27 Nov 2022

Spent a substantial amount of time this morning doing a grease and oil change, oh and changing the tappet case cover gaskets. Took a lot longer that had imagined it would, though well worth doing and happy with most of the results. one of the tappet cover gaskets unfortunately decided that it wanted to not quite seal and is allowing oil past, so now needs to be replaced yet again. Would probably be an easier job if the manifold was removed, though I haven't done that and it is quite a bit more fiddly, oh well, try again.

I decided to go for a drive and see how it went, hoping the gasket would seal after all, it didn't. I had seen a picture taken by someone else in the small town of Dean, Victoria some years ago and so decided to go and see if I could get a pic of the car there as well. Took a circuit route and went to Dean, Daylesford, Maldon and Castlemaine and the back to Melbourne. 

And the pic...

25 Nov 2022

 Today was a bit of a slow start to the morning as I wasn't really in a hurry to get to my last day of work, would have been happy not to go at all to be honest.

Anyway as I wasn't in a hurry and I had the car so thought I'd take a few pics along the way and see if I could get something decent. Some weren't too bad...

  

22 Oct 2022

 Don't you hate it when...

Headed out to the car today to head off somewhere and first thing I notice is that some swine has done a parking speed brush past on the front of the car. Well to be honest I actually noticed that, even though the bumper has always drooped on the drivers side of the car, it was hanging much lower that it ever had before.

You get that kind of thing when you park in the street I guess, it isn't the first, someone did a parking speed slight touch of the back once before. Cars around in the busier road have even been completely written off while parked out front of their owners houses on a regular basis. Makes it no less annoying though especially when the perpetrator would definitely know they have hit the car, but they can't be bothered owning up to it and leaving a note.

I have to say, I reckon I know exactly who did it, actually both times, though I can't prove anything. Maybe it is time for a dash cam, one that can record bumps while parked...

14 Aug 2022

 Another run with the BMC-Leyland club, up Mt Macedon and then through to Trentham for lunch at the pig and Whistle pub, and the Count didn't miss a beat. Actually it really liked the colder weather, always seems to, especially if there is a bit of moisture in the air, makes it run very well. The run went well and i wasn't always the slowest car on the trip, though I think everyone passed me on the way home, even those who had previously been slower. The only difficulties on the trip were posed by cars in front slowing down before the climb on the steeper sections of Mt Macedon, which then killed my momentum and thus when they started pulling away again I had nothing left to accelerate. Oh well, it is only 948cc after all. 

26 Jul 2022

 Just a quick run down the street today, only because of the threat of yet more rain, so too lazy to walk.

Not often that the street in front of this house is clear, so too the chance and parked up. Not too often you get the change to park in front of a house for sale at near $4 million AUD! Think it would be right at home in the garage...

18 June 2022

Bit of a run out to Noojee today with the BMC-Leyland Car Club members. Except for the Highway part of the run it was a great blast through the backroads with a varied bunch of BMC and BL Aus cars. Around the backroads I can keep up with some of the cars, but they all leave me for dead when on the highway, I guess when you only travel at 80ks it makes it difficult for everyone else as no one else really wants to hang around. A great twisting, winding country road once off the highway though and there were a couple of really steep inclines and 2nd gear managed to get a good work out to climb them!

23 Apr 2022

 It's been about 14 years since the Count last had a respray, and even that one was done by myself in the hay shed on the farm. Humidity was high and so was the temperature when it was done as well, so there is no really great surprise that now it is living outside in the driveway and on the street that the paint isn't the greatest. 

A few years ago the paint on the rear end surrounding the boot and below the rear window started to develop cracks and over the years the cracks just grew worse and multiplied. It had come to the stage that something had to be done or the car would start to rust below the paint. So we come to the weekend and what to do, like stripping paint is ever high on the list.

Starting point

Guards off and ready to go

A lot of load paint and primer layers there

Back to bare

Etched and primed

Back in colour

Nearly done, just needs lights

Certainly looks a lot better thank it did with the cracking and flaking paint, though it's never a fun job.