November 2010 Blog Posts (8)

It's never good when I think, but I have just watched the Best British Drives with Richard Wilson (No I didn't watch it with Richard Wilson, He presented it) He has been to The Trossachs driven from Callener to Loch Lomond. Stunning roads and scenery.

It's 234 miles from Bolton to Callender.

Or

What about the Isle of Man, country roads without speed limits, Kippers, Laxey wheel...

It's out there now for discusion.

The Spring run is being…

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I have had a further look at my Phaeton master cylinder and can't establish it's origin. No manufacture's name. Anybody able to identify it from my photos?

In an earlier blog I had mentioned that I planned a further strip down of my V6 engine. This evening I remove the nearside bank cylinder head. The observations are as follows -

Bores - look OK, much like the offside bank

Head - water ways look significantly bunged up

Pistons - some lateral rotational play in the pistons, as the was on the other bank. But with these there is a pronouced knock as you twist the piston crown.

Conclusion - given the knocking sound when…

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Following on from the posts about my eBay bargains. I have just learnt an expensive lesson. Always fully read the listing. I had stated that I had bought a pair of NOS cylinder heads for £50.99. Just received a message from the seller today to say my cylinder head was in the post. (Cylinder head singlular). I then re-read the listing, it only says cylinder head, not cylinder heads. Well it is still cheaper than buying a new set of valves for the head on the poor cylinder bank of one of my… Continue

Just had a update of the cost spreadsheet at lunchtime. Current quick update gives a total of £918 including the purchase cost of the car. So if I am not to exceed the £1,000 budget that gives me £72 for the remaining works. So it looks like the budget will be exceed as the following items still need to be purchased -

- Seats (or pads)

- Seat belts

- Radiator hoses

- Wipers

- Rear wheel cylinders

- A real roll bar

- Front dampers

- Full…

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When I bought the project I set a spreadsheet to monitor the cost of the project. Initial thoughts before the car arrive were that the grand project total would only be £500. Several months on and loads of parts bought (not to mention tools - tools don't count as I can use them for other purposes), The last update I did on the spreadsheet had a total around £450. I had been managing the budget by only buying parts that were less than £10 (except the engines). Having said that 10 items is still… Continue

In early January 2010, my Dutton Phaeton final arrived. As I helped to unload the car, I closely looked at my new purchase, it was great in my eyes. However when my wife arrive room and found a car with siezed wheels stuck at the bottom of the drive. I think her words were "It's a hunk of junk". My young daughter said "my car". My wife then said Daddy might just have it finished by the time you eighteen" (at that time she was two years old). Well to date progress has been limited and briefly…

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Moved the Phaeton today, never easy when she not run in 5 weeks, Jump leads, and the RAV4 to the rescue. Instantly started with help from them. So decided to move her closer to the wall on the drive a matter of 12" I needed to blast round the block, (Note to self "Must do this more often"). Still got the the knock on acceleration, decided to lay a few 11's in the cul de sac to findthe noise, it turns out when the axle tramps the handbrake cable knocks on the fuel tank.

While under the…

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