So today I set a list of things to do, and incredibly exceeded it. I got onto optional items, and even nearly finished several of them.
Main tasks were dull things like ‘cleaning the kitchen’ and ‘checking every single remaining box to see if anything’s broken’. Amazingly it’s looking pretty good. I may extract my valve radio and just check it’s okay, although it was pretty well packed in there so I’m fairly inclined to leave it where it is.
I had great fun (sarcasm may be noted) extracting each glass and ceramic item, checking them and re-wrapping them. Then writing on each box the actual contents, as opposed to the cryptic and often inaccurate descriptions from the movers. Now ‘K-Ware’ has more helpful things like ‘Ceramic Bakeware’ and ‘Spoons’ on it. Other boxes have comments like ‘health files, electronics tools’. Which is handy, because one of the things I was looking for is my vaccination records, which (ta-da) I found today. Yay.
That was another of the ‘must’ tasks.
Then, having completed the ‘must’ tasks I got on to fun things. Like ruining the turntable mat for my SL-6 Turntable. I’ve (broadly) got the turntable working, speeds are pretty close to correct (although a strobe would be handy*), but it came without a turntable mat and it turns out the SL-6 requires an ultra-thin rubber mat. I foolishly picked up some random-mat from another technics deck which is way too thick and causes the record to clip the internals of the case (it has really little clearance). I’ve tried hacking the strengtheny bits off it (since I’d already ruined it to make it fit the center hole), but I still need to do more. I shall continue my hackery later, but it’s an improvement. I can now at least play some records, and I can now hear that there’s a dirty connector somewhere in the headshell/tracking mechanism.
It’s kinda tempting to see if there’s anywhere around here that’s a proper turntable servicing place, because now it’s more-or-less working, a little going over would probably make it into a lovely piece of kit.
Next I attacked the speedo in the Minor. Its been hideously inaccurate since JLH replaced the diff and gearbox, and indeed the indicator needle was more, kind of ornamental. After much time with an excel spreadsheet I came to the conclusion that the 780tpm speedo guts I had would be pretty good for the setup I’ve got. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty close and as long as I set it correctly around town (25-35mph), it should read accurately enough for any speed I’ll be doing.
Irritatingly, though, I reassembled it with the needle not quite in the right place. A quick test revealed it’s about 5mph out across the range, so I’ll have to take it back out of the car on my next day off. Since I’m still waiting for the customs documentation to appear, I can’t title her at the moment anyway, so I’m a bit unclear on the deal with driving her. The nice email from the DOL says I can drive her for 30 days, but that does presume I’ve got the documentation with me. Which I haven’t. When I at least know where the documentation is, I might feel a bit better…
Still, productive, all in all.
* But with my laser** tacho I get 33.4 and 44.9 rpm, which is pretty good
** Laaaaaaser.A+ Adulting (to steal a phrase) was originally published on Mostly lemon based
BUT DID YOU BOOPLE?!
Of course! Not today, though.
It wasn’t on my To-Do list today.
