Monday 19 September 2011

Best of British



Saturday I was rather out of sorts and retreated to messing about with old cars to seek some peace from my inner demons.


I swapped the 20 inch rims on the 1976 Lincoln Mark IV for a set of nice 235 75 R15 tires and vintage seventies "Star Wire" wheels picked up on line for a great price. The Lincoln really looks like an old school low rider now. I also fabricated a new rear muffler exhaust hanger that had rusted. Next job, cure the right han

d side exhaust manifold leak, might be considerably more difficult.


Poor Lincoln had a baptism of fire or rather rain as she had her first trip on the highway in over a year and ferried me around our film shoot today. We shot a new Shelby Mustang for a segment on the

TV show I help produce.Downside is that the darn vacuum headlight switch broke again! Luckily I picked up a spare on bay last year. Just a matter to taking the dash apart again!!! Oh well the excuse I need to install the new stereo.

Remember that "bustle back" Cadillac Seville, I bought it. Delivery is promised tomorrow. The price was just too good and I had sold the 75 Eldorado. I was not planning to buy another car but it should makea good fuel efficient driver and looks very stylish too. If it proves reliable the Toronado will go to make more room.


I think I read somewhere that Elvis liked to give away Sevilles to his female friends, considering it a "ladies model". Of course he passed away before he got a chance to buy one of the neo-Hopper bodied 80-85 models.


The Electra is due for some minor repairs too. All this car stuff happening at a most inopportune time (wanted all these car issues out of the way before going 24/7) but as I have been told "sh*t happens."


Sunday I finally made it to the big local British Car Day, having missed the last few years. Though I no longer own a car from the motherland it was still fun strolling through the sea of Jaguars, MGs and Triumphs to find the rarer gems of British motordom, Jensen, Bristol, Lanchester, Marcos, Bond, TVR etc….


I even got to enjoy some imported smokey bacon flavoured crisps but turned down the opportunity to buy a die-cast model of an Austin Marina.


I wonder if the A stands for April....ten days and counting....ZMOG


Now something completely different. A modern remix of Elvis' Blue Moon of Kentucky. In my more doctrinaire Rockabilly days I would have screamed heresy but I kinda like this.




Hugs,

April