Never, ever underestimate the importance of having fun.
“I had too much fun was no one’s last regret ever”
- Jonathan Heatt
My downtime, is spent tinkering, fettling and restoring motorcycles and modern classic cars. Away from the metal and petrol, health, mental and physical wellness comes from sports, cycling, hiking, extensive travel and socialising. My final indulgence is the fascination of old school mechanical audio systems over digital. I pursue a passion for faithful analogue music reproduction through vintage hi-fi, 1/4 inch reel-to-reel tape recorders and enjoy vinyl record collecting and many music genres, from music shops all over the world.
Weekend Caffeine Cruises
An early morning weekend without a desert scramble and caffeine cruise is a dwindled dawn. Friday morning’s were treasured rise and shine, up and at em, moments. The race to catch the sunrise, solace and solitude of the desert, whilst the city sleeps was on. The Triumph Scrambler (keeping it British of course) was the weapon of choice along with the vintage Yamaha XT 500 for the nostalgia runs. These cut through the sand, dirt and dust with consummate ease. Not all those who wander are lost.
Road to nowhere.
Sunrise spectacular and worth the up and early.
Pylons - good wayfinders in this barren land.
Front end Friday.
Enough fuel to get home, let's hope so.
Squeeze every drop in there please, especially when venturing out into the desert.
Support crew in a rather cool SWB Nissan Patrol.
Back to civilisation.
Old is gold, this machine is 40 years old and purrs like a kitten.
Perfect bike for the weekend beach pilgrimage.
You'll often find me procaffinating before the cruise.
Chunky Monkey with the new Continental rear sand plugger tyre.
Ready for the weekend.
Analogue Ambitions
Crate digging for vinyl records and 1/4 inch tapes, across all corners of the world during my travels, fuelled my passion for the faithful reproduction of analogue music from original pressings and studio master tapes. This quickly became a collector type obsession and the exploration of great sound, faithful to original recordings, presented the perfect excuse to invest in a high-end Technics 1506 Reel-2-Reel tape recorder and a quality turntable with the legendary Technics SL 1210 Mk2. Both researched thoroughly and purchased in excellent condition, the upgrade path and calibration of the units commenced. The journey for the perfect, warm and rich sound, that only vinyl and 1/4 inch tapes provide validated my seduction to this old school format. Vinyl is final folks.
It's arrived! New old stock (these were last produced in 2010) so in this unused condition was as rare as hen's teeth.
A heavyweight puck secures the record to the platter to reduce resonance and comes with a handy spirit level.
Calibrating cartridge VTA (vertical tracking alignment) outer position.
Cartridge VTA alignment inner position (obsessive yes).
Checking cartridge VTF (vertical tracking force) recommended at 150 grams for this Ortofon Bronze.
Calibrating tonearm on the horizontal gauge.
Calibrating friends setups became a new regular occurrence, with the vinyl revival.
Cartridge alignment on the vertical and horizontal 'azimuth' scale.
Final check a horizontal turntable is critical.
Voila all finished, let the good tunes roll.
Crate digging Istanbul.
Technics in action with original black reels. These machines from the seventies and eighties are audio gold,
Yamaha XT 500 Restoration
Finding a 1979 XT 500 in Australia weeks from its final demise to the scrapyard was by sheer chance. Saving this classic motorcycle from the crusher was a moral obligation to the classic motorcycles community and work began in earnest (subject to availability of funds) over a two year period. The final result has had over 22K views on Youtube and further cements the legacy of the first enduro bike launched in 1976 alive.
Rust, rust everywhere.
Beyond repair, a complete chain and sprocket was ordered.
Seized front brake and leaking forks.
Rusty header pipe was the least of my worries.
Incorrect front mudguard.
Wrong seat and trailing arm seized.
Full top and bottom engine rebuild required.
Correct rear light and indicators now in place.
Sweat blood and beers gets you here.
Ready for registration and the road.
New powder coated engine and new panels.
Scrubbed up nicely, new period correct rear muffler too.
BMW 1988 E30 325i Restoration
A labour of love and embrace of ‘respect your elders’ has me tinkering and restoring this magnificent M-Technic 325i coupe modern classic. Doubling in value since purchasing and with prices on the rise its worth the blood sweat and tears, as I endeavour to bring her back to factory OEM fresh, piece by piece, budget permitting.
Valve Cover Restoration
No going back, must remember new valve cover gasket and check oil rockers spray bar.
In need of some love but not bad after 30 years service.
Doggy oily corners.
Let's do this.
Two coats of high temperature primer applied and ready for paint after wet sanding.
Painted and ready for debossing and logo detailing.
Final coat drying in the sun.
Devils in the detail.
Voila, now for VHT clear lacquer.
Curing VHT gloss lacquer.
Restored and re-installed to factory finish.
Engine Detailing
Battery tray cleaned and rustproofed.
Degreased and ready for primer.
Primed and ready for top coat.
Final clear lacquer protective coat.
Voila like new.
Throttle linkage in need of a fresh coat.
Throttle linkage sanded and primed ready for paint.
Three coats of gloss black with lacquer.
Relays plastic cover primed ready for paint.
A new lease of life.
Alternator casing cleaned up.
Engine components degreased.
Air filter box smoothed and degreased ready for primer.
Mass airflow sensor needs rejuvenation to metal casing.
Air filter cover box in need of love.
Air filter box and housing primed ready for paint.
Refreshed manifold bracket in place.
Interior & Exterior Updates
Headlight rims pitted after thirty years.
Need removing and repainting.
Minor pitting damage but devil is in the detail.
Plastic front moulding panels removed to gain access.
Like new.
Anthracite seats, reupholstered and new M badges affixed.
Original carpets and mats valeted.
New M badges to rear seat.
Sport seats now factory fresh with finishing touch the new seatbelt clips.
New Blaupunkt DAB bluetooth retro style radio fitted.
Old but new in car entertainment.
Refurbed 15 inch BBS basketweave alloys fitted.
New Continental shoes on each corner.
Perfect fitment with factory spec M sport suspension set up.
Chassis Cleaning & Rustproofing
New Switzer ramps paying for themselves to gain good access.
Great height to work under, safe too.
Jacks lifted to final height.
Before cleaning half axles and underside
Spotless and coated with rustproofing wash to chassis.
Limited slip differential in need of cleaning.
Scrubs up well including exhaust.
Almost done.
Rear suspension and subframe cleaned.
Spick and span and ready for the MOT.
Brake Booster Restoration
Brake booster love needed.
31 years of faithful service shows.
Surface rust removal.
Cleaned and ready for primer.
Spray away.
Two coats high build primer.
Three coats Hammerite Satin and new ATE sticker.
Voila reinstalled and 1988 factory finish.
Fluid reservoir filth.
Clean as a whistle.
COVID-19 Lockdown House Timbers & Guttering Renovation
After forty years weathering the storms, the timbered roof dormers and guttering to the house were in need of desperate replacement. With copious amounts of research into the best hardwoods (Siberian Larch) and wood stains (Sikkens) everything was ordered, the scaffold arrived and it was time to crack on.
A rather tired and beyond repair timbered garage apex.
Dry, warped and in need of retirement. No varnishing could bring these back.
Told you...
Scaffolds here no going back.
Lets get this started with removal first and the template for the new timber size.
Measure five times cut once.
Start at the top and work your way down. New roofing felt affixed for waterproofing too.
A few hours later.
The finish in sight.
Looking sharp.
Voila, one down seven to go.
Builders tea and a well earned break in the sunshine.
Time for the top floor window dormers.
Siberian Larch ready for Sikkens base coat.
Base coat and first coat of Sikkens woodstain.
First coat and realising how much more to do.
Second coat drying.
Lovely waterproofed finish and grain pattern, this will outlive me.
Scaling new heights.
Not nice working this high up, doesn't feel right!
Natural drying in good weather.
Ready to be mitre cut and affixed.
Serious scaffold now for the rear of the property.
Garage completed at the rear.
Moss removal commences with scaffold access.
New guttering and gutter guard inserted to keep the debris out.
Job satisfaction this was a few hard weeks of graft.
Rear of property with new dormers and guttering to weather proof the humble abode completed.