Nearside inner wing

The n/s inner wing was in worse condition than the o/s so I decided to replace the two inner wing panels and patch the A post.

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Cut out the wing and made a repair section for the bump stop on the inner wheel arch and also a repair section round the wheel arch seam.
Lining up the inner wing needs lots of measuring and eyeing up to get right. At the A post end it is easy as the panel fits in one place and only its height needs setting, I lined up the top of the wing edge and measured from the courtesy light switch to the door stay bolts. At the front end measure from the bumper bar (although mine was bent) and also lay a straight edge across both wings and eye it up to the bulkhead.
Although there is little that can be done it is worth checking the distance from the bulkhead to the front – the new panel is 5mm longer, other wing is dented on the front edge.
I patched the A post and welded on a new back section – however when I came to fit it, it had turned banana shaped and was not to useful, so in the bin it went and a new panel bought.
The A post is easier than the inner wing to fit but a door trial fit is essential. Height measured from the courtesy light switch to the door hinge, also lines up with the stay bolts although this is when I found that these were 5mm higher than the other side or the original. Once lined up tack it on and trial fit the door. A quick measure of the door opening to the A post hinges will check the angle is right, Mine was out by quite a bit so I cut of the tack welds on the front edge and knocked it forward. Trial fit of the door and it all seemed perfect (I expect that will change somehow when I fit the door finally!).

Thruxton Truck Racing

Went to Thruxton for a great day out. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time.
This was the first outing for my Pentax K100D and Tamron 18-250 lens – I’m very pleased with them.

As an update I now have a Pentax K50D.

Oak DVD case – LED lite!

After our holidays last year we had to turn our attentions back to the house and again we’re running out of space. So one of the projects was the DVD case.
The DVD case was made to sit on our sideboard in the stair alcove. This dictated the shape as we wanted to fit all our DVDs in it with room for more (although the to shelf has wine glasses).
Som bought me a router and I got a few cutters to fit it. I did the whole DVD case using the router, its a great tool and as this was solid oak it made it so much easier than by hand.
The lighting is done using white LEDs which I embedded within the wood so only the round end of the LED is showing. All wiring is in channels in the shelving which I then filled with an oak fillet that contained the wiring and LED.

Thruxton supercar drive.

This was my 40th birthday present and I decided to wait until April to do it so that the weather was good. I missed doing it before winter due to the booking times.

Well this was really fun, the cars are great and the people and whole experience really enjoyable. Got the cars up to about 120mph but it’s all over too fast, just when you are getting used to the car and track.
Som got driven round the track too and came back with a very big smile – maybe it will have to be track days in the kit car next.

Witley Court, Worcestershire.

What a big surprise! On the way home we dropped into Witley Court. I had heard about the fountain but the English Heritage handbook said it stops working for the winter at the start of October so we had missed it.
However when we got there they said it was a misprint and it was working every hour for about 20 minutes.
The house is very impressive, even though it is just a shell, but the fountain was spectacular, especially in the bright sunlight. Definitely worth a visit.

Bangkok, Buriram, Kanchanaburi – Thailand, 8-29 July 06

3 weeks in Thailand. Visited lots of places. Buriram was particularly interesting as we saw the old religious sanctuaries around Phimai. Very interesting and great for photos. Apart from travelling about the Bangkok area, Hua Hin, etc we traveled off to Kanchanaburi. This area was quite a surprise as it has a lot to offer for places to visit and things to see. We both had a very relaxing time here, definitely worth a re-visit. Hellfire pass is a very moving experience too.

Pets

Pui the guinea pig. It means fluffy. Here she is about 1 year and 3 months old. She’s quite big girl because she eats everything.

Cocoa the Lion Head rabbit. He has a bit of an attitude and like you to know he’s boss but he likes to be made a fuss of really!

Bubble the Dwarf hamster. (Taken with flash on F8 1/64s FujiFilm S9500)