Oops

Late afternoon I got stuck into Olivia for a quick fiddle and an attempt to get the last 3 spark plugs in before it got too dark / cloudy / whatever. She's made in such a way that those ones at the back literally require the bonnet to either be removed or a part of it to be disconnected so you can flip it up as far as it will go.

I did the latter - found out the roofrack's in the way - located a strap to secure the bonnet to the rooftop tent closure - and stuck 'er up. Only to find that the distributor's actually in the way too. With the tools I have I can't get two of the three plugs out or in (note to self - get actual plugs spanner and quit trying to make do with a socket spanner...). With night coming on fast I thought I'd better leave it for the day - reconnected the bonnet, slammed it down...

... and then.. OOPS!

The bonnet's held in place by two "unofficial" hinges - mere plastic thingies that keep a bar in place and allow it to move up or down. The bar had slipped out on one side and there was a serious gap between bonnet and bodywork! Worst of all, the bonnet wouldn't open. And it's not built like the Ford - you can't go crawl underneath and fiddle with a screwdriver to pop it. There's half an engine in the way!

Deep breath. Tried again. Sjoe - this time it opened. I had to re-undo the nut holding the bonnet lever in place, lift it high enough to pop that hinge back in, lower it carefully to make sure it stuck where it was supposed to, re-attach the nut, and close. And this time it worked.

So in the end I actually did nothing new on poor old Olivia today other than learn how a hinge and a nut works - and that some things require more time than you thought you needed. Which, I guess, is a learning curve of note - and not too bad for a quick job.