Lagonda Rapiers

3 minute(s) of a 484 minute read

It is now 4.30 in the afternoon and I have taken an early  finish. I am just about pooped! All that now remains is for me to fit the "self Adjuster springs" to the thimble nuts, replace the gearbox lid/remote control/gear change, and do some fine adjustment on each band. Finally I will be able to fit the front carpet and passenger seat cushion,  then I can the car a wash to remove the few oily hand prints.
The car is now back standing on its own four wheels, for the first time in over two months, it seems more like two years!
The motor starts "on the button" and I can select all gears including reverse.  
Oh yes! I still have to cut a new gasket for the gearbox top but with those few simple jobs completed I should be able to take the car for a road test.
Meanwhile I have been spending up to two hours each morning working on correspondence regarding the question of Temporary Insurance for the three months that the car will be in the UK and EU a little later this year. Since January 1st 2019 this has been changed to be available to Permanent Residents of the UK only.
My mailing list has certainly expanded New years Day. (1/1/2019). Without a minimum of 3rd Party Insurance it is against the Law to drive in England or the EU.  To date I have not bothered the British Prime Minister as she seems to have quite a lot to look after already but having said that her Time may still come !

Oops! I almost forgot. I think that I have not yet explained the purpose of the very special tool that I fabricated if that is the right word.
When assembling the Top Gear mechanism it is necessary to support the lower end of the "pull rod" while fitting the strut, rocking plate and thimble nut. To do this access is restricted to a very narrow gap. The blade of this tool can be inserted through this gap. The tip of the tool is  twisted through 90 degrees so the end will support the aforesaid Pull Rod.  Without this "tool" the whole operation is extremely tedious to say the least.
I should have thought of it 50 years ago when I was rebuilding the very first ENV 75 gearbox I had ever seen.

Looking back while it may seem a lifetime since I first started on my rebuild of the Lagonda Rapier's gearbox it was not until after the VSCC Alpine Rally in mid December that I first removed the gearbox from the car. I had a previously dismantled my "spare" gearbox so I could send the bands and top-gear cone to England to be relined.