Took the Pop out for a solo drive to a local steam rally at Woodcote, near Reading in Berkshire today. A good run of maybe 25 miles each way. Great fun blatting around the country lanes, but seriously hot n sweaty in the cab -not suprising as it was well over 30 degrees outside. I really must get some heat insulation for the floors & gearbox tunnel.
Only minor problems at the moment-
It won't start in "Park". I fitted a gearstick gaiter a while ago & the base plate stopped the stick going far enough forward to engage the inhibitor. It worked if I banged the stick forward a couple of times though. Now it'll only start in Neutral & will sometimes just click on the first turn of the key, then start on the second. Sticky starter solenoid or dodgy inhibitor switch? I need to fix it before it doesn't start at all one day.
It now spins the engine over a few times before it fires up, whereas it was starting immediately to begin with -?
It leaks a small amount of water from the rear heater hose connection on the inlet manifold, but only when the engine's cooling down, which suggests the fittings are contracting as they cool. Not a problem but I can't tighten the hose connection any further.
The bear claw latch on the passenger door has a habit of popping open to it's secondary position when I'm driving -perfectly safe, but means the door's half an inch ajar. So I've got into the habit of stretching my arm across the cab & yanking it shut every now & then. Should be just an adjustment of the latch pin.
I wasn't entered in the show today so parked in the public carpark again. Several favourable comments made me smile though-
As I was paying for petrol this morning a Police car pulled up at the next pump, painted in reflective yellow & blue chequered motorway patrol colours.
When I came out the copper said "Nice truck. I like your paint!"
"Thanks. Not as flashy as yours!"
Brarrping past AWE Aldermaston, (the Atomic Weapons Establishment a few miles from Basingstoke), a second patrol car came towards me as I slid around a roundabout, (hot tarmac & skinny crossplies don't work well together). He flashed his lights at me & gave me a big thumbs up out of the window.
Queueing to cross the little toll bridge at Goring on Thames on my way home, I was sat next to a Nissan Skyliner queueing in the opposite direction.
"awesome truck mate."
"Wanna swap?"
-he immediately pulled the keys out of his ignition & offered them to me.
Heh, heh. Maybe when I'm broken down at the roadside one day I'll wish I'd traded. But not today.
