Today I have been mostly

[Adrian Southgate]

Digging... how much does my back ache?

With a Sierra and a Phaeton I am dying to get to grips with I really need my garage back so I have started work behind the garage on a small extension to store all the garden stuff and spare car parts in.

Two days and I'm now fighting ivy and blackthorn roots to make progress for the footings.

Mother nature consumed to little wooden shed that was there so this one will be brick and as we back onto a field thats three feet below our garden it will have to have deep footings. Oh god I need a mini digger...

[Adrian Southgate]

I can't even focus on the points let alone see what colour they are going :-) Not while they are still fitted.. and its raining, I don't want to get wet! :-)

I have points and a condenser in the garage, will fit them tomorrow and see if it makes any difference.

[Adrian Southgate]

Steve - did you get the email about the blue one on the classifieds?

Mike - Yes and I do know it could do with new points but how would that affect the tacho?

[Adrian Southgate]

That's where I was going Mike, easy option just to see how it all goes together then i'll work out the best course of action on the daily.

Just been to the shops. Car was running perfectly on friday evening, not used it since and now I have dodgy 'misfire' reads as intermittent running / cutting out, like running out of petrol. went to tesco, filled tank, went to halfrauds added 'dry fuel' to remove any water from the tank as it was a bit low on gas. Still got a very twitchy tacho so maybe more dodgy wires to replace? but its twitching upwards like its over volting... damn car, fix one thing and something else goes wrong..

[Adrian Southgate]

In true British fashion 'Rain stopped play'. I don't mind the rain, its the sticky clay undersoil in the hole I'm digging that makes you a prisoner as soon as you step on it. 

I think it's time I learned about differentials today. I have loads of assorted back axles, mostly defective or dismantled  and the one on the Legerra isn't in the best condition. So which is the easiest to rebuild from the following?

English - busted planet gears but diff is out and in a bucket.

English - Whiny (really noisy) but one half shaft is stuck.

English - (still in car) wheels oscillate while rotating so I guess bearings are shot, also make 'noises'.

Salisbury - maybe from an anglia, needs to be measured - condition unknown but very rusty parts.

Salisbury - LSD - all internal parts in a box and no idea if its all there.

Salisbury - Non LSD - half shafts out but no Idea of condition.

I don't want to put the LSD in the Legerra so I'm not going to open that can 'o' worms just yet. I have some new bearings for an english so I might start with the 'diff in a bucket' and it's dodgy planet gears.

[Adrian Southgate]

The garage is FULL.

However I need the van on the road to move stuff... to do this I have to have somewhere to manufacture repair panels... to do this I have to clean the garage...

you see the problem.

Its also not the quantity of soil but the depth to which I will be digging, removing it isnt a problem as it's all gone over into the field behind via the blackthorn hedge, it will just delay the inevitable soil erosion by being eroded first.A win/win scenario. I've quit for the day now, the mrs is cooking tea and i'm back on the 3d package doing 'stuff' .