[Mick O'Malley]

Following my last post, I fitted the new coil and everything seemed hunky dory. Right, I'll drive her to the spot vacated by the dear departed A352. I didn't quite get the sweep around my daughter's planters right, so had to back up a little. I couldn't get reverse. On the three rail Spitfire gearbox, it's next to first and the lever has to be depressed (as I suddenly was) to engage it. I could hear a slight clunk from my end of the linkage so, after pushing her back into the cave, I decided to remove the ally side of the tunnel to investigate.



I just about managed to remove its fixings without recourse to footwell contortions, took it off, released the remote rod from the base of the gear lever - super fiddly through the puny hole - and realised my Harry Houdini credentials would have to be renewed to release the gearbox end.



This doesn't get any easier as the years pass, especially extraction, but I got the rod out. I could see the silvery scratches at the driver end where it was touching, so I disced off that area of the tube sleeve which Moss used to extend the rod, tidied it up with a flap wheel, and refitted it at the gearbox end. However, access at the lever end was too tight so I cut a 4" hole in the GRP side of the tunnel and completed that part of the job. Reverse now available!

Clearance between the brake pedal and the ally side was barely sufficient for my clutch foot so, using the scuff marks as a guide, I chopped a lozenge shaped hole in the ally, bent the edges back, and fabricated a sort of reverse power bulge about ½" deep which I riveted in place. Even that created a delay as the spring in my 30+ year old riveter let go half way through the job. I was on Machine Mart's doorstep at opening time the next morning for a replacement. Reinstating the tunnel side was even fiddlier and more contorting than the gear rod had been, but, once it was in place, clutch pedal depressing proved easier . That saga was completed yesterday.

This morning I wheeled her out into the sunshine for a soapy bath and hose down, fired her up and had a quick drive ending so:



What my first car themed event will be I know not, what with the Covid uncertainty, but at least I can now use her for Asda trips etc .

Regards, Mick