Occasionally, an almost perfect tree presents itself and it's worth taking a picture.

Last week I forgot to post a picture of the installation of the new dynamo cum alternator lookalike. It seems to work reasonably well, although not being as hefty as the original it takes a blip on the throttle to put the warning light out. It's a sensible swap as the coupé will have a lot more demand on the generator than the Hillman.

Rooting about in the stores - I was looking for bits and pieces that might be useful for the dashboard - I was pleased to come across a tap that would be suitable for the coupé's heating system.

As luck would have it, the thread was correct for the block.

I also turned up an old Air Ministry 3-position switch that will do for the side and headlamps, and no self-respecting motor of the period would be without provision for the then popular gasper.

The dashboard is coming along. I'm using a clock, speedometer, and rev-counter from the Riley RM series, but I've never really liked the rectangular ancillary instruments, so I'm replacing those with generic round dials for which I'll create new faces to match. Another piece of luck was finding an ignition switch with a pair of keys. It took a moment to work out how to remove the barrel to get the unit into its hole. The bronze bush to the right of the ignition switch is the steering column support.

As I'm thinking about how to shape the rear of the car's bodywork, I thought it prudent to start work on the fuel tank. The Other Wright Brother gave me a new type of paint stripping disc to fit to the angle-grinder. All the reports are true! I've never known paint come off so quickly, at the same time not taking the metal away like a normal flap disc might, even with a very light touch.

I left the bits that would rip the disc to pieces - I'll use a paint stripper on those.

Underneath layers of the gold paint was this label. I knew Morris - Lord Nuffield - had linked his business interests with his charitable works but hadn't made the connection between the Nuffield Organisation and the Riley RM's.

A coat of Kurust will protect the tank from further corrosion until I can get round to checking it for leaks. I haven't decided what to do about the inside - which happily is remarkably free of rust - as I've heard various horror stories about tank sealants and ethanol, despite advertising to the contrary.

I came across this booklet the other day...

... full of interesting information for Austin owners.

No perfect trees were harmed in its production.