ALEX’S MILESTONES

1 Biggest fail

‘I was working on the rear light electrics and for some reason decided it would be more comfortable to work on them from inside the boot itself. This would have been fine if a gust of wind hadn’t slammed the boot and left me trapped. Luckily my grandad heard me knocking and shouting a little while later.’

2 Biggest success

So far, that is… was winning the People’s Choice trophy at the 2016 Morris Marina Owners’ Club National Rally. That was the car’s first outing with new paint, and Alex had worked all hours rattle-canning the bodywork (24 Halfords cans!).

3 Best bodge

When the radiator popped, Alex fitted a MKIII Escort radiator from the corner of his grandad’s shed as a temporary solution. It works perfectly well, though, so has become a permanent fixture.

4 Best tip/upgrade

‘I wanted to keep the interior looking original, but the radio would only pick up one channel. I stripped it down and soldered a 1.5mm jack cable to the volume control then ran it out the back of the radio and into the ashtray. which conceals it nicely. I can now connect my mobile phone to the radio without it looking out of place.’