Its amazing what you find when the snow melts. Random carrots on the lawn, muddy puddles (I'm sure they weren't there before the snow fell) and I even found a couple of classic cars! Today the sun shone and I had an opportunity to move on with the master plan.
It goes a little something like this: I took the passenger side door off the van last year. I've been busily welding and painting it to make it look a little less rusty and a bit more respectable. It is finally in a state where it can be finished off in situ. So that left me with a little problem. The hole where the van door should be was against the wall - so she had to be moved.
The order of the cars on the drive is, Skoda - in pole for regular winter use, Molly in second - ready to spring in to action when the sun shines (and I'm not paranoid about road salt) however the battery died and she nicked the one out of the van. Oh and the heater hose sprung a leak. Finally there is Jessica languishing under her cover in a terrible state of disrepair. The door (as we know) has been in the garage for the last 3 months. The heater is also getting a re-working and the interior is suffering from being abused all winter.
The plan therefore was to turn Jessica round so I could fit the door at a later stage. I've had to get everything in a row. Move the Skoda (easy), start Molly (tricky - needed to fix the leak and organise a battery) and finally start Jessica. This was something I was very nervous about for a couple of reasons. Firstly I had no idea how much antifreeze was in the radiator so we could have a catastrophe on our hands. And secondly she has never been a reliable starter. This morning I swapped over the batteries and had a go. It proved to be a bit of a pain and I had forgotten the technique. Once I had drained the battery, re-charged it and allowed the flooded engine to dry out, I had another go and off she went like a dream!
It goes a little something like this: I took the passenger side door off the van last year. I've been busily welding and painting it to make it look a little less rusty and a bit more respectable. It is finally in a state where it can be finished off in situ. So that left me with a little problem. The hole where the van door should be was against the wall - so she had to be moved.
The order of the cars on the drive is, Skoda - in pole for regular winter use, Molly in second - ready to spring in to action when the sun shines (and I'm not paranoid about road salt) however the battery died and she nicked the one out of the van. Oh and the heater hose sprung a leak. Finally there is Jessica languishing under her cover in a terrible state of disrepair. The door (as we know) has been in the garage for the last 3 months. The heater is also getting a re-working and the interior is suffering from being abused all winter.
The plan therefore was to turn Jessica round so I could fit the door at a later stage. I've had to get everything in a row. Move the Skoda (easy), start Molly (tricky - needed to fix the leak and organise a battery) and finally start Jessica. This was something I was very nervous about for a couple of reasons. Firstly I had no idea how much antifreeze was in the radiator so we could have a catastrophe on our hands. And secondly she has never been a reliable starter. This morning I swapped over the batteries and had a go. It proved to be a bit of a pain and I had forgotten the technique. Once I had drained the battery, re-charged it and allowed the flooded engine to dry out, I had another go and off she went like a dream!
Once the big switch-a-roo had been done and Jessica was at the front of the drive, the sun was still shining so I had a crack at sticking the door on, and to my amazement it went on first time. I'm sure its down to having the right tools, the right fasteners and taking your time (being 6'2" tall helps too).
In all its been a bit hectic, but now I have a van which I know works, has 4 doors and can reinvigorate my enthusiasm. I just need to get out there and finish off all those jobs I've started and get her back on the road again.
In all its been a bit hectic, but now I have a van which I know works, has 4 doors and can reinvigorate my enthusiasm. I just need to get out there and finish off all those jobs I've started and get her back on the road again.
1 comment:
Great blog very interesting
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