Oh no, it’s MoT test time again!
I t’s hard to believe I’ve owned my Alfa 145 for a year now; a point I realised when I saw the fresh MoT that came with the car was about to run out. Worse was the realisation I’d only done less than 1000 miles in a car I’ve wanted for years.
Running through my pre- MoT checklist I gave the car a good once over. Everything was in order other then the air- con pump and interior fan switch not working, neither of which is a fail, but I was reminded that the Alfa’s exhaust is hanging from cable ties, something that I’d managed to forget about.
Not a big deal, so I ordered some new hangers and went to lift the car up using the correct jacking point. All good when the wheel began to lift off the ground then as I jacked the Alfa up higher the sill cover popped out sideways and the car stopped going up. This probably wasn’t going to be good.
At this point my checking stopped and I dropped the car off with Trevor at T.J. Motors, not my closest MoT garage but classic and retro friendly and able to fix most issues. A day later I got a call to say there was rust in the floor of both sills at the rear. No longer a surprise but disappointing considering how much work the car had before it was purchased.
I expected not to see the car for a few days at least but phoned and left a message asking if I could pop over and photograph the rust when it was being worked on for my diary. Unfortunately this was mis-heard and as I wanted the car back in a hurry I got a call later to say the work was finished and the Alfa had passed without any advisories. At least the job’s done now and I was able to get a lift from Ian Seabrook, the much travelled Classic Jaguar editor on his way back to Wales to collect the Alfa!
Meanwhile the newest of my retro fleet has continued to be improved upon. Another job for Trevor was to repair the ruined oil sump plug with a Time-Sert thread repair on my Y- reg R50 MINI. With the car on the lift it was easy to drill out the old thread and tap the new insert into the sump. Much improved peace of mind that the oil won’t fall out without any warning now! Cosmetically the car also needed help, as it had been in a bump that had damaged the bumper and clamshell bonnet.
I took it to Aylesford Body
I was reminded that the Alfa’s exhaust is hanging from cable ties, something that I’d managed to forget about
Repairs for a quote, explaining the significance of it being a very early car but one look and they said it would be uneconomical to fix, so I should find used parts. Luckily there is a BMW and Mini breakers near me who had a 2002 Mini with a perfect front end, the parts cost just £100 and fitted in the back of my estate car!
The paint and refit only took a few days, involving blending wings and scuttle but did reveal a cracked radiator, which explains the coolant loss and once finished the car looked stunning. The work cost more than the car but it really is a ‘like new’ repair and the MINI is now something to be proud of plus its a piece of motoring history saved.