A textbook example of how a small task can turn into an extensive job, consuming a whole day,
There is a clear, distinct difference between working on a car and restoring a vintage car (with your dad)… When working on a vintage model, simple tasks can suddenly morph into a monster of a job that consume a mountain of time. I started the morning wanting to get some “long pole” jobs out of the way. Getting small things done now, that will save us time and effort at a later stage, like painting a base/rust coat of paint on the bottom battery holder plate. This being an vintage car, it is made out of metal and over the years, the spilling of battery acid removed the paint and exposed it to the elements, leading to rust. The task: “I just wanted to clean the plate and paint a coat of paint on it”.
Standing in front of the car, looking at the task at hand, I decided to remove that plate from the car, to clean it better. But (<-the first “but” of many) to remove the bottom plate, I had to remove it with a bracket holding it in place as well. So with help from dad, (calling in reinforcements) I removed and disassembled both these pieces to be cleaned before painting. I remembered that dad suggested I make sure the battery brackets fit okay before painting, so I complied, and tested the fit after I cleaned and washed all the parts. Ugh. I quickly discovered that the new battery we purchased a week ago, does not have any mouldings on the sides, needed to clamp the battery to the bottom plate… Can you see where this is going yet? Back to the shop to find a different battery, but only to return with a slightly different model of battery that have mouldings at the base and discovering that the mouldings are slightly different to what we need. Apparently over the last 50 years, the design and position of the mouldings have changed slightly… simple right. Now, time to start changing the clamps on the battery plate and changing the cars brackets to fit the new moulding positions of the modern battery. At this point, dad and I were both knee-deep involved in my “simple task” by late afternoon. Cutting, bending and brazing on some new manufactured pieces, before cleaning the improved and modernised battery bottom plate. A quick modification on the battery as well and finally by the end of the day, I was painting the base coat of the battery plate, hoping to spray the black top coat tomorrow morning and fit the “thing”. It felt like it took the whole day, partly because it did.
Adding a photo of the completed job…
I am not sure what dad got done today, if any, other than being pulled into my job… I also got to replace the interior panel and gasket of the one rear door, while waiting for paint to dry. Then, “what’s that?” dad asked, pointing to a puddle of something under the car. Yes, we found a leak under the car and it looks like brake fluid. Seriously? Not again? It feels like… why is the universe punishing us? I don’t know what to say or think anymore to be honest. I changed my flight back to NZ tonight, extending my stay in RSA with another week. I need more time in South Africa to visit family and friends after the car is (hopefully) loaded in the container on the 17th of October.
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43.5323 – 172.5567
4 September 2024
FP-237