I had one more headlamp to re-wire and I was putting that job off because I knew that I needed to get some insulating material to make the little widget that keeps the festoon bulb in its place. I today remembered that I had a circuit board over from the indicator project and which would be just the ticket. I also had to turn up a new top-hat section for the main bulb spring.

With that done, I was able to assemble the light but not before having to add a generous blob of solder to the ends of both the festoon bulbs. It seems that the available bulbs are just a few millimeters shorter than the originals. And on the subject of electrics; it seems that my guess that the non-suppressed spark plugs may be interfering with the operation of the electronic indicators may well be right. I had a quick glance at the gen on resistor plug caps and my thoughts seemed to be not far off the mark. Not bad for a teenager...

So the lamps were finished and all that remained was to mount them on the car. But, before I succumbed to that temptation, the reversing light demanded some of my time.

A quick going over with the sandblaster (I called in at the wallpaper factory on my way back from North Walsham) and then primed and painted saw the light looking as good as new. Fortunately the glass is in excellent condition so all I needed to do was add the wiring. Surprisingly, getting all that right and grounding the lamp to the bracket, took more time than re-wiring the headlamp, or so it seemed as I was itching to see what the lamps looked like on the car.

So far so good but the proportions will be better observed with the wheels on. While I was at Chumley's I got him to part off the aluminium bar that will be the false radiator cap. My little Myford was just not man enough for the job and I can now design the mascot and trim the cap to suit at leisure.

The mascot design is something I've been thinking about for a while but so far, I haven't come up with an original idea that has inspired me. I imagine something cast in clear resin and then perhaps sandblasted to give a Lalique look but what that 'something' might be hasn't yet taken form.

The good news is that within 48 hours I had the brake shoes back with the new Ferodo synthetic linings. Charles Johnson in Norwich provided this excellent and very competitively priced service. I went to them because Very Learned Counsel had had a problem with a Bugatti's brakes squealing and the chaps at Charles Johnson persuaded him to try the synthetic stuff. It worked perfectly and so I'm giving it a go too. It's a slightly softer compound and so reportedly, provides better braking. It also beds in a lot more quickly but doesn't last as long. Well, with the type of driving and the mileage I'll be doing, I'd rather have effective brakes now than in 300 miles time.