Grim
16-06-2010, 13:07
what can I say about these two, that hasn't already been said by people who should know better.
their dedication, their enthusiasm, and their dogged determination to see the job through, makes them an inspiration to us all.
to set the scene, we decided to swap rear hubs from Dan's S14 (which he destroyed in a failed attempt to build a tubular chassis track monster) to mine, as the easiest way of transfering the Z32 rear brake setup.
7pm kick off was planned and promptly at 7:54 I arrived. Dan was already hard at it removing bits from the S14, and Paul had the naunchelaunt stance of a man who has been there, done that and got the T-shirt as he rested against his pristine golf gti, ciggy casually hanging from his lip.
Because Dan had greased up well, his car came apart easily, and in no time he had both hubs off, and I had managed to put on my overalls. (not done up of course)
there was then a monumental, may i say almost biblical struggle to remove the hubs from my car, and refit Dan's. I was put in charge of making coffee and tea, as well as being chief fetcher boy when paul needed a tool. a bit like a nurse assisting a surgeon. but with a breaker bar.
the highlight for me, was being allowed to remove a whole wheel, all by myself.:thumbs:
as darkness fell the spotlights were switched on, and the entire site took on an eerie glow. mainly from the sun shining from Pauls arse:thumbs: Dan was of course in his element, as the man who can do handbrake cables without needing to jack up the car. Paul and I have a more developed physique and find it harder to get under.
ARB bolts were a bit of a bastid to undo, but Paul is stronger than he looks. it appears I am weaker than i look. however i make a mean cuppa.
working 4 inches away from the neighbours car lead to a degree of precision, not normally associated with the sxoc bodgit and leggit methodology, but was remedied when the neighbour moved his car. i wonder why.......
the only real downer on the evening was dan's incessant whimpering about 'buy my arms' as he tried to flog more of his poor old car to me. ohh and the continual spotting of new patches of rust:cry:
12:30 isn't the best time to start up the angle grinder and fashion yourself a new brake bolt screwy thing, but that didn't stop Paul:D
once assembled there was a very slight issue, of the wheels not turning. Paul fettled away with sandpaper and made loads of adjustments and sorted that all out.
anyone who has seen the top gear episode where they build a Caterham whilst Stig races to Scotland will understand how we were working under pressure. I was definitely the Clarkson of the group - completely useless. there was debate between Dan and Paul as to whom was Hamster, and who was May. They are grown ups, and it's not for me to critisize their roll playing games:ghey:
Just like top gear, we then got on to bleeding the brakes, and there was lots of pumping, hard on, 'it's gone soft' tighten the nipple, and 'Grim, we need your fluid' innuendo, but it was well past everyone's bedtime (including Bethan who was watching us from her bedroom window) so the humour was leaving the situation. fast.
Satisfied that we couldn't cock it up Paul buggered off and left us to it - just because he has to get up at 5:30 he thought 1:15 was an acceptable time to depart:rolleyes:
Dan and I manfully struggled on, and refitted both wheels, and then against the odds, managed to find ALL of the tools from my Halfords set. Any one who has seen Dan's garden and drive will appreciate how unlikely this situation is, as everyone is requested to leave at least 5 tools, or an engine, buried in the garden gravel:wack:
nothing large and noticeable fell off during the test drive up and down Dan's road, so I set off home. a few strange creaks and groans have come from the rear end as things settled into place - I hope.
So Dan E and Paul S13, I salute you:thumbs:
(and the man love you requested will be forthcoming)
their dedication, their enthusiasm, and their dogged determination to see the job through, makes them an inspiration to us all.
to set the scene, we decided to swap rear hubs from Dan's S14 (which he destroyed in a failed attempt to build a tubular chassis track monster) to mine, as the easiest way of transfering the Z32 rear brake setup.
7pm kick off was planned and promptly at 7:54 I arrived. Dan was already hard at it removing bits from the S14, and Paul had the naunchelaunt stance of a man who has been there, done that and got the T-shirt as he rested against his pristine golf gti, ciggy casually hanging from his lip.
Because Dan had greased up well, his car came apart easily, and in no time he had both hubs off, and I had managed to put on my overalls. (not done up of course)
there was then a monumental, may i say almost biblical struggle to remove the hubs from my car, and refit Dan's. I was put in charge of making coffee and tea, as well as being chief fetcher boy when paul needed a tool. a bit like a nurse assisting a surgeon. but with a breaker bar.
the highlight for me, was being allowed to remove a whole wheel, all by myself.:thumbs:
as darkness fell the spotlights were switched on, and the entire site took on an eerie glow. mainly from the sun shining from Pauls arse:thumbs: Dan was of course in his element, as the man who can do handbrake cables without needing to jack up the car. Paul and I have a more developed physique and find it harder to get under.
ARB bolts were a bit of a bastid to undo, but Paul is stronger than he looks. it appears I am weaker than i look. however i make a mean cuppa.
working 4 inches away from the neighbours car lead to a degree of precision, not normally associated with the sxoc bodgit and leggit methodology, but was remedied when the neighbour moved his car. i wonder why.......
the only real downer on the evening was dan's incessant whimpering about 'buy my arms' as he tried to flog more of his poor old car to me. ohh and the continual spotting of new patches of rust:cry:
12:30 isn't the best time to start up the angle grinder and fashion yourself a new brake bolt screwy thing, but that didn't stop Paul:D
once assembled there was a very slight issue, of the wheels not turning. Paul fettled away with sandpaper and made loads of adjustments and sorted that all out.
anyone who has seen the top gear episode where they build a Caterham whilst Stig races to Scotland will understand how we were working under pressure. I was definitely the Clarkson of the group - completely useless. there was debate between Dan and Paul as to whom was Hamster, and who was May. They are grown ups, and it's not for me to critisize their roll playing games:ghey:
Just like top gear, we then got on to bleeding the brakes, and there was lots of pumping, hard on, 'it's gone soft' tighten the nipple, and 'Grim, we need your fluid' innuendo, but it was well past everyone's bedtime (including Bethan who was watching us from her bedroom window) so the humour was leaving the situation. fast.
Satisfied that we couldn't cock it up Paul buggered off and left us to it - just because he has to get up at 5:30 he thought 1:15 was an acceptable time to depart:rolleyes:
Dan and I manfully struggled on, and refitted both wheels, and then against the odds, managed to find ALL of the tools from my Halfords set. Any one who has seen Dan's garden and drive will appreciate how unlikely this situation is, as everyone is requested to leave at least 5 tools, or an engine, buried in the garden gravel:wack:
nothing large and noticeable fell off during the test drive up and down Dan's road, so I set off home. a few strange creaks and groans have come from the rear end as things settled into place - I hope.
So Dan E and Paul S13, I salute you:thumbs:
(and the man love you requested will be forthcoming)