What's next at Lake View

In praise of Daffodil

Someone asked me why I like this car so much, seeing as I have a much shinier car in the garage.

I struggle to give a rational answer but it has a lot to do with the extremely crisp steering and handling along with the sensory experiences, mostly the smell of the car.

Another major factor was when I first drove this car, before Tom had fixed it properly and got it roadworthy. It broke down of course but during that short trip of about 12 miles the car gave me a very brief hint that it was worth the effort - amidst all the spluttering and coughing there were some brief hints that underneath the mould and the rust there was something that really wanted to drive.

Even on that first day, and my heart really did sink when I first saw the car, I knew it was a keeper after that short ride.

Daffodil was on shopping duty this afternoon.

The cars have had a quiet week - Ethel and I had to go to Bury and Whitefield to look at some old kit but apart from that excursion, the Dawes bike has been the vehicle of choice.

We stopped by the gasometers - you can be sure this is going to be a standard photo along with the obligatory photocalls at Forton Tower and various laybys on the B7076.



WP_20150215_011 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr



WP_20150215_009 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

Meanwhile at Lake View, Tom has built the bottom half of the engine destined for The Blue McFoo. This is the engine that was in the ill-fated Lil - he had to have a bolt drilled out of the block and now he's found that one of the valve guides needs to be machined so it has gone to the famous workshop in Burslem that specialises in these matters - Rushtons Engines. Lake View sends lots of engine parts here and I have been there before to collect the parts.

Tom says that the Lil engine, which would have done 90000 miles before that fateful day on the A520, is in very good shape - this is no surprise because it always did run well - Lil could raise her skirts to reveal a clean pair of heels - just as long as she didn't have to corner - then she'd turn into the Costa Concordia.
 
torinouk said:
I like your pics of DDF at the gasworks. They look like they could've been taken in the 70's. :)
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Thanks. This car gets a different kind of admiration compared to WXC.

I was working in Bury today, oddly enough.

IMG_20150219_103926806 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

Daffodil's on the naughty step - in spite of Uncle Tom's hard work, we are still letting in water - lucky I didn't replace the carpets just yet.



IMG_20150219_103423760 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

So we're off to Lake View this weekend for some remedial work.

Meanwhile, Tom has built the engine and gearbox for the Blue McFoo so who knows, maybe it'll be a blue P6 on Classic Cars Spotted.
 


WP_20150222_001 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

I was meant to spend a couple of hours at Lake View while Tom tried to find the source of the water ingress but as so often round that part of the world, the weather had other ideas so I left Daffodil in Staffordshire and took The Blue McFoo, still smoking oil, straight back to Manchester to do the important business of the day - acting as dray horse for my Stella swigging friend after the briefest exchange of formalities with Tom.



WP_20150222_003 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

Tom will do his utmost to attend to the leak - I know how these things are but it is letting in so much water it should be easy for him to find the hole.

He will also repair the engine as well - he has all the parts needed but we were going to leave Daffodil to last after seeing to the other green Rover (Hildegarde - Sleeping Beauty in the lockup) and McFoo.

Rear wheel drive, automatic vehicles aren't ideal for snowy weather but both cars were a perfectly decent ride in the miserable conditions today at least as far as handling the road - climate control is another matter.

At least The Blue McFoo's heater clears the windscreen in a jiffy, even if it doesn't heat the car. Daffodil's heater is a complete joke - the fan works but that's it - if Tom has her ready for Friday I will drive to Cumbria but won't be taking the folks out for the usual meal - Dad is getting on in years and he won't like sitting in that car at this time of year.

I'll learn from my namesake Uncle Chris who took his elderly parents from Wigton, Cumbria to Bournemouth in a P reg 3500 that would have been nearly 20 years old at the time - a horrible brown turd of a car. Gran and Grandad were cramped in the back with a blanket with only Uncle's elderly dog for warmth between them. I'll not inflict the same on my father, even though like for like he is much younger than my Grandad was back in 1994.
 
So the Blue McFoo has finally had her engine and gearbox transplant..

Power steering too - lucky old McFoo - not sure if PAS was ever an option on the UK spec Series 1 P6B cars - i.e. the model commonly known as the Three Thousand Five (TTF) but McFoo now has PAS.

The North American spec V8s - also classed as Series 1 - had PAS but they were all LHD cars and Tom had to do some modifications to the location of the wiper motor to accomodate the power steering in the Blue McFoo.

Lake View said:
Retro fitted / modified.
Gearbox cross member , throttle linkage bracket , reverse lights and starter inhibitor wiring. Gearbox oil cooler pipes. Prop shaft. Gear selector unit. Repair distributor drive.

Mc Foo has now done 2 laps around the block.

Engine is sweet , gearbox is good.

Items I still have to attend to.
No speedo
Temp gauge intermittent
Ignition light inoperative but alternator charging well @ 14v
Water pump bearing fail. There is a good pump I can swap out so no need to buy one.
Drivers door catch / position.

I am working in the morning to attend to some , if not all items listed above.
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The Blue McFoo is edging back towards being more of a stock Series 1 car compared to when I bought her last Easter but she's just had PAS installed. She's got Series 1 seats, a 10.5:1 engine and gearbox similar to her original ones and one day soon those Rostyles will come off because I really don't like them.

While working on the car, Tom's found some evidence that the Blue McFoo might need some attention in the next year or so – we already know she needs new panels but if there's welding that needs doing, I'll not shy away – I never do. The Blue McFoo will be resprayed back to Tobacco Leaf but as stated previously, the name will never change. Ethel has first dibs on the next garage slot though.

McFoo's temperature gauge is now functional but he hasn't yet managed to get the speedometer working so I can't have the car back just yet. When the car is ready, I will collect it from Lake View.

Tom wants Hildegarde in next, not Daffodil.

In an allusion to my Wizard epiphet and to Hildegarde's all-black interior, he told me he is going to work some 'black magic' on Hildegarde.

I know why this is - it's the 4 litre engine he's found - he's itching to play with it and get it going, mated up of course with the ZF box so kindly donated by the munificent Blue McFoo.

Daffodil can wait - Tom's sick of her and he's also got that pesky water ingress to make good on his time - I'm not feeling two grand after spending all that money on the welding only to have a pisspot car that lets in water when it rains.

I know Tom's game - he'll think that if he makes me a fast shiny green P6 that doesn't knock and can cane Audis all day long, I'll forget all about Daffodil.

He's wrong but he can at least get Hildegarde worthy of her name - it means "Protecting Battle Maiden" in olde English.



Raining Stones by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

Lady Hildegarde was last seen in public back in October on an unexpected site visit to the Langley estate in Middleton, famous for the 1993 film Raining Stones.

This car is also getting a sound system worthy of the 21st century. I won't need to go to the top of the range at this supplier to find something very suitable - a single dual cone speaker would provide true stereo sound - a pair - one for the centre console and one for the parcel shelf would really do the business. I've selected a middle of the range stereo - the Zuma Radio - Black Nose Cone & Buttons with its green LED on black will be a good match for the car. No need for the OTT bluetooth top of the range option - this one has USB connectivity and a 3.5mm aux input too.

If these speakers meet expectation I will fit them to Ethel as well although I will preserve her Radiomobile radio - even though it wasn't fitted in the factory, it was fitted new at the dealer on 1st August 1972 - the dealer stamp says so. I know that the Radiomobile still works but the aerial is not connected - even if it were it would only pick up MW so I'd rather secrete some bluetooth wizardry about Ethel instead of a visible modern replacement 'radio' as with Hildegarde.



"Wake Up Sleepy Head, it's 2015" by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr
 
I'd have to re-read this thread but today might have been the first time I drove all four of my cars.



IMG_20150409_133354854_HDR by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

Hildegarde said:
Daffodil, what are you doing here?
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Daffodil said:
I've come to give you a jump start - you're off to Lake View and I'm having the garage for a while.
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Hildegarde said:
Groan. What year is it?
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Daffodil said:
2015. Get a wriggle on.
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After 6 months of slumber, Lady Hildegarde emerges blinking into the sunlight.



IMG_20150409_134259399_HDR by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

Her battery measured 12.5V which ought to be sufficient to start the engine but I took no chances and had Daffodil on a fast idle with the jump leads connected.

As expected, Hildegarde fired up very quickly. I disconnected Daffodil and moved her out of the way and when I got back, Hildegarde was making a horrible groaning noise. Her power steering fluid had leaked away so I needed to stop by at Halfords to get some more.



IMG_20150409_135446380 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

She drove all the way to Lake View showing no signs of trouble - i.e. she didn't spit any more water out or overheat.



Polite cars don't spit by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

That engine and gearbox will be removed and swapped for uprated components - the ZF gearbox that has just been removed from the McFoo and a fine looking 4 litre V8 engine will complete the work. I'm reliably informed that the crankshaft to the front of the picture is from a 4.0 litre V8 and the one at the rear is from a 3.9 - I think Tom needs to grind a bit off one of them to make it fit but I've long forgotten which one goes where.



WP_20150409_017 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

Tom was pleased to see his creation for the first time in ages - "I do like this one", he said as he admired the interior. "So do I, Tom, I like it too", but I don't think he believed me. I do like it but not in the same way I like Daffodil, or the McFoo come to that.

Tom thought his new creation would go straight to the top of the table but if these cars were playing The Weakest Link I reckon Anne Robinson would have some snide comment to say. "Ethel, you've gone from S to mess but Hildegarde, you are the weakest link, goodbye"



WP_20150409_007 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

New McFoo

The Blue McFoo now has an engine that doesn't smoke oil.



WP_20150409_010 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

The smurf has been removed for safekeeping and power steering has been installed along with the best Borg Warner BW35 I've come across. These BW35 gearboxes seem to have their own characters - we have a few spare units at Lake View now just in case anything goes awry. It isn't going to be as nice as the ZF but it has a wicked kickdown and I got to use two of my favourite overtaking spots on the A523 on the way home.

Tom also showed me the badly scored cylinder linings from the old McFoo engine. This photo shows it best - no wonder the McFoo used to smoke.



WP_20150409_027 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

The McFoo is a wonderful car now - easy to handle with the power steering, crisp handling and still the same predatory old McFoo, even if the wick has been turned back slightly.

I can't wait to hit the road tomorrow - A6 over Shap after lunch in Milnthorpe for the second time in a week and of course the B7076.
 
rockdemon said:
Great stuff... taking the back road to glasgow?
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Yes, in the end I didn't use any of the A6 to get to Abington yesterday because I left it late setting off from Manchester - I used the M6 and the B7076 - 175 miles, average speed 70.7mph. I didn't stop for a brew or a photocall at Forton or any of the usual things. Great drive - the B7076 barely impacted on my average speed.

Man and car are throroughly enjoying our trip to Scotland.



McFoo heaven by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

We set out from the hotel in the morning and headed up the A702 to get to the B7078 and then the A70.



Abington Hotel by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

I have some HD footage of the driving but the hotel won't thank me for killing their wifi connection so that will have to wait until I get back to Manchester.

A large section of the A70 was closed and we had to take a detour through Sorn - I was half expecting to see lots of old cars here. When we got to the outskirts of Ayr we found the A77 and headed towards Stranraer until the A714 at Girvan.



Galloway forest by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

We gave a lift to a hitchhiker - a chap called Wallace who works at a distillery and wanted dropping at a caravan park in the forest. I used to do a bit of hitchhiking in the 1990s - quite a lot actually - and I always wanted to give someone a lift.

We got some fuel in Wigtown (we are more used to getting fuel across the Solway Firth in Wigton) and headed to the Isle of Whithorn.



Attended service, Wigtown by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

This place is like the Isle of Man without having to mess about with the boat.
 
Have really enjoyed your thread, Chris.

Saw you on the A75 today, as the car passed my junction, as I was pulling up to it. Tried to catch up with you, in the Scimitar, but, because the traffic was moving so slowly, despite tanking it along the dual carriageway near Dumfries, I still didn't get caught up with you. Car looks fantastic on the road, and great to see one being used properly, despite the horrible weather. Really inspired me to get on with my P6.

Lovely photos. Around Wigtownshire is very old-fashioned, in the best possible way. There's a Corsica Blue 3500S which lives on the seafront at the Isle of Whithorn, or at least, was until recently, as I've not been over that way for a wee while. Worth venturing into Kirkcudbright, too, if you're up here again. Also, from Newton Stewart, the road from there, to New Galloway, then onto Crocketford, breaks up the monotony of the A75.
 
FrazzleTC said:
Have really enjoyed your thread, Chris.

Saw you on the A75 today, as the car passed my junction, as I was pulling up to it. Tried to catch up with you, in the Scimitar, but, because the traffic was moving so slowly, despite tanking it along the dual carriageway near Dumfries, I still didn't get caught up with you. Car looks fantastic on the road, and great to see one being used properly, despite the horrible weather. Really inspired me to get on with my P6.

Lovely photos. Around Wigtownshire is very old-fashioned, in the best possible way. There's a Corsica Blue 3500S which lives on the seafront at the Isle of Whithorn, or at least, was until recently, as I've not been over that way for a wee while. Worth venturing into Kirkcudbright, too, if you're up here again. Also, from Newton Stewart, the road from there, to New Galloway, then onto Crocketford, breaks up the monotony of the A75.
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Thank you.

I'm going back to Scotland tomorrow after Tom has changed the Blue McFoo's oil.
 
I got back from Lake View after a 500 mile oil change for the Blue McFoo's new engine. It was 620 miles but that won't matter.



500 mile oil change by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

Tom also advanced the ignition timings to further improve the performance of the engine and he cleaned the carburettors as well - the car was cutting out at junctions unless I used both pedals at the same time to keep the revs up. That little niggle has now been cured.



500 mile oil change by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

Testing the emissions.



500 mile oil change by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

He also spotted that one of the radiator hoses was hissing and a new jubilee clip stopped the hiss. The car needs a new set of spark plugs - this will be arranged as soon as possible.

Ethel doesn't know it yet but she is also about to lose her Edelbrock 500 weber carburettor - bought as a well meant but disastrous 'gift' for my car - an expensive gold watch if you like. Ethel can have her SU carburettors back, her original 4 speed gearbox too, unless Tom can quote me for a solution that will give Ethel a modern manual gearbox and a working speedometer.

Tom knew I wouldn't argue when he said that Hildegarde's 4 litre engine and ZF gearbox would get more benefit out of the Edelbrock because he knows that I know I have spoiled Ethel in a lot of ways and am eager to reverse the damage I have inflicted.

Ethel and Hildegarde will look more closely related with their lowered springs and SD1 wheels, with Daffodil and The Blue McFoo being on standard suspension and matching hubcaps. Daffodil can of course keep her chrome trim because she isn't getting a respray in the near future and seeing as they are all soon to be permanently under cover, she should last for years without needing any bodywork doing.

Time for an update of top trumps - some specs have changed recently.
 

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I just got back from Scotland - I was going to be a good boy and stick to the A75 but two trundling Scottish Water Transits made me leave the A75 just as soon as I'd joined it at Newton Stewart and I took the wonderful A712 all the way to Crocketford and I am very glad I did - lovely road - stopped to take some photos.

The A75 was in a good mood when I eventually rejoined it - a nice fast run to the motorway aided by some obliging wagon drivers who helped us on our way - they probably wanted to see what the Mad McFoo was capable of and she didn't disappoint.



WP_20150416_010 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr



WP_20150416_008 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr



WP_20150416_006 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr



WP_20150416_004 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr



WP_20150416_002 by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr
 
rockdemon said:
Lovely... Rechristening there from blue to mad ??? ;)
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Best not, eh? The car's offical name is Helga, The Blue McFoo.

Maria Gray called the car Helga, so this has to be but I called it the Blue McFoo because of the stinky blue plume of burning engine oil that followed it around more than for its blue colour ;)
 
Tom welcomed his favourite numpty to Lake View this morning, presenting him with a steaming mug of tea, instantly arousing suspicions because the bill for the engine work hasn't been issued yet.



WP_20150418_002.jpg by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

A thousand miles on and Tom was very impressed by the distinct lack of numptiness – he checked under the bonnet and under the driver seat but couldn't find any.



WP_20150418_001.jpg by EthelRedThePetrolHead, on Flickr

The purpose for the early morning pit stop was to change the spark plugs – his machine had detected that one of the plugs had too much resistance so I ordered a new set. I'm far too numpty to change spark plugs just as I am too numpty to stop the seat from rocking – it was a bit loose in the rails.

Both jobs done now and just as well because there is a busy few weeks coming up. The green machines will be too poorly so it will fall to Ethel and the Blue McFoo to represent the fleet.
 
Great set of historical notes you are collating Etheired.
All the pics Ive ever seen of Tom , is his R's . :LOL:
I would love a "Tom" down here . A man that can fix my numptiness . A man that can curl and contort into the tight places a P6 presents to an owner . A man with so much love and dedication to the P6 .
 
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