It's back!

The car's back. Really pleased with the result (if not the bill!). Dan Taylor is top geezer as it turns out when I met him today. Really helpful, and very enthusiastic! He has a 5 litre Chimaera too, so he clearly has taste. It's an early one, mid/dark red colour. The same guy who he recommended for the paint on my car has painted his - looks really good, so that's cool too. Sprayer is in Marden - very close to where I live.

Dan was overall impressed with the condition of the car, especially the interior. Overall he thinks it's a good example, which is nice!

I saw the outriggers on the workshop floor. They were horrid. They were so rusty I couldn't pick one of them up with out it bending in half at the rusty bits. Ridiculous. From the underneath they looked rusty, but OK. But on top they were a disaster area:



The new ones look much nicer:



In this photo, you can probably see that I have some new shocks and springs! Gaz Gold Pro fully adjustable shocks, with uprated springs. Dan also polybushed the anti-roll bars and changed the drop links for Steve Heath ones. I've bought this kit and I'll get round to doing the whole suspension with the polybushes eventually. As Dan had to take various bits off to do the work he was doing, he fitted the uprated parts when putting everything back. The weird thing is that I haven't driven the car for so long that I now don't remember what it felt like to drive before the mods, and whether now it's so different! I need to take it on a track day I think.

Under the bonnet he's done some tidying up - clipping cables and pipes together to make the engine bay more tidy and these things more secure. He's also fitted the new alloy radiator, which does look really good, and magnecor leads too, which give a touch of clean colour to the engine. Overall, well pleased!

On the way back from picking up the car, the front numberplate fell off on one side. The screw holding it on must have vibrated out. All part of the fun I suppose.