At the last minute, Kathy tried to wrestle the keys back from Bruce, but sadly we had to concede she was really going ...
Gussie's pert little bum disappears down St Georges Grove for the last time ... 
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Gussie's really gone now
At the last minute, Kathy tried to wrestle the keys back from Bruce, but sadly we had to concede she was really going ... Gussie's pert little bum disappears down St Georges Grove for the last time ...
Farewell Gussie!
Today we bid farewell to Gussie the 1967 Hillman Gazelle, who has been Kathy's pride, joy, and bank-balance emptier for the past three years. We got up *hideously* early on a cold, foggy Saturday and topped her up with BP Ultimate for the last time ....
After 39 years, Gussie had to lose her original black and white Victorian number plates as she's moving to NSW. (My George V-inspired winter beard's coming along nicely ...)
The ghostly imprint of JSC-917 will be there forever!
Meet the Copes of Newcastle, Gussie's new custodians. Bruce (the beardy bloke who isn't me) already has a Sunbeam Rapier and an MGA, and they've been brave enough to own Citroen DSes in the past, so they passed Kathy's strict vetting. Assuming Bruce can bear to hand over the keys, Gussie will become the first car for their daughter Jess, who couldn't come on the great journey, as she's at home studying for her HSC.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Moorabin Air Museum wheels'n'wings display
The Air Museum at Moorabin Airport - an institution I'd never heard of until last week - was having it's annual Wheels'n'Wings display the weekend dad was here. There were plenty of classy motors parked among among the planes.
But I think if I could have driven home in any car there (other than Dame Zara, of course!) then I would have picked this immaculate Aston Martin DB4GT.
We've met this classy 30s Alvis tourer before (http://damezara.blogspot.com/2006/02/whats-collective-noun-for-alvises.html) and know that she's not a show pony - she can climb hills with the best of them.
Kathy and my dad look at a Bristol Beaufighter - one of many historic planes, both military and civilian, on display at the museum (website here:http://www.aarg.com.au/).
The Pater Familias comes to visit
If I am Chip, then the gent known as Old Block came down from Canberry for a visit, just in time for his 65th birthday. Having recently sold the Bugeye he rebuilt from a box of bits, he has just bought a 1966 Jag s-type - 3.8, manual overdrive, white with a freshly (and expensively!) restored red interior: looks very tasty in the photos he bought with him.
We went out to JagDaim and he bought a few face-palingly expensive bits and bobs (a new grille badge, the brake reservoir top, etc.) and to Scott's Old Auto Rubbers, where he failed to find what he was after, but I spent an indulgent $10 on some grommets for the fuel filler flap and a few more 'cones' for the door and boot edges.
Friday night I took him to meet The Chaps at the Daimler Club, where Jack Edmonds gave us some more very useful advice on the points setup.
Saturday saw us ensconced in the garage (after a quick trip to the scenic Repco in Moonee Ponds to buy an impressively huge shifter to turn the engine), attempting to fit the new set of points and condenser I'd bought on my previous journey to JagDaim - fitting the condenser was easy, but it turns out I'm missing the mounting screw for the rear points, so I'm still running on one set until I find the right screw ('3/16" Whitworth,' quoth dad confidently, an assessment based solely on looking at the empty hole!).
I successfully fixed the front passenger door lock, which had stuck on me the other weekend, almost stranding my only ignition key in the process! The key was wrenched free with pliers, but I had to take the door lining off to get a look at the innards - was very simple to fix, and a good opportunity to scrape off a bit of surface rust around the drain holes and make sure the drains were clear. A quick spray of rust converter and a good go with the aromatic fish oil, and I put the buckled old door lining back on - one day I'll get new backing boards!
Fuel pump and regulator were tested and found to be AOK, pointing more and more toward points/ignition problems being behind the misfire problem.
Dad had found me an almost-authentic jack - he thinks it was originally from a Rover - and we put it to use jacking up the front so I could change the oil and filter. Once we had her nose in the air, we tested the front wheels and suspension for play and found that the left-hand front wheel bearing was rather loose and tightened that, and that the ball joints and rubbers generally seemed sound.
Oil and filter replaced - I even got the canister filter to seal first time (tip: if you get the Ryco filter, it has three different rubber seals included in the box: the thinnest one is the one to use).
We did discover that the brake fluid warning light doesn't work, but it just looks like poor connections - the switch itself works, and the feed is getting 12v ... similarly the heated rear window shows a sound circuit through the glass and voltage through the switch, so if it doesn't work next time we fog up, I'll declare that it was always crap and wouldn't have worked even when new!
We went out to JagDaim and he bought a few face-palingly expensive bits and bobs (a new grille badge, the brake reservoir top, etc.) and to Scott's Old Auto Rubbers, where he failed to find what he was after, but I spent an indulgent $10 on some grommets for the fuel filler flap and a few more 'cones' for the door and boot edges.
Friday night I took him to meet The Chaps at the Daimler Club, where Jack Edmonds gave us some more very useful advice on the points setup.
Saturday saw us ensconced in the garage (after a quick trip to the scenic Repco in Moonee Ponds to buy an impressively huge shifter to turn the engine), attempting to fit the new set of points and condenser I'd bought on my previous journey to JagDaim - fitting the condenser was easy, but it turns out I'm missing the mounting screw for the rear points, so I'm still running on one set until I find the right screw ('3/16" Whitworth,' quoth dad confidently, an assessment based solely on looking at the empty hole!).
I successfully fixed the front passenger door lock, which had stuck on me the other weekend, almost stranding my only ignition key in the process! The key was wrenched free with pliers, but I had to take the door lining off to get a look at the innards - was very simple to fix, and a good opportunity to scrape off a bit of surface rust around the drain holes and make sure the drains were clear. A quick spray of rust converter and a good go with the aromatic fish oil, and I put the buckled old door lining back on - one day I'll get new backing boards!
Fuel pump and regulator were tested and found to be AOK, pointing more and more toward points/ignition problems being behind the misfire problem.
Dad had found me an almost-authentic jack - he thinks it was originally from a Rover - and we put it to use jacking up the front so I could change the oil and filter. Once we had her nose in the air, we tested the front wheels and suspension for play and found that the left-hand front wheel bearing was rather loose and tightened that, and that the ball joints and rubbers generally seemed sound.
Oil and filter replaced - I even got the canister filter to seal first time (tip: if you get the Ryco filter, it has three different rubber seals included in the box: the thinnest one is the one to use).
We did discover that the brake fluid warning light doesn't work, but it just looks like poor connections - the switch itself works, and the feed is getting 12v ... similarly the heated rear window shows a sound circuit through the glass and voltage through the switch, so if it doesn't work next time we fog up, I'll declare that it was always crap and wouldn't have worked even when new!
This rather dark photo doesn't do much justice to the original Smiths Radiomobile radio, which the previous owner found and sent to me - thanks Ros! If I ever do get around to fitting it, it will be largely for show - I think a hidden amp/iPod-based setup will be installed in the fullness of time ...
Rusty air cleaners really let the engine bay down, so I must get around to repainting them soon. Daimler pedants will note the Bosch alternator instead of Lucas; but only the really keen-eyed will spot that the screenwash bottle is held on with a dog collar!
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