Just before I start

So, I need to ring and find out about the DAF's cylinders, but before I start I just need to say something about final episode of the L word.

( WHAT THE FUCK!? (with spoilers) )

Impatient

I hate not doing anything when there's stuff to do. I've got a minor that needs the exhaust ripping off, separating the 45degree angle from the downpipe. I've got a DAF which has poured it's brakefluid out from one wheel cylinder. I've got another DAF which is weeping fluid out of one cylinder and pulls dramatically towards that side. I also need to double check that I got sent the right cylinder on the other side, only...the only explanation for the other cylinder pulling with fresh shoes is...that the new cylinder's smaller*. People make mistakes, eh. It looked *much* smaller than the spare cylinder (which is definately the right size).

Anyway, there's jobs.

And I'm sat watching TV. Because I don't want to start the Minor if he can get the bits for the DAF. I don't want to start the DAF if I can't get the bits for it.

So I'm waiting. Impatiently. For a phonecall.

Gah.

* Actually, talking to the DOC it may be tyre related too, people have had bizzare pullings rectified by new tyres. I need to know the cost of the cylinders so I can order tyres...

Progress, but not in a very useful direction

So, I spent some time fitting the radio 'properly' to the car (there's a bit of a limitation to how neat it was going to be without damaging the dash, and I didn't want to do that*). The Rover cassette radio (with presets no less, thanks John!) has been fitted into the 'standard ISO' holder -attrocious quality as it was, the wiring held out the way with tie-wraps, and all of it neatly crimped with my new crimping tool (nowt exciting, just a plain ordinary press as hard as you can crimper).

I bought a stick-on glass mount aerial (yes, I know they're not great, but I really didn't fancy drilling holes in the bodywork to fit an aerial; and quite frankly, unless it's roof mounted I think people like to snap them.

The total cost of that little toy? 10 quid.

I need to fix down the speakers at the back - I 'fitted' them yesterday but as I said, they're just resting on the parcel shelf at the moment.

I'm still waiting for the elusive call back from the auto-factor. I'm now 99% certain the parts won't be arriving today, if he can order them, and in a few minutes I'm going to declare that time's up and order the bits from Danny in Holland.

It's frustrating because I could have ordered them this morning and spent the day sorting out the Minor, but instead the whole morning's been spent doing footling little jobs and watching TV waiting for a phonecall...

...'I can't get them anywhere'
[thinks: "well why the frack did you not actually call and tell me that?!]
"Oh, that's okay, I'll order them from Holland".

*sighs*

Customer service here sometimes sucks. But at least we can do maths...


* In the end I opted to drill two very small holes (2.5mm) under the dash. Everything else is run through existing holes. Should anyone ever want to make her standard again they just have to weld up two tiny holes and paint over it with black.

Angst ridden noises

So, Danny rang me back shortly after I sent the e-mail to confirm the parts list, and I just ordered them. I thought I'd been exceptionally lucky getting Jejy back on the road, that's now been retracted. 2 painfully expensive new cylinders have been ordered for her. And just the one for Vixy, who's had one done already. Tyres will have to wait. They're legal, and I'll swap two of the new tyres (the rears) from Jejy, so they'll both have good front tyres. The back ones will just have to be not as nice as I'd like. They're legal, and that'll have to be good enough.

Later, later I shall get decent tyres for both cars.

Perhaps by then 145/80 R14s will have been produced at a price I can afford.

Anyhow, now, I know that voltage-depression is the correct term for what I think of as Memory Effect, but voltage depresson or memory effect or whatever you want to call it, clearly my NiMH's have got it up the wazoo, or indeed up to any stupidly named place. Now variously people say 'discharge them completely' or 'Do not, under any circumstances, discharge them completely'. But the 'do not dischargers' appear to have no real fix for voltage depression, and since my batteries are completely useless in their current state (I got 6 photos out of the camera with them in), then I thought I might as well try discharging them completely. The cost of building a discharger is about £1 (my dad used to have one of a similar design (i.e. some bulb holders and some battery holders and some 1.2v bulbs)) and it did help the NiCds, but I'm not sure if it'll help the NiMHs, being completely different chemistry'n'all. If it works then the occasional discharge cycle can be appied to all my dying NiMH, if it doesn't, I've wasted a quid. Darn.

At any rate, this was all just a long intro to some pictures of Vixy.

I have this terrible problem

If I don't get what I want done, and I imagine that it's a reasonable amount of work that I've set myself, I feel very negative about the things I did achieve. I feel like I should have worked on the Minor, but I know, logically, that I've never managed to get a decent seal on the LCB manifold without help. And therefore, what would have been the point? And had Jagdev have said 'yes, I can get the parts' when I rang then I'd've been stuck. On the other hand, when we hit mid-day I should have realised I'd not get the brake parts in time to fit and bleed them, so I should, maybe, have started work on the Minor.

At any rate, tomorrow I'll have to get up early and do the Minor. I can douse the connections on Jejy and Vixy in plusgas too, in the hope that when I come to try and remove them I'll actually manage to get them off in one piece.

Looking at the positives: While the radio is tatty, it is fitted. The parts I need are ordered and possibly even winging their way here. And I painted the kitchen window aperture (whatever it's called) with basecoat to cover the shite layer of paint and flakey plaster up at the top of the window and the not-great plastering I did on the left hand edge. Ready to paint, my arse.

As a side point, I've not heard back from the builders about the quote for new work or fixing the old work since their 'I'll ask such-and-such'. See, negative.