[Mark Brett]

A couple of years ago my neighbour saw me heading out in the Allard. As he started to chat, he leaned on the rear corner and we heard a creaking noise. “My knees or yours?” I asked.

“Ha” he said, “Sounds like you’ve got a problem with your shocks” and started bouncing up and down on the body. Which moved up and down, left and right, leaving the chassis perfectly still. Loader creaking noises, blushes. “Oh dear”.

Here is where we left the car in the last post

For the first time, the bodywork is starting to look straight and strong.

But we all know these restorations seem to have great leaps and then there is not much to see for a while as smaller details are fixed. Before Ben can start on the bonnet, he had to weld up the panel where its hinges mount.

Pic: Bonnet mounting badly corroded

And here’s another one. The holes for the side grills in the front wings were almost an inch different so had to be welded up. But there was another mysterious hole to be patched.

Pic: Wonder what the circular thing was? Indicators?

On the good news front, the bonnet side panels were in great condition, though with plenty of paint and filler. Only a small split needed welding here.

Side panels good. Now the windscreen lets the car down.

Years ago, I had a new screen cut as the old one was yellowing and manky. But the local guy didn’t exactly follow the pattern, leaving it a bit short near the wiper motor. Naturally I bodged it with silicone, and just as naturally, it leaked onto Pina’s lap, not mine.

Do I bite the bullet and get another windscreen glass made? That beige seat-strapping made a good flap under the windscreen back then but is perished now. Do I use the same again, or get a black rubber strip like everyone else?

When I ask, I am not thinking of Charles Gough. He would buy the finest glass, cut it himself making a special tool, probably cut three to be sure, fly to the Amazon rain forest for the best quality virgin rubber, teach himself to chrome and assemble it all perfectly.

Ben has started on the rear wheel spats. MoJo lost its spats many years ago, but some bracketry remains.

Pic: I have stalked Rick’s beautiful L-type for years and reckon the spats really set it off.

Caption: A couple of the rusty spat brackets had to be fixed

Caption: Time spent getting the wings straight and the arches shaped.

James Smith kindly donated an old pair of spats. It is only when you hold them that it becomes clear what a complex shape they are, with compound curves. The question again is whether they can be modified to fit, or whether it will be more efficient to use them as patterns for new ones.

Offering up the second-hand spats.

In update 5 I hope to report progress on the spats and the bonnet (hood).

I had no illusions that the bonnet was in a bad state. Made of steel, it had never fitted well. The rear edge is about 3/8th inch thick with rust and filler, the supports were lashed up by me 30-odd years ago and they get in the way of the louvres. Those I have asked Ben to add, copying Darrel’s M-type. Once again, Ben argued strongly that it would be cheaper and faster to make a new aluminium skin. Until the next edition…

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