More from Bob E.

       Those little connectors that incorporate an indicator light for the instruments can be a source of frustration.  I've found that the plastic insulator inside becomes brittle and falls apart along with the small round insulator-contact-er-thingy(?) on the end of the wire.  The round insulators have a slot and simply slide onto the connector. I made two types as I have a few of these to fix in the gauges.   The green one was made from a corner of an old circuit board.  The boards are a resin impregnated fiberglass that is stiff, rugged and very long lasting.  I made another one from a small sheet of nylon. This has the same properties, but has the advantage of my having a bunch of it. A small modelling saw and needle files make quick work of making these.  I had to replace several springs as they had corroded and broken into a few pieces.  This is where being a pack rat pays off.  I also applied a blob of solder to the end of the contact.  As with anything electrical, a small amount of DC-4 will keep the corrosion at bay.
   Rob E.

Bob's Jag update

       So, installing a new wiring harness is as simple as unplugging the old one, then running the new one in and plugging it in, right?
       Ha!  Big stinking Ha! These old cars weren't always built according to the plans, with undocumented changes and substitutions taking place.  The wiring diagrams didn't always follow the actual construction and the new harness may not reflect exactly what's in your car.  I helped Joe troubleshoot his new harness a few years ago and now it's my turn.  A point that became apparent is that the lights are disappointingly dim compared to modern cars.  I noticed that the reflector was quite corroded and cleaned a small spot to see if it could be improved.  A bit of elbow grease and polish made a significant difference so the light assembly was removed to allow easier access. Picture #3 shows the now bright & shiny reflector.  It's not mirror-like but it's a whole bunch better than it was.  While I had it out, I cleaned all the bullet connectors with steel wool and applied some Dow Corning DC-4 silicone dielectric paste.  This will help prevent future corrosion in the connectors.
      I'd noticed that the large bulb was difficult to install and found that the electrical tape insulation had unwound and was preventing the assembly from compressing when the bulb was inserted.   The fix was to apply a couple layers of small heat shrink tubing to the end of the connector.
     The black pen with the yellow sticker is a fiberglass eraser that works brilliantly for cleaning electrical contacts without leaving a conductive or corrosive residue.
     And the leaves you ask?   There's a large-ish opening into the front of the bonnet which allows access to the wiring.  It also allows access to small insects.  At some point, bees took up residence inside. Looking closely will reveal some dead ones, and the gooey stuff?  Yup, you guessed it, it's honey.
     Anyone needing this kind of repair is welcome to drop by (masked and vaccinated of course) with their light marker.  I have lots of heat shrink in all sizes and a warm (sorta) place to work.
    Rob E.

Province Wide Tour

   Included is a detailed plan for a province wide trip that John D has put together and is proposing for mid June. We'll have more time to discuss the finalized details over the next few months.This is a trip John is going to do as a celebration of a major milestone birthday for himself. He is inviting all of us to join him on this wonderful tour. As we all know, John's trips are always well planned, well executed, always have a wonderful flair for beautiful and natural scenery and of course always have great places to eat and stay. This trip pays particular focus on the Acadian Peninsula, Fundy Parkway Trail and finally the Fundy coast line from Saint John to St Andrews. This will truly be a panoramic tour of our beautiful province with emphasis on our beautiful seacoasts. For those who prefer to do only a portion of the trip you might consider meeting up with John at one of the 3 overnight locations listed in the included itinerary. That way you can join the tour from that point.

 Everyone will be on their own to book their hotel reservations once John has finalized these.

 John's included the details of the route schedule for your review in hopes you will join him on this wonderful province wide tour proposal:

  Day#1 - Leaving Fredericton at 9:30 from the Kingsclear First Nations gas station on Route 102. Fredericton to Grand Falls 210 km, 2 hours 10 minutes Drive to Woodstock on route 102 then to Hartland for a coffee break. Then drive to Grand Falls onto Dalhousie 195 km 2hr 20min. stopping midway for lunch. Overnight stay in Dalhousie at Days Inn ($100.00?). 

 Day#2 - From Dalhousie take the scenic Acadian trail 320kms Route 134 to Bouctouche for lunch. Then driving on to Moncton possibly spending a bit of time in Moncton 80km 1hr10min. Then to Alma, stay the night (Alma Shore Lane Suites and Cottages $115/night ). 

 Day #3 - Fundy Trail, Alma to Saint Martins 95km. 1hr 10min. Then onto Saint John for lunch 55km 45min. Drive to Saint Andrews along the coastline, 110kms, 1hour 20 minutes. Overnight in St George or St Andrews.

 Day #4 - After having breakfast at the Birches Restaurant in St George or a restaurant in St Andrews then spending some tour time in Saint Andrews. Later drive to Saint Stephen 28km and then onto Fredericton. If we are back in time before supper we could book a meal somewhere provided restaurants are open. 

 Gary posted for John D

Oil/gas drum cars —Thailand

 https://youtu.be/SYvHFAbyU2g

(Lots of other links if you do a search.)

Passed along by Tim.

FABAC MEETING WEDNESDAY January 19th

 It will be a ZOOM meeting (courtesy of Dan) beginning at 7:00pm. An email was sent out to all registered members with the link for getting on for the meeting.

 If you didn’t receive that email, either you have not registered with us or you have a different email address that we don’t know about. Let me know if you have a problem. Theoldfiddler@gmail.com.

‘See’ you soon. 

- David

Old Cars & Unique Motorcycles

Occasionally I get lost in that YouTube “time sink” and sometimes stumble across something I find quite interesting.  Ivan Dutton is a well-known Bugatti restorer, now retired, who has a YouTube Channel called Ivan’s Shed.  It is worth a look if you’re interested in old cars and motorcycles and their history. The second YouTube Channel that I have been following is Allan Millyard’s channel.  He is an amazing machinist, fabricator and mechanic, modifying motorcycles and building some from scratch.  My favorite is the “Flying Millyard”, using a custom engine built from two radial aircraft engine cylinders to make a 5 litre v-twin engine.  Perhaps some of the FABAC folks might have a bit of time to have a look some stormy winter day.  Some links are attached.

Phil

 

Ivan’s Shed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on1ikSOn6r4

 

The Flying Millyard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-Xr1bmbZ_s

 

Allan Millyard

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj4hbNBjmdvXONmcxcLSNhg

Gonna try it again...

 🎼  ♪ Baby you can drive my car, ♫
  Yup, I'm gonna do it again...
 🎶 Yes you're gonna be a star!
      ...make another resolution to finally,...
    ♫🎶...and baby I luu-uv you...
      ...get the Jag back on the road!
            🎶 Beep beep, beep beep Yaa! ♫🎶
              Will this be the year she finally turns a wheel in anger?

  Long suffering Dianne is now happy because the long promised tiled, walk in shower is finally operational taking some of the pressure off of me.

- Bob E.

 

Passed along by Pat and David S.

(Passed along by Pat and Dave)