BB April 4

A long time since the last update, primarily because there has been little to report. I've used the car when the
weather has been suitable, but it sat largely unused between January and March.

Of course, with all of that time, I then had a late panic to get the MOT renewed - is it really a year since I put it
through SVA? On checking it over for the MOT I found a couple of problems. Either the wing indicators wouldn't
work or none of the indicators worked, and one of the sidelights in the headlight bowl wasn't working.

The fact that there were two faults on the indicators said to me that there were two faults. The first, where none of
the indicators worked was easy - the indicator relay was dodgy. I remade all of the connections and mounted it more
securely and that problem was resolved. The wing indicators were equally easy, just needed to be tightened up to
make the earths better. The headlight bwas just a bad connection.

So off we go for the MOT and it sailed through - mind you seeing the tester poking and prodding it brought back bad
memories of the SVA! So did the rain that started just as the tester was writing out the ticket, which spoiled all my
fun.

Once I got it home again I decided it was time to make the cover for the rear seats - it has only been waiting 6
months whilst i thought about it. The thinking paid off, though, as I had it made in a few hours. When I cust the hole
I saved the bit I cut out, as well as the paper template I used to cut it. I could therefore use the template to cut out
an identical shaped piece (except for covering the seat belts) whichwas 1" wider all the way around. This was gently
shaped until it match the piece that had come out originally, and then the two pieces were rivetted together. Locks
and edgeing were added and the job was complete.

It was all going so well, and then disaster. yesterday I took it out but it started runnig very rough, as though one
cylinder wasn't working. I nursed it home (fortunately not far away) and realsied that the nearside carburettor
was twisted. The inlet "port" had come unscrewed. Whilst looking at this I noticed that oil had been spraying up
that side of the engine. Closer inspection showed this coming from the barrel/block joint. A black cloud descended
and I put it away in the garage.

This evening I decided that I had better take a look, and sure enough the inserts that I had put in had pulled out.
This is as bad as it gets, basically the block is scrap as the stud holes are now too big to be repaired again.

So looks like I'm in the market for a new engine. I had guessed that this was the case so called MotoBins today to
talk my options through. These are:

- Complete re-furbished engine in a crate less ancillaries such as starter, alternator etc. Easy but expensive.

- Complete second-hand engine as found.

- Refurbished bottom end (block, crank/cam and rods) to which I add my current top end and ancillaries.

The first options is too expensive, so we can rule that one out. The second is the same as i have already done. OK,
I may not fall foul a second time, but I am a little wary - once bitten, twice shy and all that.

The third seems favourite although I don't really have the time to makwe the mods to the sump extension to the
block and move all the bits across which will take at least a day. I suppose that we shall have to see. As it stands,
the car is in pieces in the garage and I am in here wondering how I am going to break the news to my wife.........

Talked the options through with MotoBins on Tuesday. They rang back yesterday saying that they had a good
crankcase that I could have, however moving the crank over requires some engineering to bearings, so we agreed
that I would strip my engine down as far as I could and then take it to them. They will transfer everything across
to the new crankcase and then I can rebuild it and re-install it. This seems the ideal option as I'm not paying fopr
stuff I already have.

So last night it was strip down night (the engine, not me). The oil was drained, offside carb disconnected and
barrel removed (nearside was done on Monday when I checked for thre problem). The alternator and timing
trigger can were removed, followed by the timing case cover and then the engine was "hoiked" out (this was the
hardest part as the lower nearside mounting bolt is a sod to get to). Once the engine was on the bench the clutch
and flywheel could be removed. This all took about two hours.

I think that I'll take the opportunity to get the barrels and covers blasted whilst the engine's away as the
problems with the barrel means that the fins are full of an oil and road crap gunge. I'll also get the timing chain
replaced as I don't know how old it is.