juular

What we need now that you've perfected the car idling video is a good driving video. Come on @Dyslexic Viking, make it happen pal!

Today is actually spring and warm, so can now open up the garage for the first time since October.
The first job was to add a diesel additive and then change the fuel tank cap as the old one was leaking.
Old one don't look so good.
 
The only new one I found was this which a Mercedes specialist said would fit and it did.


 
Then it was time to start it for the first time since October and it started quickly this year, faster than last year but as always was a bit grumpy in the first few minutes.

 
My current phone doesn't film as well as the last one so this isn't the best but it's something.
 
Now got the charging tested after I made a completely new charging system this winter and the result is 14.56 at idle without headlights and 13.10 at idle with headlights, so can call this a success. The next thing is to look at the cooling system and change the coolant and maintenance and it is ready for the road again. Hope it happens within 2 weeks waiting for the roads to be clean and safe from salt.

A fuel filler cap off a w201/w124/w126/r129 or r109 might be more original looking, assuming your original one was metal.

Milestone achieved in Dadford.

The lovely Stowe.

We have reached the village of Aldbury. 

Two issues.
I’m getting burning oil smells from the dashboard vents but I’ve checked all around and under the engine, there’s no sign of anything amiss. Odd.
Second issue, the fuel gauge has now completely given up the ghost.

I’ll be heading home soon. I will stop off at my local Esso and brim the tank. I will then work out the MPG and rely upon the trip meter , if I can’t sort out the fuel gauge problem.

Stopped off at Esso, managed to squeeze in 18.2 litres of unleaded. On the basis that I’ve clocked up 157 miles since I brimmed the tank last Sunday, that means the Sierra has averaged 39MPG. Bloody amazing but bear in mind that 99% of the distance was driven in zero traffic conditions and between 30-65MPH.

With the tank full, the fuel gauge has made a welcome return.

 

I forgot to add, it's great to have such a big show at this time of year. It's nice to have something to look forward to after the long dark winter without having to fight for calendar space with all the summer ones. 
I did like the stage being small and not in your face. The one at FOTU is getting increasingly obnoxious year on year.
Hope my post didn't seem negative at all. I had a really nice weekend.

It was a fun weekend.
Pinging @dollywobbler on the customer service line, for what I hope is taken as constructive feedback for next time and not an old man rant.  TLDR; I enjoyed it and I will come back, but there's scope for betterness(tm) without big changes.
Having to apply separately for a parking space within the event is a stupid idea.  The distinction between attendee and exhibitor was made so blurry it didn't exist. I bought a ticket (very early),  it was weeks before I realised the need to apply to park. Many said they didn't know about having to apply until the last minute when it was too late. As a result some interesting stuff wasn't there, or was parked miles away. That's a little sad really. Having a default first come first served space with a block at the museum reserved for mobility seems fairer.
Communication.  Almost everything official was posted on Facebook. Facebook is an echo chamber unrepresentative of the outside world, and more people I know are off it than on it. We had to rely on word of mouth or continually pinging the Rustival email address for clarity. To their credit they were shit hot at replying and were nice about it, so kudos.
I found that facebook information conflicted with what was on the Rustival website and differed again from what was being said on the Gaydon website. To compound; there was a video doing the rounds of what to expect, details differed again.  9 mostly serious adult people were sitting round a table the evening before the event trying to arrange a convoy, but we had all gleaned different details from the scraps we picked up.
I wasn't emailed tickets, so I'm glad I screenshotted the website booking confirmation otherwise I'd have done a 700 mile trip for nowt. It might be worth looking into that, as I definitely wasn't the only one.
It may not have been intended this way, but Mayfair did feel a little out on a limb and that cars were a bit scattered and/or grouped into bunches of car clubs. We really felt that Mayfair was Rustival Unofficial, a separate event for those that didn't get the memo. Meanwhile, notable empty spaces in VP, or they were taken up by modern yawn that I could enjoy* outside Tesco any day of the week. An age limit or some other gatekeeping just to gently press the ethos might be a good thing.
Positives, and there are plenty.
It's got a nice feel. Really friendly. A refreshing absence of rivet counting. Lots of people saying hello and welcoming inspection of their shitheaps. 
On the whole the cars that showed up were ones that we wanted to look at.
Despite my comments about organisation, we all just rolled off the M40 and slotted into a parking space. It was fairly seamless in the end. @Talbot however did not have the same experience.
Being at Gaydon and having access to the museum and its facilities was tremendous and sets it apart from FOTU in that regard. 
I mean the ticket price was a positive too, no doubt. FOTU is going to shoot itself in the foot with that.
ANYWAY.
No point doing photojournalism as others have that covered, but here's my personal favourites.

@Sunny Jim's C15 is all kinds of right. I really want one now.

The Carina. Would suffer mechanical failure anywhere in this and be happy about it.


TR2.  You win.

DAF(T) but cute.

I'm really not sure what to think of this. I don't like the rear spolier but otherwise it has grown on me. Would probably really enjoy cruising around listening to synth music in this. I can imagine it being sold today as a retro-modern and I'd probably want one.

For the record, we were the ones in the concours Amazon, next to Dave's absolutely stonking Dyane, which I struggled to keep up with on the way back.

It was a fun weekend.
Pinging @dollywobbler on the customer service line, for what I hope is taken as constructive feedback for next time and not an old man rant.  TLDR; I enjoyed it and I will come back, but there's scope for betterness(tm) without big changes.
Having to apply separately for a parking space within the event is a stupid idea.  The distinction between attendee and exhibitor was made so blurry it didn't exist. I bought a ticket (very early),  it was weeks before I realised the need to apply to park. Many said they didn't know about having to apply until the last minute when it was too late. As a result some interesting stuff wasn't there, or was parked miles away. That's a little sad really. Having a default first come first served space with a block at the museum reserved for mobility seems fairer.
Communication.  Almost everything official was posted on Facebook. Facebook is an echo chamber unrepresentative of the outside world, and more people I know are off it than on it. We had to rely on word of mouth or continually pinging the Rustival email address for clarity. To their credit they were shit hot at replying and were nice about it, so kudos.
I found that facebook information conflicted with what was on the Rustival website and differed again from what was being said on the Gaydon website. To compound; there was a video doing the rounds of what to expect, details differed again.  9 mostly serious adult people were sitting round a table the evening before the event trying to arrange a convoy, but we had all gleaned different details from the scraps we picked up.
I wasn't emailed tickets, so I'm glad I screenshotted the website booking confirmation otherwise I'd have done a 700 mile trip for nowt. It might be worth looking into that, as I definitely wasn't the only one.
It may not have been intended this way, but Mayfair did feel a little out on a limb and that cars were a bit scattered and/or grouped into bunches of car clubs. We really felt that Mayfair was Rustival Unofficial, a separate event for those that didn't get the memo. Meanwhile, notable empty spaces in VP, or they were taken up by modern yawn that I could enjoy* outside Tesco any day of the week. An age limit or some other gatekeeping just to gently press the ethos might be a good thing.
Positives, and there are plenty.
It's got a nice feel. Really friendly. A refreshing absence of rivet counting. Lots of people saying hello and welcoming inspection of their shitheaps. 
On the whole the cars that showed up were ones that we wanted to look at.
Despite my comments about organisation, we all just rolled off the M40 and slotted into a parking space. It was fairly seamless in the end. @Talbot however did not have the same experience.
Being at Gaydon and having access to the museum and its facilities was tremendous and sets it apart from FOTU in that regard. 
I mean the ticket price was a positive too, no doubt. FOTU is going to shoot itself in the foot with that.
ANYWAY.
No point doing photojournalism as others have that covered, but here's my personal favourites.

@Sunny Jim's C15 is all kinds of right. I really want one now.

The Carina. Would suffer mechanical failure anywhere in this and be happy about it.


TR2.  You win.

DAF(T) but cute.

I'm really not sure what to think of this. I don't like the rear spolier but otherwise it has grown on me. Would probably really enjoy cruising around listening to synth music in this. I can imagine it being sold today as a retro-modern and I'd probably want one.

For the record, we were the ones in the concours Amazon, next to Dave's absolutely stonking Dyane, which I struggled to keep up with on the way back.

The inner panel repair is now complete.

So I then made a couple of holes in it! Just so I could inject some cavity wax into it, as it's far easier to do it from above - and it also is so penetrative, it highlights any pinholes in the welding.

I've hacked up my new panel, and sat it in the correct position...

...before beginning the slow process of trimming to match what I've cut feom the van.

Work on this has slowed slightly for two reasons. Firstly we are now having guests staying in the Airstream, and I don't think they would appreciate angle grinding during their stay. And secondly my welder had failed again!
A different fault, but I traced it to the new board I'd been sent. I contacted the supplier, rather expecting them to suggest that another fault in the welder must have damaged their replacement board. But fortunately they sent a replacement out to me but agreed it was rather puzzling. 
To my surprise the next day two arrived!! They decided to send two from different batches just in case there was a more widespread issue and i suffered another premature failure. Over and above as far as I'm concerned. 
Back to the van and I actually managed to do a better job than expected in curving the inner repair section.
I started by cutting a few slots in it, but when I started flattening out the 90 degree angle to match the original, found it naturally started curving in the right direction! I drilled out to match the position of the original spot welds...

...and have begun the steady process of welding it all into position. 

I did bite the bullet and go for a new panel in the end - I think this will enable me to do a neater repair and hopefully avoid needing to use filler. It's still a zinc coated panel so should be better at resisting rust, even if not hot-dip galvanised as the inner layer now is.

April FoD Postponed
I am worried the FoD is not going to dry out between now and the 20/21 April. The grass currently has a layer of water over it and can’t be driven on or you will get stuck and/or churn the field up.
I will announce an alternative date in May.

Who has been in government for the last fourteen years?

I spent most of my time driving a 59bhp 205 diesel on the wrong side of the road just trying to get past arseholes. No need for anything more powerful as most people drive everywhere at 40 anyway.

Lovely little trip out this evening in the petit red pocket rocket 🚀 to see the sunset up at Tommen Y Mur near Trawsfynydd North Wales. Thanks to @mat_the_cat for the suggestion and fixing someone else's bodge on the throttle cable 🤨. It is far more enjoyable to drive now 🤪

The other day. Stylistic filter applied to make the sky a bit more vivid. I realised after that I should have parked a tad more forward to avoid that big pile of water and mud.

Original. Not sure which I prefer.

Oh, and then same car, a mile or two up the road about ten years later.