back home

sorry to hear you are out but well done for getting so far and glad you are back home safe ...

I am beginning to think after reading about Team 1st Gear and your troubles I am going to have to take a whole car's worth of spares to keep the capri running next year!

I thought after your recent adventures you might not want to see a car for a while ... but if you are up for it I will bring it around for you to have a spin in ... just as soon as I fix it! Does this sound familiar? I tried to get it ready for the Naadam to come on down to see you all off, so I got it MOT'ed after some welding etc (£160) then drove it home to discover a crushed wheel bearing and warped front disc giving the mother of all speed and braking wobbles - so back into the garage (£200) and then the insurance docs didn't arrive in time for me to tax it to bring to Highbury Fields anyway!! So I came to the Naadam in vehicle no 2 - a volvo 740. (cost £300 works like a dream!). Anyway, I got the docs for the Capri on the Tuesday after you left. So I taxed it and drove it to work to show off, a couple of weeks ago .. I managed to take the pics by Tower Bridge that you can see on the website (in photogallery). This was meant to be my 'official launch' for 2009.  On the way home, the cooling system exploded! Coolant all over the engine bay, electrics frazzled and new water pump etc required!

So I have spent the last two weekends up to my elbows in grease and gunk and red lead and hammerite (whilst the radiator was out and the fan and pump off, I thought I might as well slap some paint around the engine bay and nose to hide the rust!). Anyway, I am learning how to use a spanner now 'cos I can't keep up with garage labour prices, so it's all good. Except the car. Which is broken and mostly in bits!

So far I haven't managed to drive from Woolwich to Bermondsey and back without something going wrong - how the ()*&! am I going to get it to Mongolia and back?