BUILD IN TIME

Gaaarrdamnnit! With a capital G! You may have noticed that one of my hobby horses lately has been the supply of parts. Everything seems to be in short supply and freight is often costing silly amounts of money. Well, I’ve just had one of those mornings, working on Ed Guido’s Project VK (more on that on page 124).

Three components I’ve sourced have failed to meet the cut. The first was the air gap manifold we ordered, which overall looks terrific. However, the cut-out for the distributor was too small and we’ve had to modify it. That’s no big deal if, like me, you have a mini machine shop in the back of the shed and know how to use it. It’s more of a drama for the distributor who has probably ordered a palette of the things and now needs to get them fixed.

Then came the clamp to hold down the distributor. It was too long and would therefore foul the transmission, while the stud supplied was the wrong diameter.

Last and not least was a nice shiny thermostat housing that came with the wrong size O-ring.

Here’s some advice. First, build some extra time into your project because, believe me, you’re likely to need it. Second, buy locally so you can have a chat with the supplier. Third, don’t lose it with the supplier. More often than not they’re a victim in this as well and you’ll get a lot further by calmly explaining the situation and working through what needs to happen to fix it.

And if you do decide to have a rant, do it quietly in the shed where no-one can hear you – least of all your partner! The last thing they want to know is this expensive and time-consuming project, that’s meant to be fun, is putting you at risk of blowing a gasket.

Maybe that’s the crucial thing to remember: these projects are meant to be fun and there’s no point in getting cranky when things go a little sideways.