Following on from yesterday’s progress in removing the main wiring loom, this afternoon I removed the rear loom. I had disconnected the rear loom from the main one yesterday by pulling apart the connectors so all I had to do today was to unclip the loom along its route from engine compartment to where it emerges in the boot floor. ‘All I had to do…’

I jacked up the o/s of the MG and set it on two axle stands. Then lying on my back I started to remove the clips and brackets starting at the front and working towards the back. The loom goes through a chassis member about halfway along, but the loom pulled through this once the grommets were loosened. The job got a bit more difficult around the fuel pump, firstly because some parts of the loom were still connected to it, and secondly because there is a clip right up inside the rear arch which was difficult to get a spanner too, and very stiff to boot. It took a while (a long while…) but ultimately I removed the nut and this loosened the loom allowing me to feed it up through the hole into the boot. I then had the satisfaction of removing it from the car and reflecting on a job which had gone well.

An opportunity to complete a few of the jobs which need doing prior to the respray. I was just getting the MG out and was door-stepped in a nice way by Russell, a dog-walker and classic car enthusiast who has owned a number of MGBs, MGCs and MGB V8s – we had a good chat about the rebuilt and I marked him for future help.

m I was soon joined by my childhood friend Phil who had come along to help. First priority, after making cups of tea of course, was the removal of the loom. Given that I am likely to buy a new loom, this job was easier that it might have been, but it was still fiddly feeding all the connections through the small hole in the firewall. Within minutes of arriving Phil had added value by relating the accepted wisdom that the loom was removed from under the dash and fed into the engine compartment, rather than the other was around, so that’s the way we chose to do it. With me feeding cables from the interior and Phil pulling them through we got the job done surprisingly easily. I now have a complete loom as a template.

Next job on the list was to remove the near side front wing. This was to check for any unexpected rust prior to the respray. Having done the off side recently, we knew where all the bolts were, so it came off nicely without any hitches. There were no horrors stories under the n/s wing so we then put both wings back on with just two bolts at the top and one at the bottom for the car to be transported to the shot blasters.

I had earlier disconnected the rear loom from the main loom and inspected the route it took under the car. While initially sceptical that it was a good idea to remove it from its clips, I was encouraged by Phil and Helen to reconsider and remove this too. However, this is planned for another day.

I lifted the battery out of the car as it won’t be needing that for a while and removed various random rubbish from the interior. Phil and I looked for the gearbox cross member but couldn’t find it – I would like it to be shot blasted, so will need to have an organised look soon. In showing the dashboard to Phil, I explained the troublesome chrome strip on the glovebox lid which I had been worrying about. I decided to attempt to remove it and fortunately with a bit of light prying with a tiny flat screwdriver it came off nicely – another job off the list.

I love it when someone helps with the MG restoration. Everything seems easier with two people and much as I enjoy working with just the radio for company, sometimes another person can make things appear more do-able. For Phil and I to be working together, with our shared MG history dating back to when he owned MGs and we used to go to events in them, was to fulfil a long held ambition. I look forward to other days when we can work on this project. Thanks Phil.

I am planning to remove the loom on Saturday (with some help) so I thought I had better tidy up the garage in readiness. I managed to fill around three bags of general rubbish, made a pile of cardboard for recycling, collected around ten reusable bags and restacked some of the dismantled parts into neater piles. A good couple of hours spent on making the workspace somewhat tidier.

I also located several components which I want to be blasted at the same time as the body shell. They include the carburettor heat shield, exhaust manifold, and the heater box all of which I stacked inside the car for when it is collected for respraying. While I was routing around I picked up the flap through which hot air is drawn for the interior. This was fairly ropey, but is too delicate to be blasted so I cleaned it up with my Dremel tool. It will need further preparation and painting before refitting.

Later in the day I rang Moss of Bristol and spoke to George to order the Sebring Valance, Wrinkle Paint and front wing splash plates. I will go to Bristol tomorrow to pick them up. Finally I sent a SMS message to Chris from Oakwood transport, arranging for the MG to be delivered to RJH Blast Cleaning Services. He replied that was okay, so we are good to go for collection Monday week.

One of the final preparations for the respray is the remove the front wings, so I tackled that this afternoon, on a wet and windy Saturday before Christmas. It was so unpleasantly cold that I couldn’t stand to be outside, so I manoeuvred the MG within the garage so I had a bit of room and unbolted the drivers side wing. One of the those jobs that I had read up about, and for once it went pretty smoothly, I only forgot one bolt and having been there before with my Suzuki Cappuccino I soon tracked down the remaining one. They are bolted on thoroughly, but once all the bolts were removed, the wing came off easily. On initial inspection, the condition of the wing and the inner wing appear good. The bottom edge of the wing is a little ratty, but that should tidy up when blasted and resprayed. 

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A bit more daunting was my inspection of the loom. I have to feed the loom from under the bonnet through a small hole in the firewall, which doesn’t look easy especially as some clips and bits are still fixed. I removed a couple of pieces, but I may have to go as far as un-taping it and pushing it through one wire at a time. I need to find time to do this as it doesn’t look like a 5 mins job. Also, I have to work out the piece that goes under the car and presumably to the rear. I could do with a dry day, not too cold – some hope of that before 6 Jan 19! (pick up day). I seem to suddenly find myself with a lot to do and not much time to do it, hmm! 

 

Brief report on the blessed time we have just spent with our Church at Lee Abbey (LA) Christian Community. This was our third visit to LA, the first without our children. We managed to get away from work early and travelled down in the light – a first for us! Friday night dinner was roast pork and we ate as usual with the LA Community, and this was followed with a welcome meeting. Already the peace of the place, and the welcome of the Community began to relax us, and we felt the presence of God. Saturday morning, bright and clear and after a leisurely breakfast we had two talks on the subject of being filled with the Holy Spirit in order to fulfil the needs of each other. The talks raised some interesting perspectives, especially around how we live lives which have become very independent and hence community life has diminished in our society, arguably leading to widespread depression and isolation.

Saturday dinner of shepherd’s pie preceded some home-made entertainment which was great fun. We chatted in small groups before turning in around 11:00pm.

On Sunday our talks concluded with the final session ‘spilled’ showing how our filled and fulfilled Church community could further spill out its love to our local community.

 

In and around the organised sessions, the joy of a LA weekend is the time spent with our Church, talking with lots of people for longer than usual and reflecting together on the talks and being inspired by the wonderful setting. Helen and I also found time to spend time together and it was a blessing to have this special time.

 

As we near the respray, there is less stripping down work to do. Really it boils down to a couple of troublesome fixings, a sheared bolt on the transmission tunnel and a sheared screw where the heater is fixed. Today I attempted to use a stud extractor to remove the sheared bolt and when I couldn’t get this to work, I tried to drill it out in frustration. This has resulted in an off-centre hole which is no use to anyone. I may have to leave this to the professionals to sort out together with the heater screw.

On a more positive note, following an episode of degreasing of one side of the engine recently, I tried out some engine paint I had bought recently. I first masked off the components (on the oil filter side), gave it a dust and sprayed the paint straight on. I left the spark plugs in which are the old ones which I am effectively using as dust covers for the bores. At first sight, it seems to be a reasonable job, but will only really show when the paint has dried. If all is well, I’ll degrease the other side of the engine and we can have that tidied up. I was tempted to paint the exhaust manifold too, but I think that may require different paint. Black is the correct colour for this year’s MG according to my research, so that should be fine.

Another job done last week (but not recorded here at the time) was my first attempt at cleaning up the gauges. I removed the chrome bevel, which is done by prising up several lugs with long nosed pliers, not an easy job at all. I then cleaned all the crud off the gauges, washed all the parts and re-assembled. I think I may have left some smudges on the glass so I may need to take them apart again and use something like White Spirit to have a smear free finish. Anyway, what was positive was how well they came up, so as a proof of concept, that worked. They are not perfect like new gauges, but I quite like that.

On a closing note, I contacted Gavin at Reef who is going to do the respray. We had a chat on Facebook Messenger, the conclusion of which is that he is will be ready to receive the MG in mid-December. This was exciting news as that is only four or so weeks away! He is going to visit me in November to check the car over for readiness and to finalise the specification. The respray will mark the achievement of the first major milestone of the restoration, the strip down. Once completed, the respray itself will be the second major milestone, and will set in place the rebuild phase.

 

 

 

 

I removed further items critical to the respray today. First I drilled out the rivets which hold the door switches in place and then removed them and tidied up the under dash loom. Then I removed the door handles and locks to both front doors. This was straightforward although the space is limited and the thread on the lock was very long.  Many turns of an adjustable spanner were needed. I have left the inside door handles and the latch and slam plate on the car as Gavin (Reef Paint Shop) advised that it was better to leave them so at least the doors are held shut during transport to the paint shop.

I then took a deep breath and pulled all the headlining trims off. Some of these pulled off easily (they are glued) and others snapped as they had become brittle. This allowed the headlining to be dropped out as a whole piece, albeit broken around the edges. A new clean one will smarten up the interior during the rebuild. There were some sundry trims left glued to the door pillars so I peeled those off too, keeping a couple of representative samples for reference in the rebuild. I then turned my attention to the boot where I disconnected the rear loom, including taking the ceiling rose light cables and the heated rear screen cable and pulling them through the pillar so I could bundle up the whole loom into a bag. This is to protect it from the sand-blasting process.

A beautiful autumn day, warm and sunny I took some record photos of the car outside. On a mundane note I had bought some new storage boxes and so I tidied up some of the parts into better shaped boxes.

 

 

 

 

Continuing our training towards the Pilgrims Walk next year, Chris and I organised to do a walk after Church. Our start was slightly compromised by a Church meeting to review the after service tea and coffee provision which took place as I finished washing and drying duties at St Paul’s. Chris sensibly took his family home, so we agreed to start from his house which is not far from our Church, in Chippenham.

We set off from Chris’s home in steady rain and headed down an alley and under a railway bridge towards the Bridge Centre roundabout. From here we headed down Lover’s lane, across the weir and skirting the town centre headed towards Wood Lane and up into the Pewsham Estate. It continued to steadily rain but I don’t like having my hood up, so I was continually putting it on, then taking it off again trying to find the ideal balance between shelter and being able to converse with Chris. I was wearing a baseball cap (essential to keep the rain off my glasses) so not getting entirely soaked when sans hood.

We felt our way through Pewsham and reached the bypass at about the right place to cross-over onto the footpath to Lacock. The first part of the footpath follows the bypass so not entirely peaceful, but soon it tucks behind a hedge and becomes properly rural. The path edges a large field before opening out along a section of the Kennet and Avon Canal which is the subject of long term restoration by a mainly volunteer workforce. There was no work being done today, but it is always interesting to see if anything new has emerged since I was last there. The restoration is putting back the various structures which manage the water levels as well as dredging sections of the main waterway. It looks like there is a lock to be restored which will clearly be a major undertaking, but there was little sign of much progress there today.

We continued alongside the canal for a mile or so until we spotted that under the sole bridge structure there was a dry spot suitable for lunch. I confessed to Chris that I was starving and in the absence of any firm plan for a dry spot in the miles ahead I voted that we stopped here. We had both brought along packed lunches which were rapidly consumed while Chris and I sat on the edge of the canal, legs dangling casually above the water.

Its worth recording here that our conversations are a highlight of our walks, and I hope the main event, when that happens. Chris and I have created a safe space in which we can share things quite openly and without fear of judgement. I really appreciate Chris’s reflections and his perspective on questions which we jointly raise. Invariably, we discuss matters of faith, amongst more secular topics, and its a joy to apply our Christian beliefs to situations of life we find ourselves facing. I think that other people have observed that walking creates an environment conducive for  conversation. There is something in the pace, the need to keep background concentration on the route, the gradually unfolding landscape and the steady rhythm of the step which allows conversation to flow easily. A great blessing.

I was feeling the cold a bit, having stopped for the break, so we set off again, and followed the path as it diverged from the canal and followed again a hedged field edge. We could now see Lacock in the near distance, the spire of the Church a particular giveaway that our destination was in sight.  The path led down a narrow path between two hedges and then emerged onto a road and into a lush green field edging the river. We walked diagonally across the field aiming for the wrought iron fence and stile in the corner of the field. The stile gave access to a road which crosses the river via a beautiful ancient stone bridge comprising two broad flat arches and supports which protrude elegantly into the river. As we looked ahead, a pair of ‘chocolate box’ thatched cottages welcomed us to Reybridge, near Lacock.

Heading left towards Lacock we entered a field of cows and calves – I didn’t recognise the breed but they were an attractive speckled brown and seemed docile enough. The path was tarmac and took us to a kissing gate from where we followed a single track road down the hill to the Ford at the edge of Lacock village itself. I recounted to Chris that I used to drive through the Ford in my Land Rover Discovery because Ellie had a friend that lived up that road. Noting the water level today, it perhaps would not have been advisable fording the stream right now in the Discovery as its deepest point was probably around 2′ and potentially a bit deeper. Certainly, I would not risk my current Honda CR-V at such depth.

On arrival in Lacock, our immediate uncertainly at where to procure a warm drink was solved with the appearance of a welcoming looking pub. We went inside to warm up and had a refreshing cup of coffee.

Conscious that we should not get too comfortable, we headed back following our tracks. By now the weather had dried up and we progressively removed layers as the weather became surprisingly warm. At the turnaround point we had covered 5 miles, so we knew that we were up for a 10 mile overall distance. The return leg was entirely pleasant with a few more people now venturing out, but by no means crowded.

I enjoyed a lovely walk. I didn’t take any photos (too wet), but I was snapped by Helen, when I was ‘resting my eyes’ later that day….

Masterclass

Successful morning on the MG, principally because reliability engineer Mark kindly came along with his expertise and tools and removed the temperature gauge bolt which has been foxing me since I started the strip down. Mark first hit the rounded off bolt with a centre punch to shock load it as he explained that this is sometimes effective at releasing any bond in the threads caused by corrosion or any other reaction between the bolt and whatever it is threaded into. He then used a vintage ‘stilson’ wrench to grip the rounded head and he gave it a steady hard pull. Mark explained that the ‘stilson’ grips harder the more you push it. Anyway, to my amazement it started to turn although Mark was concerned that it might shear at any point. After a couple of very tight rotations, he switched to a smaller ‘stilson’ wrench so as not to exert excess force and continued until the bolt came undone. Mark commented that the person who had originally built the car had made sure it would not fall out!

 

Clutch

Having unearthed the engine (from under its dust covers), it was logical to have a bit of a poke around, and I decided to remove the clutch which was a simple operation with only six bolts to remove, first marking the case and flywheel for re-assembly. First time I have removed a clutch and inspected one. To my eyes it looked to be well worn down, so a new clutch makes sense when it comes to the re-build.

I also took the opportunity to put a drop of oil down the bores through the spark plug holes and in removing the clutch, the engine effectively had a couple of turns and all seems to be moving relatively freely, so that it good. I removed the rocker cover just to have a look and could see the valves moving with as I turned the flywheel. All very exciting.

Rear trims

Another ones of those jobs that needed doing before the respray was the removal of the triangular trims which fill in the gap between rear lights and the rear bumper (see photos below). I used the drill to remove where these were rivetted, but of course two of the fixings bizarrely were screwed in, but they came out easily enough. In recent thinking around the bumper-less look, I had concluded that I would not fit the fibreglass rear valance which smooths off the rear as I think it actually looks better a bit ‘gappy’. When I have seen it done it looks a bit too like a jelly-mould. At present, you can see how the rear valance has been repaired and I quite like that as its authentic. Anyway, once resprayed I can look at the rear and re-consider.

 

After such a successful morning I reckoned I had earned a coffee!

Unseasonably mild for our weekend at the farm. We arrived on Saturday to a cooked breakfast and shortly afterwards I pulled on my overalls and wellies and ventured outside in light rain. I accompanied Graham on his feeding rounds and it was immediately enjoyable to be just swinging gates open and hopping in and out of the Land Rover, chatting about this and that and taking a look at the livestock. I enjoy finding out about what the seasonal goings on are – what’s being prepared, what’s being got rid of and all that. At the moment, the last of the harvest (of silage) is being brought in and stacked and the rams are serving the ewes. All the animals are out in the fields, so the feeding is relatively light and its good to see them all outside where they belong.

Graham proudly pointed out their twin calves – a rare occurrence, the last one was some twenty years ago. We chatted about Brexit, lots of uncertainty there, and about some technical challenges with the Land Rover and the Tractor. The Land Rover had a new fuel pump earlier this year and it is not only the noisiest pump I have ever heard (a constant loud whine), but there is an intermittent fault which results in a complete cut out which is obviously a huge inconvenience. The ‘fix’ when it cuts out is to give the drivers seat a good shove forward and backwards as this seems to nudge the wiring and electronic control units which are situated under the drivers seat. How frustrating.

Sunday was a particularly mild and sunny day and it was very relaxing to again be amongst the animals and goings on at the farm. As well as helping to feed the livestock, I let the ducks out which is always comical, with their frantic waddling, and spent some time watching the cockerel strut around the yard.

We had a delicious roast dinner of farm Texel lamb, better than any pub could muster up on a Sunday, followed by home made apple tart. In the afternoon, I lay on the sofa and watched the Japanese Grand Prix, occasionally nodding off. Later we had sandwiches for tea and we headed for home later on in relaxed mood.

A great day exploring the Bristol to Bath cycle path with my old friend Philip Mitchell on our Brompton Folding Bikes. The suggestion was Phil’s – we hadn’t met up for too long and as he had bought a Brompton fairly recently, it seemed a good excuse to get together and tackle this well known cycle route. A cold nearly caused me to bail out, but I decided to man-up and crack on.

My day started well enough with a gentle cycle from home to Chippenham station, where I bought my ticket and a coffee. It was a little bit chilly, but sunny with the promise of a warm autumn day ahead.

Arriving in Bristol Temple Meads a relaxing 25 later I sat on a bench to wait for Phil whose day was not going quite as smoothly. Some car parking and navigational challenges set him back a bit, so I just sat in the sun and waited, while the day gradually warmed up.

Phil arrived and after a bit of a download on his journey in we set off from the back of Temple Meads, across the river and towards the start of the cycle path which is only about half a mile of so away. The start is fairly unassuming, just a couple of bent rails stuck artistically into the ground, but I would say that the signage of the whole route is very clear.

The route was busy enough to be vibrant, without being annoying, with walkers, families on bikes with trailers and little ones on mini-bikes, young lads on mountain bikes, plus streams of road bikes whistling past, all carbon fibre and Lycra.

Phil and I were cycling in tune with each other from the outset, coming alongside, or dropping back and keeping a similar pace – this the product of our having spent our early years cycling everywhere together back in Gloucester.

The route follows old railway tracks predominately, so there were lots of original features to enjoy, although to be fair we were chatting away so we must have missed lots of it.  The route comes alongside a heritage railway around Bitton, and we were treated to an old Diesel locomotive pulling away with its carriages – we gave it a friendly wave. We also had to cross the railway through a couple of gates where we also had a good view of the rail yard with all of its various wagons.

We powered on out of Bitton and towards Saltford where we were suddenly aware on the right hand side of  the track of an attractive pub (‘The Bird in the hand’) with a garden where some cyclists were already resting up and eating. This seemed too good an opportunity to pass up, so we headed to the garden and within a short time we had cold drinks and fish finger sandwiches (thanks Phil!). After a relaxing chat and reflecting on life in general we decided that probably considering I had a cold we would head back to Bristol instead of pushing on to Bath.

On our return to Temple Meads, we popped into a café to round off the meet up. Phil headed off to his car and I got the train back to Chippenham, where Helen picked me up in the car. A lovely day.