Heavy Fuel

So, Sadly the company in Leighton Buzzard refurbishing my carb couldn't return it in time to fit and test for the Welland show next weekend, so very kindly a friend has lent me the carb from their Goddess for a few weeks - yes, an odd loan I know! Anyway, it was fitted today and after having swapped the battery to the one from my Land Rover Defender as the Goddess battery was dead, it fired into life straight away!

A quick test drive showed it ran very well although very soon the loud squeal on the over-run was back. So it's not the carb then! What could it be?? My friend who was there had no clue either - "..never heard that before, ever..." . So a few laps of the local roads provided the opportunity to drive with the engine cover off. It was obviously air - but from where? Not the carb - all tight. The vacuum pipe connection for the servo? Nope. There doesn't seem to be anywhere else where air can get in like that. But wait, might it be the old, crimped pipe mounted at the front of the inlet manifold which used to feed the old (and since removed) vacuum powered windscreen wipers? My friend threw a cloth over it and it got much quieter.... It was! So we stopped, removed it and hammered the end flat and hey presto - silence! Probably for the first time in ages as it's always squealed in my ownership! 

 A good day, just the oil and filter change to do now and a wash and refuel before Welland next weekend....

Da Juice

Well, it's been a good few months since there has been any activity on the Goddess front, so after a few months since my last visit I thought it was high time to wander up the road to see the old beast, although with a specific job in mind...

Ever since I purchased it the carburetor has had a tenancy to squeal - a trait which has got worse with time. So, having converted 326 to electronic ignition last summer, this year it's the carb's turn for some attention!  So with a couple of spanners and a screw driver, the carb was soon removed ready to be sent off to be rebuilt in time for the Welland steam rally in late July.

Newark Chic...

This weekend saw the return of the Emergency Services Heritage Show at Newark Showground. The successor to the old Derby Fire Show, last year saw a big show with not a lot of visitors. This year saw a slightly smaller show and who knows how many people.....

A good run up on the Saturday saw 326 running well with the electronic ignition still bedding in. However, the carburettor now squeals on the over-run very loudly so a strip down and re-build will be in order this winter.

The show was slightly re-jigged this year - same arena but the vehicles were parked further down the runway which made sense.

Saturday was relatively quiet - there were fewer vehicles than last year especially with no NFS-AFS fleet and fewer vehicles from the RAF Firefighting Museum, although they did have a very nice LFB 1970s Dennis...... However, there were 5 goddesses on the Saturday - all the better for the goddess rivet counters to compare bodywork by the different body builders!

By 3pm on the Saturday, the heavy rain showers had scared off most punters so a gap in the rain meant a run for home.

Sunday dawned much brighter and drier and there were more vehicles there than the Saturday, with an additional 6th goddess! The crowds were much better too, which was nice, so lots of people looking at the vehicles and wandering around, and watching the arena displays too.

One event this weekend - on the way up to Newark on Sunday, the goddess ticked over 7,000 miles!

A good weekend, the show is moving to late July next year apparently.

It's Show Time...

So, with the refurbished distributor back looking splendid and with the electronic ignition module fitted, it was time to re-fit it along with the new coil and then to sort the timing out before the first show of the season at Rushden.

Sadly, I didn't take a photo of the insides of the distributor which was a bit of an error, as this potentially made the re-fitting a little harder. As the Bedford RL distributor has two equal sized lugs on the end, this means it can fit the correct way or 180 degrees out..... So, with no photo to help, it was off with the rocker cover to see where the cylinders were sat and potentially to have to turn it over by hand to get to the point where the number 1 cylinder valves were both shut. But - a stroke of luck - the engine had stopped in at exactly that point so on went the dizzy. It started with no worries, and once warm the timing was adjusted. Time for a test drive and all was not good - no power, no real top speed. A quick stop changed little until the large number of shocks going into my left hand which was on the distributor adjusting it told me something was up - it was... The lead had come away from the connector on the spark plug, although this did reveal a very good spark! The number 6 lead then fell off.... With those sorted, all went very well and little further adjustment was needed.

The Rushden Cavalcade is a great show, the first of the season for many. It's a good drive from Grantham - about 60 miles - but this does blow a few cobwebs away! Once there, the normal show routine of coffee-wander-eat-wander-snooze-eat-wander began. After a good nights sleep, aided by some very nice beer, I was joined today by PGW 35 which parked alongside.

The weather stayed kind for most of the two days, thankfully. Not much purchased either although some cheap £4 ex-RAF long storage boxes on one stand proved the ideal solution to the under-seat mess of spare parts in the cab:

The drive home went well with 326 running perfectly, although the torrential rain on the A1 demonstrated that the windscreen seal doesn't do what it says on the tin any more, so another job! Driving on a duel carriageway with one hand whilst bailing out with the other isn't recommended....!

Dizzy....

Well, my first visit of the year up to see 326 after a winter of gentle slumber to a) move it backwards so it's sat on a different point on the tyres and b) to get the model number of the distributor so that I can order an electronic ignition kit for it.

When I bought it back in 2011 it ran reasonably well - sort of. However, when it had a load of recommissioning work done on it by Fire Engine Services over in Shropshire they set the engine up so well that literally I haven't touched it at all in 4 years other than to change the oil and, well - that's it really! But towards the end of last summer's show season, it did have the odd hiccough here and there - not running smoothly at speed and on one occasion, conking out altogether on the way to Welland - handily enough just as I rejoined the M6 after a coffee at Corsham Services......!

Having had my Land Rover ambulance running on an electronic kit since I got it nearly 10 years ago, I need no persuading and I did say to myself that even though it had been set up superbly using points, the next time it needed attention that would be the time to 'go electronic'.... Mind you, it was easier to remove the distributor completely to see the model number (and it needs removing anyway to fit the new 'heart' of it) so here we are with the distributor on my desk at home (a Lucas DMZ6A) awaiting a kit....

Not the hardest gap to work in ......

The gap where the distributor should be!

Since You've Been Gone...

Good gracious - is it really over 6 months since I last updated the blog here? Okay, time to sort that out then!

It has been quite a busy year really with a good few shows involved, and mainly shows of quality! It's amazing as you go on how you find good shows and move away from others.

Sadly, the Earls Barton Fire and Rescue Show didn't happen this year so my normal show opener wasn't possible. I did book 326 into the Rushden Cavalcade in May but on the day, I decided the tyres were too far gone for them to be safe. So the petrol carrier came off the bench that day, although as a weekend show machine, it's nowhere near as good as the goddess!

After a quick search, new tyres and wheels were sourced via David Crouch, a military vehicle collector and dealer in Leicestershire, who many might know for his main business - heavy vehicle recovery. A quick run across with the petrol carrier saw them loaded and a few days before the Newark Show in July saw John and Richard come across to help change them. With three people, changing three tyres took under half an hour!

As mentioned the Newark Emergency Services Heritage Show was a highlight of the year. The successor to the old Derby Fire Show, it took place at the Newark Showground. A busy few days saw my vehicles and those of David and John of the NFS-AFS group moved to the showground in readiness, although that's nothing in comparison to the journey that the Dublin AFS made - all the way via ferry and across North Wales in PGW 144. It was a great weekend, although a little light on visitors, but that it often the case with 'new' shows, so I'm glad it will be on again in early July 2016. It was a great weekend and nice to catch up with many old and new faces.

32 and 326 before the show:

The line up:

PGW 144 all the way from Dublin Civil Defence:

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service's newest and largest toy - alongside the NFS-AFS Group's WW2 Austin TL:

"Are you okay down there?"

With Newark over, the next show was Welland. A large steam show in the West Midlands, it is well know for it's scale - steam, railway, trucks and commercials, ploughing field, tractor pulling arena and much more! With Tony attending with his AFS Control Unit, it was a decent journey across to meet him at Chievely Services on the M6 for a convoy into Welland. Worryingly, as we pulled out of the services 326 spluttered to a halt on the hard shoulder but it started again easily enough and was fine for the rest of the weekend! The scale of the site at Welland has to be believed, and once we met up with Dan, we parked. Although there for enjoyment, we were also there to provide fire cover for the show, so 326 along with Dan's goddess and a goddess belonging to Liam a local fire officer were there to work! On Saturday morning in the rain, we filled up then parked in our designated location ready for action. Thankfully, we weren't really needed. The Friday was very wet and the show was a washout but Saturday dawned dry. Sadly, Sunday was equally wet so it was knocked on the head and exhibitors dispersed back home.

The Welland Fire Station:

The last show of the year was the Lincoln steam and vintage show. A great show which draws a good crowd from quite a distance, it's always good fun. So Tony came up from Suffolk with the control unit on the back of his Atkinson low loader. We parked with the fire section, which happened to be most of the crowd from the Preston Park show up in the North East. We had a great weekend and with some great camaraderie - a show as it should be!

Two Dennis appliances which were parked with us - the right hand vehicle is a former Royal Navy appliance which initially served at HM Dockyard Trincomalee in Sri Lanka - beautifully restored right down to the last detail including the varnished interior:

So that's it for the year! With 326 now safely in bed, one of the jobs will be a conversion to electronic ignition as it's running a little rough. Watch this space!

Here Comes the Bride...

Well, after a few days of preparation and polishing (which were needed anyway prior to the new season) the wedding day dawned. Everything was set up so all I had to do was to climb in and drive off. A short journey down the A1 and 326 entered - for the first time other than ploughing up and down the A1 - Rutland, and soon enough we were sat in front of the Oakham School Chapel. I then disappeared to get changed and to have lunch although a few curtains did twitch in school from those still working as most people hadn't seen a sight like this before! We were very lucky with the weather with a significant gap between the howling winds of earlier in the week and the non-stop drizzle of the early part of the Easter weekend.

The evidence of days of polishing and cleaning and painting!

After the short but excellent service in Chapel, the bride and groom were taken in leisurely fashion to the reception venue though not after a quick stop for some more professional photos, arriving at the Hall with blues and twos on of course to please the waiting crowds!