I noticed on one of my photos of other peoples 100 restorations that they had some type of tape stuck over the joint between the rear shroud and the boot floor which persuaded me to carry out the foam strip modification which I had planned years ago.  I wanted to do this as the joint between the two panels is not great and I don't want a gap.  I stuck the foam strip on then fitted the shroud for the final time, I hope.

I had also decided ages ago that I would use screws instead of rivets to connect the two panels.  Largely because I wanted the option of being able to remove it again in case it is needed.  I am not unhappy with the finished look.

The rivets that are supposed to go into the rail that crosses the rear end are looking too tricky to install so I will probably go with the screws there as well.  This is a trial fit.

Tomorrow is Christmas day and at the weekend I am lucky enough to be driving to Chamonix in France to go snowboarding for a week so it will be a while before I post again.

I fixed the leak, well at least I hope I did, by applying some plumbers tape to the thread and re-installing it.  I used yellow tape following a recommendation from Restonation.  Looking at this picture though I am now worried that the issue isn't the thread leaking but rather it is my soldering.  I really hope not as the tanks are approx £400 and that would hurt, a lot.

The tank back in place along with some Araldite on the joint as an extra precaution.

So I noticed a load of holes on the U channel that the boot lid sits in and began wondering what they are about.  I scour the Ahead 4 Healey's and Moss websites and find nothing so dig through some old photos and see on one that there appears to be some rivets on them.  I call AH4H who tell me that they have recently started selling these but not yet listed them at the grand price of £0.35 each so I bought a load.  I decided to drill the holes out for them in the inner body panel and paint the holes for rust prevention.  This means that I could not fit the shroud for the last time today, oh well.

 So I procrastinate by looking at the cockpit trim for the doors.  When I was speaking to AH4H I ordered a load of the screws needed for this as well.  Now at some point recently somebody told me that the way to fit these trims is to screw them up from the centre out and it occurred to me that it would be much better to do this before I paint the car.  Whoever it was that told me how to do it also made a passing reference to me having aluminium doors and hoped that, for my sake, they fitted as this method wouldn't work with ali.  I tried them on the doors today and to my great relief they fitted on the passenger side perfectly and reasonably well on my side, phew.

I will check the paperwork with the car to see it the numbers on the trim match the body number.  I'm not fussed if they don't, just curious.  As it is I haven't fitted the body number plate on the car and actually I realise that I don't have any number yet fitted, I guess I probably should do that.  Part of the reason for my indifference is that the Heritage Center couldn't find my car listed and so I don't have a certificate for it, a shame.  Now, I am not worried about the resale value as I am not going to sell it so it is just a thing that annoys me for some reason.  I am very pleased that they fit though.

After a few days of pre-Christmas festivities I was determined to get the rear shroud on for the final time but, as ever, I got side tracked.  About a week after I fitted the fuel tank for the final time I saw a part advertised on one of the suppliers websites that appeared to be a foam washer for the base of the tank and my heart sank.  I bought the part and have been waiting to fit it ever since.  I wanted to fit it before the shroud went on for the final time as it would be easier without the should in the way.

Now during the filling phase I have been pretty lazy at keeping the car clean as you can see below.  I discovered that this had a real advantage.

It can't be seen clearly in the picture below because in the process of making the discovery I cleaned off most of the filler dust.  In the area around the tank fuel pipe the dust had gone an odd light green colour.  When I wiped it I realised it was damp and on smelling it I became aware that it was contaminated with fuel meaning that I had a leak.  Damn. 

I have managed to get this nut undone and lift the pipe but not completely remove it.  I will get some plumbers sealing tape tomorrow and have a go at fixing it as I assume this is where the leak was.  I feel a little frustrated with this in some ways.  Whilst I am glad that I found the leak I am disappointed that I am having trouble with the tank again having spent so much time on it.  I did see one advertised second hand recently and wondered if I should have bought it but there is a part of me reluctant to give up on it having invested so much time on it so I didn't.

I did also fit the shroud and drill out the holes on the bottom of the boot floor which I subsequently painted prior to final fitment tomorrow.

I had the odd few hours in the garage this weekend and started on the jobs needed to get the car ready for paint.  On Saturday I fitted the tow bracket and attached the front shroud for the final time (I hope at any rate).  On Sunday I fitted the door opening straps, or door check straps.

It was a nice job to do although I think I need to tweak the passenger side door strap as it wasn't opening smoothly.  I am quite disturbed by how much everything flexed when I opened the door but am hoping that the wing, once fitted, will tighten and stiffen things up.

The garage has a lot of panels lying around in primer waiting to be fitted to the car and they are starting to get little scratches so sorting that was my priority today.  I needed drill the chassis to take the 10mm bolts that secure the tow bracket, fit the door check straps and remove the petrol tank to fit the sponge sealing gasket before I started on the panels though.

Well, the tow bracket is all that I got done.  Frustratingly the metal was so thick and hard that it took me hours, literally, to drill through it.  I have very good quality drill bits but they barely made a dent in the chassis legs.  By the time I had finished it I was good for nothing.  Oh, I did put the Christmas tree up and washed the road salt off the Triumph Thruxton in addition to lubing the chain as well but, all in all it was a fairly unproductive day.  

Having missed the Christmas holiday window for getting the car painted I am a little relaxed as I have 6 weeks after Christmas before the half term holiday when I can hopefully get the car coloured in blue.  However, I am also conscious that I have some tricky jobs to complete by then so I can't be complacent as I had a whole weekend and all that happened is two new holes.

We sold the daily driver, an Audi TT, after 8 years of good service a few weeks back and I have spent the last few weekends looking for a replacement.  Test driving nearly new cars is an interesting past time.  So it was quite nice to get back in the garage this weekend.  I repaired the bonnet and rubbed down inside and out and double checked that the boot was good to go before looking at the rear wings.  When I painted the rear wings a few months back I ran out of primer so decided to paint one properly with 3 full coats and just gave the other a single coat on the basis that I would give it another two coats when I had some more paint and before I painted the insides blue.  So I got both the wings and realised I didn't know which one had just the single coat of paint as it was impossible to tell by looking at them alone.  I decided to flat back areas that covered repairs to see if one went through easier than the other but neither went through to the metal.  Essentially, it would seem that one coat of this primer is enough.

I primed both the bonnet and the boot inside and out before spraying those and the two rear wings on the inside in Healey Blue.

Now I have to fit the lot back to the car body before checking the windscreen fits and installing the cockpit edge trim before I am ready to get the car painted.  Oh, I guess I need to adjust the brakes as well.  Anyway, it is feeling closer.