Saturday - Damp, but happy:
First job of the day was to fix the rubber seal along the bonnet lip on the body shell.
Note:
I have kept the seal in the centre to allow the outside corners to act as 'vents' to let air pass out from inside the bonnet.
( Which I hope will reduce the bonnet's tendency to lift at speed, but I still need to test this idea in practise. )
Then it was time to park the car on the road, so I could check the oil level with the car flat(ish).
I thought the final job was going to be giving the engine bay a very basic wash and brush up.
So I booked the MOT, so i was able to legally drive to the test centre and got all my paperwork together.
Jumped in the car and indicated to pull out and the warning light on the dash was not flashing.
After a prolonged bout of F'ing and Blinding, I dashed back inside, found a spare bulb and replaced the front driver's side.
Success.
The MOT centre is only 4 miles away, which was enough distance to scrub off any surface rust on the front discs.
It was also long enough for the clutch to stop sticking, but not to blow all of the cobwebs out of the engine.
As I turned into the centre, I noticed some rain drops on the aero screens as it was a bit misty out.
Until that point I was too busy enjoying the drive to notice the weather.
MOT time.
The fact the car has only driven 10 miles in the last 6 months meant it failed its first emissions test.
I did explain it had been standing for months, so the tester basically held the throttle wide open for a while.
Apart from initially filling the garage with clouds of smoke, this cleaned out the tail pipes just enough to scrape a pass.
There was just one advisory due to very slight play in the front wheel bearings.
The rain was still coming down for the drive home, so there was no long detour on the way back for photo shoots today.
Instead, I just wiped the rain off and got the covers back on ASAP.
There still a few little jobs to do, like touching up the yellow nose band and making a MkII fuse box cover.
But the car was still turning heads and spreading joy as it currently stands even without shiny paint.
Therefore I think is time to start an 'On the road' thread and cover those jobs there.
So I will sign off my EPIC build thread with a simple "Thank you" to everyone who has posted a message here.
As I really feel this has been a collaborative effort as my ideas have zig-zagged along the way over the years.
But, as I said the other day, the end result is beyond my wildest dreams.
Take care & cheers, Paul.
