Seasonal spruce-up
With the long days of summer now a distant memory, the clocks changing and the temperature diving for single figures, this month has been a time for tidying up and sorting out. The Hunter was first to receive the treatment. It has been waiting for those little finishing touches – the sort of thing that can go untouched for months once the initial flurry of activity is over and all the ‘big’ jobs are completed. So it was a case of dragging the chromework and bright trim out of the corner, cleaning the worst of the muck off and refitting it. The front bumper is just a four bolt job, with the indicators then fed through the mounting hoops and fixed with two screws. As all the fittings were in good order, within a couple of hours I was putting the finishing touches to the job by fitting the grille.
The later Hunters had a face-lifted grille, which runs up onto the bonnet courtesy of a two-part chrome peak. It may be a little clumsy for some tastes, but it gives the front of the car a bit of a Transatlantic look – not surprising really as it was carried out under the auspices of Chrysler. A bit of a Marmite look, but it has grown on me.
The chrome on the bumpers is a little past its best. There’s obvious pitting, the decay no doubt having accelerated during the extended period the car spent in poor storage. But with a good clean and a polish with my old favourite, Autosol, it at least looks presentable. And the same can now be said for the interior and the boot.
I’ve always suspected that this car was once someone’s pride and joy, and both the interior trim and the original rubber boot mat – which regular readers will remember was buried under a huge pile of spares and old junk when the car arrived – have responded really well to a good clean. Hot soapy water, some elbow grease and a splash of trim shine have restored the sheen. That’s the upside of these ‘70s interiors and their complete devotion to black vinyl.
So after just six months, I’m now considering the Hunter to be finished and it’ll be going in
for MoT imminently. After that, I’m not so sure. As the Landcrab already occupies the ‘sensible saloon car’ slot in my fleet, I’m not sure I have room for another. Although I’m really happy to have pulled the car back from the brink, a friend of a friend has expressed an interest in taking it on, so it may be time to pass the Hunter onto someone who will enjoy driving and using it.
Next job was to help clean up a friend’s Elan before that goes into semi-hibernation. I’m a believer in keeping cars on the road all year round, but these little Lotus’ have now become so valuable, it will only be driven on dry, clear, salt-free days. A good wash and a coat of wax was required. It was nice to have the opportunity to compare it with the Eunos (MX-5) I’ve had around for a couple of months; it’s also quite a surprise to see how enormously different the two cars are. The Elan may have been the inspiration for the Mazda, but beyond the fact they’re both two seater sports cars, it takes an enormous stretch of the imagination to say they’re at all alike.
The Landcrab is still awaiting attention. After several conversations with friends and contacts in the industry, my initial plans for a few improvements may have changed yet again. Hopefully, I’ll have more news on this for next month.
It may be time to pass the Hunter on to someone who’ll enjoy using it