New Year, New exhaust

   A New Year means not long to the annual MOT (Ministry of Transport) road worthiness test. And looking back over the blog it would seem its time for a post. I do not use Degsy that much now I have a daily driver. All that sitting around killed the battery. So a new battery was sourced. The local car spare chain depot could not find the correct battery as my registration number was not listed. The pimply youth looked through the catalogue and was asking was the Land Rover or Evoque. Do I look like an Evoque driver? Then he tried for a Defender. No - its earlier than that. In the end I had to show him a picture of Degsy on my phone so he got the idea. I think he was genuinely surprised and vehicle could still work when it is 38 years old. I was left with the catalogue to select a suitable battery, the task being too great for the pimpled one. In no time I selected a suitable battery. The pimpled one then tried to up-sell me a heavy duty version. It is the heavy duty version! It must be a reflex. Fitting the battery is no problem at all. It is just a case of cleaning up the terminals, clamping the connectors and a smear of Vaseline for good measure.

   The exhaust is blowing which is affecting the engine performance and is a bit noisy. Starting Degsy in the cold makes spotting the exhaust leak a doddle. Plumps of exhaust emanating from the wrong places. The exhaust has rust through in two places. The problematic hole is by the exhaust bracket on the mid section pipe and is before the silencer. The second is by the rear bracket after the silencer. The tail section has just about rotted thought and about to drop off. A mooch around Craddocks website got me the part numbers and prices. It turned out to be cheaper to buy the fittings kit than buy the necessary brackets, nuts, bolts and washers separately and a lot less faffing. A call to Craddocks checked the items where is stock and off for a spin to Cannock to collect the parts.

   Having worked on old vehicles I knew my best friend would be 3in1 oil. A few days before tackling the job I sprayed a little oil onto all the nuts and bolts I would have to remove to let the oil seep in. I managed to pick a very cold day for the job but scrabbling around under Degsy soon got the blood moving. Degsy has plenty of ground clearance so there was no need to jack him up. The pre-oiling did the job. The nuts and bolts parted without too much effort and within half an hour the old exhaust was out on the drive next to Degsy.

Fitting the exhaust was a bit trickier. For a start it was much heavier. I made up the brackets. They are a wonder, the middle and rear brackets are different and are made up from about 20 components each. I loosely fitted the brackets to Degsy. I put the silencer under the back of Degsy and slide the tail pipe over the rear offside leaf spring. Next I fed the middle pipe over the rear axle. With that silencer and mid pipe loose I used the four sets of nuts, bolts and washer to loosely join the silencer and mid pipe and not forgetting the put the gasket in between the mating faces. I slid the middle bracket around the mid section pipe. The bracket is on rubber so can move a little. It is two pieces, hanging vertically, so it is easy get the bracket around the pipe. Again the nuts and bolts were done up finger tight. The round to the back to fit the rear bracket to the tail pipe. Again no dramas. This bracket is split horizontally. Nuts and bolt finger tight. Then I go back to the front of the mid sections. I find the three specially shouldered bolts and pop them through the flange on the mid section and the flange on the front section of the exhaust. Two of the bolts are easy to access but the third is a pig. It is important these bolts are done up evenly as the joint is a face to face fit i.e.no gasket. With a bit of wrestling the awkward bolt was done up. The other two bolts were done up, then round again with the socket and spanner to pinch up the bolts for an even fit. The last job was work from the front to the back tightening all the bolts. Everything secured it only remained to start Degsy up and see if there were any gas leaks. Degsy started easily and the exhaust was giving its usual burble. There was as slight leak on the mid section flange. A couple a tweaks with the socket closed the joint and seal the leak. 

   Working on the mechanicals of the Land Rover takes you back to a time when vehicles could be repaired with a few spanners. This job needed two spanners and two sockets (11mm and 13mm) Modern car are like mechanical like Rubik cubes. So many things have to be removed to get at anything. Checking through old posts I found I had replaced the front section of the exhaust pipe in 2017 for about £25. So, on the exhaust front, we should be good for some time to come. 

Bench Seats Update

   Dave, Mick and myself can vouch that the bench seats work well, particularly when you are caught out in a thunderstorm at the apiary .

Pass the biscuits, there's a good fellow.






Check out what else is going on the  The Bee Farmer world at www.thebeefarmer.co.uk 

Bench Seats

   Since I got Degsy I used it for moving stuff about. Initially for my allotment tools and allotment related activities. Then for my mix of beekeeping and allotment. Then just for beekeeping. I built a shelf between the wheel arches to create a wide platform. This gave me a space under the shelf for a jerry can, deck chairs and tools like shovels, spades and forks.

   Life has moved on and Degsy has been retired from day to day duties. I now keep honeybees on a professional basis (Here is a link to my website) so Degsy works as my "Promotion vehicle".  It carries my equipment and stock for outdoor events. Last year I started doing "Experience days" where folks come out to my hives to looking inside at the honeybees. It occurred to me that the logistics to get the customer from the car park to the apiary (the place where the bees live) was a trifle awkward. It requires a five minute walk whilst I drive ahead with all the gear. Its not ideal. I decided what I needed was some with four wheel drive that seat several people. It took quite a while for the penny to drop. Why not convert the back of Degsy? I knew that there were Land Rover after market suppliers of bench seats. I priced them up, I needed two sets. I was surprised to find they were super cheap for brand new equipment. I order two sets and went off to Craddock's to collect them the very next day.

   The seats lived in the garage for a few weeks until I got time to spend on the refit. It is surprising how much stuff fits in the back of am 88" (short wheelbase) Land Rover. For once I decided to read the instructions first. They where no help. Landys come with slots and square cut outs in the rail at the top of the tub. Whatever I did I could not get the right combination of bracket and slot. My knees where aching by the time I sussed it out. Then it kind of fell into place. A tip for you...arrange the brackets so the dog legs face inwards on both seat uprights. The back of the seat is retained by the horns of the brackets locating into the slots in the rail. The feet on the bottom of the back rest are bolted to the wheel arch. Just beware of any wires that might be on the underside the wheel arch. Next to fit the seat base. It is hinged so it can be folded up. It was a bit fiddly getting the washer in between the seat back and seat base other wise it was straight forward enough. The seat bolster is secured to the seat base with two braided cotton tape which are tied to the frame of the seat back. Not sophisticated but it works. The last thing was to rivet the braided nylon with the hook on that retains the seat when it is folded up. Luckily the rivet gun was in the tool chest. A couple of squeezes and the rivet was set.

The I just had to do it all over again on the other side of the cab. One thing I had not envisaged was that the hi-lift jack (orange) would have to find somewhere else to live. It usually was strapped to the side wall at the top of the tub just where the back of the new seat rests. As luck would have it there is a space at the forward edge of the bench in front of the tub bulkhead. I even gave the tub a sweep out. I think a wash is needed though.

   Since it is MOT time I would go mad a shell out on a gasket for the rocker cover. I forgot to ask for the gasket when I collected the seats. As I was just about walk out the door I remembered. I did the walk of shame back to the spares desk to ask for the item. The chap got the item from stores and sent me on my way without having to pay. Apparently they are cheap as chip and could not be bothered to ring it up...kudos Craddocks.

   Final job, install the bulbs in the number plate light mount. The work of seconds. I put the replacement exhaust section in the back of Degsy so the mechanic can fit it before the MOT. (see previous post Getting-ready-for-mot-2017 ,otherwise Degsy is ready for his annual date with destiny.

         

MOT 2017

   I have had an intermittent problem with the rear near-side indicators for some time. For the smarty pants readers I know the indicators are supposed to go on and off. However they are supposed to flash when I select that indicator set rather than simply remain unlit.

   First job was to start Degsy. He has not been started for a week or more and we have had some cold weather. No surprise that he battery did not have enough oomph to get Degsy going. Luckily Degsy has as starting handle. A couple of swings and Degsy burbled into life. With Degsy ticking over enough to turn out the charging lamp I set about removing the brush guards covering the lamps and then the indicator lens. I figured there might be a wiring issue so I took off the inner plate that hides and protects the wiring on the back of the light cluster. Plenty of cobwebs behind the plate which means at least it dry in there. I got the indicator bulb out. The filament looked intact. I selected the indicators, I could hear the front indicator double timing. I put the black probe of the electrical tester on the earth tag and the red probe on the centre of the light fitting. The needle of the meter started moving in time to the indicator beat. So the issue was in the fitting or the bulb. The bulb looked fine so had a good look at the fitting. The copper tag looked a bit green and corroded so I used a scrape of emery paper to clean it up. I put the bulb back in.....nothing. I had a spare bulb (12v x 21watt), as you do, popped it in and it immediately it started being an indicator. So all that was required was to clean off the green mold from the leans and refit it. Refit the brush guard and inner panel. Job done. Just for fun I dismantled the off side indicator and cleaned up the contacts as I had done on the the near side. It was not as corroded as the near side lamp but at least it is clean now.

   I checked all the lights, now all the indicators were working. I thought the number plate lamp seemed a bit dull. I unscrewed the lamp cover only to find it was so filthy that it was a wonder any light got though the lens. I went inside and washed the lens with detergent and a scrubbing brush. It came up like new. I thought I would change the bulbs whilst I was there. However I did not have any spare bulbs of that type. I reassembled the lamp. Even in the daylight there is a milky glow over the number plate.

   The exhaust is blowing like mad. The rear joint of the intermediate section is the culprit. I examined exhaust pipe of the intermediate section to find it was rotten. I guess it has been on Degsy since day one, that is thirty odd years. I was going to reseal the offending joint. I thought I would just check how much a new mid section would cost. I thought it would not be much. £9 plus VAT. For once that is less than I thought. No sense in not replacing the old section with a new one. Another few quid for a a new set of nuts and bolts and its done for just over £15. I collected it whilst I was out meeting one of my customers. I will have the mechanics fit it when they do the MOT. A bit of a tidy up and wipe down of the interior and we are ready to go. Now where's the number for MOT test station? 

Back again!

   I have not posted for an age partly because Degsy has not needed anything but oil and water top ups but mainly because life has taken a dramatic change of direction and I lost the log in credentials for the blog....again. As you can see I have recovered that situation. I how earn my living keeping honeybees. You can find out about that by following the link to my website HERE. Never mind me...what of Degsy?

   Degsy has been reassigned duties. He is now my promotional vehicle. He makes guest appearances at the shows we attend throughout the year. I swear he gets more attention than my honey does. As for his health; well the last MOT was no trouble just a flaky earth to the rear nearside indicator. An easy fix. I replaced the rear leaf spring as the near side one was wearing out and causing Degsy to sag to one side in a most undignified way. Degsy got a wash too!

 Now I have got into my stride with the bee farming I hope to blog on a more regular basis.

Account and trailer

   I have not posted for age partly because Degsy has not needed anything but oil and water top ups but mainly because I lost the log in credentials for the blog. As you can see I recovered that situation.

   The major thing that happen on the blog holiday was that I had to sell the trailer. I had to give up the allotment and with that went the need to a trailer to move manure about. It was a sad day. The trailer and Degsy made a good team. I got what I paid for it so that was good.

MOT time again

   MOT time is coming round again so time to do those little jobs. The first and most obvious is the passenger side window wiper. The wiper arm is not holding onto the wiper spindle so it does not wipe. After a good deal of WD40 and pulling and shoving in managed to get the wiper arm off the spindle. Once I got the wiper arm in my hands I found out how it worked. There is a ferrule that slips over the wiper spindle. It has a belt that is supposed to secure the ferrule to the spindle. That was not happen in my case hence the lack of wiping action. I also find that the wiper arm just slipped onto the outside facets of the ferrule and had a spring clip to keep it in place. The job was simple enough to put the ferrule back on the spindle however this time taking care to put the securing bolt in a place it can be got at. Whomever had changed the wiper blades in the past put the bolt in a daft place so it could not be tightened up properly. After that the wiper arm was just slipped on the ferrule in the right position. A quick test to make sure the wiper swept the windscreen properly and it was done.

   The next job was very minor. When Degsy is ticking over very slowly the fan belt slips a little and make a low level screech. I figured the belt needs a extra bit of tension. That is not too surprising as I never adjusted it since the chassis was replaced and that was two or more years ago. I gave the three nut and bolts, that secure the alternator, a squirt of WF40. Whilst the WD was doing its job I found the correct size spanner, 1/2" and had a slurp of my brew. It was a bit of a job to loosen each of the bolts. They gave in after a short while. With the bolts loosened I use my long crow bar to create tension in the fan belt. With the tension on I pinched up the bolt holding the slide adjuster then pinched up the other two bolts. I started Degsy.....not a squeak from the pulleys.

   Last job was to check the oil. No surprise that the oil was short of the "high" mark. I measure out a pint from the gallon oil can and poured it into the oil top up pipe. Whilst the oil was draining from the oil jug I topped up the washer bottle. Another drop of tea for me, a tidy up of the tools and oil top up was complete. I put the cap back on the oil tube and all the jobs were down.

  Since it was the first dry day we had for ages I emptied out the back and gave it a sweep. It is all tidy again. Time to book in for the dreaded MOT. It should pass but you can never be complacent.

MOT passed

   The exhaust on Degsy has always needed attention. The mechanic chap decided enough was enough and suggested I get a new exhaust manifold since the studs could no longer be expected to keep the exhaust pipe from parting and blowing. Since a blowing exhaust affects the performance and efficiency of the engine and Degsy and my pocket needs all the help they can get in those areas I let the mechanic fit a new exhaust manifold.

   Degsy sounds quite different now, quite mainly. The nearside front wheel had a bit too much play in it. The mechanic shimmed it as a matter of course and sent Degsy off for the MOT. It passed first time with the usual notes on the side walls of the tyres. I shall have to have a hunt of ebay for a new set. Brand new ones are £100+ per corner.

   That makes me all legal for another year. So on the way home from picking Degsy up it starts to rain, I put on the wipers and within a few minutes the passenger side wiper stops working. Another job to do!

Logs

On Saturday I had to fell some trees at my allotment. Degsy was invaluable. One end of the rope tied high up inthe tree and the other end tied to Degsy's front bumper. This meant we could fell the tree inthe direction we wanted an in controlled way. The trees were growing in a six foot wide fenced hedge line.

The Sankey trailer was just the job too. I could get it near the job site and load up the sawn logs at the end of the day. The whole day was just a treat.

NATO hitch

Having got the wide track back from Mansfield without incident and muscling it onto the drive I had to think about how I was to fit the NATO hitch and whether the ball hitch could be fitted as well. I wanted to get the NATO hitch higher on the rear cross member so the trailer tipped forward as little as possible.

First job was to get the NATO hitch off Degsy and replace it with the old drop plate. With the drop plate in position I worked out where the NATO hitch could be fitted and what it meant for the old ball hitch. I determined there was enough room for both but the higher the NATO hitch could be fitted the better. I marked out the bolt hole for the NATO hitch on the drop plate and proceeded to drill them out. I bought the 13mm drills, nuts, bolts and washers the previous day. I damaged one drill but before one hole was drilled. Next I got a 6mm drill bit and piloted the four holes. Next a 10mm then a 12mm. The 13mm bits where wreaked so I got the rat tail file out and set about opening up the holes. It was a bit tedious but with 30 minutes I had all the holes opened up to accept the 13mm bolts with a bit of wiggle room. I putt eh bolts through the hitch and hitch onto the drop plate. Is was a good bit and with a bit wiggle room. I took the hitch off again and offered the drop plate up the the rear cross member. I put a couple of bolts through the old hole to hold the plate in place. I marked up the holes for the cross member using the drop plate as a template. Next the holes where to be drilled. The 6mm went through first then the 12mm. The 12mm was long enough the reach the inner face of the box section rear member and using the hole in the outer skin that inner skin was drilled out. Then I ran the better of the two 13mm drills through all eight holes. The rat tail had to be used to tidy up the burs. I gave all the raw edges of the holes a coat of Hammerite paint, hopefully to keep rust at bay, then I offered up the drop plate together with the hitch. The wiggle room was needed but all four bolts slipped in fairly cleanly. I put the washers and nuts on the inside face of a rear member and nipped them up. I stepped back to make sure the drop plate was vertical as was the hitch. A small bump with the hammer to adjust the plate and the nuts were tightened. The holes for the four old bolts that held the drop plate where almost lined up. I ran the appropriate size drill each of the pair of holes and was able to replace those bolts. This was a result as the drop plate now has eight fixings instead of four.

With the drop plate secured it was an easy decision to replace fit the old towing ball, step and light socket into the old position. With everything secured I stepped back admire my handy work. The space between the top of the ball and the bottom of the hitch is a bit tight. However the NATO hitch has a trick up its sleeve. By removing a pin and flipping out a tag the hitch rotates and that makes room for the ball trailer hitch. The next job is to do a bit of painting to rust proof the new items and generally make it look tidy then to oil and grease all the moving parts. I have one last item to get which is a safety pin for the hitch lock. I hope to get a chain so the pin does not get lost.

Limo film

I have parked Degsy up for a month. The tax for Degsy and the Vauxhall came up together so I decided to put Degsy on a SORN for a month. I need the Vauxhall on a day to day basis.

I have wanted to black put the rear windows of Degsy. I finally got a little spare time and some "limo" grade black out film from Halfords. It was a bit a pain to do the big window on the door. I made a bit of a hash of it but I was able to cut strips out of the film and use it on the small side windows. It came up quiet well. The roll of film had enough left on it to do the window a second time. I made a much better job the second time around. The film has made a big difference to the look of the back of Degsy. It is black enough to stop folks looking in, even from the front.

I final found a spot to house the High Lift jack. It now lives on the lip on top of the tub. I have yet to find out if it rattles about when I drive.

Ingenuity and £1.50

When I go to the lottie I always take my Trangia. It is a spirit stove I used camping. I have a been a bit concerned making a brew on the stove in the back of Degsy since I carry two gallon of petrol in a jerry can and Degsy is a bit incontinent. Less so since the refurb. I have not managed to burn out Degsy but I thought something had to be done. I had seen a nifty gadget in one of the Land Rover mags. A cooker that fitted on the back door.

This one is from Mudsport but there are several suppliers
Click HERE for a link to the product shown.




I priced one up and figured I could live without it. Also it would look on bit new on Degsy.



An alternative was needed. The idea simmered. In need a box with a lid. I need a metal box with a lid. I need a metal box with a lid that is cheap. We started to "accidentally" make car boot sales a feature of Sunday mornings as an alternative to lying in bed. On one of these forays I came across a metal box that once contained an industrial drill. It was a bit battered, a bit rusty but it was about the right size. It also came full of bits a bobs. It was £1. The chap was selling the stuff in the box and I bought the box in true car booting style. There some good things in the £1 box. A couple of large imperial sockets which just happen to fit Degsy. Most of the other stuff went in the recycling.

I gave the box a clean out and offered up to the back door.I got in Degsy, closed the back door and offered up the box again. I got the Trangia out and had a few goes at loading cooker into the box. It all fitted and there was room for the spare spirits, matched and air rifle pellets. What I did not have was some to stop the door [the lid] flopping open. I thought of a few different ways to make the lid act as a shelf when the box was open. A couple of weeks later I walking round Rugby market with she who just be obeyed when I found the very thing. I chap was running a haberdashery stall and one of his lines was 20mm woven nylon. Imagine seat belt webbing material but only 20mm wide. I extravagantly ordered three foot [1m] of webbing. That will be 50p sir! From that moment we had to get home.

I got the drill bits out and my boxes of odd nuts, bolts and screws. I found four self tappers that were more or less the same size and style. I found four 6mm nut, bolt and washer sets. I offered up and marked the box for the position of the door braces. I drill four holes in what was the back of the box then offered the box to the door and drilled a couple of pilot holes in the door braces. Then I ran up the screws to secure the box to the door. I checked the door closed. It did.

I tried the webbing to find the best way to fit it and so that it folder away neatly. The solution found I drilled a couple of holes in the lid and a couple in the body of the box. I cut the webbing to size not forgetting to melt the cut end to stop it fraying. Then it was just a matter of bolting through the webbing and the metal of the box....Ta daaa.


It might not look like the shop version but it is self contain i.e. no gas bottle house, in keeping with my recycle reuse ethos, compliments Degsy's style, is perfectly serviceable and cost a bit of ingenuity and £1.50.

Craddocks

I went over to Craddock's on Saturday morning to collect the roof seal I had ordered. It was waiting for me. I decided to have a couple of mud shields for the underside of the front wings. When I got home I offered up the off side mud shield only to find there was one installed. That means the Land Rover mechanics had fitted them at the nuts and bolts check after the rebuild. Thing is they did not charge me for them.

Now I have to ring Craddocks and see if I can get a credit note for the mud shields and buy something else. A radiator cap and quality tow rope might be a suitable exchange.

I did a job on Steve's lightweight. I did not ask for money but Steve said I could have his high lift jack. It is a great gadget but it is bid and heavy. The credit note might buy me a load spreader for the foot of the jack.

Temp gauge

The temp gauge has started reading high. I checked the radiator level. It had dropped. The rad took a pint to bring it back up the level. I checked the oil. That too was down a bit. I had to buy a can of 20/50 before I could top Degsy up. I put in a litre. I had a errand to run so went in Degsy. The temp gauge is back to normal.

Degsy is home

I got Degsy back on Friday 4th February at 9.30am. I drove him home and all seems well. I had a few hours to myself on Sunday and decided to clean the interior and fit the decking in the tub. I went to Wickes to buy some angle iron and plywood. After having swept out the tub I put the old wood shelf frame back in to see what it looked like. I decided to have a double thickness of decking. Having done some measuring I ended up taking out the rubber matting that I had just fitted which was enough to give me the spacing I needed. I glued up the wood frame as I fitted it. It was a tight fit. I put the rubber matting back in the cut to it to fit round the framework.

I cut the angle iron to length. I had bought a 2400mm x 1200mm sheet of 9mm plywood. I cut it to size to fit ethe wheel wells. I drilled through the decking and the angle iron making sure I did not go into the framing. I then put a screw through the decking, angle iron and into the framing. The angle iron was sandwiched between the frame the decking. I had three iron reinforced cross members. When the screws were all home a cut a second piece of ply for the decking. Then screwed the second decking ply to the first. The decking is solid. It takes my weight without excessive flexing. Having finished climbing in and out of the back of Degsy I fitted the tow hook and step. Not smart thinking really.

After that I got the seats out of the garage and washed then down. I gave the dash a wipe down whilst I was at it. I found the wheel braces and starting handle and fitted them behind the seats as re-fitted them. Next up was to load up the back of Degsy with allotment stuff. I made a difference to the garage as did tidying up the garage and taking a load of stuff to the tip. Whilst tiding up the garage I found a box with Land Rover spares such as fog and reverse lights, some tuning parts and an inner tube which was nice. The spare wheel has been bolted to the bonnet for the full landy effect.

Little jobs

It seemed to take an age for Saturday to come round. Since last week the posty has been a regular visitor to the house with packages with little goodies inside. Degsy's dash was in the same state as I had left it the week before i.e. in bits.

I started with a trial fitting the choke cable to the ignition switch block. It did not fit. I got the file out and whittled the collar away until it fitted into the carrier on the switch block. It was hard on my hands but I got there. H brought me a brew to keep the brain going. Next was to attach the wires to the new ignition switch. I read the manual and did as it said. However as soon as I put the key in the ignition the engine cranking. That was wrong. I had taken a picture of the back of the old switch the week before. I reconnected the wires according the picture and bingo the switch worked as it supposed to.

Next was to fit the ignition switch to the steering column. With the key out of the ignition barrel the steering lock tag was exposed. Putting the tag into the slot in the steering column provided the position for the ignition block on the column. I had already pulled the original choke cable out of bulkhead. At this stage of the game Degsy had THREE choke cables. The original cable which corroded to death. The second was the replacement for the original and now I had a replacement for the replacement. I pulled out the original cable and in positioning the ignition switch, fed the new choke cable through the bulkhead where the old choke cable had been. It all went together quite well. I eased the wires and threaded them to be less of bird's nest behind the dashboard before reconnecting them to the ignition switch. Then I tightened up the bracket securing the ignition block whilst making sure the steering lock and ignition switch continued to work until the sheer bolts......sheered. The next job was to reconnect the indicator switch and again reroute the wires to reduce the bird's nest. I replaced the dash lights bulbs whilst the dash was out then replaced the dash and eased the wires behind the dash as I screwed it home. I checked all the switches and found that the blower now worked but only on a single speed. I single speed is better than the previous zero speed.

Steering wheel next. Well actually the steering wheel binnacle. That was a faff but still only a few minutes of messing out. Then the steering wheel proper. No problem as I must have fitted it more than a dozen times. This time on dismantling the steering wheel the last time I had remembered to put a pencil mark to assist me in repositioning the steering wheel correctly.

I popped up the bonnet. I disconnected the current choke cable from the carb. After a moments thought I pulled out he cable inner and a snipped off the outer sleeve. I did not remove what was the existing choke pull from the bulkhead as it would be leave another hole. I had two or three goes at routing the new choke cable round the engine bay to find nice clean route. Having found the best route I secured the sleeve and inner to the choke levers. It all just fitted together. It was noticeable that the choke butterfly sat up vertically where the old cable made the butterfly lean over. I think that in leaning over it was also engaging the enriching choke jet.

The tiny jobs left to do was were really easy.
A. to replace the radiator header tank cap [10 seconds]
B. fit new the washer bottle cap. [30 seconds]
C. Vacuum tube [30 seconds]

Fitting the washer bottle cap required me to take off part of the washer feed pipe so water had to be pumped through to make the washer jets work. When I tried the wipers the left one started working properly, go figure.

I pulled out the choke cable turned the key and Degsy burst into life without any hesitation. The engine sounded really "fruity". I had to go out and took Degsy. The engine revved freely and pulled more strongly and even than before. Having run round for an hour or so I checked the end of the exhaust pipe. It was biscuit brown rather than sooty as it had been before. The fuel gauge was telling the same story, fuel consumption is down.

It was a pleasant couple of hours fettling Degsy. There are still a few little items to resolve but the engine works well and that is a big thing.

Long walk

I bust the near side wing mirror on the bushes in the garden. 30 seconds to fit a new one [I had one in stock] but I must have walked from the driver's seat to the mirror to make fine adjustment about fifty times. It is not quite right but it will have to do for now.

Poorly Degsy

Degsy has let me down.........................He has started running intermittently. It feels like an electrical problem. The ignition lights goes out when the key is in which suggests it is something on the ignition circuit beside that fact the engines cuts out. It does restart after a few minutes which feels a lot like to coils is on the way out.

It conked out completely and I had the ignominy of having Steve towing back home. The next morning I did the static timing thing and Degsy started and run strongly settling down into a low revving tick over. I then took him for a spin only to have him cut out again. This time manged to nurse him home by letting things cool down before running another few hundred yards before conking out again.

The Internet has nothing offer on the issue. I have researched the ignition wiring and have come to the conclusion that either the coil is or the condenser is u/s. I rather think the coil might be the fault as it looks really old and the condenser was put on only a few months ago. I am going to get a new coil, condenser and points. It it all and see how we go.

I have also decided that the motor is using far too much fuel. I have also decided that the fitting of the new choke cable just before I bought Degsy might be the issue. I am going to send off for a proper cable and a vacuum pipe for the automatic advance mechanism which melted through when it touched on the exhaust manifold. I managed to patch it up but I do not think that is the running problem. A lack of mechanical advance would just make the motor run poorly at higher revs.

Lots to think about but I have the a few hours at the weekend to attend to Degsy.

Degsy the hero

My buddy has a Lightweight or Airportable Land Rover. He rang to say it would not start. I asked the usual things; is the battery flat, is the starter motor turning. Turns out those were dumb questions. The battery is ok and the starter does not turn the motor. I was asked to tow the lightweight to the garage to have it looked at. I turned up at the appointed time. I had a tow rope, a useful accessory for any Landy, even Degsy. We hooked up the landys and I towed Mandy, Steve's landy, off the drive. Then I moved Degsy round to the other end and hooked it up again for the more usual method of towing. Mandy might be a lightweight but it is still heavy, especially on a snowy hill. I selected four wheel drive and set off. A few extra revs and a small slip of the clutch and the pair of us were off up the hill. I agreed with Steve that when we got onto the main road that he should select second gear, pull out the choke and with the ignition on, dump the clutch. I hoped it would start. It took two attempts but it started. I unhooked Degsy from Mandy and followed Steve up to the garage. Mandy was parked up and the keys dropped off. In the meantime Degsy drove home triumphant.

Chrissy prezzy for Degsy

Degsy got a Christmas present. I got him a radiator muff. It is one of those things that closes down the radiator exposure to the incoming air. Given it has not got above -2 for the past week and has been cbelow -8 most nights anything that keeps the cold air out has to be a good thing. Cable ties are the best invention in the world and with them I secured the muff ot the radiator grill. It works a treat. The temp gauge is at least a quarter higher than without the muff. I also think that the muff keeps the heat in the engine bay for longer once the engine is switched off and that helps in the long term. It is defineatley easier to start after it has been left standing.

Here is Degsy at the lottie with its rad muff in full effect.