MYRTLE UPDATE 2022

No, you are not seeing Myrtle in her finished state, this was way back in 2020 the day she was delivered to our address in Lincolnshire. At the time she did look in a sorry state as she took in her new surroundings.

We rolled her off the trailer and as I gave it the once over, I noticed her engine, plus hundreds of other bits n pieces, that even I couldn’t identify lay in the boot or strewn over the interior. It was at this point I was beginning to think what the hell have I done. She was also covered in a thick layer of dust, grime and pigeon droppings and so after 34 years of resting in a barn near Leamington we thought the old gal could at least do with a good wash.

A lot has happened since then and from the previous update I can report that the engine has since been returned from the engine builder and is currently sat alongside the gear box in a container near Spratton.

Both the front and rear suspension was removed. The rear hangers had seen better days and rust had seriously got a grip so new ones were bought. The springs had also gone past their sale by date and two new one’s were obtained from John Orme, who just happened to have two sitting around.  Prior to reassembly new polyurethane bushes were fitted to replace the old worn-out rubber one’s. The rear axle was removed and the old oil drained. It was cleaned with paraffin and the wire brush attachment on the angle grinder. Once done to my satisfaction it was given a coat of paint. I refilled it with EP90 and thought job done. It was only when I went back to it a few days later that I found an oil seal was leaking from one axle so after a quick phone call to E.S.M. new oil seals duly arrived. I thought changing them would be difficult. The two axles took only a matter of minutes. The diff however took slightly longer and a tool to stop it spinning came in handy from Doctor Terry. The steering rack was also removed and a new bush and fibre washer were fitted. The rubber gaiters seemed in good order so I refitted them and filled again with EP90 (yes oil not grease) new track rod ends were required and fitted so that was another job off the list.

I set aside a corner of the garage and set up my own little spray booth and set about the task of prepping parts for spraying. Once again good old E.S.M. came up trumps with colour coded spray paints in the form of aerosol cans. For other items I used aerosols from a local car factor.
Rear brake pads etc and handbrake cables were ordered and fitted so that at least I had some stopping power.
The choke cable had sadly departed from the choke pull so this was sent away to speedy cables and came back as good as new at very little cost.

The speedo that was fitted had been identified as being the wrong one for that type of vehicle and so a second hand one was sourced off Fleabay for a reasonable sum.
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With things moving now at quite a pace a phone call was made to Doctor Terry about a respray by his mate Phil. “Got a lot on” says Phil but can fit it in about Easter 2022. There were still some odd jobs I could get on with but in the main myrtle was put on hold.
So, where are we at now. Well as most of you are aware in 2021, we decided to move back to Northamptonshire (to the dismay of many). Myrtle, well once again she is having to sit in a barn in Lincolnshire crammed full to the hilt with component parts and probably getting covered in dust, grime and pigeon droppings. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride for the old girl and I often wonder if we will ever get her back on the road where she belongs. She has cost a lot more than I thought she would and if you are planning a similar project make sure you have that so called bottomless pit of money or at least an understanding bank manager. As with any project there have been ups and downs, days where I could have quite easily have said forget it but that is interspersed with the days where things have gone well and enjoyed the journey. Would I do it again oh most definitely not.