Hello again, and may I wish you all a Happy New Year! I cannot believe it is a whole year since I last wrote any Safety Fast! Notes, but sure enough it is my turn for a couple of months. You haven’t got me back permanently though, as the committee has kindly agreed to continue to share the responsibilities for another year.
Speaking of the committee, I haven’t seen much of them this year as most of the events I planned to attend were washed out! The less said about my attendance at committee meetings the better… Anyway, the amount of effort that these guys put into organising events continues to astound and impress me – so I would like to say a big thank-you on behalf of everybody in the SW Centre.
The Annual Dinner and Presentation of Awards will take place at the Limpley Stoke Hotel on Saturday 1st March 2008. Fuller details are available on the website or direct from John Bird on 0117 956 0175. Members and guests who wish to stay overnight should contact the Hotel directly on 01225 723333 to reserve a room. When making a booking please mention that you are attending the Dinner and you will get a special rate.
I don’t know about you lot, but I’ve got plans for the GT over the winter. There’s nothing major to do, but there are lots of little jobs that have been neglected over the last couple of years that really must be sorted before the ‘season’ starts again. Having replaced the camshaft over the summer, the car needs a rolling-road session so I thought that I’d give the carburettors a check-up first. I’ve got a pair of SU HS6s, supposedly from an old Rover SD1. I should have checked them over properly before I put them on (particularly as I had to replace the jets because they were different sizes), but in my haste for increased performance I neglected to do so. Now I’ve got them off again I’ve found that they’ve got the wrong suction chambers, different dampers on each carburettor, damage to the bridge – and about half an inch of slop in the spindles! So that little problem is going to put a dent in the budget, and it was only meagre to start with… The front callipers really need a going over, and by the time you’ve bought new seals and spent hours trying to get them in – well, you’re better off with new ones. Then there’s the propshaft UJs, the wiring repairs and the underseal that is wearing thin. I think I’d better get back into the garage!
I’m back again next month, hopefully with some dates from the SW calendar of events for 2008. See you then.
Neil Lock