[Mick O'Malley]

Yesterday my jumbo old-skool reversing light arrived. Down in the man cave I was eager to ensure that it worked. Touching the wires to the battery resulted in a flash which left a few copper strands welded to one of the posts. Hmmm? I drilled out the rivet (which should surely have been a self-tapper?) to access the innards and connected just the bulb to the battery. It lit correctly. Hmmm? I cleaned all the contact areas on both the bulb and its holder, paying particular attention to the area around the fibre insulator under the +ve. Bulb in holder test? OK. Hmmm? I noticed a small area of discolouration inside the bowl opposite where the +ve bulb holder would sit. Emery and acetone ensured a surgically clean area for a small square of insulating tape. I did the same to the offending area of the bulb holder. On re-assembly it worked perfectly . Interestingly, despite the lens having the moulded legends 'Lucas' and 'Made in England', the sticker on the back of the reflector was 'Bosch'!

I carefully slackened then cleaned the mounting bolts after WD40ing them, drilled a mounting hole and balanced my new toy (and number plate) in position for the shot below. The space to the right of the plate awaits a suitably distressed AA GB pressed metal badge. I also have a boot rack so the rear end of my creation will look suitably busy.



The monkey-metal battery clamp. Its replacement is very sturdy!



Regards, Mick