July 2007
Thursday 19th July 2007
I found a problem with the Audi the other morning. The battery was flat, so I went to jump start it using the Mondeo, and I discovered about a gallon of water was trapped in the battery compartment. I removed the battery, and found that both the drain plugs were blocked with silt. I'm glad the battery was flat now. Saved me from a potential disaster.
The glass sunroof is now prepped for painting with PVA. I've filled the holes in the glass, left by the removal of the brackets, as the carbon one needs to be completely smooth, like the steel sunroof I'm running. I'll have to figure out how to attach it to the car later. It certainly wont be tiltable using the standard mechanism, as it puts some considerable strain on the sunroof fixings.
The clicking noise when manouvering the Mondeo hasn't been cured by replacing the outer off side CV joint. It certainly seems to be getting worse now too. Reminds me of the loud clicking noise that my Citroen BX used to make when the hydraulics were pumping up the suspension. I'll drop it by the main dealer tomorrow for them to have another listen. I wonder how much money Ford is losing when dealerships replace parts without actually getting to the root cause of the problem. Must be millions of pounds a year. It was the same when the EGR valve first failed. They replaced the air filter, and the problem still occured.
I'm off work for three weeks, and really enjoying my time with my family. My 27 month old son is really into cars, planes, trains and everything you can lay your hands on in the garage, which is fantastic. We're off to the Aero Museum at East Midlands Airport this morning, so he can have a close up look at the static displays, and watch some more planes taking off and coming in to land at the airport. Its a shame the weather in the UK is so poor at the moment. We'd have spent much more time outside, but it has rained every day for the last six weeks, and doesn't look like we'll be getting any sunshine worth mentioning.
Did you remember to pick up the Mail on Sunday last week for the free Prince album? I did, and I'm a big fan of Planet Earth. Its an excellent album (not just cos its free)
Tuesday 17th July 2007
Bought some Gelflex this morning, so I can have a stab at making the door handle moulds without any bubbles. I bought the blue stuff, which gives the stiffest mould when cured. I also finished stripping the black paint from round the outside of the sunroof, prior to painting with PVA release agent.
Sunday 15th July 2007
I've had a couple of attempts at making moulds from the door handles, so I can make some from carbon fibre. My attempts so far have been pretty unsuccessful, using plaster. Air bubbles ruin the finish, so I'm going to try some Vinamold/Flexil, which is a plastic which is easily melted on a stove, and is also reusable. I should just be able to melt it, pour the liquid in to a container, and lower the handles in to the top to create the moulds. I've started on the sunroof too, by taking off the black paint from the metal band that surrounds the glass, using Nitromors paint remover.
Thursday 05th July 2007
Sold the GSXR throttle bodies on Ebay. They went for £270, which is less than what I actually spent developing them, but at least I have some more money towards my new Jenvey's, which I need to order. They are part number CKFD02N taper kit, which have a 48mm taper body (45mm butterfly)
