Peelies travels

  Not content with a small oil leak on the engine, I decided to change the o-ring at the oil filter thermostat housing.  In true “cause a bigger problem” style, I did this job on a Sunday afternoon, the day before a fast start on another shakedown trip. Even though I used a delicate 1/4” drive socket, I cracked the case flange because the new o-ring was a bit thicker than it should be and it was Sunday and I couldn’t get another. So now I needed a new housing and optimistically arrived at Paddock’s the next morning at 8am. Unfortunately their website was correct and they didn’t have one but I did get the correct o-ring. Happily the other customer there, who was spending a lot more than me (on this occasion anyway), suggested I try Cavendish at Chesterfield. Guess what? They had one on the shelf, although they didn’t know why. So two hours after I left home, I returned and a little bit later the Landy was available for loading. We came close to the Welsh Borders, in order to fi...

Moving along the coast towards Bridlington, we found a tiny CL near Bempton. It wasn’t the first choice but it might as well have been. It is next to the railway station and is a 1.5 mile walk by road to the RSPB place at Bempton cliffs, so it is a very good base. Here they say the Puffins are arriving from west Africa but all we could see were Kittiwakes and Gannets, already establishing their nests on cliff perches. Gannets are the seabirds that are normally only seen at a distance, well out to sea and usually diving into the water from a good height and apparently at speeds up to 60mph. Now they are circling in front of the cliff faces and occasionally dropping onto their spot. Hundreds of them, nicely avoiding the greater quantity of Kittiwakes. They are a beautiful bird, effortlessly soaring with their large wingspan. I’m afraid that my iPhone camera is no match for the long lenses on show at the RSPB lookouts. It was an almost freezing night but thankfully dry at last. The D2 hea...

The York Clubsite is very handy for the city and after all our complaints about Clubsite prices, I think this one is worth it for that convenience. We paid £0 because the Club has a ‘one night free’ offer at the moment. The Minster entrance fee is £18 each but is valid for 12 months. What a stupendous place. The House of Trembling Madness does lovely beer and fantastic beef goulash. The wall above our head was adorned with various animal heads. Then we went to Filey for some sea air. It was certainly bracing. We had to brave a dip (in the weather) but still managed a long walk, some beer and fish and chips (inside). This was a tin behind the chip shop counter. I had to ask what was in the tin. Apparently it’s the Saturday lottery box! This is a lovely construction, known locally as ‘Finlay’ and was donated to Filey by a long time visitor from Scarborough. It’s a fisherman and is actually titled, ‘High tide in short wellies’, making “a powerful statement about the decline in the fishing...

I seemed to spend all of January, February and a lot of March, in the garage. Following the last trip, I did say that I’d sort a couple of issues. One was excessive engine oil ‘consumption’ and the other a drivetrain clunk. I was perhaps not quite expecting to almost-but-not-quite-strip the engine but that’s what happened. Very fortunately I have the old CRV with the side-hung rear door. This happily swallowed the block and I took it to Sheffield Engine Services for a cylinder bore hone. Once back home it was fitted with new piston rings to all cylinders  and plenty of care and attention. Quite a few oil leaks were addressed and I hope that I can run-in the rings and get good ring fit to the bores. Only time will tell. Then it was onto the clunk. I believe that this is from the rear axle. Unfortunately by prying yet again on the suspension mounts, I discovered that the brackets on the axle tube were crusty. This needed a purchase from YRM of lovely new ones and also a suitable weld...