Monday 19 November 2012

NEC Show

I have had many messages, texts and emails over the past few weeks asking why there have been no blog updates for a while. People knew I was working frantically on the car and wanted to know what was happening!
Libby had been invited to be displayed on the Triumph 2000/2500/2.5 Register club stand at the NEC Classic car show, and I wanted to move her along quite a bit so it looked more complete for the show but I decided I would like it to be a bit of a surprise as to how far I had got. Even the Register Show Organisers didn't know as I wanted to keep them in suspense!
But now the show is over (and what a wonderful show it was!) here is the work in the days before.
The list sounds quite short, but the hours it took...........ooooooooh! Several late nights were spent on this and even more £££, but its all worth it!
Headlamps, wired in with relays, new Cibie Oscar units fitted, grill polished and refitted.

 Original chassis plate cleaned and refitted.
 Last section of brake pipe fitted, brakes bled, handbrake set (to stop it rolling off the stand!)
 Towbar wiring laid in, extra heavy duty cables front to back to allow for split charge relays for towing a modern caravan. Original towbar refitted.
 After much swearing the NOS rear bumper was fitted. Slight alignment issues due to the flared rear arches. Its on, but needs fettling with some spacers on the quarter bumpers as when tightened it will touch the flare of the arch at the back.
 Good secondhand front bumper fitted with new stainless bolts and brackets. Then cleaned and polished by Bradley!
 Front carpet sections fitted and newly trimmed original Recaro seats refitted. The carpet set I bought from Rimmers as they had stock. I was shocked by how bad this was, it just does not fit!  Mike Weaver to the rescue so I now have a NOS main section, along with my NOS front footwel carpets to fit later this should sort the problems out. For the moment the badly fitting Rimmers set are in for the show. At the NEC I had one of the Rimmers managers look at the carpets and he got short and terse words from me about the awful fitting of the carpets.
 Clutch pedal a bit high........... due to no clutch master cylinder fitted yet! Temporary blue wires by gear lever (missing!) to allow a slave battery to put the drivers side electric window up and down for loading on and off the trailer.
 Rear complete with badges, new number plates (With Atlantic Garage details on the bottom, nice touch I thought!) and the new Stainless steel Stag large bore tailpipes fitted.......... for effect for the show only, obviously no exhaust fitted yet until the engine and gearbox are in.
 Loaded on the trailer ready to show!

 at the NEC...... under the spotlights it did look a little orange, but that is just the weird lighting there!
As usual, many thanks to Bradley for the hours of help. To Colin & Amanda for inviting me to display it and giving me the push needed to get it moving along at this rate, to Mike Weaver for refitting the windscreen trim at the show and providing the NOS carpet section, and to everyone at the show who appreciated the hard work................ its you lot out there giving me the encouragement to finish this, thank you!