The steering column support, alterations to the throttle cable bracket, and a mounting plate for the electronic ignition trigger wheel sensor occupied me for a few days.

With a visit from Awkward imminent, it was a priority to set up what I could of the ignition system. Awkward had generously volunteered to rewire the various equipment plugs during the week.

A cardboard template for the trigger wheel sensor was first up. I didn't realise what I'd done wrong until I woke up in the middle of the night thinking it all out again. Dopey had attached the plate to the engine and the chassis side of the engine rubber mounting block.

Luckily there was enough meat left to make an adjustment...

... though I had to add a bit of plate to the underside in order to get the mounting bolt through both leaves. A bit of square tube keeps it rigid.

The steering column support was a great success - despite my guesstimates, it fitted first go! The column clips into the saddle portion (cut from part of the Hillman's old column) and the brake master cylinder mounting bolts keep it all in place. Now the column's position is fixed, I can redesign the alternator mounting bracket to stop the alternator casing from banging up against the tube.

I was never happy with the throttle cable arrangement; it was clumsy and would have caused problems as the cable didn't have a straight run (already corrected in this picture, but still a bit of a mess).

Much better is this copper pipe which supports the cable and runs back over the bellhousing to the pedal assembly where there's a second adjuster. There'll be another return spring attached to the manifold and set to pull the throttle closed in the event of a cable break. The pipe device also frees up the Bowden outer which I will use for the choke cable.

To test the ignition system using the lathe, I set up the spark plugs on an aluminium angle. The coil block sits on the shelf above. I took the trouble to attend to the detail of this because I intend to make a magneto re-magnetising fandango, and the plug array will form part of the test rig.