You start me up

I just got home to find I had left Althea's internal rear lights on all day. Thinking the battery was flat I tried the engine anyway and was delighted when she started up first time. I've bought an in car amplifier and some speakers which I am now going to install. I have also finally got round to buying the loo, the water pipes and pump and a couple of battery level indicators which should all arrive this week to be fitted at the weekend.

A right scrubber

At the weekend I borrowed a yard scrubber and some heavy duty cleaning fluid and by climbing on the garage roof I could give Althea's roof a good clean. There was years of algea and mould to be scrubbed off but she's looking a lot better now. I also gave her a good wash down and hoover inside.

Later today I'm hoping to collect the now completed cushions for the bed/bench.

Some photos

Tracey said...

the pics are awesome but i REALLY like the last one with the lighting and the window with the trees outside. very soft and warm looking to me. shes shaping up nicely.

27 January 2009 10:01

I couldn't agree more Tracey. I was trying to capture just how pleasant it feels in there.

Wot no photo?

Very sorry it was extremely cold and I got distracted by a mountain of housework.

Sinking in

Today was spent making the kitchen worktop that will house the sink/hob. It involved some pretty tricky cuts as the corner it will fit into is about 94 degrees with a bit nipped off the corner and the sink itself is a sort of kidney shape. I surprised myself as to how well it turned out and will screw, and glue it all into place tomorrow. I did have to go to Homebase twice and got slightly more than the average number of looks and smiles. One crusty old beardy chap with half his face tattooed stopped in his tracks when he saw Althea. I guessed he was once a traveller and recognized if not the actual vehicle , the genre at least. I also bought a nice rainbow stripey rug that looks great in the back too.

I promise some photos tomorrow when the sink is in.

I Have The Power!

I have installed and re installed a small device which automatically switches the charge from one battery to the other when the main engine battery is full. This means I can run the inverter and the interior lights etc off a battery that isn't the engine starter. So no risk of finding myself stuck in a field with a flat battery. I've also wired in some mains sockets and stuck the white LED fairy lights to the ceiling.

I drove her to Watford and back on Sunday and the exhaust stayed on so I'm confident that it's a good solid fix. It seems that the problem with her losing power on hills is related to the fuel leak so I need to have a look at the fuel pump. But with a good exhaust there is a noticeable difference.

I used the large perspex domes from some broken Harmon Kardon speakers and stuffed the red and blue fairy light LEDs in them and they look great. They'll look good on the roof though only when parked up in disco/festival mode.

I'll take some photo's soon.

An Exhausting Christmas part two

I'm delighted!!! The guy at Mech Weld in Catford did a perfect job of welding a bit of steel pipe to the plate that bolts to the engine and I have just finished bolting the whole lot together. Althea now has a proper exhaust for the first time. The job Chris had done was so bad that the Mech Weld guy kept it to show his friends. Not only is she quieter than ever but has more power and the cab doesn't fill with fumes. I can't wait to give her a proper drive now and see what a difference it has really made. I'm sure my neighbours will be happier too not having their windows and (as one lady said) foundations, shaken every time I start her up.