Playing with "moderns"...........

We collected Sam's new car last week. 07 plate Focus Zetec. My old Mondeo I'd had from new as a company car, then we bought it off the Leasing Company and Sam's been running that for the last 3 years. But, at 122k, it was starting to feel its age........... so we treated ourselves.

I have to say, I am immensly impressed with the Focus. Very roomy, nicely equiped and very comfy.
However, the Mondeo had a "manual-rear-parking-sensor", ......... aka A flippin' big towbar. The new one has an expensive looking rear bumper......... hmmm.

I put parking sensors on my Vectra last year and I have found them very useful so I went back to the same ebay shop and bought another set. £17.99 + p&p............... simple beep-beep ones. Ordered a dark grey rather than black.

The Focus has a grey panel in the rear bumper, and when I looked at a factory fit set (£450!!!!) they were set into this panel............ game on!

I ordered a new plastic panel (£12.05 from the Ford Dealer) and set about fitting them this afternoon.

Took about an hour......... easy peasy!

Ford assume each car will have parking sensors on, so the bumper behind this panel had cutouts already in for the sensors to fit in, there are holes with uncut grommets in behind each one for the wires....... even has the loom spliced by the reversing light ready to take the power feed off! Thanks Mr Ford........ made my life easy.

They even look like factory fit........... for £20 rather than £400!!

Well worth fitting to your "modern" bus.

The kit comes with everything you need, even the correct size hole-saw............ 4 sensors, control box, buzzer and the wiring loom you need.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Rear-Car-Parking-Reversing-Sensors-4-Sensor-Buzzer-Kit_W0QQitemZ220259813174QQihZ012QQcategoryZ75330QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1713.m153.l1262

Dodging the rain............

Rain, rain and yet more rain!! I can't remember that last time I saw the sun!!

Never mind. We took the Red PI to the CT National at Hatton Country world. Great to see so many faces and meet some new ones.

Many thanks to all those who voted me Car of the Show............ the trophy has pride of place on my mantlepiece at the moment.


Last week we attended the Triumph 2000/2500/2.5 Register National in Pickering...... guess what................ MORE RAIN!!!

Excellent few days despite the weather. Came 3rd in the Concours Masterclass, missed 2nd by 1 point......... I obviously didn't polish it enough!


Back home and back to reality. Spent today working on the yellow estate (RBRR is approaching!) and dodging the rain showers.

The new Police Spec gearbox has now had its leak fixed. A small pinhole in the casting which has now been repaired by Canley Classics, so I "threw" the box back in today. I really hate doing gearboxes!!

Once I'd done that, I started to fit my new woodwork. My uncle re-veneered all the wood for the estate and finished it to a high gloss. Looks fanatasic (Thanks Uncle Ray!) Put all the door cappings and the load space trims back in. Just the dash sections to do but torrential rain made me give up and go in.

Just got to do the rest of the wood, do the engine mini-rebuild, new PAS rack, found a couple of patches of grot underneath that will need a small bit of welding to, then MOT.................. Should be done intime for the RBRR............. I hope!