The Lair

11 December 2002

Whoa - nearly 2 months and I hardly noticed it go by! Time for an update then....the parts have returned from Colotti. One brand new 5th gear synchro ring, already pressed onto the gear ready to be fitted! The parcel arrived last week and the parts were rushed over to the workshop like vital organs ready for transplant - which was daft really as they won't be fitted for some time yet.

The car is looking great - except for the two holes in the bodywork around the windscreen. I knew there was likely to be problems and it looks like my pessimism was duly rewarded. Apparently it won't be too hard to fix and it isn't so far gone that repair panels are needed so no big disaster! A new bonnet has been made from sheet aluminium and currently looks rather stunning in bare metal. The radiator cowling has been removed and a new "box" made up - this time substantially bigger than the old one. Initially I was worried that I will see too much cooling but some rational thinking reminded me that there is a reason why I bought the electric water pump AND thermostatic controller.

I took the opportunity to grab some new photos that have been uploaded to the photo album (sorry it is still IE5.5+ only - must get it sorted out...) and added to the end of the reel. They all show off the new bodywork but one in particular shows some reinforcing that none of us can really explain. The wide U shaped brackets that support the headlamp pods have been braced from the inner shell for no apparent reason. The bodywork itself is rigid enough and the pods haven't carried a motor of lamp for some time!

12 October 2002

I had to wait a while to get it, but I finally have the news back from Colotti on my gearbox. The synchro ring I sent back to them is NOT one of their design - which is exactly what they said about the input gear that matches the ring. This means I do NOT have a Colotti gear set and the guy who sold me the car (although he may have honestly believed it) was talking total and utter bull! It IS a close ratio gear set though but where it came from is a total mystery now and one that is very unlikely to be solved.

Fortunately the nice people at Colotti have agreed to fabricate the synchro ring for me at the same price they originally quoted one of their own. Unfortunately the lead time on this is over a month so I'm glad I didn't leave it until the last minute!

The car is going back into the workshop soon for a Winter refit! All of the scuffed and damaged bodywork will be restored and some minor modifications made to the rear. While my sponsorship is still thin on the ground I won't be making any major modifications but some tweaking is planned to try and get some more power from the Uno Turbo unit.