Gridlock

After being laid up for a few weeks and fiddling with radio controlled models, the full sized project vehicles have started backing up.

Molly has been pressed in to service as a daily driver, just like the good old days. Unfortunately (but not wholly unexpected for a 47 year old car) there are a couple of niggly glitches which need to be sorted. Namely the horn and the interior light have stopped working. There is still an annoying clunk from the front suspension and a rattle from the rear. Also, driving through Edinburgh in the rain and dark I have realised that I really do need some kind of wing mirror. I would also like to get under her soon to check out the bodywork/underseal situation before the gritters get busy. All in all though she is doing very, very well.

The same cannot be said however for Jessica, the door repair hasn't been touched for weeks .It needs to be welded up, finished and fitted so she can become semi water tight again. The other door can then come off for some cosmetics, then I can think about taking the windscreen out and painting the front panel (maybe). I also need to lay her up properly, grease everything and trickle charge the batteries. This however is the root of the problem. If Molly is going to get the attention she deserves, then she needs to be in the garage, and there is a broken old Commer in the way. One day I'll have a large, dry, warm double garage to work in, where I can take whichever vehicle I choose... one day...

A Jolly Good Wheeze

First up dear readers, an apology. I've not posted for a long long time. This is mainly because I have had very little to post about, which is due in turn to a popular autumn ailment - flu. Plus a chest infection, plus the old favourite - asthma. All rather dull and boring and kept me off my feet and out of the garage for almost three weeks now.

I'm finally getting myself together but as I've been sat around the house I have been pottering a little. The great thing about pottering (one of my favourite pass times you know) is you can get a lot done in very small chunks of time with out getting over tired. The object of the pottering was Dad's model boat which appears to be an Aerokits Sea Scout. There is some footage of one in action here.

Over the past couple of weeks it has been cleaned and the remote control kit fitted. The wood on the cabin roof has been repaired and the little bench seats in the back have been repaired. I fitted the motor (a nice bit of bent stainless sheet) and the RC kit.

rear seats fixed up

New water coolant exhaust (left)

Clockwise from top, RC receiver, battery pack, motor controller and motor.

captain ready for launch

It now needs a few coats of paint on the roof, rear seats and hull and we should be good for some sea (canal) trials. The kids are jolly excited but I've got to be careful I don't become a model boat geek - its easily done.

One of the nice things about not being in the best of health is that taking the train to work is out (I don't have the stamina to make it to the station) so I have to drive Molly to work - shame... I have discovered that the bedroom ceiling needs painting though...

Bring me sunshine

One of our favourite seaside towns is Morecambe. Its a pretty little down-at-heel seaside town in the northwest which is slowly but surely regenerating itself as the place to be.

This little seaside town donated its name to Eric (Morecambe) who did a lovely version of Bring me sunshine with his pal Ernie. Anyway why this rambling about Morecambe?

I work for an engineering software company and the culture is kind of intense. The hours can be long and it can be very demanding. I've been there two years and so far (barring a few nasty incidents) its been a roller coaster ride of learning fun and hard work. A couple of nights ago I went for a couple of pints with a friend who was sitting on the wrong side of the company culture, and a little bit down. He said "I love seeing your little yellow car in the car park - it makes me happy".

On with the sunshine deliveries.

Doors for thought

With Molly performing well (how long will that last?) we've been out enjoying the autumn weather again today, feeding the ducks at Linlithgow. Its kinda soggy round here at the moment, the wind is pretty fierce and leaves are everywhere. So the drive was rather exciting.

The rain eased off a little so I took the opportunity to take the passenger side door off Jessica for a little TLC. Commers have a reputation for having a problem with their doors skins (like most old cars) and ours is no exception.

In order to do this job properly, its very important to wear the correct safety kit.

take me to your garage

Oh yeah - I now have an auto darkening welding helmet. Its great, if a little strange looking at the job one minute and it all going dark the next.

When I took the bottom off the door skin, I was very surprised to find this:

Now to the uninitiated, it may look like remnants of a rusty Commer door, however its a Commer door which is in remarkably good condition. Especially considering that I had to guess what the bottom of the door looked like for the other side. The semi-circular cutouts are so you can use a socket on the door strap screws. Now I never knew that, and the other side doesn't have them now. There are even some very solid drain holes there which seem to have done their job well.

We didn't get away scot free though, the other side is still a little manky.

Never mind. I've been a busy little bee.

an artist's impression of the finished door - complete with PVT diagrams

Oh yeah, and I saw one of these tonight... how weird is that?!

Autumnul

Autumn has arrived right on cue in West Lothian. The trees are dropping their leaves, the mornings are nice and chilly and nights are closing in.

I like Autumn for many of the same reasons I like Spring, the way that nature isn't just a background on life - its in your face. Like the lashing rain and the wayward leaves.

Enjoying older cars in Autumn takes a little more determination. The diminishing sunlight and plummeting temperatures take their toll. Batteries and their charging systems take a hammering and paintwork starts to suffer with the wind, rain and frost.

This year is the first time in years I've had Molly on the road for Autumn. Its wonderful to be able to go for a drive in the sunshine kicking up the dried leaves. The cooler, denser air makes for a superb drive, the smells are intoxicating, the sounds more vivid, and of course more power is available!

A little extra maintenance make all the difference too. Molly's heater is now working, the cooling system has been checked over and the steering wheel nut has been tightened (adds a lot of confidence I can tell you!). The other thing to worry about is the imminent arrival of the gritter lorries. Living in Scotland means they are frequent visitors to our lovely country roads. Now don't get me wrong, they do sterling work, managing to get out and grit the roads long before the weather becomes a problem, however the salt doesn't half make a mess of your car. Which reminds me I had better have another look at the state of the underside and check the underseal.

In other news, the van is currently tucked up on the driveway undergoing the annual restoration work. The front valence has been repaired now and looks a lot better (not as bad as I expected).

The heater vent aperture has been tidied up quite a bit, I'm not really happy with it, I really need to get as much finished as possible before the snow comes down. Once this is done, then I think I will have to repair the doors and replace the windscreen seal.

No winter hibernating for me!

The icing on the cake...

So I managed to snatch a couple of hours work on the van today and finish off the bottom of the front panel. The welding is done and ground down and the first layer of filler is on.

Its going to need a fair bit of sanding and touching up but it's looking good so far. Oh and here's a piccie of the chrome vent cover I got from Martin yesterday. Bling!

Life on the open road

This blog is about some old cars and how I muck about with them. It is however heavily biased towards getting them on the road rather than enjoying them. The main reasons for this are:

• The cars are often not on the road
• I often forget the camera when I'm out and about
• When I'm out having fun, I'm not thinking of what you want to see

Anyway last weekend, I popped out for a quick trip to Halfords (for more welding gas...) with Rory in Molly, and ended up taking the long way home. The 30 minute drive turned into three hours :o)).

The detour took us to the area between Livingston and Falkirk. This area has some lovely roads for enjoying Morris minors. Wide open empty spaces which look as though they may have once been industrial, but have since returned to nature. The hills are gentle and the corners are long and flowing. Above all the roads have recently been resurfaced. Bliss...

Another thing I like to do (I say like, its more of an involuntary tick) is have a nosey about for interesting old cars. I often daydream of finding an unmolested early Morris Minor Series II GPO van or a Commer PA, or something even more exotic. This route took me past a place I found on a previous trip, which holds a lot of interesting vehicles, including some 70's Volvo's, an old Austin and at least 3 Renault 4s (when was the last time you saw one of them?!). Sure enough the cars were all still there, in their state of glorious disrepair, however having no camera, and not being brave enough to knock on the door and say Hi , I have nothing further to report I'm afraid.

I promise, I'll try to remember the camera next time.

The latest road trip took place today in the Skoda (unfortunately). I managed to find an excuse to go and visit Martin who runs a small Commer Van spares and restoration business. He's based in Yorkshire, making it was something of an epic journey. I decided to make the most of it by purchasing a full set of door seals, a screen rubber and a very nice chrome heater vent grille. I also got a chance to take a look at the new additions to the 22 strong Commer/Dodge fleet (yes - he owns 22 Commers!). There is so much to see including a complete bare metal restoration job and a very low mileage Dodge Fire engine

On the way down I stopped at the Little Chef on the A66 which is a traditional small restaurant in a beautiful location - it would look perfect with a car park full of classics. Oh ,and try the toasted tea cakes they are yummy...