Mid Winter progress - whatever makes you happy

Fixing up old Triumphs needs an essential ingredient or two - mostly enthusiasm with a equal serving of time with a random splash of cash - add as much of this as you desire.

We had another addition to the Thompson clan over the last year or so - she needs very little apart from a ball - this keeps her very happy...

I got an email and photo yesterday from my very good mate Humph who has just returned from a European holiday - UK and Portugal - plus a very large suitcase - not sure who is happiest in this case - Humph or Mr Shacktune.....

 Anyway, what is making me happy is the end in site of my rebuild of my 2.5PI estate - off the road for the best part of 10 years - It needs to be on the road for the double date of TSOA National in October and me and Dels 10th wedding anniversary on the 16th October.

Today a freshly painted NOS 2000 grill arrived so finally the car has a face - I also added the front plate and got the required H1 blbs for the Cibies. looking very happy now...

Me and Ken Bryant have been burning some midnight oil getting the old bus closer to completion - he has invented a few new choice word fitting the door window rubbers and generally getting the doors complete whilst my choice of frustration has been trying to strip and refinish the wood for less than the quoted $3000 restoration fee.

The dull ones have been stripped of laquer and veneer and primed with clear base - next is the coating with about 10 coats of satin polyurethane with lots of P400-P600 flatting between coats - happy with the grain and colour though - match the dash nicely.

Next job on the PI is to wire up the overdrive and dashboard / aircon plus replace the rear hubs with Quaife and fit a spare 3.45 Quife LSD I have kocking about.

I nice package arrived from the UK  thanks to Tom Key and Gareth Thomas last week. First bits out were more goodies for my upcoming AP racing brake upgrades.

James Shackford would be impressed that I treat his bespoke hubs to silk sheets - just need to machine my closed wheelnuts on the white PI so that they are open  for the longer studs I have been meaning to fit - FIA spec.

This little combo is probably going onto the PI estate - Koni shocks discarded from a bodged rear conversion on a TR6 and new progressive HD rear springs courtesy of Gareth Thomas.

 Also have these two heads - one for me and one for Humph - two new build approaching rapidly