WEDDING BELLES
Forget concours events –this time it’s serious for James and the Cyclops
It’s amazing how domestic events can throw a chap into a panic – one of my daughters has asked to have the Cyclops as her wedding car next year.
Flattered? You bet. Worried? Just a bit. Okay, the wedding isn’t until next May, so I have plenty of time to prepare. But the to-do list of jobs seems to be as long as ever.
Top of the list has to be ensuring that I’ve cured the overheating problem. I’ve done all kinds of things to sort this out, but I do wonder whether I should get a new dual-core radiator, just to be on the safe side.
Then there’s the question of the door handles. The Rover’s press-button interior releases went down like a lead balloon when they were new – nearly 70 years later, they are even more of a pain. There’s a 1950s plastic pressbutton, held in by a spring-loaded key that works loose as the plastic wears (and crumbles) with age. Mine are held in by sticky tape... all except for one, which I attempted to repair with a reproduction press-button that had been carefully crafted from aluminium. Trouble was, it stuck in the door handle, and now won’t press in or come out. Naturally, it’s the left-hand rear door – the one my daughter will want to get out of when she arrives at the church on time.
Then there are a couple of little areas where the paintwork could be better. There’s a tear in the leather on the driver’s seat. And a previous owner painted Hammerite over the rust on a couple of the overriders – they ain’t broke, so I ain’t fixed them, but maybe now is the time to look for replacements.
Looks like my plans to do a bit of work on my wife’s Range Rover will have to be put on hold for a while. Hey ho!