In this Workshop Diary report, we thought we'd wrap up a couple of stories we've been following over the past few months.
You may remember we were working on the engine of a car that belongs to a client who lives in Ireland. The engine came over some months ago to the P&L workshop on a frame in the back of a van and over the time it's been in our hands we've rebuilt the engine. We now have it running on the frame so we can carry out some final checks and tests before we send it back.
The final check regime at this pre-handover point is very thorough and there are several things we like to look at and go over. These include looking at the carburation to make sure it's set up nicely and there's no seepage, we check all the mixtures, make sure we're seeing good oil pressure and check that the cooling system is sound. It's worth saying that when you rebuild an engine it's important to run through a thorough check regime like this for everyone's peace of mind; and it's only when we've established everything is ship-shape, that we'll pass the vehicle as ready to go back to our client. In this case, it'll be transported back, on its frame for the owner to fit back into his car.
Now, do you recall the ocean blue coloured car we've been working on? Well, that has also undergone some recent testing. In this case, we were road testing the vehicle and it so happened that our planned test coincided with a request from a magazine for a photoshoot. Now it's clearly a very photogenic car so we took it for a short spin around the local area while the photographer got some very nice shots.
We've completed all the debugging we talked about earlier - this is basically looking for the kinds of imperfections we would notice if it was our own vehicle.
Debugging covers all those little things like a wayward thread on the interior leatherwork or making sure the carpet fits perfectly everywhere - even where it can't be seen. This gorgeous car is now ready to rock and roll!
Other cars are all progressing nicely and we're steadily getting on with the usual range of restorations that are part of everyday life here at Pugsley & Lewis. The olive green DB6 Mark 2 we've spoken about before is now getting some of the exterior chrome work put back on - like door handles, and all the chrome that appears on the boot - like the badge. Dan is working on a lovely silver DB6 Mark 1; he has spent a lot of time shaping and adjusting the bumpers for correct alignment. A lot of time is spent here getting this area of the vehicle correct. He has also been working on the brake pipes, making up and shaping them all by hand to fit correctly.
As we roll into 2024, we have a few vehicles that were safely brought into storage so the winter chill and all that famed British weather doesn't take its toll.
One car we took in for that purpose is a lovely blue V8 Oscar India that will get its annual service and then be placed in store until the winter is over. It's a great way to both prepare a car for the driving months ahead but keep it nicely tucked up out of the wet and cold.
Lastly, at the end of last year, we were adopted by a cat we've named Monty. He's a somewhat feisty character who's also a bit grumpy - as Stan found out early on in the adoption process!
We suspect Monty had been in a scuffle with a local fox who tried to steal his food. Looks like the fox managed to get his teeth into Monty which made him even more tetchy! Consequently, when an unsuspecting Stan tried to stroke him, Monty was having none of it - and Stan bore the brunt. Our HR department is still looking at this intricate he said/he said situation and has interviewed both parties to find a satisfactory outcome for all. We'll catch up with Monty over the coming months (unless he decides our hospitality isn't quite up to... scratch)!
