richiep
Club Member
Bank holiday weekend had some ups and downs; on the up side, as I will cover in the Dixie thread, I repaired that car's rear hatch. All went well. Yesterday however, given the glorious weather and getting jealous of all the classics and toys out on the roads this weekend, I decided to "pop the bubble" and recommission the red Fairlady Z. I had this fantasy of doing a quick oil change, draining the old fuel, putting new in, reconnecting the battery and off for a drive... of course reality of the car being stood for 21 months kicked in, combined with me not having taken all the things I might need to the barn with me.
On the plus side, the battery was charged and she turned over nicely. The oil change was a disaster though as I didn't have a suitable bowl and improvised with a 5L petrol can and a funnel; of course, the rate of oil spewing out the sump overpowered the funnel and I ended up with a nice big puddle of gross old oil to clean up, most of it in the Carcoon base. Doh.
And the clutch was non-existent. No leaks, but clearly needs bleeding and I didn't have any it or the DOT 5 silicon fluid I use. Doh 2.
And thanks to the aforementioned cranking, once the electric fuel pump kicked in with a bit of oil pressure, petrol pissed all over the place under the back of the car. The rubber hose was leaking where it attaches to the hard line. TBF, that has happened before after shorter lay-ups, the clamps needing a tweak up every so often. Still, I will go armed next time with some replacement hose just in case. Doh 3.
And I discovered a mouse had chewed a hole in the base of the Carcoon. No wonder its been looking a bit droopy - the fans have been ventilating the bubble and the rest of the room. Doh 4.
And then the Celica's battery went dead, blocking the Z in anyway. Total fail.
Went home in a sulky mood, then got whipped up into a state of rabid, foaming at the mouth frenzy by the veritable army of lycra-festooned 2-wheel menaces plaguing East Cheshire's A roads. Typical that the main route between the storage barn and home encompasses a road used for cycle road racing. Apologies to all those who enjoy a bit of cycle-based exercise and the like, but... BASTARDS. UTTER BASTARDS.
Then got in trouble when I got home for not leaving the hot tub we've rented on to heat up while I was out - apparently I was supposed to leave the thing plugged in through an open window despite there being no one home, security be damned. Kids and wife giving me dark looks and barbed comments for hours. FML.
On the plus side, the battery was charged and she turned over nicely. The oil change was a disaster though as I didn't have a suitable bowl and improvised with a 5L petrol can and a funnel; of course, the rate of oil spewing out the sump overpowered the funnel and I ended up with a nice big puddle of gross old oil to clean up, most of it in the Carcoon base. Doh.
And the clutch was non-existent. No leaks, but clearly needs bleeding and I didn't have any it or the DOT 5 silicon fluid I use. Doh 2.
And thanks to the aforementioned cranking, once the electric fuel pump kicked in with a bit of oil pressure, petrol pissed all over the place under the back of the car. The rubber hose was leaking where it attaches to the hard line. TBF, that has happened before after shorter lay-ups, the clamps needing a tweak up every so often. Still, I will go armed next time with some replacement hose just in case. Doh 3.
And I discovered a mouse had chewed a hole in the base of the Carcoon. No wonder its been looking a bit droopy - the fans have been ventilating the bubble and the rest of the room. Doh 4.
And then the Celica's battery went dead, blocking the Z in anyway. Total fail.
Went home in a sulky mood, then got whipped up into a state of rabid, foaming at the mouth frenzy by the veritable army of lycra-festooned 2-wheel menaces plaguing East Cheshire's A roads. Typical that the main route between the storage barn and home encompasses a road used for cycle road racing. Apologies to all those who enjoy a bit of cycle-based exercise and the like, but... BASTARDS. UTTER BASTARDS.
Then got in trouble when I got home for not leaving the hot tub we've rented on to heat up while I was out - apparently I was supposed to leave the thing plugged in through an open window despite there being no one home, security be damned. Kids and wife giving me dark looks and barbed comments for hours. FML.