Under the caring eye of Dr. Ralph, head suspension surgeon, she has undergone a number of (in)delicate procedures, all of which are beyond the skills, equipment and experience level I can muster at home.
At the front end, upper and lower wishbone bushes have been replaced, the steering linkages are all being renewed and everything else has been checked, adjusted and cleaned up. New Koni Classic shocks are to be fitted all 'round - the front ones hadn't been installed when I took these photos.Ralph has also sourced a reconditioned brake servo from JagDaim (from whence many other parts have come - all those not supplied by dad and his mates in Canberra), so we will now stop better as well as going over bumps and around corners in an unruffled manner.
At the rear, both leaf springs have been re-set and re-bushed to cure sagging and creaking (which is how I feel most mornings). The Panhard rod and link arm bushes had all been replaced just before I bought the car last year, so they were OK.
Ralph has been impressed at how sound, straight and rot-free the underside of the car is - no hidden horrors have come to light! He's even offered to replace the weepy core plug hidden under the left-
hand exhaust manifold while she's up on the hoist: mainly I suspect because he was sick of coolant dripping onto his nice clean floor.
Quite a few weeks transpired between the original inspection and quote and the beginning of work, and once things got underway last Tuesday, Display Day was imminent. We had hoped to have everything finished by the end of last week, but it wasn't to be so and Dame Zara spent the weekend in 'hospital' awaiting track rods, wheel alignment and a final fettling, which meant that she missed Display Day.
However, Dr. Ralph's latest diagnosis is that all will be finished by this Wednesday and that the driving experience will be entirely transformed.
I'd love to say 'will be entirely transformed or your money back,' as this process will be costing me a four-figure sum ... but I suspect Ralph's terms of trade are rather more pragmatic!
But Trutrack is a very professional setup, and they know from all sorts of cars old and new, as the Lancia Monte Carlo, modern Ferrari, '75 Camaro, 50's Caddy, assorted rallying Subarus, and other
exotica parked in the clean workshop attest.
I expect that Dame Zara will be back to her best - quite possibly the best she's been for decades - within days. If I don't update, it's because I'm having too much fun driving around roundabouts!
hand exhaust manifold while she's up on the hoist: mainly I suspect because he was sick of coolant dripping onto his nice clean floor.Quite a few weeks transpired between the original inspection and quote and the beginning of work, and once things got underway last Tuesday, Display Day was imminent. We had hoped to have everything finished by the end of last week, but it wasn't to be so and Dame Zara spent the weekend in 'hospital' awaiting track rods, wheel alignment and a final fettling, which meant that she missed Display Day.
However, Dr. Ralph's latest diagnosis is that all will be finished by this Wednesday and that the driving experience will be entirely transformed.
I'd love to say 'will be entirely transformed or your money back,' as this process will be costing me a four-figure sum ... but I suspect Ralph's terms of trade are rather more pragmatic!
But Trutrack is a very professional setup, and they know from all sorts of cars old and new, as the Lancia Monte Carlo, modern Ferrari, '75 Camaro, 50's Caddy, assorted rallying Subarus, and other
exotica parked in the clean workshop attest.I expect that Dame Zara will be back to her best - quite possibly the best she's been for decades - within days. If I don't update, it's because I'm having too much fun driving around roundabouts!
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