Lizzie spends nearly all her time confined to the garage. It may not be warm but it is dry, essential for the longevity of anything made of metal. Being in the garage means that most of the time, Lizzie is out of sight and out of mind, this being especially true following her gearbox failure. With 101 other things to occupy one’s time, Lizzie fell down the list of priorities.
Then you are reminded of a commitment to attend a classic car rally, in my case, this one and subsequently time becomes a factor, and all stops have to be pulled out to get things ready. At this point, a curve-ball had already been thrown due to the drive shaft not fitting correctly with a subsequent lack of enthusiasm.
But then, things start to go your way, things start to work again, parts start to fit like they should, and that enthusiasm returns. Little niggles surface but you are now in control. The niggles are just that, simple fixes that should not take much time to remedy but when you do remedy them, they make a huge difference.
A blow on the exhaust side of things, a simple gasket and a little exhaust paste, squealing brakes, wheel off and deglaze the drum, no room in the back, put in the original seats, even if they are a little scruffy, a smell of petrol in the boot, replace the sender gasket… Ticking these jobs off really lifts the spirits.
What is nice is ones son is taking an interest and wants to progress some of these jobs himself, under some supervision of course. With any excuse to take her out for a spin around the village but also the want to take her further afield, in our case, the Old Ford Show at the British Motor Museum, as mentioned in the previous blog entry. We had looked at the Llangollen Railways event on the 6th and 7th but as that is full, we will plan for that in 2025. This would take Lizzie within 25 miles of her former home. Who knows, we may even make a slight detour on our way home… But that is for the future.
