31st December 2006

Work has been carried out on at a pace to get the 278 car ready for painting over the Xmas period. It was all a bit last minute (as usual) but the car was taken to Boundary Garage in Bury on Saturday 23rd of December where my mate Chris Johnson and I have been getting the prep and paintwork sorted. Decided to keep the blue chassis as it would have meant a much bigger strip down job to change it but have painted the body in white. All the paint and materials were kindly donated by Standox (paint manufacturer) and Autocol Ltd in Bury who are their factor. Boundary Garage (my employer) donated the garage space and have put up with me doing the odd disappearing act to work on the car for the last week. The paint and facilities are, as ever, greatly appreciated as having the facility to carry out the work in a proper environment and the product to do the job are a real bonus.

The car was booked in at Speedy's on the 15th Jan but a quick phone call brought about a revised date of the 2nd so it's off to sunny Newhey on Tuesday night!!

There's still a lot to do on the car once it's signed but I hope to debut at the 1st Skeggy of the season and, damage, permitting a certain Mr Helliwell (261) may be making his come back the night after at Cov. Wayne will hopefully be seen regularly at the wheel of the car next season, we'd like to get him in a semi but the main aim will be to get out there and enjoy ourselves without taking it all too seriously.

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23rd November 2006

The ex-218 shale car has now been stripped of its' rear bumper and nerf rails and is currently in the workshop being refitted for a Christmas repaint.

Wayne Helliwell has been busy making bumpers and nerfs like there's no tomorrow and we have all been busy doing various jobs around the car.

The seat has been removed and re-positioned to give me a bit more "growing" room, the pedal set-up has been altered and the car has had a Helliwell rear bumper and two nerf rails tacked into place.

We have made a start making a new bonnet for the car and hopefully this should be sorted over the next week or so.

There's no garage time this weekend as it's the F1 drivers do on Saturday so next weeks jobs will be to finish of the bumper and nerfs, finalise the templates for the bonnet so they can be formed out of ally and generally make a start stripping it to a point where we can start thinking about prepping it up for the re-paint.

With any luck I should be getting the paintwork done over Christmas while the Fairhursts' enjoy a well earned break in NZ (jammy sods!!)

The 218 tar car is currently parked up and the teams attention will no doubt turn in that direction in the early part of the new year.

Personal thanks go to Derek, Brian, Tony, Jack, Ian, Wayne and my dad Keith for their help so far.

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