Keith Adams
Well, Christmas and Boxing Day are out of the way and the snow’s cleared to such an extent that I can finally get the garage open and spend a little time getting my SD1 back on the road.
It’s a process that should have kicked off rather sooner following its trailering back from Poland but, thanks to an unfortunate incident which left me with a pair of broken ribs and then Christmas, I’ve only managed to get things going properly today.
The car’s due to take its MoT on Tuesday, so I really needed to pull my finger out. A few half-hearted looks at the car in the garage revealed that the choke wasn’t connected, nor was the handbrake. The car was also running poorly, the battery was knackered and there was no proper coolant in it.
None of these jobs were going to be much effort to put right, but it’s surprising just how hard they are to sort in a cramped garage with cracked ribs! Still, after an hour or so of tinkering, the problems were largely solved. The carburettor linkages are all mucked up and, as a result, the throttle kept sticking open, but I’m hoping that all the lubricant I’ve applied will have it running sweetly now.
Now there’s coolant in it, the brakes all work (but could still do with bleeding) and it has a full complement of lights, I’m happy to report that I’m feeling a lot more confident about my drive to the testing station on Tuesday. I do need to give it a test run beforehand, but I think it’s going to be okay…
However, the funny thing is that, although they were little jobs I did, it made me realise that it’s been far too long since I had a decent car to work on – and that I do enjoy tinkering. As a way of escaping the drudgery of seasonal television, a session with my tools and a Rover V8 is a nice little pick-me-up.
I’ll let you know how the MoT goes… it would be nice if I had some positive luck for a change.
Is the Editor of the Parkers website and price guide, formerly editor of Classic Car Weekly, and launch editor/creator of Modern Classics magazine. Has contributed to various motoring titles including Octane, Practical Classics, Evo, Honest John, CAR magazine, Autocar, Pistonheads, Diesel Car, Practical Performance Car, Performance French Car, Car Mechanics, Jaguar World Monthly, MG Enthusiast, Modern MINI, Practical Classics, Fifth Gear Website, Radio 4, and the the Motoring Independent...
Likes 'conditionally challenged' motors and taking them on unfeasible adventures all across Europe.
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