First outing of the year

Decided to enjoy the very fine weather this afternoon for a short blast through the country in ‘t Kreng (my Sprint powered FHC). And due to the current Covid-19 pandemic it was a rather enjoyable drive. We (still?) don’t have a complete lock down here, but there’s a ban on gatherings of more than 2 people. So the usual large herds of walkers and cyclists had to stay home. This resulted in some rather quiet and empty roads, with only a handful of people out and about. Sadly as a result of the Corona crisis all pubs are closed till at least early April, otherwise it would have been even more enjoyable.

Biggest “problem” for the time being (from a driving point of view) is the fact that the border with Germany is more or less closed. So for the time being no access to proper fuel. But compared to the current crisis there are worse things to worry about! Will see how it all develops …

And it looks like I made a mistake when swapping the door lock cylinders at the end of last year. The driver’s door only opens from the inside after some brute force is being applied from inside. Outside door handle works as it should. Something to look into in the coming days or weeks.

Tax exempt again!

I received a letter from the Internal Revenue Office last Friday (though the letter’s date might suggest something different!). And it contained the official statement that the 1980 DHC, my first car which is in my possession since the summer of 1988, will be tax exempt (again) this year.

Or as the letter states;

“From the data from the vehicle registration register, I conclude that on the 6^th of June 2020 it will be 40 years ago that the aforementioned motor vehicle was put into use for the first time. This means that from the 6^th of June 2020 you will be eligible for a tax exemption for this motor vehicle”

As it is the second time I received such a letter for this car I am a bit sceptical. And that’s because 15 years ago cars over here would become tax exempt at the age of 25 years. Sadly a lot of skint people started importing clapped out 25 year old (mostly diesel) cars from Germany, to use them as cheap daily drivers. As a result of this, after a few years the age for tax exemption was raised to 40 years!

But let’s approach it from the positive side!. 2019 was the last year that I had to put the DHC away in the shed for her mandatory hibernation in the months of December, January and February 😊 And hopefully in 2022 I will receive a similar letter for ‘t Kreng …

FHC resto nr. 88; A new heart: or a change of plans!

When a car’s restoration takes as long as this one, there is a very high risk that plans change as time progresses. And in this case it is the plans for the engine that have changed significantly over the past few weeks. Initial plan was to use one of my top spare parts; a brand new Sprint head still in the box.

This would be either used to crown one of my best spare engines, a rebuilt Dolomite Sprint engine (VA prefix, Mahle pistons and honing marks still visible):

Or I’d use one off the more worn engines in the shed and have it re-bored to fit these oversize JP pistons ...

Then there was the offer from a friend who was willing to donate one of his RV8 engine’s … mmm …tempting. But then that same friend pointed me to an advert on the internet (Marktplaats.nl) for a second hand Sprint head that needed a bit of work. But I clicked the wrong advert and found some other items from the same seller. Including a brand new Sprint short engine fitted with Mahle pistons and an also NOS Sprint head (still in the box). A few emails and phone calls later a deal was struck. As a result of which I am now the proud owner of these parts. These items didn’t come cheap, but it might in the end be more cost effective than to rebuilt one of my spare engines. Time will tell! Biggest advantage for me is that I can now build up the engine when I want to, and without the need of specialist help. Because this would add at least 6 to 8 months to my time schedule (yes good quality engine builders are busy these days!).

And this afternoon (with a pair of hired hands) the pieces where dropped off at the shed. Time for a little photo shoot. First some overview pictures of the engine itself.

And a few details, to start with the engine’s number. As you can see it reads VA3437ESS, which confirms it is for a Dolomite Sprint. But so far I haven’t seen the “ESS” suffix on an engine. But according to some input from Belgium 😉 and a quick search on the internet, ESS probably stands for Exchange Supplied Spare or Exchange Service Spare?

But probably the best thing is that the engine is fitted with brand new Mahle pistons, all with F-tolerance mark. And this corresponds with the markings on the engine’s block!

And a few pictures of the head. As you can see there is a little bit of (what turned out very light) surface rust on a few parts. So that will get a proper oil soaking and clean before it is fitted to the engine!

The sale also included a new distributor set consisting of all three sprockets, proper quality distributor chain, original chain tensioner (in the small box) and original chain guides.

But this new addition brings its own disadvantages, or should I say challenges? As I now have one brand new “surplus” Sprint head. So it might well be that all my three TR7’s will get Sprint power in the end 😏. On the other hand that could mean that the original TR7 PI system I have lying around could become surplus somewhere in the future … choices indeed!

A Lovely Day out

Didn’t need my Triumphs to enjoy a very nice (though also very muddy) day out. As I went for a walk through the valley of the river Geul yesterday, in the south of our lovely Province with a friend’s family. Was a rather enjoyable day. The fine early spring weather and good food certainly helped there!

The river Geul near “de Volmolen”, Agen Uil Terpoorten-Epen

Old farm building now holiday home, Plaatweg Terpoorten-Epen

Tavern “De Smidse”, Terpoorten-Epen

A well deserved beer 😋, Tavern “De Smidse”, Terpoorten-Epen

 

Along de banks of the river Geul, between the hamlets of Terpoorten and Cottessen

Along de banks of the river Geul, between the hamlets of Terpoorten and Cottessen

Along de banks of the river Geul, between the hamlets of Terpoorten and Cottessen

Steep hollow path, Zevenwegen Vijlenerbos

Forestry work, clearing up after the storm, Vijlenerbos