In fettling the MG, we felt it prudent to renew the condenser.

What I hadn't come across before was a condenser soldered to the backplate. I took it home and applied heat.

After it had exploded and belched acrid smoke everywhere, I had a closer look inside. It consists of one long and very tight winding of silver foil with an insulating paper in between the layers.

It didn't seem to make much of a difference to the strength of the sparks, but a heavy-duty tractor battery spun the engine fast enough to fire it up. A preselector gearbox and a supercharged car wanting to leap away with the slightest provocation wasn't ideal in the confines of a carpark - but I managed :)

I'd put the Special's exhaust mountings off long enough, so fished out some flexible pipe that I'd used in the silk finishing machine experiments.

Another silencer was added - I don't want a muscle car burble - and a plate made up to hang from one of the cross members.

So far, so good.

The two silencers are attached rigidly to the chassis with a flexible pipe at either end to soak up the vibration. I think that should work. I've also had to make up a new piece of fuel line to direct it away from the bracket. I'll put some sort of insulation on the top of the plate directly underneath the fuel line.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Mr Laken decided to make the plenum from a section of mild steel rectangular box.

Interestingly, as the holes were cut out and the sides shaped, it released a lot of tension built in when the section was first folded and welded together at the factory. Much hammer and vice work was needed to bring it back into line.

The ends will have plates welded on to create the box.

The shape of the box reflects the need to use as little metal as possible.

The blow-off valve is a hinged rubber covered magnet, which Mr Laken has determined will release in the event of a backfire. A novel idea.