A dull car post follows, but I’m kind of writing down my option so I have an idea what to do.
Basically, ches us has a collection of sickly vehicles again:
Rebecca Mog needs: New gearbox / diff / swivel pins (not currently available) and I’d like to convert her to Left Hand Drive.
Possible amount of time if I do it in my spare time: a couple of weeks.
For a garage to do it: A full day + time to make new dash.
Needs: diff to be recon’d, non-available parts, to source s/h parts from abroad.
Currently: Off the road.
Jejy DAF needs: new rings +/- rebore / new clutch drum / new clutch shoes / hose replacement / new inlet manifold.
Possible amount of time if I do it in my spare time: a few days + time for engine to be sorted.
For a garage to do it: A few hours +/- time to rebore engine.
Needs: available off the shelf parts (specialist) and bits I’ve ‘got’ but are in Brizzy.
Currently: Off the road.
Vixy DAF needs: a new rear brake cylinder (weeping, but not much). Someone to get the damn rear hub off.
Possible amount of time if I do it in my spare time: can’t. Can’t get the hub off.
For a garage to do it: An hour or two.
Needs: available off the shelf parts.
Currently: On the road.
Cherry Red MZ needs: a full engine rebuild.
Possible amount of time if I do it in my spare time: No frikin’ idea. Weeks, probably.
For a garage to do it: Beyond the value of the bike.
Needs: available off the shelf parts.
Currently: On the road, slowly.
Pirate Charlie, the MZ, Yar! needs: wiring up, new chain, plumbing in brakes.
Possible amount of time if I do it in my spare time: a week or so (possibly a couple of days).
For a garage to do it: Unlikely to find anyone willing
Needs: nothing, got it all.
Currently: Off the road, 60 miles away.
Options for getting Kate properly mobile again:
– Send Rebecca away to be fixed. Problem with that is that there are actually parts I need that you can’t get, because the MMOC have a hopeless idea of what it takes to keep a car on the road and have allowed the spares situation to drift from excellent to ‘your car ends up off the road waiting indefinitely for parts that aren’t being made’. I also want to convert her to LHD for Canada – I know it’s not a necessity, but I’d like to keep using her as my main car – even when we get there – so I’d like her to be as native as possible. I’ve collected some of the bits, but not all – and need to get some more – and make up a LHD version of my RHD Dash. I think, all in all, the Minor will have to wait until bits are available. That may be quite a while.
– Strip engine out of Jejy and replace it with another one, from somewhere. No idea where this’d come from. Someone in the DAF owner’s club is talking about finding a spare engine from somewhere for me to sort and put in.
– Strip engine out of Jejy and take it to engineer’s, have them sort it, I sort the clutch and such and put it back together. Generally a pretty good scheme, I think, except for the teensy tiny problem that the car is currently parked on the road, and will have to stay there, because Rebecca is taking up the driveway.
– Take Jejy – oil burning ‘n all to a Garage or my pet engineer and have them strip out the engine; re-ring; re-clutch and re-assemble.
Time wise, and convenience wise, the last of the options seems like the most sensible. Theoretically Jejy should come back good as, well, new. I still have various jobs (brakelines being the most significant & desirable). It’s also, obviously, the most expensive. But at the moment I’m sans-automobile. I promised I’d sort Kathryn out with the car, so Vixy is for her to use, and I’ll use the bike unless the weather’s horrendous, until I get something sorted.
I’m erring towards the get Jejy back on the road via-a-garage, but haven’t quite made that decision yet. I’m going to give the people I’m considering a bit of a ring later, see whether any of them are willing to do the work (and when). If not…well… we’ll cross that bridge then.
Anyone want to pay for an EV conversion on a DAF? Quickly? No? I see.
