After Korea, it took a few days for my Circadian rhythm to get back into synch with life at home.

My first task was to fabricate a pair of stainless-steel flanges with sockets for connecting pipes to animal feed tankers. I must have left the settings on the TIG at exactly the right positions - my test piece and the job went well, though I struggle to even approach an exhibition standard weld pattern - my hand isn't steady enough.

Learned Counsel wanted to borrow my axle stands which I'd used to lift the Special's chassis to a more user-friendly working height. After taking them out and putting the chassis back on the ground, it became clear that the exhaust downpipe was too long causing the ground clearance of the system to be drastically reduced. I'm always conscious when driving over long dry grass in the summer and the potential for fire started by a hot pipe. I cut the downpipe and twisted it through 45° to redirect the flexible extension behind the chassis cross member that was part of the problem.

For some reason - maybe it was just an off day - the welding didn't go terribly well, and I managed to blow a hole in part of the join. More weld and a flap disc has hidden the mess I managed to create.

A more relaxing task was to make a gasket for the cam cover. I polished the cover, reassembled the air filter connection fandango, and hunted for the two steel cover locating pins that sit in the cylinder head. In something of a first, I went almost straight to the safe place I'd put them in three years ago. What I hadn't bargained for was the warping in the cover resulting from the alterations I'd made. Despite bolting it down, in both filling in the section where the distributor originally sat and introducing the oil filler neck to the side of the cover, the cover had twisted enough to need some effort to get the rear bolts lined up with their threads in the head. With it attached, I might again apply some heat to it in the hope that it resettles in a better position.

After giving the scuttle a protective blow-over with a primer, I took the plunge and tacked in place the metalwork that supports the two windscreen frames. The central spine of the roof had also to be tacked to the scuttle. This will allow me to position the demisting vents and to work out the best position for the windscreen wipers and washers. I can't put the dashboard back in just yet as I haven't got the rev counter back. It transpires that I can use it with a negative earth system as long as I reverse the wiring for the clock. I'm going to substitute the clock mechanism - a likely battery drain - with a modern cell type.

It's beginning to look more businesslike since the addition of the screen frames....

... and the view from the driver's seat is about right.

The bannister for the church steps looks well.