What I did during my “holiday”...

[Nick Jones]

From my mother (!) in WA....  Not just the Aussies mate!

[mpbarrett]

1 hour ago, Nick Jones said:

Jeez Mike........

I ought to do that....... then I could also make up a light bracing structure to bolt an H frame onto..... 

And I could redo the wood - which is UGLY. 

But it would expose the shamefully bodgy wiring, mis-matched instruments and papier-mâché’d-30-years-ago dash shell.Things would likely get out of hand!

I am afraid that this will escalate, there at least 4 inline fuses, so thinking new fuse box, new centre light, lights in the foot well, the new surround is ok and strengthened with PVA glue, already thinking the instruments need to be stripped and cleaned and the temp and fuel gauge don't match (its got a Vitesse layout)…
And I need to buy 2 new wiper motor gear boxes (22 teeth, only used on early Heralds before 1968, mines a 1968 13/60 and Minis...).

The wood is in good condition as it was replaced a couple of years ago.

Should keep me busy for a bit.. Cant see use being released before end of May

Mike

[GT6MK3]

Decided I deserved a day off yesterday.

[Hamish]

Happy  Birthday 

 after planning to upgrade the front suspension on TR3a to add castor and camber I have been gathering the bits for 18 months eBay and new. I have finally made a start. 

My car is road going and used in sprints and hillclimbs.

normally I’d check with “Oldtuckunder”  - I miss his advice in the paddock and on here.
 

the later TR4 etc has a different top wishbone and trunnions.that can be swapped into the 3a.

the top wishbones can be shortened to give camber. ( an old school approach as there are fulcrum kits available to do this)

the trunnions give the castor 

but I’m teaching my mother etc here !! Sorry. 

new top wishbones (shortened) nylon bushed. New top ball joint. New castor trunnions.

uprated stub axle and hub inc all the TimKen bearings,  new disc.

new hub and bearings very sensitive to tightening  too tight and too loose..

settled with tightening quite a bit then backing off to first castle nut pin hole.

yet to fit new uprated 420lb springs

new yet to arrive Gaz adjustable shocks.  These replace koni’s that may be fine but a bu@@er to adjust as you have to take them out and twist the body of the shock.

 

question

are harder springs supposed to go with softer bump and rebound. Or just harden everything off ?

[mpbarrett]

3 hours ago, Nick Jones said:

Jeez Mike........

I ought to do that....... then I could also make up a light bracing structure to bolt an H frame onto..... 

…….

Often wondered about that. When I had a GT6 I was amazed what a difference having the H section in the car made to the stiffness, without (usually after one of many gearbox changes.) it there was definite movement in the body. 
In the herald where would you bolt it to? the cross member (in the photos) that sits under the dash surround is not very strong but could be strengthened on the chassis end would need to fit some plates on top of the chassis legs either side of the gearbox.
Have to have a look at how its done on a GT6  at the dashboard end.

Mike. 

[Nick Jones]

1 hour ago, GT6MK3 said:

Decided I deserved a day off yesterday.

Many happy returns Indeed!

Chocolate cake, crunchie bars (+some others I can’t make out) and a large glass of red. Could be worse 

[Nick Jones]

42 minutes ago, mpbarrett said:

Often wondered about that. When I had a GT6 I was amazed what a difference having the H section in the car made to the stiffness, without (usually after one of many gearbox changes.) it there was definite movement in the body. 
In the herald where would you bolt it to? the cross member (in the photos) that sits under the dash surround is not very strong but could be strengthened on the chassis end would need to fit some plates on top of the chassis legs either side of the gearbox.
Have to have a look at how its done on a GT6  at the dashboard end.

Mike. 

That’s the point. There is nowhere on a standard Herald/Vitesse but Chris’s calcs  suggest big benefits are possible. It’s a bit vague as there are many variables, such as the form of the frame you add under the dash but I will be adding mounting points on the chassis like Spit/GT6 before I drop the body down for the final time. Can’t comment on the GT6 as I haven’t driven it with the frame in yet but certainly makes a big difference in the Spit.

[PeteStupps]

4 hours ago, Hamish said:

question

are harder springs supposed to go with softer bump and rebound. Or just harden everything off ?

Speaking only from academic exercises, a higher spring rate will require more damping to stop your mass oscillating wildly... so harder shocks for stiffer springs. 

[Nick Jones]

No holiday today..... more like extreme gardening.  Not strictly my garden but one of the neighbours is a bit slack about getting his hedges cut (like 6 years slack).  To be fair he's got a fair bit of land and is a bit frail, though this particular field needs doing with something bit heavier duty than my long-suffering Black & Decker hedge trimmer! (TRactor mounted flail, flamethrower, that sort of thing)

Anyway, when I cleared the stream in our earlier floods the subject came up and I got his blessing to deal with the bits that bother me.  Today was a 40m stretch of what is meant to be blackthorn but is very well mixed in with brambles (to the extent that the blackthorn has almost given up in places.

I forgot to take a before picture, which is a shame as the aftermath looks relatively benign....

Battle ground extends from the right of the pic almost to the samll gateway on the left.  Brambles covered the non-grassy areas to a height of about 3m.

This stuff..... like a tussle with a pissed-off leopard.  I had my electric hedge cutters, some long-handled loppers, bow-saw and secateurs.  Pen-knife to a gun fight really.  Napalm is the right stuff......

Some blood was shed.....

Tired now - and a little sun burnt.  Nice warm sunny day, if a little breezy.  The bad news is that there is about the same to go in another area - though that is mostly bramble - no blackthorn.  Brambles are hateful, hateful things, but blackthorns will go through the soles of your shoes!

[Hamish]

33 minutes ago, PeteStupps said:

Speaking only from academic exercises, a higher spring rate will require more damping to stop your mass oscillating wildly... so harder shocks for stiffer springs. 

Thanks. It’s a starting point when they arrive. 

[JohnD]

Nick, Snap!    I reported a hedge knock down on the previous page.

Looking at it today.   I'll grass seed the ground that was covered, but can't decide if it's worth putting RoundUp on first.    There's a dense network of ivy on and in the ground at present, but it's on quite a slope.     Kill the ivy and it may erode before the grass can get established.

Any comments. anyone?

John

[zetecspit]

Ivy is a pig to kill off. Normal roundup/glyphosate will likely need multiple applications. But you can by the stuff off ebay and elsewhere that is super concentrated (360g/L) that you dilute. I buy it in 5L tubs, and use it on my rental house to kill weeds etc twice yearly, it seems to do the trick but have used it in double or more concentration to attack ivy. It got there in the end. However, I used it to successfully deal with some Japanese knotweed. Did that buy using a needle/syringe and injecting each stem. But that approach may be effective in dealing with the ivy? forget letting the stuff absorb through the leaves, inject it so far more will enter the plant. In fact glyphosate is used as a stump killer by mixing with oil/diesel etc and pouring into a stump. Just ideas....

Link to the glyphosate https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=glyphosate+360&_sacat=0&_sop=15

[thebrookster]

12 hours ago, Nick Jones said:

No holiday today..... more like extreme gardening.  Not strictly my garden but one of the neighbours is a bit slack about getting his hedges cut (like 6 years slack).  To be fair he's got a fair bit of land and is a bit frail, though this particular field needs doing with something bit heavier duty than my long-suffering Black & Decker hedge trimmer! (TRactor mounted flail, flamethrower, that sort of thing)

Anyway, when I cleared the stream in our earlier floods the subject came up and I got his blessing to deal with the bits that bother me.  Today was a 40m stretch of what is meant to be blackthorn but is very well mixed in with brambles (to the extent that the blackthorn has almost given up in places.

I forgot to take a before picture, which is a shame as the aftermath looks relatively benign....

Battle ground extends from the right of the pic almost to the samll gateway on the left.  Brambles covered the non-grassy areas to a height of about 3m.

This stuff..... like a tussle with a pissed-off leopard.  I had my electric hedge cutters, some long-handled loppers, bow-saw and secateurs.  Pen-knife to a gun fight really.  Napalm is the right stuff......

Some blood was shed.....

Tired now - and a little sun burnt.  Nice warm sunny day, if a little breezy.  The bad news is that there is about the same to go in another area - though that is mostly bramble - no blackthorn.  Brambles are hateful, hateful things, but blackthorns will go through the soles of your shoes!

Speaking as someone who has cleared more than a few bramble patches, that is impressive work!! 

However, regarding the blood letting, glad to see you got away reasonably unscathed considering you were also tackling blackthorn. Now that stuff is feckin vicious!

Ever considered a slightly heavier duty hedge trimmer, of the pole variety? I have a Stihl (mid range model) long reach which I picked up second hand, discovered last year that it was also truly excellent in clearing brambles and bracken/ferns, without having to get quite so close and personal.

Phil

[Nick Jones]

Thanks Phil.  Feeling a little old this morning!

I do have a petrol driven “multi-tool” which includes a long hedge chopping attachment. However, it’s a feeble piece of crap from Screwfix and can barely manage strimming duties.  Not my Best ever Buy and I should look for a decent used one.
 

Must say that though people sneer at at Black & Decker, these hedge cutters have taken some serious punishment. Do have to take them apart occasionally because the switch interlock unhooks itself but the basic hardware is robust enough.

[Rod1883]

Whilst I understand everyone trying to keep busy with tasks around the home and garden - I just want to say that no-one should be cutting hedges now as we are in the bird nesting season and it is an offence to disturb them. A bit of light hand trimming if careful is OK.

Also - please be careful/considerate if having a bonfire. The smoke from a bonfire is particularly dangerous to those with breathing or heart problems. Our local councils have put out messages asking people not to have them whilst people are being instructed staying at home.

Sorry, nanny-ish state comments over! 

Edit - hopefully the Blackthorn will get going again Nick and Sloe Gin can be enjoyed in future.

Edited April 6, 2020 by Rod1883

[JohnD]

Rod,

My hedge was threadbare and leaf-bare, dead as firewood.    I don't think that birds would nest in it, when other hedges nearby offerd concealment, we conserved the remaining, leafed bushes.

 

JOhn

[Rod1883]

Thanks for the response John.

I'm sure that no-one on here would harm wildlife intentionally. I remember getting a severe dressing down from my sister many years ago when I trimmed a hedge for my Mum and Dad to help out whilst visiting them around this time of year - so it tends to have stuck in my mind!

Edited April 6, 2020 by Rod1883

[Nick Jones]

No nests found - or any other wildlife.  Too damn spikey!

From where I'm sitting at my desk I can see a pair of magpies putting the finishing touches to their nest in the top of a large hazel in our hedgeline (well, it would be a hedge except the PO let it get away about 15 years ago!).  Not a great magpie enthusiast, though it will be interesting to watch the politics between them and the crows in the neighbors weeping willow < 100m away.  Magpies have previous for trying to raid the crows nests - gets noisy!

[JohnD]

Relaxed with a cuppa on the veradah this tea time - and a young buzzard flew over!  First one I've seen from here.

No pics, too far up, and it was gone when I ran for my binocs.

 

[mpbarrett]

13 hours ago, JohnD said:

Relaxed with a cuppa on the veradah this tea time - and a young buzzard flew over!  First one I've seen from here.

No pics, too far up, and it was gone when I ran for my binocs.

 

saw my first one near our village (just north of Cambridge) about 5 years ago, now they are quite common, love to hear them crying to each other.
We have also started to get Red Kites as well, they seem to have spend down the A1 and then onto the A14 heading East!

Amazing how quickly the big raptors have spread.

Mike

[John I]

1 hour ago, mpbarrett said:

.
We have also started to get Red Kites as well, they seem to have spend down the A1 and then onto the A14 heading East!

Amazing how quickly the big raptors have spread.

Mike

Hi Mike, amazing how quickly they've learnt the A road system and with no sat nav

[JohnD]

Few years ago, I was visiting London, drove along the M40 through the Chilterns towards High Wycombe.   Just past the top of the climb, I saw a red kite over the motorway!  Very excited, I got off the Mway, backtracked and saw it again!    I was so pleased with myself, I wrote to the RSPB, suggesting that the kites were following main roads out of Wales, their last stronghold, following roadkill!

The RSPB gently informed me that the Aston Rowant nature reserve, just south of the M6, had been rearing and releasing red kites for several years!  Doh!

But the A1 and A14?    There is another release site "in the East Midlands" - the British Trust for Ornithology is understandably cautious in identifying exactly where - which is probably the source for the kites you have seen.  There are others in Scotland.   Their reintroduction is a great success, and they are spreading their presence across the British Isles.   See: https://www.bto.org/understanding-birds/species-focus/red-kite

John

 

[JohnD]

While I'm here, about the "Ballad of Dunny Roll".    Certain here will recognise a good and funny parody of the works of Banjo Paterson, the Australian "Bush Poet".

Poetry is useful in times of stress, some learn it to recite, either to themselves or for others.    Banjo's rhymes are addictive and clever, and worth a read!

Try, "Clancy, of the Overflow""

https://www.poetrylibrary.edu.au/poets/paterson-a-b-banjo/poems/clancy-of-the-overflow-0001006

And if you like him, try Robert Service

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45082/the-shooting-of-dan-mcgrew

 

[SP]

We have 3 Red Kites hovering around our place in Surrey almost constantly,took a photo of one really low last evening.There are a large group of Crows that seem to reside in an oak tree outside a care home up the road,sometimes you can see them having a go at the kites in mid air.

Steve

[Nick Jones]

Ever since this kicked off I've been hearing echoes in my head of the track by Aussie band Redgum  "I was only 19" and wondering that no "alternate" version had sprung up.  Turns out it has, but was taken down at the request of the writer of the original who felt it was cheapening the message of the original.  Never heard the alternate version so can't comment on whether it was unsuitably light hearted,  but seems to me that an alternate version faithful to the original dark message, just realigned to these times would not be inappropriate...….

 

The original..... never fails to raise the hairs on the back of my neck