Flavia of the month

Terrible pun, I know but there is progress to report on the Flavia Coupe which is finally on the road and being used the way its makers intended. So, what is it like, I hear you ask? Not unlike the Fiat Crusader I owned and enjoyed in the 1980s actually. There is a mild mechanical thrum from under the bonnet and progress is stately rather than startling. All vibration and suspension noise is dampened by extensive rubber bushing. I drove it on the unsealed Shortcut Rd which leads straight down the side of Mt Cargill to Waitati and the change of road surface was barely noticeable.  The steering is sharp but applied without effort and only the brakes cause concern with the servo being occasionally reluctant when called to serve and sending the pedal close to the floor. This is a common fault with these cars and will be sorted in the next round of work which will include a new set of front wheel bearings that should never wear out. I am ignoring the growling gearbox for now,

Recent work has been to sort out the wiring and fit the new electronic distributor (Normans Auto Electrical), re-set the engine and gearbox on their mountings to avoid obstacles, fix oil leaks in the rear seal, oil cooler and valve covers, re-route the brake lines, fit new hoses and tighten and check everything. A blocked fuel line spoiled the party for a while but strong solvents and the compressor saw to it. Unfortunately the toxic contents of the pipe instantly removed the paint on the Flavia's shapely nose, giving me one more thing to fix. The galling chrome plating saga ended with the final return of a well finished grill surround and another stupendous bill.

I have been lucky to have the vastly experienced Nathan Graham to work on the car and the generous use of Alistair Gilmour's workshop, otherwise it would have taken another year to get through that list working alone in my single garage.  This last round has cost around 10K which helps explain why so many projects remain unfinished. Like many ambitious amateurs I reached the limit of my skills and needed to hand the car over to people that could work quickly and had the right equipment. Next time you clasp your head and moan at your garage bill, think how long it might take you to do the job and divide the hourly rate accordingly.