Tag Archives: WD40

Sunday Mornings = Martha & Me Time

By Katie on | 2 Comments

Sunday mornings are generally the time when I like to go & have a tinker with Martha, I get little chance the rest of the time.

This morning, as is usual or a Sunday, I was awake before 8am (seriously, it’s a Sunday, why can I not have a lie in? Why does my body hate me so???!!!), so I decided I’d go down & take the bonnet flash & bonnet lift handle off so I caould give them a good clean, pain the bits that needed painting, and wack them back on again.  No problem, easy little job!

So off they came, in pretty good nick really, not rusty, but very dull, and the handle is quite badly pitted, but a polish would make them nice enough until I get new ones!

Bonnet Flash, Bonnet Lift Handle

Before

I put the screws & washers into a tray of WD40 (ok, so it’s not WD40, it’s a cheap version, but still…) to get the rust off & loosen them up a bit, and also used a sponge & a spray of the oil to polish the metal a bit.
 
The enamel has also worn off the flash, so I decided to touch that up a bit with…….NAILPOLISH!  Unfortunately, I could only do the red for the time being, but I like how they turned out, and so simple too!
 
Bonnet Flash, Bonnet Lift Handle

After!

So off I went to put them back on, this is where the trouble started! Putting the bonnet lift handle back on, the screw shirred off, and so won’t stay put!  The screws on the flash wouldn’t tighten properly either, so that was flopping about a bit, but at least it was on.

After a particularly terrifying drive yesterday, where the gear shift kept sticking in between 2nd & 3rd, I decided I would definately have to check the gear box oil.  I have been meaning to do it since I got her, but never got around to it!

Unfortnately the tool I had wouldn’t fit in the little hole properly to get the screw out, so a trip to Maplin was on order to buy a socket set!

Happy days, £4.99 spent, and the largest socket was not big enough to fit in.

So I still haven’t been able to top up the oil in the gearbox.

When I was out, I also noticed that a bit of metal was coming off the side of the bonnet, and when I was driving along, the glove box surround at the drivers side came off.  Crazy day!

However, I did have a bit of a clean up in the engine bay, and the sump now looks very clean, and I even found a bit of metal underneath a lot of grime.

I polished the bumper too, but then found the boot won’t lock.

Ce’st la vie, and all part & parcel of owning a classic car.  So if anyone has a spare boot catch, lock handle & bonnet lift handle lying around, you know what to do…I have cake…

TTFN

Katiexxx

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