I FLEW INTO HEATHROW AND THE MAGNIFICENT NEW TERMINAL TWO, PICKED UP A HIRE CAR AND DROVE TO MY BASE HOTEL NEAR RUGBY.
i`D SPENT MANY HOURS PRIOR TO MY DEPARTURE PREPARING FOR THE PROPOSED MEETINGS THAT i`D ARRANGED WITH THE PEOPLE THAT WERE GOING TO HELP ME WITH THESE PROJECTS.
THE FIRST PERSON THAT I WAS GOING TO SEE HEADS UP A RESTORATION COMPANY WHICH HAS TWO DEDICATED WEBSITES ONE FOR THE RESTORATION WORK AND ANOTHER THAT ADVERTISES BOTH ORIGINAL AND NEW VINTAGE BENTLEY PARTS. THE PARTS SITE HAS A FACILITY FOR SELLING PARTS ON BEHALF OF PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS.
I HAD TELEPHONED THIS PERSON SEVERAL TIMES AND WE HAD AGREED A PRICE FOR ONE OF THE TWO ORIGINAL TURRETS THAT HE HAD IN STOCK BUT WHEN i PHONED HIM TO ARRANGE A MEETING HIS PA. TOLD ME THAT HE HAD NO TIME TO SEE ME THAT WEEK! THIS WAS NOT GOOD NEWS!
i HAD AN ALTERNATIVE TRADE SUPPLIER LINED UP THAT HAD AN ORIGINAL TURRET THAT WAS FOR SALE AND A PRICE HAD BEEN AGREED, WHEN i WENT TO VIEW THE TURRET SUDDENLY IT WAS NO LONGER FOR SALE! ANOTHER WASTE OF MY PRECIOUS TIME.
THEN THE SAGA OF THE 4.5 STEERING RATIO PLAYED OUT. THE FIRST PERSON THAT i PHONED DID NOT KNOW WHAT MATERIAL THE WORM OF THE GEAR SET THAT HE WAS SELLING WAS MADE FROM AND THAT IF IT HAD BEEN CASE HARDENED AND POLISHED AS PER THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE BENTLEY DRAWINGS.
THE SECOND PERSON THAT i CONTACTED THAT SELLS THE GEAR SET AND IS VERY GOOD AT USING CORRECT MATERIALS, ASKED ME WHETHER i`D FITTED ONE OF HIS GEAR SETS BEFORE. NATURALLY i WAS CURIOUS AND ASKED HIM WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS? HE TOLD ME THAT BOTH THE WORM AND PINION WERE OVERSIZED AND WOULD REQUIRE FILING DOWN TO FIT THE BOX! THIS DID NOT APPEAL TO ME SO I MAILED JULIAN MAZJUB WHO DAVID AYRE HAD RECOMMENDED AS PRODUCING THE REQUIRED STEERING RATIO.
THE UPSHOT WAS THAT I WENT TO SEE JULIAN, WHO I HAD NOT MET BEFORE, AND SPENT A VERY INTERESTING FEW HOURS WITH HIM. HE ORCHESTRATES THE PRODUCTION OF 4.5 BLOCKS, CRANKSHAFTS, CON RODS, 4.5 STEERING RATIOS etc.
HE HAD A SPARE STEERING WORM, MADE CORRECTLY TO THE BENTLEY DRAWINGS, THAT HE VERY KINDLY SWAPPED WITH SOME BENTLEY BITS THAT I HAD WHICH SAVED ME FROM SHELLING OUT FROM MY LIMITED WAD OF THOSE PRECIOUS PICTURES OF THE QUEEN.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF MY STAY WERE LUNCH WITH TIM HOULDING, WHO WAS ABLE TO HELP ME WITH SOME SMALL ENGINE PARTS, A VISIT TO JIMMY MEDCALF FOR A YARN OR TWO WHO HAD FOUND A VERY NICE "C" BOX REVERSE GEAR FOR ME.
i TOOK THE DAMAGED ENGINE CASTINGS TO AN EXPERT WELDER WHOSE WORK I HAD BEEN VERY IMPRESSED WITH AND THEN TO TIM PAYNE WHERE I LEFT A 4.5 BLOCK TO HAVE THE BASE SKIMMED TRUE AFTER HAVING PART OF THE FLANGE WELDED BACK ON.
IT WAS A TIRING WEEK AND REGRETTABLY I WASN`T ABLE TO SEE EVERYBODY THAT I`D INTENDED TO BUT ONE VISIT THAT I DID MAKE WAS TO PAUL SLATER THE ARTIST THAT HAD DONE THE ARTWORK FOR THE ARTICLE BY JAMES MAY IN 1997 LINK . I BOUGHT THE ORIGINAL ARTWORK FOR THIS ARTICLE FROM HIM PLUS TWO OTHER FABULOUS PAINTINGS WHICH MADE A BIT OF A HOLE IN MY BENTLEY CASH BUT IT WAS SO SO WORTH IT.
ALAN