"dickspeed" @ Halfords

After putting off fixing the windscreen rear view mirror on to my Wife's 94 A6 for several years I decided to nip into the Halfords opposite the Mc Donalds I was sitting in feeding my hangover ( Christmas "do" the night before ) and pick up the glue kit to needed to stick the mirror back on to the windscreen Once inside Halfords -glue kit located for a princely sum of £3.99 now the tricky bit in our local Halfords ,trying to pay for goods I stood at the counter for 5 minutes no one there no one came even though I had "eyballed" a member of staff- he seemed more interested in joining his spotty mates at the "dickspeed" display of faux drilled aluminium throttle pedals and over sized "nobbersport" Corsa wheels- an older lady was by now hanging around the Sat Navs asking me which one she should buy as she had also been unable to interrupt the "dickspeed" self abuse trio-I recommended the Tom Tom one but suggested she buy one from a store interested in taking her cash On this I decided to interrupt our trio of product "experts" and ask if I could pay for my goods as by now there was an ever increasing impatient family waiting for me in the car outside - inside which I was being accused of being more interested in shiny tools and having "done sod all "about getting organised for a family Christmas Spotty ring leader -indicated I assume by the back to front Halfords baseball cap- informed me to pay at the counter,I don't think he appreciated my sarcastic reply of "certainly if you show me how to use the till" I was then told as they were not very busy I could join the Que of pissed off looking customers and pay at the "parts counter" -no one was behind the parts counter taking payment as the older lady had finally got her man and was being "demonstrated" why she needed a £300 Sat Nav to put on the dash of her Micra on the weekly trip to Tescos I managed to tear spotty ring leader away from the blue anodised wiper blades but only once I had pointed the "parts counter" situation out with a decent level of hangover soaked sarcasim and a "I'm about to slap you" look in my eye Finally four quid lighter but up a tube of windscreen/mirror glue I went home and stuck the f***ing mirror on upsidesodding down......bollocks

Update

Some pictures of the Taxi sheds sump guard as requested by some at CT Well its been a busy couple of months The S6 snapped its serp belt which caused the timing belt to jump 3 teeth -oops I was a very lucky boy not to end up with mashed valves and pistons ,I was also very lucky no to have had the car floating out to sea! -let me explain After I replaced the serp belt the sod wouldn't start being full of electricity and not having fault code readers etc my local petrol head garage had to take over -they discovered that the timing had jumped and hence the cam position sensor and the crank position sensor were out of sync- anyway that night their garage was flooded by the freak hail storms that hit us-lucky for the S6 it was driven to safety at 3am in the morning whilst several other cars "went under" along with all the garage equipment - M.O.T computer ,ramps ,rolling road ,machine shop etc the lot ! Not expecting the S6 back for a while as it needed an MOT as well as cambelt I readied the Taxi for action- a daily 100 mile commute for my new job - it was a good excuse to tinker and test some ideas for the new filtered cold air intake design - I came up with a good heath Robinson solution-just need to make the finished version now,Ive bought the metal just need some shed time! I also fitted a huge heat shield which works a bloody treat and cost about 50p really pleasing shedtune stuff-hot tick over will now sit at 600 rpm and Ive almost got rid of the dreaded run on. Much to my amazement I rolled into the drive on Wednesday evening to find a shiny clean ,new cambelted and MOTed S6 delivered to my house! talk about great service Tipton Garage had been 4 ft underwater 5 days earlier I wasn't expecting it back for at least a couple of weeks Once the S6 was back I should have started making the new air box for the TAXI but became completely sidetracked by a shiny 123 distributor which is now fitted and had a good test today on the work run as my wife's 2.6 A6 was having its cam belt done -this time the garage didn't flood! I had lost a testicle in the cold servicing the A6 over the weekend and really couldn't be arsed loosing the other doing the cam belt so it went off to Tipton Garage whilst the kids made do with the S6 - the thing I missed most about the S6 today?... heated seats how sad is that?! I must be getting soft in my old age So the Shedtune fleet is all present an correct - Audi 2.6 A6 Avant -serviced MOTd and new cambelt Audi S6 Avant-New belts and MOTd-due a minor service which I will do myself Taxi 1967 2.5 MK1 2000- on carbs- suitably dirty but new shiny dizzy and heath Robinson air intake going really well at the moment 1973 2000 Estate -off the road waiting for me to shed it in the new year once I have collected all the bits I need which seem to be spread all over the country 1969 Bentley T1 -running well- electric windows playing up again-for sale if interested!?

Daft Questions..deserve answers

This week, what has been annoying me most?...

The bloody random tick over on the Taxi when hot..and the running on but we will get wound up by one thing at a time for the moment

Anyway I posted up a daft question on the CT forum asking for ideas as to why it should do it and how to fix it-I had my own theory and wanted to know what others thought-as it turned out we all pretty much agreed that heat from the exhaust manifold could be upsetting the carbs and hence the tick over whilst hot-so what could be done ? Some ideas;

• Heat wrap the exhaust to insulate it-hmm bit of a "last resort" in my book
• Reflective heat shield between the exhaust manifold and carbs -easy to do but I was sceptical it would work
• Direct cold air intake/ducting into carbs-not so easy to do whilst keeping "trumpets" on the SUs due to air box design etc

I set about knocking up a reflective heat shield (above) - please note how tidy and shed like my bench is-I used a section of 2mm thick aluminium that was kicking about, cuting two "slots" in the top edge to locate around the inlet branches, then positioned it between the exhaust manifold and carbs leaving an air gap between shield and exhaust manifold,fixing it in place with brackets and self tappers for its test run-I will revisit to make it a more permanent/robust install

Whilst tinkering in the area I thought I best check tightness of inlet/exhaust manifold nuts -first one I check I had the sickening "stripped thread" feeling in my stomach- off with the lot to remove the stud- having had my suspicions about the manifold gasket -thus I wasnt too concerned about the extra work in replacing it-see what you think was the old one leaking?

This is the stripped inlet stud

So with new inlet/exhaust manifold gasket fitted , dodgy stud replaced and heat shield installed it was time to test I took the car out for a quick five mile blast returned and left it ticking over expecting to see the idle RPM increase to around 1000-1200- as it had in the past -or at least rise and then slowly fall after "bliping" the throttle

I was pleasantly surprised to see a constant idle of 800rpm even after 10 minutes of tick over and varied throttle positions

I turned the engine off and guess what ...it ran on! but not as bad as before,so I would surmise a medium shed tinker success,next thing to have a fiddle with will be the cold air intake,possibly duct some cold air directly onto the exhaust manifold? feel free to comment with your ideas!

More Shed antics to follow..

Next Shed project- "The Barge"

After eying up stags ,stag saloons and 2000 estates on the RBR I thought it about time I joined in the V8 Triumph fun . My Shedtune thought process went something like this: Stags - would love one but not massively practical with a growing family and a shrinking budget. Stag Saloon/Estate- Practical but rare and expensive-well I imagine them to be expensive So we need to make a Shedtune version-Stag engine and running gear would be great but could prove costly and hard to get hold of a suitable parts car, and would I want to break a Stag that could be restored? My thinking turned away from Engine/Drive train for the time being; I had spoke to Richard Brake of CT fame at the RBR start, he had bought a 1973 2000 estate off me about 4 years ago, to cut a long story short it had been accident damaged a few times and now needed a restoration,the good part being Richard had replaced the sills using NOS parts - a deal was done and I hope to have the estate back here around the end of November I also had it in the back of my mind that I had seen a Rover V8 kicking around Dales workshop( Moordale Motors) again a deal was done and the V8 is now mine- I hope to pick it up mid November So we now have an engine and a shell- a good start- but I am going to need a few other bits. I want to keep the Triumph transmission-why? well because I have two spare O/D boxes and I love the overdrive,it also keeps things simple not having to get the tin snips and big hammer out to fit the LT77 box,also if a good Stag engine ever came my way I could drop it in. Bits I need to track down; Bell-housing adapter kit etc to mate the RV8 to the Triumph gearbox Exhaust headers front system etc Engine mounts/brackets The shell has front and rear damage so will be looking out for any suitable panels to suit the MK2 2000 estate If anyone could help out with bits or advice please contact me via the forum or e-mail ajppearce@gmail.com Ideally I would like to have the project finished in time for the 2009 10CR but reality tells me that could be a bit ambitious -thus my aim would be to use it as the "Manx Raider Service Barge" supporting Martin Randle in his TR7 sprint taking on the Manx rally in July 2010 -if so it would have to be finished with a black bonnet and have spare TR7 wheels on a roof rack ! (that would leave more room inside for Homer and I to stash our pies and cans of Stella) in fact has anyone got pictures or info on the estates that were used by the "works" teams.

RBR REPORT

RRB RUN 08 Team No6 1967 Triumph 2000 MK1, (CARIO TAXI) Andy Pearce, Ben “Homer" Hobson This year’s event was our 6th and by rights since 1996 we should have had at least one DNF in the previous 5 starts but somehow I’ve always managed, hook or by crook to get the cars sorted enough to finish, this year I was a bit more concerned as for various reasons the Taxi hadn’t been on the road for over 12 months A test run two weeks before the start to North Wales from our Devon home threw up plenty of issues, these were sorted as best as possible using limited resources and used up most of the useful spares and second hand bits I had stashed in better times- for a rainy day so to speak (and it DID rain on the RBR) The run up to the London start went fine until the M25 car park, what a pain in the arse that road is, Engine temp creeping up and a misfire setting in (something that never happen on the test run) we ducked off the M25 and tried to cut out the clogged up bits rejoining after Junction 19 -I was fuming as it meant I didn’t have time for a cup of Tea at Dales -the misfire went once underway and the temperature decreased but this problem reared its head again when held up on the A1,I richend up the mixture which seemed to help a tad, with no high temperatures noted post adjustment but why the misfire when hot I don’t know, suggestions on a postcard please- My plan is to try and cut down the under bonnet heat i.e. wrap the exhaust manifold and see if that helps with the high hot idle , running on and said hot misfire The start was great catching up with the usual suspects checking out the Atlast van was a highlight along with laughing at Tim climb about the children’s playground equipment to deliver his last minute drivers brief. Our theme for this run was taken from the wise words of Raider Randle first voiced on the 2003 10CR “lets not fanny about and crack on” so we did -Blyth was made in good time a quick PPF (pie,pee,and fuel) and we back on the road I enjoyed the road to corbridge so much this year we forgot turn off and head for Edinburgh –no hassle Ben did a quick cut and we were soon back on route and I had the pleasure of overtaking the cars we had passed ½ an hour before Ben took over the driving from the Airport to Inverness- I slept waking occasionally to a vision of heavy rain and blinding spray (whilst stuck behind trucks) Ben as ever doing a great job of driving through the dodgy conditions and dispatching slower moving traffic to “get clear air” He commented on how planted the car felt, which was pleasing as funds hadn’t allowed for new (bigger) wheels and tyres –we were running on standard 13” with 5 year old 185 profile Good Year Eagles in fact we didn’t really have any “big moments” with grip all run I took over again from Inverness, The last 40 miles into JOG was hard work as the weather wasn’t the best, my arse had gone numb (I needed to re-arrange my seat padding) and all I wanted was my breakfast -I also witnessed another nameless event driver taking the piss out of a 40mph zone in a built up area not a great idea but hey ho there is always one! Breakfast was excellent I had mine first while Homer showered; I then grabbed a shower myself my arse coming back to life! As soon as we could we got the book signed and tootled off, I must admit to being a bit lazy on the next section letting a group of 2000s go past then tagging along with them for the single track leg – it’s always easier to follow rather than lead on this section! The car was running fine and we made the Conon Bridge stop in good time stuffing our faces with the excellent sarnies and taking on plenty of caffeine whilst having a gossip in the car park with the other crews, once suitably refreshed we headed off into the watery sunshine for a great drive through Glencoe-we didn’t stop for fish and chips en-route this time deciding to head straight for the pies at Stirling, by now the punishment being handed out to digestive systems overwhelmed Homer and he finally let a “loch monster” drop that made me gag http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=stR3Lnw3UTE -Parental guidance recommended flatulence and swearing! Once the Pies were dispatched at Stirling Homer took over the driving nailing it through some awful weather along the M6 over shap – the intermittent windscreen wipe circuit I had made using a timer relay and an interposing relay proving itself really useful- anyway onto Forton services where we had double whoppers waiting for us, we had also shipped in some of Cumbria’s finest virgins to put on a floor show for Control Marshall Raider Randle and the other crews, we left as soon as possible! I took over the driving and bored with the route book we took a tour through Chester on the way to Gledrid services -again the car running great apart from getting a bit damp inside- everything was fine -the twisty section through Wales was fun again tagging along with 3 or 4 other 2000s the highlight being a five car U turn with a local police patrol looking on Gordano was reached where my back exercises performed in the cafeteria were confused with someone suffering a cardiac arrest I managed to slip in a meat based savoury product whilst Homer was fuelling the car for his next stint down the M5/A30 -again he took over just as the weather got worse – he was quickly taking on the mantle of rain king! I woke up around Bodmin and took over for the final run in to Lands End ,reached through thick fog at around 06.30am ish . Time for a couple of hours kip before breakfast which was served with an extra helping of sulkiness from the imported labour for the morning, my highlight being I found a lizard in the disabled toilets, thinking I was hallucinating I got Homer to confirm this, and it was in fact a small lizard –maybe it was the point..(Sorry) The next stop was two minutes down the road at the life boat station –inspired stop- the fog had lifted and we could see the sea admire the life boat and stock up with pasties and fags from the local shop . It was then time to bumble through the local Sunday traffic on route to Badgers holt Dartmoor, the trip broken by a 20 minute "emergency stop" when Homer over estimated his “holding power” and a stainless steel latrine was duly rendered useless at a park and ride car park on the outskirts of Liskeard in sympathy a passing seagull emptied its bowel on Homer as he was getting back into the car- I didn’t laugh at all The halt at Badgers was great -a coffee and pie shed along with a really laid back atmosphere from the crews taking in the surroundings, swapping thier driving and car tales of the last 40 hours or so, there was also a lot of talk of the cakes awaiting us at the pimperne village hall so we put idle chat aside deciding some “pudding” might settle things down a bit We were held up at Honiton due to an accident so did a U turn and cut to the old A30 getting back on route with plenty of time to savour the cakes at Pimperne- what a stop! What more can be said and SO much cake! Fully laden the car was still behaving its self and we followed the route to the TR register control sticking to the route from there to the Plough we ended up following the wonderful Stag saloon –I had my head out the window listen into the lovely V8 tune in front! The route cut out a lot of the M25 and was fun once Homer sussed the navigation and we got passed the speed bumps- The Taxi coping fine with them but the lower slung Stag saloon in front was having a few more issues with them, the final few miles on the M25 went ok the traffic not dropping below 40 mph, but we knew we would have to tackle the anti clockwise section - which was solid - to get back to the M3/303 to get home to Devon . We reached the Plough around 19.30 ish filled up with coffee and chatted to other crews until around 21.30 when the traffic had cleared off the M25 allowing us a clear 180 mile run back to Devon- that was the longest 180 miles ever! We were knackered the car behaved faultlessly and we were back at Shedtune base for a decent kip at around 12.30am All in all a great RBR one of the most enjoyable I have done thanks a lot to all concerned in organising it, the spirit of all the crews , and Homer for putting up with me - it was great!

Shedtune RBR

Another RBR completed- write up to follow along with all the other shedtune stuff!