After a brief consultation with Learned Counsel, I decided that I would change the oil on the Austin after the first 50 miles and then leave it for a few hundred more before changing it again or, do it just before the winter sets in, whichever is the sooner. If there's going to be any bits of white metal in the system we reckoned that it would be in the bottom of the sump pretty quickly.

As the weather is getting cooler, the Austin's running temperature seems to be coming down to about 130°F which is probably on the cool side so a radiator blanking piece is on the cards. Now that the pump is fitted, I'd rather have it running from start-up so the temperature has some consistency rather than letting it get up to 180°F or so and then switching the pump on - engines can sometimes be a bit sensitive to shock cooling which in turn, can cause its own set of problems.

Anyway, apart from a trip one evening to the local Austin Seven meeting, I've not had much time to myself because the wallpaper and fabric factory is on annual hols and I've had to seek gainful employment in other directions. One of the other things I do is service and maintain small plant and equipment and I've been up to my neck in hydraulics and so forth for the last few days but, the other night I was determined to get the wheel studs on the Special cut to length and drop the front axle in order to, 1. put the wedges in and, 2. determine the thread for the friction damper mounts (there's a plate sandwiched between the spring and the axle onto which the lower arm of the damper is attached). Both of these tasks have been achieved but, can I find the wedges? No.

Learned Counsel was also working late and I saw that he'd restored the Jumbly's steering wheel - a difficult job, very nicely executed and, what's more,

he's been sizing up the doors..

In all this activity I still hadn't found the time to finish the hood for the Hillman tourer. All I've got to do is sew a bit on the front edge to give me some purchase for the final tightening, tack the back in place, pull hard at the front, nail on the special strip (I've retrieved from the bin the old one and found it serviceable - plus it gives a bit of valuable patina) iron some bits on the corners and the job's done. I was looking the other day at a professionally made hood on a 30's Plymouth and, whilst my efforts have some way to go before I could equal the neatness and precision of someone who has a lot of experience under their belt, what I've managed to do  is certainly in keeping with the rest of the car. So I'm happy.

One thing that was on my list which I've forgotten to do is paint the propshaft; that'll finish the drivetrain. I keep saying that'll finish this or that, but it never does - there's always some detail, over-looked at the time, to keep you occupied.