John Bonnett
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Posts posted by John Bonnett
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The day didn't get off to the best of starts. Apart from the rain, when we came down to the hotel car park to leave we found that both the Gilbern and my car had suffered damage from careless drivers. The Gilbern had paint damage where a door had been opened onto it and my own had been side swiped by the car next to it who had reversed out of the space and turned too soon. Apart from damage to the paint the wing itself has been pushed in and the bonnet moved so that the door fouls it when opened. All a bit of a pain really.
Other than that the day went well with a visit to Honfleur which is a very picturesque fishing port and then on to Chateau Gaillard and Giverny the home of Claude Monet.
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Hello Nader,
Just a couple of thoughts. I don't think it is ever a good idea to run without a thermostat. That will not help the cause. I think it might be possible that there is an airlock if the gauge is showing a very low coolant temperature. It does appear that you don't have any circulation. Is the radiator blocked? The engine must have been close to seizing through over heating so it is possible that damage could have been done to the head and the gasket as a result rather than being the primary problem..
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Just watched a program that included the lady who owns the cafe there who was a child when the gliders landed, a real life story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. And much of it incredibly sad (but necessary)
Anyway, glad you are enjoying the trip, hope the weather is being kind.And the cakes delicious.
Yes all very good thank you Clive. The weather so far has been glorious but so far, no cakes
I didn't get to speak to the lady you mention but she was pointed out to me by the waitress and she is the granddaughter of the original owners who passed vital information to the allies. It is interesting that the glider training for the operation took place in Exeter where the canal bridge and its position more or less replicates Pegasus.
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Another really nice
day today; great weather, interesting places and some good driving.First off we drove to Pegasus Bridge and went in to the Cafe still owned by la famille Gondree who were actually there during the allied assault and the taking of the bridge which was vital to the success of the operation. How on earth our pilots managed to land troop carrying gliders on a postage stamp in the middle of the night beggers belief. The atmosphere and being there was very moving.
We drove along the coast past the landing beaches to Arromanches where their is an incredible museum and thence to Bayeux to view the tapestry. That in itself was amazing; a thousand years old and has survived unscathed.
The followed a really good drive up to the picturesque fishing town of Honfleur.
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Yes - that's the stuff, I've been a folkie all my life and apart from the local Ulster-Scots trad we have Irish, Scots, English (not so much Welsh?) French, Canadian, and a lot of East European stuff in the repertoires I play these days. Even tried Greek stuff (my avatar is me practicing in the Peloponnese prior to a few concerts around 2013 / 14) and I've found that the best way to learn about a culture - and make some great friends - is to learn their music. Second way is to learn about their cars...
Indeed you are right Colin. Find a common interest and build on that.
Well, we are now at Ouistreham and so far, all has gone pretty much to plan. We met up with the Gilbern at Wickham just outside Portsmouth and spent a very pleasant hour over a cup of coffee before driving on to Portsmouth and the ferry
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It might be worth having a word with Webcom Paul and ask them how much of a problem and odd one might be. I've always found them very helpful and they certainly know their products.
rgds
John
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It is your sort of trip Clive. Why aren't you coming?
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Please do! I've been a long-time fan of Breton music and always meant to get to the Lorient Festival... maybe some day.
There's a Gilbern not far from me, the owner was very impressed that I knew what it was and knew a bit about the brand as apparently few callers did; if I remember correctly it had a 3.0 Essex V6 engine same as my Scimitar used to have. .
Absolutely right Colin; Ford Essex. I've ridden in it and it is a very solidly built quality motor car. Pic attached. The 911 isn't joining us this time but Jerry and Judith are in their Mimosa MK3 GT6. Second pic.
Now, I'm a bit worried about this Breton music you mention. Are you in to that Fez Noz stuff? It has a strong following down here in Devon and they even have Fez Noz nights in a village just outside Exeter. It is Celtic music and I guess very similar to traditional Irish folk music. As a musician I'm sure you'll put me right on that.
Back to our trip. We are off tomorrow for a short drive to Dorchester stopping on the way for a cream tea. On Friday morning we continue to Portsmouth meeting up with Roger and Jan and the Gilbern mid morning for a coffee break. this will be the accent of the trip. Short drives and plenty of stops.
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Have a look at this one. Intermotor are not too bad in my experience. Not a Triumph but should fit.
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It is desirable that they are the same from the point of view of balancing. But I would question the benefits of fitting Webers to an engine that is pretty much standard. The most startling difference you will notice between a triple weber set up and a pair of 1.75 inch SUs is the fuel consumption. Just my opinion mind.
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Nice little project Roger. Aluminium body?
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On Thursday afternoon my wife and I together with our TSSC friends Jerry and Judith in their GT6 are setting off for a jolly little tour around Normandy and Brittany. On the way to Portsmouth we'll be meeting up with another couple in a Gilbern Invader who are joining us on our trip. I will do my best to give a daily update with a few pictures thrown in.
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I'm not sure where the problem is. The knob can be removed by pressing in the spring clip on the underside to release it from the shank. This can be done with the end of a scriber or a small screwdriver. Remove the knob, The nut then can be unscrewed and the switch removed. I hope I haven'y misunderstood you and that this helps.
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John, that is really very good of you. I'll take you up on it, ONLY if you'll let me make some recompense, beer vouchers perhaps?
Hi Doug, all done. Just let me know where you would like it sent. I hope it will be okay. The original is about 10mm diameter but I made yours from 1/2" stainless steel tube which I had in stock.
Best regards
John
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Ah sorry Jim. Glad you are fixed up
rgds
John
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Hi Jim, I do indeed have the fixings. Nothing special about them and easily obtainable I would have thought. But you are welcome to these if they would help. rgds John
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It has the symptoms of a poor earth; good enough to pass the current for one horn but not enough for two.
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I certainly will Jim as soon as I get home.
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Mark if you have any concerns about the drive shafts I would suggest that your first port of call would be to speak to Dave Pearson at Canley. If there is a problem he will respond very positively.
rgds
John
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Is the GT6 yours Markus? If so, I do hope you have a good event and that the car behaves itself as it always has. It's really nice to see our cars used and driven as they should be.
Looking forward to seeing you at Santa Pod.
rgds
John
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I've still got a couple of shells. I'm away at present but when I get back I'll check and see if the fittings are on them
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John, that is really very good of you. I'll take you up on it, ONLY if you'll let me make some recompense, beer vouchers perhaps?
Doug what goes around comes around and there may a time when you can help me. I should have the material in stock so the only cost will be a couple of bob for the postage. I'll drop you a PM when I get home in the middle of June and we can have a chat then.
Kind regards
John
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John, I seem to be missing the round bar, I can't think when that went awol, presumably when I had some body work done 20 years ago. But I can't think why it would have been removed. Nobody sells it any more so I may have to manufacture something.
If you can wait three weeks I'll make you one. Not a problem and I'll be pleased to do it.
John
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The tank has three fixings; one on the spring tunnel, a second on a bracket welded to the inner wing (as is mentioned above) and the third is a length of round bar, one end flattened and drilled which bolts to the upstand on the valence and threaded at the top to engage with the hole in the flange on the tank. It does look as if you are missing at least one mounting. I can let you have pictures of mine if it would help but not immediately.
rgds
John
We're off on a jolly
in Out and About in my car
Posted
The drama of yesterday morning has now been firmly put behind us and today is another day and what a good one it has been too. We stayed last night in a superb hotel at Giverny 100 metres from Monet's Garden and with our pre-bought tickets we were first in ahead of the crowds. The garden had suffered as a result of the heavy rain but it was still magnificent, particularly the lily pond in the Japanese Garden. And so much atmosphere in the house. It really is a very nice place to visit. From there we've headed North on some wonderful pin straight real driving roads and all three cars were in their element. We stopped in Vermeuil for refreshment and to let them cool down.
