Sold A35 in black.

[scruff]

 

Oops...

 

Coming home from work a couple of months back there was a big clonk and the engine stopped. I initially thought, shit, its seized up but luckily I managed to freewheel off the main road into the village, and when I stopped it fired up fine. Selected a gear, let clutch out... grrrrrrrrr clonk.... no movement... peep underneath and the propshaft is merrily spinning.

 

I needed to sort a crusty spring hanger out so dropped the whole axle off. Easy job with only one spring pin snapping.

 

 

One spring bush is shot so that's another little job. I got a 3.9:1 diff from a midget off a bloke on Facebook within a week but I've been so busy I've only had a chance to get the axle apart today. Bearings and hubs look fine so I'll order some gaskets and a pair of hub seals and bosh it back together. Really missing driving it and the bastard Land Rover drinks twice as much fuel on short journeys.

 

[vulgalour]

What's that, 3 years without a single problem?  Must have been saving this one up for you.  Even then, it doesn't look like it's even a massive problem.

[scruff]

Nope, just crack on and get it done

[scruff]

Hi fellow Jalopyophiles. The weeks have flown by and I don't seem to get any time to sit on a computer anymore. 

 

Anyway I got the A35 back together in late July:

 

 

Then work got bonkers busy with harvest related stuff, we took on a job for the BBC which ate more time than I hoped and there was an unwelcome distraction when the wife's Mazda 6 wagon threw a DPF related wobbler. I'd had enough of this EML-tantrum throwing, brake eating twat of a motorcar and the replacement £600 barg can be seen in the background above. So far so good, it's a bit small for all the stuff that goes with a toddler but mrs scruff loves it so there we are.

 

Anyway before I knew it, it was the end of August and we had our Christmas present tickets for the Goodwood Revival winking at us.

 

The a35 was dusted off and a test thrash revealed the new diff was almost silent, GR8 news, however the engine was leaking coolant from somewhere and upon investigation the usual A series cylinder head bypass hose was the problem. 

 

I bought a whole new set of hoses and one lunchtime got them all swapped over, surprising myself and only swearing once.

 

 

A quick blat to town (3 miles) and work (2 miles) and I was confident it would eat the 155 miles to Goodwood so I began a MASSIVE cleaning session, seats out the lot, I did take a picture but it's on Instagram and I'm not clever enough to get it from there to here. Anyway it looked great inside and from 50 yards not too bad at all outside. 

 

I had planned on a leisurely afternoon run down to Sussex, maybe a bite to eat on route, meeting up with my wife and sister down in Chichester in the early evening. In the event I had a rush job on, jumping out of my lorry as the tacho ejected and into the Austin, throwing my newly-acquired 'dead man's clothes' into a holdall, slamming the boot and driving through the night in the pissing rain to land at my sisters at 1am. The car was brilliant, 70 no worries, didn't get hot or any bollocks like that. 

 

We did the Friday at Goodwood, I know it's not everyone's cup of tea and it is very expensive but what an assault on the senses; beautiful surroundings, beautiful cars, beautiful women, ace. We went in the pre 66 car park and along with a wonderfully disgraceful Minor 1000 we were among the tattiest!! There were 8 or 9 Facel Vegas a few feet away for christ's sake. 

 

 

I am now using it daily again with the Land Rover relegated to shitty jobs/towing/being used when I can afford to put petrol in it. It's a great little car but I really do need to think about taking it out of service and getting some of the rot seen to, the rear wings are getting quite bad now and I'm sure it's very "BMC" in other areas. Another harsh winter won't be kind to it but I'll spray some wax here and there soon while I ponder!