Hello from Norfolk

[OuBallie]

UK that is not VA.
I'm retired, my career being in the electrical profession, in the design and sales of HV switchgear and control circuitry.
Prepared and raced my Ford Anglia 105E, ex-road car, at Kyalami F1 Circuit in the early 1970s.
Had my own hobby shop from mid 1970 for 8 years before selling, it specialising in miniature steam engines, and later other hobbies. Wonderful experience.
Now in the UK, having worked for the same electrical company I was last employed at in SA, as Electrical Manager.
That's all now finished and a new era started on somewhat of a downer when in November of 2007 I was diagnosed with two lots of cancer, yadayadayada.
The usual story of operation, treatment and side effects etc, etc.
Nothing surprised me more, however, than getting engaged on my 65th! I really thought I was a confirmed bachelor :-)
Still far too young to get married though.
My fiancé Iwona is a nursing sister, so I can say I fell with my bum in the butter.
I have a fully equipped workshop (converted single garage) and am about to start restoring my 1935 Austin Seven Ruby, having extended and enclosed the carport to make it weather proof, it's now 30ft long by 10ft wide.
Photos and details will be on the web once work on the car starts.
I just need to get the two doors up to finish the carport. Waiting for the paint to harden off before putting them in place.
That's it for now folks.
May your hammers keep hammering.
Geoff & Iwona

[Barry]

Welcome Geoff!

[HEATNBEAT]

Hi and welcome Geoff!

[David Gardiner]

Hello Geoff, welcome to allmetalshaping, I am not too far from you as I am in Harwich in Essex.

David

[OuBallie]

For the welcome guys.
Hoping to get the two doors up this weekend, but weather turning with rain forecast and 9-11mph winds from a different direction each day.
If it's the slightest bit windy then it's a no-go.
Where I am, on the highest point of our town, the wind whistles over the town from the west and we get the full blast. Property is south facing.
Neighbour helped me turn the 7x7ft garage door round so I could paint the outside, after I had drilled for hinges, and it acted like a sail in the very light breeze!
Was thinking of measuring where one of the top hinge screw holes would be on the carport upright (40mm sq tube) then drilling and tapping to make it as quick as possible to get that top hinge secured in place.
Just need a couple of hinges secured, then I can mark through the rest.
The sides of the steel Up-and-Over garage door have shallow channel sections riveted on, making the use of a transfer punch easy.
The other 'side door' is a normal width external house one so nowhere near as unwieldy to manipulate into place.
Will be spending today preparing for the off, whenever the weather allows, neighbours willing.
Regards
Geoff - much cooler today

[metal manny]

Welcome Geoff.

'Spent many happy youthful days at Kyalami - sadly it's not the same nowdays.

[rcv4]

welcome Geoff from sunny east yorkshire.

[OuBallie]

Originally Posted by metal manny

Welcome Geoff.

'Spent many happy youthful days at Kyalami - sadly it's not the same nowdays.

Manny,
When I heard that the SCC had decimated the track by selling the ground from Leeukop to Barbeque I couldn't believe it.
My brother sent me details of the 'new' circuit, and I just thought Micky Mouse and the end of one of the fastest F1 circuits. Sacrilege
Two challenging corners gone, for me at least, namely Leeukop and Barbeque.
Leeukop - I wasn't the only driver to find this one difficult to conquer. Uphill right hander with the exit tightening onto that lovely long very very fast straight. I got this corner right about one in five. Frustrating but oh so rewarding when I did get it right, as the car flew out onto the straight and I would be 200-300 revs up along the straight!
Scrubbing off too much speed the other four attempts?!
Barbeque - TippyToe corner as it was the bumpiest one, relatively speaking, and fast having come out of Crowthorne and heading downhill. With stiff suspension the car used to behave like a bucking bronco, or that's how it felt.
My favourite corners where Sunset and The Esses.
Sunset - a slight downhill long sweeping blind right hander, cut into the side of a slope, with a concrete wall on the right a few feet from the track - get this corner wrong and you had a 90% chance of writing your car off either against that wall or rolling off down that slope, as I saw many times during my time as a TMA Flag Marshall at Clubhouse Corner.
That concrete wall on the inside acted like a magnet.
That wall nearly caught me during a Saturday afternoon open practice. Came round flat as usual and got the left wheels just kissing the Transvaal dirt and that *#%* wall saying 'come to me' as I went into a lurid slide, heading straight towards it!
Don't know if it's ever happened to you or anyone else on the Forum, but in situations like this everything sloooows dooown as the brain kicks into mega-drive, and to this day I remember the whole sequence:
"Oh s**t if I don't catch this slide I will have to spin the car to stop hitting that wall!" full opposite lock on by then of course.
During marshalling I saw one driver freeze in the same circumstance and T-bone the wall and another hit the wall and roll about six times, so I knew what would happen if I did nothing - one written of car!
Well the next thing I remember was the car coming to a rest facing the wrong way towards Sunset, I obviously caught it but not the return spin :-) Remember this is a blind exit to any driver coming through, and as I came to a rest a huge black Ford Capri V6 came barreling into sight! We saw each other at the same time, the Capri twitching as the driver decided if I was still spinning or not and which side to pass me, my car having stalled of course being on carbs.
A few seconds getting started and reverse off the track PDQ and back on, to the delight of the crowd in the SCC Clubhouse Enclosure!
The Esses - late entry into the first part, as the second corner was tighter than 90%.
Every time I went into the second corner I wondered what the result would be if the front left collapsed, the barrier a couple of feet away, as the exit of this nicely banked corner changed from level to heading skywards up the steep rise towards my bogey corner, so massive forces on the suspension.
I loved The Esses as I soon found that I could 'pitch' the car sideways into the first corner and have a really nice run at the second.

Good days indeed.
Geoff - no sun today

[invision]

Welcome to All Metal Shaping Geoff!

[OuBallie]

Greetings people,
Can't believe that a year has gone bye already!
Where the heck did that go?
Anyroad, I've put some photos of the Austin up on Photobucket.

http://s1104.photobucket.com/user/Ge...?sort=3&page=1

I've also got two of my machines up and running, namely a Boxford shaper and an "Excel" filing machine, with the two milling machines to follow soon.
The lathe and drilling machine already done.

I think I have at last cured the carport leaks.
I was too stingy when overlapping the roofing sheets between old and new sections of the carport, with the result that rain water was being blown under the joint.
Serves me right

I really, really, REALLY need to sort out my tool drawers, as I am having to go through each one to find anything.
That's 60plus drawers, so I will be doing that in the evenings I think.

That's it for now folks.

Geoff - From another non-summer UK!