But, the fact is that I've had so much to do at work and so much to do at home for work that I didn't get round to the welding of the mountings until yesterday and I still haven't finished them tonight. Actually, it's not me that's doing the welding - I just tack with TIG and Learned Counsel finishes off with the MIG. I've never done MIG welding - it looks relatively straightforward. I like TIG - that's the only one I've been taught - especially when it goes well but sometimes if there's a bit of a flap on, you don't prepare properly, it all goes to nonsense. I made a jig for the punch on a job I'm doing at work (building a 32 metre table for hand-printing fabric) and that went well:

And, on the way home I called into a local garage to see some friends and was moaning about broken exhaust studs when they produced a very handy tool:

There's an offset knurled thingy on the other side which engages with the stud and gives you a fighting chance of getting what's left of the stud out of the block. Broken manifold studs are a chap's worst nightmare - especially on a side-valve when it could mean engine out to put it right. The last one I was involved with was a case of making up an accurate drilling jig and luckily all went smoothly but it was touch and go as always.

Anyway, the progress this week has been slow. I've set myself the goal of finishing all the immediate chassis stuff before the end of next week. So, I've got to bolt the front engine mount to the chassis so that I can de-rivet and insert the new radiator mount. Then I need to make up the rear gearbox mount and finally fit that and the middle engine mount. I've got all the nuts and bolts from the aircraft parts shop - I use only aircraft nuts and bolts when the originals are either missing or past it, mainly because I can specify the exact shank length. There's nothing worse than finding a bolt with thread right up to the head in a place where it shouldn't be.

This is the radiator mount under construction. I've inserted the uprights to set the correct taper on the upper and lower panels to match the chassis rails. They also provide a bit of extra rigidity. Yes, that all sounds plausible, as if I know what's what, when the truth of the matter is that I cocked up and should have used 4mm plate for the upper and lower panels - not 2mm. Then, all I would have needed was a couple of spacers to take the radiator mounting bolts. Still, if I'm going to beat the Jowett to Monaco, I must add lightness. Talking of which, I had sight of that ol' Jowetty Jollity today; reminded me of that cartoon it did.