There's always some cool stuff to see, things you wouldn't see anywhere else, and some people really put the effort into their displays.
This Fiat took me back a bit, to the days of watching the RAC Rally in Sutton Park when I was a kid. Another hot rally machine was a GM Dealer Sport '83 Manta 400 that raced in Group B in the 1984-85 seasons with Jimmy McRae and Russell Brooked that sold for £70,000 to a Czech collector.
There was other good stuff, like the Bloodhound land speed record car, Andy Robinson's Pro Mod, Chris Andrews' Lucas Oil Top Fueller, Ronnie Petersen's old March-Ford with the front spoiler on top of the nosecone... There was also some cack, like this thing. And yes, those wheels are metalflake pink.
I'm all for "dare to be different" but walking around with your dick out and a Sooty puppet stuck on it is different; that doesn't make it good. It was in the Pistonheads Performance Car Show end of the show, where there was a lot of "more money than sense" on display but some damn good stuff in there too.
On the other hand, last year's Autosport was a reall buzz and an absolute blinder. I really enjoyed it. This year ... I just wasn't "feeling" it. The atmos wasn't there. It's still the best thing January has to offer, but I'm wondering whether the organisers have suddenly realised this...
Back in the workshop, my "Arse About Face" Mustang project - converting a Fox V8 to a four-pot - is continuing apace. The biggest buggerance so far has been the PAS pump, and realising that in the 11 years between the date of manufacture of the engine and that of the car, Ford had the bastardly temerity to change the PAS fittings. Changing the PAS pump is a piece of cake, but changing the pulley on the front requires a Ford special tool. Terrific.
I also had to change the shifter, from the cable-shift four-speed shifter the car came with to the rod-shift three-speed shifter that came with the donor engine/box. The rod-shift one comes away from the floor in 10 seconds, but the cable shifter needs you to remove the damn console. That was life-affirming.
The throttle pedal is the same between both cars, but actually releasing the cable from the top of the pedal requires you to have the size and dexterity of a midget gynaecologist with three elbows in each arm. I also discovered that if you're sitting in the driver's seat with the door open and your legs sticking out while you have your head in the driver's footwell dicking about with the throttle pedal, and it's raining, the rain runs directly off the roof into your crotch. Good old ragtops, there's nothing like a dose of cold rainwater to the love-spuds to really add an extra dimension of enjoyment to a tricky task.
With the engine on the crane the other day, I thought I'd best drain the oil. It's been in there at least 20 years so it's probably due a change. I opened the sump plug and some ancient oil drained out. After the first half a gallon, it started to get a bit thicker, and by the end it was as thick as a Big Brother reunion. It looked like my engine was having a cack. Ben, across the way, suggested launching a load of diesel into the filler cap, and that would flush the crap out. Top tip - apparently, you can use petrol to do this, but if it comes into contact with any rubber seals it'll cause them to swell up and get soft. Diesel won't, but it's just as good at flushing the crap out. Is this common knowledge, or was it just me that didn't think of this? Anyway, neither of us actually had any diesel so it was a bit academic, but at least I know now.
Anyway, I still need a PAS pump with the correct fitting on it, or possibly just the fitting. I checked both my pockets and didn't find one, so I went and bought another Mustang for spares. Well, I say I bought it, I haven't paid for it yet. I haven't finished paying for the last one yet.
Eugene
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