Richard,
----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard Gosling" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | Congratulations, you've made it. All it really takes to be a successful | home maintainer of your car is confidence. There are very few jobs (on | Spitfires at least) that can't be tackled by someone with a bit of common | sense and a smidgen of experience (plus a reasonably well-equipped tool | kit!), all you need on top of that is the belief that you CAN do it. Oh, | and all your friends on the list advising/confusing/talking you through. Im finding that as I do more and more jobs, they all sort of all relate to each other, and therefore I can tackle more complicated tasks easier. Its certainly got a lot easier over the last 13 months - considering I knew nothing about anything to do with cars - I honestly started from a completly clean slate. I remember the first "problem" - a sticky throttle cable - I can laugh at it now - but at the time it was a big problem. I have to admit I was a bit of a car nut, but never cared how they actually *really* worked. Im someone that loves learning new things - and so just looking back at how much Ive learnt excites me. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd know this "much" so quickly. I find it funny when friends now come to me for advice - or I can dish it out. Hey, Ive even been advising my friend who's just got an old bashed up Vespa he's putting back on the road what to do - well, they have wheels and an engine... You're certainly right about the tools - in terms of time saving too - there is also the knowledge of how to use them right (there is a knack to using even a spanner) - on my christmas list already is a smaller socket set (you *can* do those damn manifold nuts! you just need a wobble bar - but my 1/2 inch socket set is too big) and a torque wrench (surely a spanner?) I may even ask for one of those engine stands... the Machine Mart catalogue is dangerous! What I really want is a compressor with some air tools.... but I think that maybe too far as I dont have a proper garage yet!... although that is sort of coming soon... Confidence and the belief that you can do something is certainly important, I leave the doubt to my the rest of my family! My mum especially - the very fact Im driving around in a car Ive "put together" myself scares her. She asked me if I was sure I had secured the engine in properly, I told her there are only 4 bolts at the front that hold it up - I can't have really missed any - that scared her even more, and come to think of it scares me a little too. Oh and I think I should mention this again, I certainly wouldn't be able to do all this without the fantastic set of listers I am very proud to call my friends. | BTW, did you order stainless steel exhaust parts? They really aren't that | much more expensive, and for the knowledge that they will never need | replaced again it is money WELL worth spending - particularly on a car like | yours that is used in all weathers, a mild steel exhaust may well need | replacing in a couple of years. Yes, I did order a stainless steel downpipe from TRGB, however they don't sell the intermediate pipe (at least I think thats what he said, it was windy and I was on a mobile), so Im getting the intermediate pipe from a local exhaust place - it'll be mild steel - well it is only 11 pounds or something. I would have gone for SS, but I ordered it in a hurry. My plan anyway is to replace the exhaust with a new one once I've reconed and tuned up (I'm thinking Stage 2... (that's Triumph Tune) I already have the airfilters and the electronic ignition - that's my excuse anyway...) the old engine - although I've yet to diagnose the the old engine - the crankshaft moves about 0.5 mm with a nice clonk sound - so I'm guessing thrust washers have something to do with it. I'm yet to look inside - started the cylinder head removal yesterday - all went well until I actually tried to remove the cylinder head... none of the suggestions that the Haynes manual made worked, but I may have been being a little too gentle in case I hurt the thing. Oh, for a few photos: The radiator is sooooo rusty, I literally held the hose there for about 3 or 4 minutes until the water turned clear. http://www.pbase.com/image/6353954 The new engine... she may look rusty, but she roars like a Tiger... http://www.pbase.com/image/6353959 Of course I was the one who was turning the key.... http://www.pbase.com/image/6353958 On stand by was the fire extinguisher - freshly out of the boot and unwrapped (should have done that when I got it last Christmas) - this was wielded by my 11 year old brother - with the digital camera in the other hand. http://www.pbase.com/image/6353960 James 1977 Pimento Red Spit /// [EMAIL PROTECTED] mailing list /// Send admin requests to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /// or try http://www.team.net/cgi-bin/majorcool /// Archives at http://www.team.net/archive /// Send list postings to [EMAIL PROTECTED] /// Edit your replies! If they include this trailer, they will NOT be sent.