Big bang - or damp squib
I had forgotten that this weekend was bonfire night…
I got up to the farm to find a HUGE bonfire being prepared (it was the best yet), and Saturday night we had a BBQ, bonfire and fireworks - Karen brought one with a price tag of £99.99, and boy was it spectacular! It was very civilised sitting round the fire drinking beer and watching the pyrotechnics.
Either side of the fireworks I spent the time in the garage happily bolting bits together.
I debated replacing the original lever-arm rear shock absorbers with new Konis, but decided the car would not be driven really hard enough to justify the handling kit - so the old shocks went back on (they still need painting).
Of course the lovely shiny new brake servos were a joy to fit.
Having stripped down and cleaned the brake calipers I painted them with special caliper paint. This was a mistake. They now look horrible. What was supposed to be gold paint turned out to be a sludgy brownish gold - thank goodness they are inbound brakes where they won’t be seen. The paint was awful to use too.
One of the reasons brakes sieze up is a build up of rust/dirt behind the rubber seals. This pushes them outwards so that they tightly grip the pistons. The grooves in which the seals sit have to be cleaned out carefully - a fiddly job requiring the use of dental tools.
I shall not fit the new seals and stainless steel pistons until just before the calipers are fitted to the car, I don’t want them seizing up in the meantime.
Well I missed my deadline of the rear wheels being on by autumn - but I’m getting there.