dmulally

Probably not but if it gets you on the road etc. I'll give you a ping.

I have a 4BE1 and MXA 5 speed in the shed as it happens.

Yeah stuff that. I'll get another dozer thanks. Or maybe I'll get a project truck and by the time I get it on the road in 30 years the rules may have changed.

Do you need a TSL even if lugging around your own crap? I'm looking to get a tipper or flat feck on farm rego to haul my 3T dozer. If I need a TSL maybe I should just get a second dozer and chain it up.

Blimey. My 66 C20 is only 100kgs heavier than that and sports a truck diff.

A side mirror on the door means you're looking over your shoulder every time you see who is tailgating you this time. Took the opportunity to drill a hole in the bonnet for an easier glance behind me. Only problem in an Imp is that everybody looks like a truck running you down!

Still have to put some chrome on and the rear window rubber. Then it will be me and a paint brush for a couple of weeks getting inside sorted. I should probably order a carpet kit whilst I'm at it.

Slapped some colour on it this morning. How I paint is I do a very light coat and go a little heavier over anywhere that has rubbed through the primer. Then one full wet coat. Then walk away briskly to clean the gun for a few hours so I don't get tempted to "fix" mistakes.

@smokin'joe saved the day by sending me a starter motor. I greased it up and gave it a restoration in a can and it works perfectly. Now I can get it outside to wet sand and ready for round 2 of painting. Like a rat with a gold tooth in there.

Changed the solenoid with a spare I had in the parts bin and nothing doing. So took out the starter and it has a nasty crack on the case. Time to find a new one. Also spent a couple hours sanding off the topcoat. Starting with 360 grit and work my way back up. Few weeks left to go on that one just to get back to where I started which is nice. Lots of imperfections to tidy up along the way so not all bad. I do have other projects I really would rather be doing however.

So I mentioned that painting in Spring was fun. I have a very small window of which I can paint in before the wind and humidity get out of hand. It's usually between 0700-0800. Today was one of those days where everything was going too well until I pulled the trigger. Thankfully I had only just started so it will only mean not having to rub back the whole car. I did get a nasty run too so I'm using this as an opportunity. And as these things go, it stopped raining after about 30 seconds. It was just one of those fuck you's from the skies. I'll probably paint it inside I think and just deal with the dust nibs and overspray over everything. This should have been a 20 minute job. Ahh well shit happens. Let's hope I have enough paint left to finish it. but I'm willing to bet I dont. I'll try again next week when I'm not so down on it.

It's the starter. Might need a bigger hammer.

So have got the imp in primer. The paint was about 2 years old so had to thin it right down. Which is good because it means less sanding. By less I mean none at all. I went out to hit it with some colour and half the sticky tape has blown off and it's just too windy. Too windy for Johnny Cutcorners himself. Also looks like the starter solenoid has shat itself too. Just a single click when hitting the tit now. I had to get back to work so I'll pop out later with a hammer to negotiate with it. Lucky I have a hill so can clutch start it.

Painting outside in the Wairarapa in spring is a lot of fun.

Ruh roh...another non running project followed me home

Yep that's the one. I won't be going back there again. I was blown away by how great Total Bodyshop were. Worth the cost of petrol and Petone traffic shithousery. If I can get this POS running I'll cruise to your place in it.

The AJ6 is a wonderful engine. If they were easily adapted to a manual gearbox I'd love on. So much power on tap. The XK engine is lovely is you're a billionaire who doesn't mind oil leaks. Speaking of XJ6 oily lumps... Old mate up the road pops over every now and again to have a chat whilst I'm tinkering on the dozer or something. Really nice guy. He said he has a tractor at home that his dad bought new and I can have for free. So I bobble up in the imp and have a look. It's a David Brown petrol and upon pulling out the dipstick a jet of water came out. So I politely declined that one. But he mentioned an old car of his he hasn't started in years that nobody but an idiot would want. Jokes on him isn't it? Automatic sadly but has been converted to the afore mentioned XK engine which is pretty cool.

The XJS isn't a project. I turn the key and it goes. Drove to collect some parts off @Bearded Baldy at Taupo and got 9l/100 with the AJ6. Lovely car. I prob could start a thread on the S-type. That needs a loooot of work.

I just drain my tank before/after using and run the air line over a rafter. No idea if it works but I've had a couple of water traps which eventually leaked air which was annoying.

So I rang this place and they seemed really helpful and super friendly. I'll pop down there during the week to get some supplies. I'm going to brush paint the interior black but need to get my hands on some nicer seats however. Or at least get them re-trimmed. Super comfy but they look shit. Normally I spray inside the shed but as I'm waiting for my stupid big shed to be finished (or even started really) it would be an overspray dust nightmare. So am going to paint it on my ramp purely because I won't kick up dust on the grass. This ramp was pretty cool. It was a dirt ramp I used to get my dozer on and off a canter. When the house was being done the concrete truck got stuck in the mud. So I pulled him out and as thanks he said would I like what was left in the truck. So in the pouring rain I learned how to pour concrete with a 4x2 length of wood as a leveller. I put down a bit of fencing mesh inside it during the pour to be extra professional. And a year later: One day I'll clean up the sides but I wouldn't bet on it.

I figured it was a Saturday and nobody wants to work on a Saturday. Ill shop elsewhere however.

Hmmm so I went to my kinda local paint shop. I think I was spoiled by my old one. I had a choice of about three yellows and the closest to pastel was cream. So I asked for a litre of it in 2k and after much sighing and eye rolling because I didn't have a paint code (I pointed to one in a chart they gave me) they said it would be a week. I might ring up and cancel it on Monday and go down to the Hutt/Petone. I'm used to having a choice of hundreds of colours and them mixing it whilst I pop out for a bite to eat. Am I being a dick? Was I just spoiled at my last paint shop (which was Resene in Levin)?

Then it's settled. Yellow it is with a black roof and maybe bonnet. See how I feel on that one. Ill pop down to the paint shop next week and get some primer and 2k pastel yellow. I might just do the inside black with a paintbrush because I cbf'd.

With the warmer weather coming up I might give the Imp a blow over. The engine bay is already black and as is the roof. Any recommendations for a colour change? Options are: Pastel green Greyish Black. Half way there but a pain to keep clean and will cook the inside. This yellow is kind of funky.