Knackered seat, 6-point harness, trainers that fit in a Seven, OpenMail canned, GSM info, foxed.
James fitted the 6th point on my driver's side harness. He had to machine the mounting to get it to fit along side the seat, and in doing so noticed that the back of the seat is falling apart. He bodged it together (in a very professional way!) using tywraps. I've pondered getting some R500-style seats, but they are extremely expensive. The carbon ones are right out - for a pair they are £400 more than the glass-fibre variety. It's between those and making a foam seat, which I quite like the idea of, but it wouldn't look very professional, and I'm not too keen on having the head-restraint fitted to the roll bar.
The 6-point harness is great; it holds me in really tight. I've noticed how much more I can feel through the seat (another reason for going for the R500 variety?), and how much easier it is to dance around the pedals now that I'm not subconciously trying to push myself back in the seat. Definitely recommended.
Wednesday 4th April 2001. Link to this ramble.
The All-Stars don't last very long when you wear them every day - the sole comes away at the heel, and the rubber gets worn off the sides as they rub against the sides of the footwell. But the sole is very thin, which is good for feeling what you are doing. And they are a lot cheaper than Sparcos.
The assistant was being pretty helpful, so I asked her whether they stocked any other trainers which were similarly narrow. She fetched a pair of Puma Romas which were just what I was after. They're no wider than the All-Stars, and feel pretty sturdy although they are still lightweight. They're better for walking, with a thicker, more springy sole, but that means they're not as nice for driving in. Still, at least people can't tell what car I drive just by looking at my feet any more.
Wednesday 4th April 2001. Link to this ramble.
Monday 26th March 2001. Link to this ramble.
Saturday, 10th March 2001. Link to this ramble.
Thursday, 8th March 2001. Link to this ramble.
Monday night, driving home from work. I was doing about 50 mph (just left a 40 zone), when a fox ran out immediately in front of my car. Bang! The front number plate disappeared. The bottom of the nosecone was cracked, and had grown hair. The nosecone mountings on the chassis had bent. The radiator had a big, not really fox-shaped dent in the bottom. Everything seemed safe enough, so I continued on home. It was a fair distance before it had been safe to pull over, so I didn't see the fox, but I don't think there is any way it would have survived.
Tuesday morning (gorgeous day), I checked the car a bit more thoroughly in daylight. Although a bit bruised, the car seemed basically OK, with the exception of a bit of a coolant leak. There was a dent in the front bottom chassis member, but I had vague memories that it was there before the fox decided to take a closer look. Satisfied that the car wasn't going to fall apart, I drove the car up to James Whiting to get an expert's opinion.
James suggested that the leak might be coming from the radiator hoses, so he tightened them, and advised me to keep an eye on the coolant level for a few days. The cost of a new nose, once respraying and fitting is included, is exhorbitant. James suggested, given that it's my every day car, that I just put up with it as it is. A new number plate will cover most of the damage. Assuming that the rad is OK, that's what I will do.
Tuesday, 6th March 2001. Link to this ramble.