The redesign of the air intake system for the cabin heater was well worth the effort and frustrations involved.

I've done away with the earlier lozenge-shaped chute which was giving me the headache and after taking the matrix box apart, I installed a couple of flanged PVC tubes to take lengths of flexible ducting. These will be directed into clean air positions below the bonnet line on each side of the car. An air-riveter is an absolute boon for this sort of work.

It was a bit of a fight to get the whole palaver together and sealed from potential fumes from under the bonnet. I won't be taking it apart again any time soon. With the water pipes hooked up, the assembly is fairly solid, but still has enough flexibility to absorb vibration transmitted from the block.

The cabin end of the system is tight up against the bulkhead and won't interfere with anything. The two PVC tubes on top of the box provide the de-misting air through smaller diameter flexible ducting. The box in the passenger footwell is part of the ignition system.

Having fitted up the heater box, I remembered that to accommodate the fuel pump and filter, I'd repositioned the windscreen washer bottle conceivably rather close to the heater paraphernalia. Ordinarily, this would have turned out to be in exactly the wrong place, but sometimes things go right.

A knob and pin now secure the lid of the electrical compartment. I think I may have to evict the Motorcraft ignition connector as the box is getting somewhat overcrowded. I'm not yet sure where to site the plug, but there's plenty of options as it's not particularly heat sensitive.

I was invited to have a look at some tools in the garage of a neighbour's deceased relative to see if I might find anything useful. This bending brake I could not let go. There was a guillotine as well - just discernible behind the bender - but for the number of times I might use one, I couldn't justify it taking up space in the workshop. The bender is on wheels - which could be fun - but at least I can shift it around when necessary.

A small Rotacut shear was lying on the floor of the garage, and in a pretty bad state, but after a clean-up and a new coat of paint, this will also become a well-used tool: perfect for those times when you need a small patch to cover up the occasional miscalculation.

More ROV frames have been ordered so I'll need to do a bit of aluminium welding practice before I tackle them. Being out of practice does not produce a good look.