Well yesterday I went with Peter to the house to pick up the Olde Ford, my trusty steed has been resting for over two years tucked away in the shed at the foot of the garden.
The tenants were home but they had removed their dogs and left the gate open for us so that we could access the shed. After a few minutes trying to remove the padlocks they finally opened and in I went to a dry smell free shed with only a few cobwebs. I made my way through the maze of boxes to the car and then opened the garage door which I had screwed shut from the inside.
The car was covered in dust and the towels covering the windscreen had fallen down. I opened the door and popped the bonnet. The inside of the car was full of clothes and towels, in the boot were my computers and monitors along with my bicycle shoes which I was hoping to find because I wanted to take my bike back with me today.
We removed the spark plugs and Peter had prepared a petrol and oil mixture which he delivered straight into each cylinder using a syringe. This was to lubricate the cylinders and to try to lessen damage to the engine when we turned it over. It was a bit fiddly and Peter cut the tip of his finger as he tried to remove the first HT lead. After 20 mins or so we had removed and replaced all 6 plugs and then connected the battery via jump leads to Peter’s car. The time had come to see if the Olde girl would start.
The first attempt was half hearted, mainly due to the lack of juice in the battery. The second attempt sounded better but after a few seconds stopped. On the third turn of the key she burst into life and I was fair chuffed. There was blue smoke filling the garage which came from the concoction that we had thrown down here throat. I eased the car forward after a few minutes and took her outside the shed and just let her tick over. We were expecting this to be more difficult but were pleased and relieved that the car was running.
I got my permit and stuck it to the dashboard. The tyres were a little bit soft and so I drove up to Danny’s to use his compressor to pump up the tyres and then I hosed off the last two years of dust and gecko shit. After which it was time to take my wee Ford to the garage to get the first of the certificates to get her road legal. The first certificate will be for the gas tank, this is supposed to be checked every ten years but I have had the car for 16 years and never had it checked. This will cost $550. I then need to get a RWC (Road Worthy Certificate) before finally getting the car registered. This is a bit scary because I know of a few faults, for example the blown exhaust, a small oil leak and the steering wheel needs a new cover. These are all very minor repairs and so I am hoping that I don’t have any surprises waiting for me.
The drive from home to the mechanic was around 30 km and the car felt OK and there didn’t seem to be any obvious problems so hears hoping. He will look at the car today and so I will just have to wait for his call to see what the damage will be. If all goes well I could be back on the road by the weekend which would be great.