Greasy

OK, so I have two cars. Friggin'Ford and Olivia - and both of them need work!

My regular mechanic has up and sold his business to do something or other completely different, and I haven't found a replacement yet. But I reckon (and it's this attitude that gets me in trouble, more often than not - across the board!) if anyone else can do it, there's a good chance I can too! It may take more time, more effort and a steeper learning curve, but I'll get it eventually.

Driving home from a brief foray into hunter-gathering (ie bought cheese, peanut butter and marmite at the local KwikSpar), I realized that along with Olivia's to-do list, FFord's developing one all it's own.

There's the bird damage from just after Xmas - still have to find someone who stocks an entire headlight unit (just thankful I've stopped running over and into dead stuff). The exhaust pipes and silencers of both vehicles need to be replaced. I need to figure out how to remove the stripped screw on the Ford's air filter so I can check whether that's where the rattle is coming from - I'm not convinced it's the viscous fan at all, and won't go replacing expensive parts until I know what the issue is. The gears have been difficult recently and are getting more so - I foresee a gearbox overhaul coming up, as the lubricants are all fine. Apparently there's wear-and-tear backlash on the diffs (again, I'm not convinced, I think it's an ongoing loose nut issue on the wheel). The rubber sealant around the hatchback needs attention. There's a dodgy water pipe above the starter motor that is causing problems when it drips under pressure - and while I'm at it, need to look at corrosion around that area. The bonnet opening cable is starting to fray - new one needed. (Actually - the entire car might need overhauling.)

The list is endless! And daunting...

You know what would be really nice? To have parts-on-delivery, an unlimited credit with an auto supply company, a couple months to fiddle (with no need to have to drive anywhere until it's all done) and a large covered area to take things apart in. I could quite happily get stuck in to all things car, grease up to my armpits, swearing at the stuck bits - if I only had loads of time and parts-cash handy. Failing that, weekends it will have to be. Trial and error - with hopefully not so much on the error side.