johnpwalsh

Yes thanks Bib's. Wendy is still struggling to speak ( ) as the nebuliser causes throat irritation and she has a strong doze of steroids to get through.

So on Monday after a brilliant weekend at Glamis where one of our members came away with Best in Class for unrestored car we ended up having to rush Wendy to hospital due to her having a severe Asthma Attack due to a food Allergy. Wendy and one other member of our group who is on a Gluten free diet had both informed the waitress of the condition and asked to make sure what it said on the menu was correct. WRONG on both accounts. One meal arrived with what they called sauce 74 which is full of hot spices, Chillies etc. Wendy took a small sample on her fork to taste the sauce and her lips started tingling, I told the waitress that it was the wrong sauce, but by then it was too late. After about an hour or so the tingling had calmed down, but could eat nothing else as the reaction had started. 2 hours later Wendy had an asthma attack in our hotel room, she managed managed to keep under controlled with her inhaler. Sunday as the day was getting on, her chest was getting worse and the use of her inhaler had to be increased. Sunday night, Monday morning a severe asthma attack was on which her inhaler just couldn't handle and I had rush her to hospital by car as no ambulances were immediately available to take her to Aberdeen 32 miles away (36 hrs after having the sauce ) to the A&E department where she was first treated in the car park by a couple of paramedics who immediately put her on an oxygen, she was then transferred to the triage ward and put on a nebuliser which had a double doze of Salbutamol, her oxygen levels at this time were down to 81% which is dangerously low. Once stabilised she was then transferred to the A&E ward where she spent another 5 hours in the ward, with another nebuliser and another double dose of Salbutamol. 5 hours later we were told she needed to stay in for the night in the Respiratory ward but the consultant explained that the ward was also being used as the Covid treatment ward. We quickly declined the offer and went with the the consultant's recommendations that it would be safer to go home with medication. At our meal a second member of the group endured swelling to the mouth and face as her meal had gluten substances in it. She had informed the restaurant staff that she was on a Gluten free diet when placing her order. It now looks like her food had been cross contaminated, but luckily, she only had mild irritation. The Saturday evening at the hotel had ended on a sour note as at 10.45 a round of drinks was requested and refused with the answer that the bar was closed. OK, fine, no big issue but at 10.50 the manager told us : Quote. Take your drinks and get out, we are closed: I must tell you that nobody was under the influence of drink, or in the slightest bit intoxicated as we were all driving back to Glamis early the next morning. Sadly, after 15 years (with the exception of Covid shut down) of always staying at this hotel and eating at the same adjoined restaurant, we would normally take up amount to 12/15 rooms, this also equated to 20/30 evening meals and a sensible amount of after dinner drinks . The Premier will no longer be having our custom, and the Beefeater has absolutely no chance of us ever eating there again. Sadly, the end of an era. Shame on you Beefeater. You even had the nerve to insist that the two wrongly supplied meals be paid for. The whole incident has since been reported to Beefeater management and a full investigation is to be carried out by local and area management.

Well, that's our 1st major show completed since the pandemic, and what a show it was. Fantastic weather with 29 Deg C on Saturday and up to a nice 31 on Sunday. We had huge crowds on both day, with Sunday always being the busiest. Our show vehicles were down slightly this year which we are putting down to Covid and the excessive price of fuel although we had 50 plus cars booked to be on stand for both days, we eventually had 29 which was a bit of a shame as we had a large stand space booked. Sunday was a rather special day though. We had a visit on stand from Sarah Crabtree from Bangers and Cash, and of course Wendy and I both missed her as were too busy sorting out some other minor issues. I suppose I better mention the minor issue. One of the cars on show on the Sunday was that stunning Esprit Turbo belonging to Stephen Which which many of you will probably know is a one owner 11,000 plus mile immaculate, all original, untouched car. Well didn't this little beauty just go and win Best in Class un restored original car. Not bad going from a show which had 1,745 exhibits many of which are original and un restored. What a tribute to a stunning car. Congrats Stephen, especially considering it was the 1st time shown at this most prestigious in Scotland. Downside being by the time the trophy presentation were complete, we were late in getting everything packed away, load the little canter with one of our cars, the trailer with the barn find we had on show and left for home. Special thanks to those guys who stayed behind to help down rig our show stand, load up etc and get mobile. We also had a little bonus for a Cancer charity stand. I forgot to take the name of the charity. The lady came over to us and said, we have been gifted with a box of Lotus notepads, any idea what we can do with them. Simple I said, leave them with me. 20 minutes later after going round the guy's and simply saying, hey, your owe me three quid and handing them a note pad, said money was handed over to the charity stand and she was delighted as it was £40 for something they thought they may make £10. Good deed for the day done. A second surprise was one of our members had been given a box of memorabilia from the late wife of a chap called John Farquarson (probably spelt wrong) who had been one of the original organisers of the show and a personal friend of Jim Clark. John had passed away recently is buried locally. He must have been a special friend of the flying Scotsman. John was a local farmer and had engraved on his headstone at one side a sheep and on the other and engraving of his friend Jim Clark in one of his race cars. Now is that special or what. I will of course dig deeper into the link and history when I get chance, but for the meantime the box and it's contents are now in safe keeping rather than where they were destined to go, which was the local skip. A full set of pictures will be posted later. Wendy and I were/are both knackered, but, man what a weekend.

Just ben offered a UNI 21 gearbox at a sensible price. Any interest to anyone and what it's worth. I have to let them know this next 24hrs if I want it or not. I have no need for it, so if nobody wants it I will give it a miss. Apparently it was purchased as a spare when it became avalable a few years ago but never required and the family no longer own an Esprit. Be quick with an offer if you want it. John.

Lets see what happens on the next one when the owner gets the all clear from COVID and I can revisit.

How would this work on the M100.

Well today I went and visited a field I first viewed about 4 years ago which had a nice early Elise sitting on a trailer and an unknown 2 seater race car with it's nose sticking out of a container. At that point, it was the usual. " I'm going to restore them soon". Well 4 years later, they are both still in the same sad condition, although the engine has gone missing from the Elise. I was unable to find the owner, but rest assured I will be going back shortly.

I'd at least leave that to a new owner, or at the very minimum keep the parts to pass on to them. Yep, the parts will go with her. If no interest, I may just stick in the spare engine and gearbox I have and get her mobile. Any offers/Interest. On this Celebration model. Documented as No6 of the production line!!. 1st wash since 2004, looks a good deal better. The interior is back in her as well.

Sneak preview. The ratchet strap is around the body to keep the nearside door closed as the latch is bust.

Brief update on this weekends find/rescue. We came across an old envelope in the car which gives some history and after going through it I have found that she is the 6th Excel off the production line and official colour is NOT Silk Red as I thought, but in fact she is Jupiter Red. So she is one of those very early ones which was still registered as an Eclat, but is in fact an Excel which be be obviously proven by all the Toyota running gear etc. I also came across a letter from Clevedon Lotus who were her original dealer confirming the VIN number to be No6 off the line and was originally registered as OWP 49 prior to her company owner selling off the registration number to Elite registrations. It would also appear to have been a local car to the Mablethorpe/Louth area for all of it's life prior to going into storage, reason for that I guess will now never bee known now. Love digging up the history of these old cars. It's part of the fun.

Perfect Keith. Good starter for 10 anyway. See what I can dig up tomorrow. John.

Sorry, no pics this time until I get her offloaded from the trailer tomorrow. Wot no pics of this road trip. How is the N/A M100. Still trying to trace a TPS, one on offer at £199.00 and no way I'm paying rip off prices, I was offered another in exchange for my old one, but lost the guys details. Another member did offer to lend me one, but not too sure on doing that in case it gets damaged, lost or whatever. Anyone know of one or an alternative. PLEASE. Mainly because hoses and pump are us and not much requirement for AC in the UK. Make lightness, make speed lol.

Today, I found and managed to purchase what will be a very nice Eclat Celebration in Silk Red metallic. The car had been found sitting in a container some time ago. The finder obviously purchased it then decided it wasn't a job for him. Hey presto. Another 23 hour round trip and enter LotusRescue to snag her. Currently the engine is out and in parts, nobody knows why this was done, but I have a good spare which will be inserted into the space soonish. Paintwork is pretty good considering her time in storage, as is the interior which will come up well with a good clean. She has had an aircon delete, or will have by the time I've done with her. The downside to the trip was a crazy £400 quid to go collect and bring it home. How in bloody hell can they justify 2.09.9 p per Lt for diesel. Bloody theft. I probably spent in all about 1.5hrs leaving motorways and going into towns for fuel at anything from 1.86.9 to 1.94.9. Maybe doesn't seem much of a difference, but when your filling a 100Lt tank 3 of 4 times it soon mounts up. And now the punt. Anyone interested in what will be a nice Eclat Celebration in Metallic Silk Red with Beige cloth interior. I will have to double check, but as far as I can tell she has been in storage since 2004. Comes with original documents and Lotus manual.

Ooooh. Lets see now. Would it be the fact that I found and managed to purchase what will be a very nice Eclat in Silk Red metallic. Of course it is. Car was found sitting in a container some time ago. The finder obviously purchased it then decided it wasn't a job for him. Hey presto. Enter LotusRescue to snag her. Currently the engine is out and in parts, nobody knows why this was done, but I have a good spare which will be inserted into the space soonish. The downside to the trip was a crazy £400 quid to go collect and bring it home. How in bloody hell can they justify 2.09.9 p per Lt. Bloody theft. I probably spent in all about 1.5hrs leaving motorways and going into towns for fuel at anything from 1.86.9 to 1.94.9. Maybe doesn't seem much of a difference, but when your filling a 100Lt tank3 of 4 times it soon mounts up. And now the punt. Anyone interested in what will be a nice Eclat Celebration in Metallic Silk Red with Beige cloth interior. I will have to double check, but as far as I can tell she has been in storage since 2004. Comes with original documents and Lotus manual.

Marc. Just let me know when said field gates are to be opened and I will nip in and pick it up before you light the match. 🙂 John.

I have a set of OZ wheels if required. No marks on them.

Nice short drive yesterday for a change to collect an old friend. A nice S4 turbo which is coming back for some minor works after sorting out her botched clutch etc last year. So we stop for a coffee at Kinross services and spy these real nice looking Mercedes trucks from Germany. Had a chat with the drivers who were very nice guys and petrolheads. Turns out they are carrying 17 supercars to Scotland from Munich with the plan that they meet up with their owners today, who will then do a 6 day tour of Scotland. During the tour, the truck drivers will sit in an hotel waiting for their return. They will then load the cars and head back to Munich. There instructions. Wait and we will tell you where we are going next. Great to have that kind of money. The trucks were load with Lamborghini's McLarens, Porsche GT3's Ferraris etc. Obviously a lot of money involved. One of the drivers opened a door to give us a glimpse of the contents and it was jaw dropping. All new cars. If you see any of these on the road, give them a flash or a toot. Real nice guys and open for a chat anytime they are stopped. The tour is officially named Circle Tour and the cars all have the small decal on them as shown on one pic. Kind of dwarfs my Shuttle trailer and tow car just a little bit lol.

Another gruelling trip just completed by Wendy and I. 29 hrs none stop on the road. 1 Excel SE delivered to a new member down in Norwich and a 1600 twin cam engine and 5 as new MK1 Lotus Cortina wheels delivered to the well known company of Tiger Racing. We had a fantastic time with Jim at his works yesterday evening which meant we were well behind schedule for heading home. Was it worth it. Bloody right it was. We were given a full tour of the works, the fab shop where new chassis were being constructed, the fitting out shop and the mechanics workshop which had a rather nice customers MK1 Lotus Cortina and a very nice MK2 Cortina with a newly built Zetec engine matched to a type 9 gearbox. Along with many other nice motor's. Jim explained that the car came in as total rot box and was basically rebuilt to a high standard from scratch. Jim has also just imported another MK1 from the states which looks like a very, very good shell with no obvious corrosion. Looks like we made a great new contact who has a wealth of knowledge on old Lotus and has a private collection of MK1 Lotus Cortina's. Jim, the company owner presented us with a couple of copies of the company biography, some advertising material and I was presented with a rather nice embroidered shirt. Mind you, the boss, otherwise known as Wendy Walsh did tell Jim I was a size medium and not a large. I recon she has a plan on stealing it away for herself. What do you guy's recon. Look up tigerracing.com fantastic little company who carryout some 1st class restoration work as well as building there own brand of cars to almost any spec. https://tigerracing.com/...

I wonder, how many of these are left.

looking real good Dave.

Last week I took back a Range Rover as part exchange for my old Touareg, didn't really want the car but it cost me basically Nothing. The MOT expired a few months ago, and a load of work had been carried out on it to include all new brake disc's, back and front with pads and shoes. 4 new tyres, plus some other odds and end's by the previous owner, but he never got round to testing it for some strange reason. So I thought stick it in for an MOT and see what happens. Well, didn't the bloody thing just pass 1st time with an advisory for a number plate light and a poor wiper blade. Result Anyone looking for a cheap range Rover, diesel, 3.0 Lt.

Wow. What was it. I bought 4 sheets last weekend 8'x4' x 18mm external ply for £42 per sheet. I was quoted £54 for marine grade.

Well that's been a busy couple of weeks. 4 project cars up and running and gone to new enthusiasts for further improvement/restoration. Only a couple left in stock, so I guess I need to look for some more. Also time to get cracking on with client restoration jobs. Ah well time o get the hands dirty again.

David. You will have read my earlier message. As Dave, Bill and many others have mentioned above. Jennifer may well surprise you and the medical team yet. Never give up hope for you significant other. You know where I am if you just need to chat. All sending our best. John & Wendy.

Well a busy couple of days on the little Elan that came home only on Sunday past. Day one. As the car was on the ramp yesterday I thought I may as well spend some time on it before moving it to the store to await her turn for work. I gave her a good look over and started a list of parts she will need so far. Worst part was the engine was partially seized which could lead to an expensive rebuild. So, I made up some ATF fluid mixed with some WD 40, removed the spark plugs and filled the engine with the plan to leave it to soak overnight. Got a spanner on it today and its moving, taking it nice and easy to start with, and with the plugs out started to turn her over with the plugs out on her own power. Result. I don't think she will require an engine rebuild. Refitted the plugs and leads, checked the distributor etc and fitted up the external tank and pump. Attempted to start her, but by this point my spare battery had lost power. So a very good result. Tomorrow I will have a fully charged battery, and I suspect she will be starting on her own by the end of tomorrow. So, day two. Compression checked and all good. Carbs removed and flushed of old fuel and debris, petrol tank cleaned and flushed, mechanical fuel pump cleaned and flushed and fuel line from the pump to the carbs disconnected for now, plugs removed, cleaned and correctly gaped, external tank which is fitted with an SU fuel pump connected to the carbs. Push the button, and hey presto. She lives. Obviously a little smoky to start with, but settled down nicely after a few minutes. Even the thermostat worked and the fans came on. Happy bunny. So, 20 Lt fresh fuel into the tank, all fuel lines and filter refitted. Connected my spare battery and she now start off the key. One carb off balance so carried out basic balancing as they will have to be done again once new gaskets, diaphragms etc are fitted, car now idling much better and should be able to drive under her own power once clutch function is checked and be able to move about the yard until she comes in for the full works, which is too include a back to original colour. video-1649880415.mp4