classy Glace

The more you look...

the more you find... I had a dig around the remmentants of the strap that prevents Jessica's roof goping to far back and found this...

Commer Sunroof?

So I also went round the gutter with the twirly wire brush, removed all the old mastic and threw some excelent Bilt Hamber products at it.

Smoooooth...

The headlining being under the roof hole ment that I didn't really want to go welding it up and setting fire to the headlining so.... a sheet of stainless and some self-tappers were employed.
I also took the angle grinder to some of the gutter which was rusty and made some panels to replace it.

Hide your eyes Jess, this won't take long...

So what colour is Jessica? Well today we're going for Ford Diamond White... not too bad is it?

Don't you open that Trapdoor

Also had a crack at some wag filled corners at the back, it wasn't as bad as I thought so it was quickly patched up and sealed.
But I don't seem to be able to put the seam sealer on properly.
Don't worry Molly did get some attention, all the carpets got taken out again for a good scrub. Looking a bit better now don't you think?

Drip drip drip...

No not rain this time... but progress... little by little, Molly is being put back together, 1/2 hour here 1 hour there. Stuff is coming out of boxes and getting fitted. Both drivers side doors are done, complete with windows, surrounds and trim. The carpets are in (a right state). I need to get the electrics sorted now (I think its just the indicators left) then crack on with the headlining, seats, screens then fit the rear wing properly. After that we could be looking at mechanical stuff like adjusting up the handbrake, cleaning the front discs and tuning the engine!

the to-do list is now small enough to fit in one photo

interior looks as shabby as when it came out (surprising that)

windy windows and door handles

I picked up a pair of van wheels a couple of years ago, and well left them in the garden to er ... season. Today they got a lick of old English white paint... These are destined for the back of the car with larger tyres, and should hopefully gear things down a little on long journeys. I still have the nicely powdercoated wheels for best though!

Jessica has been dumped on the road outside the house (so the hedge man as room to get in tomorrow) time for a photo to-do list.

help me Woolfie you're my only hope!

Commer "fur" from the bottom of the doors

work in progress

scars from picking at rust just before Belladrum

still loving those indicators

What with the weather being, er... ok, we spent some of the day in the garden, where I remembered I had stashed my spare panels under the hedge - do you think anyone will find them?

incognito

pimped the composters

Harvesting the the marrow (modelled by Rory - for scale)

And Dad is coming out of hospital tomorrow YAY!! Bron has broken her arm BOOO! - get well soon you two!

Tucked up for winter?

The tax on the Commer runs out at the end of the month, and I'm planning on taking her off the road for the winter, so I just need to sort out the rust on the gutter so I don't get a nasty surprise. Blummin well run out of welding gas though haven't I...




And I've been pimping my ride too. What do you think?

Four wheels good, 2 wheels bad

I have always hankered after a scooter, not just any scooter, but a Vespa PX125. I used to watch in awe as the Scooterboys of Burton-on-Trent hung out at the courts (probably waiting for one of their pals to come out from their hearing). I will get one one day - hopefully soon, when I have the money, and space and deep deep need (oh and the licence).

Why all this babbling about 2 wheels, when I've firmly put myself in the 4 wheeled camp? Well some idiot pulled out into my Dad on his motorbike last weekend. He and his pillion were badly hurt, and he's still in Lincoln County hospital with 5 broken ribs. I spent most of last week up and down the county visiting him.

He's getting better, but I can't seem to get over the injustice of it all. He's a safe rider, the traffic was slow, and he was riding a big - sensible bike (not a sporty job). My dad is was in the process of easing himself into retirement by way of longer and longer trips out on his bike. I want him to be happy, I want him to be able to go out and enjoy life, without careless idiots spoiling it for him. I don't want him to be put off, and to prove it, I won't be put off either. I'm going to join the 2 wheeled world, and find out what all the fuss is about.

So be safe out there guys - watch out for those bikes will you? It might be me or my dad you are pulling out in front of.