Talking a load of old squit

Lowestot and the conservation area.

2011-12-25T10:42:00.000-08:00

Waveney Road in Lowestoft is suppose to be one of its so called conservation areas.I wonder what on earth they are supposed to be trying to conserve and why.
For me, running a shop,Waveney District Council seem only too keen to put obstacles in the way in terms of placing adverts,satellite dishes,parking and loading bays and all the rest,yet turn a blind eye to breaches of the same stupid rules all up and down the road and bend over backwards to provide other businesses with their own loading or parking bays.
I keep wondering what I've done wrong.Is it because I criticise this bunch of stuffed shirts or is it that my criticism seems to ask why some people ar exempt from the rules that I'm forced to abide by?.
Is it that I'm supposed to tug my forelock or join some sort of club and get special treatment.
Wasn't it Groucho Marx who said "I wouldn't join any club that would have me as a member?" I think he was talking about WDC and Lowestoft

Moving stock

2011-11-22T13:33:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to run down the tool business for some time and devote time to other projects. I have literally tons of whitworth,BSF,BA and AF tools to clear out and have been working out the best ways to do so.Ebids auctioni site is really a waste of time and Ebay is not the force it was,I suppose I could try the 'normal' auction route but without lots of advertising the audience will probably not have the faintest idea of what they're looking at and the prices the tools will fetch wont be much higher than scrap value.To buy some of the really big spanners now would cost a fortune but the demand simply isn't there and people are far more inclined to buy cheap chinese and indian tools than stuff made to a standard and not to a price.
Decisions,decisions.

Lowestofts Rubbish

2011-11-20T10:58:00.000-08:00

The council must have been well over a hundred times to the alley close to me to collect bags of household rubbish left there by the occupier of one of the tatty flats on the corner. They know who dumps it,who the landlord is yet chose to do absolutley nothing about it.
I bet if I threw my rubbish out on the street they'd be down on me like a ton of bricks.
They can fart about fining people for putting the bins out a day early yet ignore some tosser littering the place on a daily basis
Why?.
No wonder Lowestoft is such a filthy place.

Trying to save a bit of Lowestofts heritage.

2011-11-06T06:02:00.000-08:00

There is a large ex department store known as "The old Tuttles building" in lowestoft that has survived fires,two world wars and lead thieves on the roof.Its owners seem determined to let it fall into a derelict state.
A petition has been launched to stop this building which is of historic importance being allowed to simply fall down through neglect.
The petition is here.Save the Tuttles bulding.

Scams,con men and money laundering.

2011-10-13T05:16:00.000-07:00

I see a few directory sites are still carrying listings for the ficticious company "Baconsdozen Industrial Ltd" the sites use my companes name and address but a wrong phone number and or e-mail address.Contacting them usually leads you into a cheque laundering scam run by some Nigerian con man using various fancifull names,sometimes he's even a 'woman' under the name of Precious Brown or Cassandra Casadian. The whole thing farcical apart from the fact that some idiots fall for it and endd up being conned out of money.
My web site is here click to visit .The old adage if it seems too good to be true its probably not true seems lost on people prepared to hand over money to these con artists,I've even had driving licences,bank statements and pictures sent here from those all to ready to believe someone they don't know from adam is prpared to give them thousands of pounds or dollars for cashing a cheque for the,
Sad really.

Autojumbling in the rain.

2011-10-10T04:39:00.000-07:00

The weather was pretty poor for the autojumble on Sunday but I sold a few bits and pieces.Mainly sockets and spanners from the shop but some old car spares went as well.I was hoping to find spares for my Rover P5b but couldn't see anything.

Autojumble at the Rednecks diner.

2011-10-08T23:06:00.000-07:00

I'm hoping to go to an autojumble at Beccles today.It's early in the morning,I've just got up and had a cuppa and noticed its piddling down with rain.This time last week I was getting ready to leave for a car club meeting at Aldeburgh in bright sunshine.
We'll see what happens later on.

Working on the shop front.

2011-09-26T03:14:00.000-07:00

I managed to get some work done replacing lots of rot on the frontage of the shop.being so exposed and getting plenty of salt air hasn't done the paint any good but it's been a long while since any work was done to it.

This was the best of the gutters,there're cast iron and heavy but had managed to hang on despite the fixing screws rotting away.they sit on wood which had rotted away and also ran uphill so water had no chance of getting away.

The gutter on the other side simply crumbled away to nothing The heavy wooden beam behind was soft and decayed and was cut out and replaced with new.

Two coats of primer and undercoat and a couple of coats of top coat should help slow any future rot down.The wood has beeb fixed to the wall with heavy screws and some of the 'Hard as Nails' type glue.I've been carefull to seal any gaps as before water had been getting in behind some of the timber.

Still up in the air.

2011-09-12T03:48:00.000-07:00

Still more work to do on the building.The gutters are rotted out and all sorts of woodwork is crumbling away.The shop is in what is supposed to be one of Lowestofts conservation areas,although with all the plastic windows,satellite dishes and gaudy signs everywhere it's difficult to work out what they are hoping to conserve.However that means that the gutters will be repaired with welding and braze rather than being replace like everyone else has with plastic and the repairs will be in the original materials.
I haven't had much time to do anything to the classic car club forum. Hopefully a few more weeks will see all these repairs finalised.

Latest instalment on scaffolding.

2011-09-05T23:27:00.001-07:00

I've got a sort of scaffolding tower outside the shop.Most of it went up Sunday morning.It took the guys two days to get it all up,the road is a busy one and highways don't allow too much disruption so the bulk of the work was done on a Sunday.

Scaffolding aand other problems.

2011-09-01T06:10:00.000-07:00

Hopefully I can start work on the front of the building this week.I made the mistake of getting a firm called "Be safe" scaffolding of Lowestoft to erect scaffolding but all they came up with was an endless stream of excuses for delaying work.Thankfully I've now found a proper organised firm with all the right qualifications and in theorey the scaffolding will be up in a day or so.

Real big spanners at real big prices.

2011-08-30T00:05:00.000-07:00

I bought a load of big whitworth spanners over the week end.All made in Englans all,new and all pretty big.
They were heavy,so much so that I cream crackered myself getting them back to the car but well worth going for.These old Imperial spanners are hard to get hold of in the smaller sizes let alone the bigger ones,I bought some huge AF tools a week or so back and some went almost straight away to transport museums.
I bought a load of big sockets as well,shame that so many of these have gone for scrap,the price of new ones in the reall big sizes can be measured in hundreds and probably scrap for just a couple of quid.

Show time for the fairway.

2011-08-22T05:37:00.000-07:00

I've been too busy to devote much time to anything away from business or repairs to the building.The last show I went to was with the taxi.Cleaned up and polished it looks half way decent but isn't what most would call a classic car.

I did a bit more on the Rover the other day repairing the passengers side window regulator but thats about it .

Not much to report

2011-08-05T09:18:00.000-07:00

I've been busy on the building and just can't find any spare time.
I sprayed the door bottoms on the P5b and topped up the waxoyl (or rather the Eureka Fluid Film) and that was about that.
I went to a couple of car club meetings but in the bad weather most had taken their modern cars so didn't even get any pics.

Oiling the wheels.

2011-07-21T02:26:00.000-07:00

I've now started stocking oil for classic cars.Made by Morris and Penrite.The older 20W/50 oil is recommended even now for classic cars and bikes as the modern thinner stuff tends to promote leaks and high oil consumption.

Oils well that ends well

2011-07-18T05:09:00.000-07:00

I'm stocking the older transmission fluids.The Borg Warner boxes in most classic cars use a non dexron type fluid that can be hard to get hold of.The dwxron fluids might promote slippage in a box not designed for them as they are more 'slippery' than the non dexron types.

Taking a bearing.

2011-07-17T02:17:00.000-07:00

I took the Rover p5b out and after a while one of the front bearings got a bit hot.When dismantled I found the outer bearing had cracked and was badly pitted.The bearing parts were all by different makers and odd sizes.I bought a replacement bearing but found the old one had started to turn inside the hub so the new ones simply dropped in.I had to buy another rover hub and disc.

Car club web site.

2011-06-21T04:44:00.000-07:00

I've started on a web site for my local classic car club the Norwich classic vehicle club So far its a bit basic but I've been held up a bit with work on the shop.

Rain?.It must be car boot time.

2011-06-19T09:38:00.000-07:00

I tried the car boot again but the weather was pretty grim.After a while I gave up,put all the stuff back in the van and came home.I bought a decent socket set and a small pressure washere so it wasn't all bad news.
I've been working on a forum for a classic car club I belong to.So far it's going well and I'm finding out about a lot of events I previously knew nothing about.Good idea to swpa info with other classic car owners,you never know whos got that bit you've been looking for for weeks.

Wet start to the car boot.

2011-06-02T02:35:00.000-07:00

Funny sort of day at the car boot.Rain first thing but then it was hot and sunny.I bought one of those big tool box thingies on wheels and a pile of really big imperial combination spanners.I bought a bumper for a car,looks like it might be for an A30 or A35 or similar for a couple of quid and a couple of nice elora socket sets.The last thing that had sat nder a stall nearly all day was a Snap On timing light in its box and a compression tester by the same people.

Mystery car,anyone know what it is?

2011-06-01T02:41:00.000-07:00

I found this photograph the other day.I know I took it but can't remember where or why,does anyone recognise this old car?. I seem to remember at the time I had an old Rover P3 but I can't think why I should have taken this picture,is it an old Standard?.

A mystery car,anyone know what it is?.

The Norwich Classic vehicle fun day.

2011-05-20T06:03:00.000-07:00

This went past my shop the other day.There will be a lot more like it at the Norwich Classic vehicle day on June 5th.

I had been thinking of taking my P5b Rover along for the day,but decided not to bother.

Work on lowestofts docks.

2011-05-20T03:11:00.000-07:00

This large crawler crane arrived on the docks yesterday.It's working on the quayside in what used to be the old fish market.This pic was taken from one of the upstairs bedroom windows facing east,in the distance is the North sea.

Building work by Bodgit and Scarpa ltd.

2011-05-12T03:02:00.000-07:00

I'm still repairing the drain pipes on the shop.The victorian cast iron jobbies have been covered by the rendering on the top floors and there's nothing other than that holding them up. I've replaced the steel pins that fix them to the wall on the lower floors,they were corroded through in most places and missing entirely in others.

Rendering on the building has covered the fixings to the pipe whichisn't fixed anywhere near straight anyway.

Pipe has come away from wall as the fixings have corroded away.

Water pipes and the front door.

2011-05-11T03:58:00.000-07:00

The cast iron pipe on the shop front had come away from the wall,it was about as straight as a donkeys back leg anyway and a wonder it hadn't fell off years ago. As this is a conservation area the council wont let us use modern plastic pipe so the old pipe had to be removed,the wall behind repaired and new fixings made to hold it back on the wall.

The front door next door to the shop entrance.no longer fitted,subscidence and a lot of rot around the hinges meant there were gaps in places and it jammed in others.the frame was repaired and the hinges reset.The window at the top had been painted in the shut position but was opened with carefull levering and wedging.The door is now being repainted.We are going to remove the metal grilles in the shop windows and replace the wood holding the glass,this has rotted out due to condensation running down the inside of the glass.

Some more restoration.

2011-05-07T00:28:00.000-07:00

The front of our shop Baconsdozen is starting to look a bit rough so we are undertaking a long overdue repair and repaint.The sea air and winds are just as unkind to paint finishes on wood and masonry as they are on cars.So far,apart from cementing the carpet when a bag of cement from Wickes fell to bits as I carried it through the shop,things haven't gone too bad.We've decided to change from the blue and white to a light and dark brown colour scheme.the paint is supposed to be guaranteed six years and with the price of it I hope they're right.

Funny sort of day.

2011-05-02T23:43:00.000-07:00

I spent the morning dismantling and adjusting the top suspension swivels on my P5b.Things went well,the joints came undone,they weren't that worn and still had a bit of grease in them.Repacked with grease they were bolted back together and apart from finding a split in one of the rubber boots that will have to be sorted out one day things went well.
All full of enthusiasm,I decided to get the paint pot out and touch up a couple of chips.I know I put it somewhere safe,but couldnt find it anywhere.

Exhaust on the Fairway taxi (again).

2011-04-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

I spent a morning under the taxi putting on a new down pipe.The old one broke,I took it off and welded it back together but a few weeks later it broke again a few inches further along. I noticed the old pipe vibrated badly,it was getting thin anyway and the vibration soon finished it off.
A few days before I started I soaked the maifold and downpipe bolts in Plusgas as I tried before to undo one and it would have sheared before coming undone.After a couple of soakings all the nuts and bolts came off without much difficulty.
After that I messed about for an hour trying to get to grips with Facebook

Fairway taxi exhaust.

2011-04-21T02:26:00.000-07:00

I've repaired the down pipe on the taxi once but it sounds like its about to go again,getting noisy to drive and it was pretty hard to weld last time as parts of it are pretty thin.
I'll take the floor boards out this time,its going to be easier to get the silencer off. The front pipe to manifold bolts look as though they are going to be hard to remove without breaking off.

News from whats left of Lowestoft fish market

2011-04-19T02:12:00.000-07:00

The cafe in the middle of the fish dock in Lowestoft harbour is closing.The 'Europa' which has been there many years has closed and the bulding will be left empty.The fish merchants still on the dock say ABP the port owners are trying to force them out to move in more of the windfarm opertaion and the owner of the cafe has given the same reason for her business being forced to close.
The wind farms were supposed to bring in jobs,all they seem to have done is put a lot of people out of work.

Autojumbling again.

2011-04-18T06:16:00.000-07:00

I wentto the Rednecks diner autojumble on sunday.It was a bit quieter than the last one but I sold quite a few whitworth spanners and sockets.and other stuff. I couldn't see that much to buy, I bought a few spares and then had a look at a collection of old British bikes.there were some of the old 650 twins and a couple of bantams.make a nice contrast and looked great in the sunshine.

I've gone all global.

2011-04-15T02:16:00.000-07:00

I have now bought the domain name baconsdozen.com I'm told that will make it easier for people outside the UK to find me. I'm not sure how any of this works so it will be a question of wait and see.

Norwich Classic Vehicle Club meeting.

2011-04-12T03:53:00.000-07:00

I went to the meeting of the Norwich Classic Vehicle Club at Anglia Windows Social Club.Even coming from lowestoft we are allowed in to their meetings and events.

Tis mustang was just one of the american cars present.

Giving the car a lift.

2011-04-04T03:57:00.000-07:00

I'm making some car ramps using some heavy timber and angle iron.The timber which is 8 x 2 inches approx will be placed one plank on top of another and the angle will form the stop..This will be much stronger than the thin angle iron ramps although much,much heavier.I don't trust them anyway and I think axle stands are a bit unstable when the car is over a foot off the ground.

With just the finishing off to do I tried my ex-london taxi on them.The weight is handy is one way,it means the ramps don't try and slide out from under the wheels as the car drives up on them.These taxis are quite heavy cars with a strong seperate chassis and a bulky diesel engine and the ramps needed to be strong.

Later I spent a morning under the Rover with waxoyl and fluid film in an effort to keep the rust bug at bay for a few more years.The black waxoyl seems to dry quickly but remain relatively soft,apparently it has to be renewed or touched up on a fairly regular basis to provide protection.

Clear out and refill.

2011-03-29T02:02:00.000-07:00

I did a stall at the car boot at Burgh Castle on Sunday and remembered the camera..
A good day,I managed to sell a lot of the older tools and stuff out of the workshop and store that I don't need anymore.
Only problem is,that as usual I got all over excited when I went for a wander and ended up buying more stuff that "Might come in handy one day" . I like this car boot.They don't pack you in like sardines,there's a fresh veg and a butcher,both of who are there every week and its a nice relaxed atmosphere.
Julies car boot

Putting the boot in.

2011-03-27T02:20:00.000-07:00

The boot on the Rover P5b has a couple of holes where rust has come through at the bottom.I've ordered some cellulose paint in Burnt Grey which is supposed to be the colour and repaired a spray gun I bought at a car boot.With no garage I'm hoping for a day with no wind so I can repair the rust and get the boot looking a bit better.

There are a lot of micro blisters in places,on the doors one side and on the top of the boot lid.I'm going to try

rubbing the paint down with a very fine wet and dry to get to the sound coats underneath and then compounding and polishing the paint.

Burgh Castle car boot time again.

2011-03-22T03:08:00.000-07:00

I went to Julies car boot near Yarmouth on sunday.They close this car boot for part of the year this was the first one of the season.I managed to pick up some tools and a lap top computer from a smashing couple who gave me their name and address in case there was any problem,there wasn't it works great.
I might even do a stall up there this coming sunday,.If I remember the camera I'll take some pictures.

Kick down a cock up.

2011-03-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd have a go at adjusting the kick down cable on the Rover.The gear changes are happening at higher speeds than they should do and the poor old girl thumps when coasting to a halt.People tell me thats because the kick down cable is too tight.The ruddy thing is hard to get to and all the bolts and adjustments were too tight for fingures and next to impossible to get at with pliers but I managed to get it all off,cleaned and adjusted.

I took it out for a run and it seemed a bit better,not really sure if thats wishfull thinking or imagination as it wasn't really that horrible in the first place.I'll have to wait for a longer run and get it good and hot.

Rule Britannia.

2011-03-09T04:27:00.000-08:00

I've just taken delivery of some English made tools.The quality is very high (trouble is so is the price).
"Made in England" still carries some weight in the USA and Australia/New Zealand etc but sales in the UK just aren't that good,everyone buys the cheaper imported stuff.
These tools are from a company thats been making them in england for over a century,I wonder if they'll still be about in another 100 years.

Car booty.Not worth the effort today.

2011-03-07T02:19:00.000-08:00

I had a look round the car boot at the Kessingland wildlife park on Sunday.What a waste of time,the weather was pretty poor buy no excuse for all the junk and overpriced tat.Most of the car booters are now professionals and some of the stuff must get humped in and out of the car boots for months on end before they find sonmeone to buy it.I was hoping to find some whitworth or other obsolete tools
I took the rover to a trip to gorleston and spent a pleasant hour with a bag of chips watching a couple of die hard enthusiasts with radio controlled boats on the boating lake.

Is Ebay still the place for a bargain?.

2011-03-02T06:31:00.000-08:00

People keep saying ebay is on the way out but it still seems to attract a lot of interest.I've tried the other auction sites like Ecrater and Ebid but I've bought more on ebay than all the others put together.
Well,if you can't beat them join them and I've now started having a clear out of tools
I think ebay has now got so big that its a bit like Tesco,no matter how bad things get people will still spend money there.There's a discussion forum about internet auctions called pheebay they discuss ebay,ebid and ecrater.In the meanwhile I'm still relying on my own site for the majority of tool sale,its better than paying fees to ebay and I dont feel as though someones looking over my shoulder all the time.

Exhausting repairs on the taxi.

2011-02-28T07:44:00.000-08:00

I thought the taxi was getting a bit noisy and today the exhaust decided to break.In the middle there's a sort of swivel joint that allows the exhaust to move about and where this joins the exhaust pipe it had split all the way round.Taking off the exhaust should have been easy,it's held on by rubber mounts and three nuts hold the front manifold on.These are hard to get to and had rusted solid.The studs in the manifold will probably shear off before ayhthing comes undone so I cut through the pipe under the cab,took the exhaust off,welded it all back together and then hung it in place and welded the cut down pipe back together.It means that at some time I'm going to have to work out a way of getting the nuts off but I just don't fancy doing it now in the cold and wet.
The odd thing was that with the pipe fixed the taxi seems to have a bit more go than it did before,I haven't a clue why but I',m not complaining.

Lathering leather.

2011-02-25T02:47:00.000-08:00

I spent a fair few hours scrubbing the seats of the rover with saddle soap,then treating them with wax and polishing.I was told the secret was to keep doing it over and over again untill a piece of clean white cloth shows no marks when rubbed over the leather.same thing with the wax,a slow build up,polished off then redone time and time again.
It took a long while but the end results justify the hard work.

The transit and the flat battery

2011-02-23T13:33:00.000-08:00

The old Mk1 transit has got some sort of electrical fault.After a run it seems as though every so often the battery is flat.I've had the starter off,the brushes are OK and the commutaors fine,I've checked all the leads,the earth strap,even rigged up temporary ones with jump leads and changed the battery.
All I can think of to try is the starter solenoid.The trouble is,if it's left for ten minutes it will then sometimes turn over and fire OK anyway and thats about the time it would take to fit another solenoid,and,it can go a week or more without doing it anyway.
Do you think my bum looks big in this?

Autojumble at the Rednecks diner.

2011-02-21T01:53:00.000-08:00

Near Beccles Norfolk is a place called the Rednecks diner.I went to an autojumble there this Sunday.It was the first one they've done,there were a few stalls and I managed to pick up a fair few bits.Some sealed beam units that will always come in handy for the transit or the Rover p5b and odd tools,sprayguns and assorted spares.

They say they might do another one later in the year,it will definately be on the list of places to go.

Google maps

2011-02-17T01:55:00.000-08:00

I see the shop has got onto google maps.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=nr321bt&aq=&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=12.031771,28.256836&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Lowestoft,+Suffolk+NR32+1BT,+United+Kingdom&ll=52.473893,1.751976&spn=0.012103,0.027595&z=15&layer=c&cbll=52.473856,1.752123&panoid=nPPY-0HM4yPvtvdzj-eznA&cbp=12,329.96,,1,20
I should apologise for the sign,but I'm not going to.

A couple of boats come calling.

2011-02-16T01:36:00.000-08:00

These two seem to be regular visitors to lowestoft docks.Moored in the old trawler basin they bring a reminder of how the area looked in its busy times.

Ebay bargains?.

2011-02-15T00:44:00.000-08:00

I saw a listing on ebay,no picture but it sounded too good to miss.
Penis enlargement.No drugs,instant results,no risk works everytime.
I sent off my fifty quid.

I got a magnifying glass.

Welding finished

2011-02-03T04:40:00.000-08:00

I finished welding the bumper on the Rover.
I though I'd repair the door cards,one of them looked a bit rough where the stitching had broken.Taking off the cards revealed the doors were reasonable although there was a bit of loose scale in the bottom.I got as much out as possible and treated the inside of the ddors with Fluid Film and then black Waxoyl.

Welding the rear bumper of a P5b

2011-01-21T05:09:00.000-08:00

The rear bumper on my P5B was pretty grim,I had a badly rusted and damaged spare and I thought I'd see if it was possible to get it to a state that it could be powder coated or even sprayed to act as a spare.The rust on the ends of the bumpers had gone through,it seems to have started from behind the fittings for the bumper bolts.

Cutting the hole square after a bit of poking with a screwdriver I cut a plate to fit flush into the holes and MIG welded it in place.

After grinding and filing it down,it looked alot better but there are a few pin holes in the welds and around the edges.I might try filling these with braze.

Recession what recession?.

2011-01-14T04:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas has been and gone and by gawd trade is slow.It seems like there's no money about (there was much of it in Lowestoft.The internet is quiet,ebay and ebid are both slow and I keep getting firms ringing up out of the blue offering me this that and the other,cheap.
I don't see much chance of any huge improvement any time soon.

Snow and Ice gone,fire up the tranny.

2011-01-12T05:04:00.000-08:00

After standing for a couple of months under snow and ice the old ford transit motorhome was entitled to feel a bit neglected.
I put the battery on charge for a few hours,primed the pump and turned the key.After a couple of spins it started.I love the old V4's they either go or they don't,none of that electronic stuff,if they go wrong you can usually fix them by the side of the road.It cut out a bit later as a connection to the ballast resistor fell off as it has almost corroded through.With that sorted the old van took a trip to Yarmouth and back again.
I bought an old scrap V4 engine some time ago as a spare.It had been in a shed for some years and has seized.I'm going to drag it out and see if it can be got working again.

Christmas day charity swim in lowestoft.

2010-12-25T06:06:00.000-08:00

A freezing cold day,foggy and damp but some crazy fools in fancy dress braved the elements and took to the sea at lowestoft.The crowds weren't put off by the weather either and it was difficult to get some rally good pictures but I've done my best.

The swimmers gather on the beach and start off with a quick 'warm up' by running up and down the beach.

Then suddenly the rush for the sea starts.

Despite the bitter cold some stayed in for some while.

The life boat heads back in a cloud of spray.All over for another year.

Too cold to mess about under cars.

2010-12-16T07:45:00.000-08:00

I got part f the way to fitting the new mounts but found they need modifying.It was too cold to stay under there for long so I crawled out and played about changing the bumper for one thats a bit less rusty.
They're now saying another load of snow and feezing temperatures are heading this way so thats me done for a bit.
Indoors with the fire going,has to be better than grovelling about under a car.

Calm before the storm?

2010-12-10T02:22:00.000-08:00

Thngs have been pretty quiet in the shop and on the internet.I've spent a bit of time doing a page on the web site devoted to the problems of undoing rusty nuts and bolts.Later on I'm going to try and fit the new rear spring mounts I've made to the Rover P5b.

Its a bit cold to grovel about underneath cars but it should be relatively quick to do.

Freezing weather brass monkeysstay indoors.

2010-12-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

The weather has been below freezing for a week or more and it seems impossible that just a month ago we were walking the dogs on yarmouth beach and looking for ice creams.Yarmouth is where the East coast Pirates car club meets but we've given a miss for a while as we're too busy on the web site and its been a bit chilly anyway.We're still trying to clear a load of old stock but ebay seems to be declining fast as a selling venue.It's also pretty obvious that people prefer to buy cheap tools rather than ones that are going to actually do the job and will last.

Saving fuel.Is this a scam.

2010-11-23T04:44:00.000-08:00

I've put this fuel saving device up for auction.It works but there may be drawbacks.
Save fuel and help the planet.

Yarmouths port closes,lowestoft still busy.

2010-11-11T02:00:00.000-08:00

Its been on the news today that the container port at Yarmouths outer harbour is to sell its seven million pound brand new never used cranes.The port has been controversial right from the start,the roll on roll off ferry work never materialised,the cranes have never been used and most of the dock workers were made redundant as soon as the port opened.
Meanwhile this strange thing went under Lowestofts bascule bridge the other day.Lowestofts port is still fairly busy,lots of work being undertaken for the offshore renewable energy industry

Rule Brittania.

2010-09-27T03:55:00.000-07:00

After months of searching I've found a firm in England who still make tools like spanners and sockets.I ordered some and they arrived today.Great quality,more expensive than the Chinese things but they have the potential to last a hell of a lot longer.
It will be interesting to see how sales go when they go on the web site.

Why are people so dirty?

2010-09-22T01:43:00.001-07:00

Another load of refuse and they can't even be bothered to lift the lid on a bin.Why are people so idle?.

Some you win,some you lose.

2010-09-09T06:38:00.000-07:00

Travelled to the car boot sale at Yarmouth.I bought some batteries from one stall.I found they almost allowed me to take a whole picture with a digital camera or made the LED in my cordless phone flash untill I wanted to make a call or answer one when they gave up the ghost .I also bought a whirlpool thingy in a box,never used (apparently),the seller bought it then changed their mind (apparently) I plugged it in and it didn't work (definately) a dido.It'll probably go in the bin.
On the plus side I bought a decent socket set which I'll either use to replace my worn one or sell.Some you win.......

Raveningham Fete and Fair.

2010-09-06T04:13:00.000-07:00

I had a day out at raveningham country fair,near beccles in Norfolk.Lots to see,steam engines,tractors,falcons and owls,a flying display,dog shows,ferrets a band and lots of old cars and american cars and trikes.

A couple of American cars at Raveningham country fair.

Great day out,more power to their elbow.

Mk1 transit camper,triumph herald and a Mk2 consul.

Another fun packed day in Lowstuff

2010-08-26T01:54:00.000-07:00

It's piddling down with rain,the scaffold outside has now been ther two months and still noones been seen working on it.The waterboard or electricity or gas board or maybe all three have decided to dig the road up yet again and the bascule bridge is goig up and down like a whores drawers to let farty little dinghies in and out.
Good job I stay cheerfull.

All quiet on the western front.

2010-08-24T23:56:00.000-07:00

Nothing much has been happening,I've put a load of gear on ebay to sell,Gullivers broken down for the thousandth time,it's all quiet in the shop,but the highlight of the week so far is I've managed to stop the water leak in Humphreys boot.

Gillingham and the transport rally.

2010-08-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

I went to Gillingham a village near Bungay for their annual transport rally.I took the old taxi as the transit motorhome was waiting for a new exhaust manifold the original having broken.The weather wasn't very kind but it was a decent day out surrounded by old cars,military vehicles,stationary engines and the like.

Seagulls at the sea side.

2010-08-16T05:12:00.001-07:00

I bought this old outboard some while back.A Seagull,it carries the slogan "The best outboard for the world" on the tank.(Probably the new ones don't due to some EU regulation or another).After wondering what to do with it for some time I put it on ebay and a bloke rung me up with a half hour and bought it.I wish I'd kept it really,all I'd have needed was a boat to go with it.

Remember "Made in England" ?

2010-08-09T06:29:00.000-07:00

I've been having a sort out of tools.Tons of spanners and sockets,most accumulated over years of buying and selling.Tools boxes full of old stuff and sorthing through reminded me of when we could actually make things in this country rather than simply inporting it from China etc.The quality of some of these old tools is far superior to some of the Chinese and Indian junk on sale now.I've been cleaning up some of the tools to sell at a car boot or autojumble.It's a shame we've got to the stage where we can't make anything anymore it seems as though price is the main consideration these days.

Ebid,an alternative to Ebay?.

2010-07-23T03:38:00.000-07:00

I have had some success selling on one of the alternative auction site.Called ebid it's based in the UK.Its been going some time and its lower fees make it a better bet for the small seller.Ebay is still the market leader by a long way but some of the alternatives might be worth a try.

Here comes the sun.

2010-07-15T01:21:00.000-07:00

I went to the Yarmouth meeting of the East Coast Pirates car club.I took the old transit motorhome for a run out.The weather was pretty awfull so there weren't many ther.Still had a coffee and a chat,mainly about old cars,young women and life in general.

I was going to take the new toy a P5B rover but thats having a wee bit of cosmetic surgery so it will have to wait for a bit.Not so long back the same site was overun with minis,you realise now how few of these there are about.

The great fire of Lowestoft

2010-07-13T06:06:00.000-07:00

Wessex foods in Lowestoft has burnt down.The fire was apparently spectacular,I got diverted on the way to the MOT station,lots of smoke could still be seen and that was twelve hours after the fire and it had been raining heavily all day.Fire engines form all over East Anglia were called in and some were still there twenty four hours after the fire started.
The MOT was pretty tame by comparison,a couple of advisories,one to my annoyance was a bit of play in a wheel bearing that I could have adjusted abit better.It took me over half an hour to get home,traffic round the bascule bridge was horrendous.

First run out for the P5B

2010-07-09T03:05:00.000-07:00

I bought a Rover P5B a few weeks back.It had engine problems but once sorted I took it to a local car club meeting in yarmouth.I was suprised at the amount of attention it attracted.They were a popular car in their day and seem to be pretty popular even thirty odd years later.

A Lowestoft landmark gets ready to move.

2010-07-06T05:36:00.000-07:00

The huge construction in SLPs yard in lowestoft has been moved,ready for loading onto a massive sea going barge.Its said that SLP will then cease to exist,having already laid off most of their staff.

A terrible shame.,more for jobs lost in Lowestoft which has suffered many already.

Caravan site to be reborn

2010-06-28T04:26:00.000-07:00

Apparently the old caravan site at swimming pool road in lowestoft is to be reopened.The shop is to be restored and the shower block/toilets revamped.Other buildings are to be demolished.
The site was a big one and right next to the sea,it's a shame it was closed down and is now vandalised,reopening it has to be good for the town.
The misguided sunrise scheme did little other than discourage visitors with the endless traffic jams and roadworks,hopefully this will go a long way to redress things.

Hardly Banksy is it ?

2010-06-25T04:32:00.000-07:00

The spray paint 'artists' have been active over the old camp site in lowestoft.If it was Banksy this wall would be worth thousands.Any offers ?

Dirty devils,waiting for the litter fairy ?.

2010-06-21T02:41:00.000-07:00

Those who rely on the Lowestoft litter fairy to clean up their junk should realise that they end up paying to have it removed one way or the other.
You shouldn't crap on your own doorstep,but it's not very nice when you do it on other peoples either.

Cars,cars and more cars.

2010-06-07T06:02:00.000-07:00

I went to a car club meet the other side of Norwich.Loads of cars from rods to classics but my camera managed to delete all the pictures.
Good auto jumble spent a few quid on a seagull outboard,an electric scooter and loads of bits and stuff that 'might come in handy one day'

Cooling off.

2010-06-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

A really hot day,nothing better than a swim to cool off when you're hot.Old Jacks legs are getting a bit past it but in the water he still has a fair turn of speed.

The bridge causing troubled waters.

2010-06-02T23:57:00.000-07:00

They've started work on Lowestofts bascule bridge yet again.The traffic jams and noise at night are horrendous.It has been in bits over the past few years more times than a clapped out Austin Maxi,the hope is that this time at least the repairs will last (The seldom did on the Austin Maxi).

Baconsdozen a common name?

2010-05-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

Thirteen or so years ago when I started this business we chose the name Baconsdozen because we were moving to number thirteen and the estate agent kept calling me Mr Baker.(Seemed to make sense at the time).
Now I see 'Baconsdozen' has been chosen as the web site name for an American company listing hotels and a couple of people on facebook.We also had a scammer promising people jobs clearing cheques,working for a firm called Baconsdozen Industrial Ltd.
There are some odd folk about.

The sands of time.

2010-05-14T01:02:00.000-07:00

Some people said building the outer harbour at Yarmouth would increase erosion further down the coast,others say its a seasonal thing but the beach at the Denes in Lowestoft seems to be losing sand.Much of the ruins of the old sea wall can be seen on this picture,normally most of it is covered by a good depth of sand and shingle.The beach is unusable because of concrete and steel debris,which is said to protect the newer sea wall but if this sand continues to be lost it must increase the risk of damage.The denes area flooded many years ago destroying the fishing village,presumably the possibility of the outer harbour increasing erosion was studied,or was it?.

Bikes at Flixton air museum.

2010-05-11T00:33:00.001-07:00

We attended a show at an air museum in Flixton Bugay..I'm determined to use the transit a bit more than last year when it really didn't go anywhere.The second picture is of a couple of the trikes at the air museum.This museum is a great place to visit.Planes and relics from two world wars and relatively modern exibits as well.A waste of time trying to describe it there is simply too much to see.These trikes were part of a collection from a visiting motorcycle club.All in all a good day out.

Hung parliament.

2010-05-07T05:44:00.000-07:00

I might have heard it wrong but i thought I heard someone say that the goverment had been hung.
Seems a bit extreme,but they probably deserve it.

If you can't fight,wear a big hat.

2010-05-05T01:16:00.000-07:00

We still keep selling the sou westers.Film companies and the TV people especially (thats the BBC and ITV not transvestites) seem keen on them.The modern materials and designs have their place but these great heavy things do the job of keeping you dry brilliantly.They also have the bonus that wearing one on a boat (preferably a sailing boat) makes you look like you know what you're doing.

British fishing boats

2010-05-01T01:48:00.000-07:00

This morning Lowestofts trawler basin had a couple of trawlers in it.At one time there would have been half a dozen at any one time,now just two are a rare site.Neither of these will be landing any fish here or employ British crewmen despite having union jacks painted on their sides.These are the so called flag ships,the result of surrendering our fishing grounds in a desperate attempt to appease our european masters.Membership of the EU is said to benefit this country,looking at these boats makes me wonder how.

More jamming than Bob Marley.

2010-04-28T04:04:00.000-07:00

I spent half an hour stuck in Lowestofts jams today,fifteen minutes on the way out and another quarter of an hour on the way back in.They keep on about a third crossing for Lowestoft,all it really needs is for the two we've got to not open every time an empty train or a dinghy want to go through and the traffic might move a bit smoother.

I see no ships.

2010-04-23T00:38:00.000-07:00

A number of months back local politicians and the papers got all excited about tankers moored off the east coast waiting untillthe price of crude went up before they ofloaded or transferred their oil to other vessels.Much talk was made of immediate goverment legislation to stop such activites.
Has it worked?.
Well,three or four months back I could see six tankers from the beach at lowestoft.
Now there are only half a dozen.

The sun has got his hat on.

2010-04-18T01:58:00.000-07:00

I went to yarmouth with the east coast pirates car club.Lovely day in the sunshine,plenty of old cars to look at,some american saloons,hot rods and motorbikes.The American diner does some nice chips and with a plate of them,a frothy coffee,pleasant company and the cars to look at it can't be bad.

Two stroke oil in a diesel.

2010-04-15T02:31:00.000-07:00

I've now tried the engine in this old taxi (its a Nissan 2.7) with and without the two stroke oil added.Its definately quieter with it added and although it might seem to run a bit smoother there's no more (or less) power as a result.No smoke from the exhaust (I'm using a low ash two stoker mix at 100 to 1) but the diesel 'knock' when cold is noticeable less.

Closing down?.

2010-04-12T02:13:00.000-07:00

Spotted this shop in Bungay,a town not far from me.Looks like its closed down,maybe it was too specialised.

Chilly,but the car boots are on again.

2010-04-11T03:42:00.000-07:00

This morning I had a look at Julies car boot near Yarmouth.It was a bit cold but a fair number of stalls.I bought a load of whitworth and BSF taps and dies and some imperial spanners so not a bad day out.The British Standard Whitworth stuff is getting harder to find,imperial AF stuff is slowly going the same way,I did buy a load of imperial swivel head ratchet spanners a while back but little really interesting stuff since.There's a lot of junk about in the hand tool line,OK for selling at car boots and markets if you wont be going back there for a while but thats about all. Britool,King Dick,Bedford,Williams superslim and Snail brand spanners and sockets are still worth having no matter how old as long as the jaws and ring ends aren't worn out or damaged,Elora,Gedore,Koken and the like are also worth having,they are certainly better made than a lot of the cheap imported stuff.

Only one way to find out...Fight!.

2010-03-29T03:44:00.000-07:00

I've been tempted by an old humber Hawk on ebay.its not far from me but I keep thinking i'll have to get rid of the old London taxi or the transit campervan and I quite like them.Its a bit like harry Hill,"I quite like the taxi and I quite like the Humber,but which is best?"."Only one way to find out,FIGHT!"

Who pulled the plug on the EDP forums?

2010-02-21T01:49:00.000-08:00

I used to go on the EDP forums.Not widely used but some of the comments were quite clever,some made you laugh and there was always someone to disagree with if you fancied an argument.
Now its vanished.
Did it get too much for Archant,or did some of the posts go over the top?.
Who knows?.

Hooray and up she rises.

2010-02-16T02:49:00.000-08:00

Another day on the sun rise coast.Its peeing down with rain and the bascule bridge has gone up to let some old duffer in a dinghy about the size of a coal scuttle splutter and fart his way back to his moorings.The 'intelligent' traffic lights are on red where you can go and green where you can't,tempers are getting frayed and I'm getting cold stood in the doorway taking pictures.
I'm going back in the warm.

Greedbay.

2010-02-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

For a good many years I've sold a lot of tools especially the older imperial based one on Ebay but the fees are climbing ever higher and it seems a lot of buyers have gone on to other auction sites.I'm going to try Ebid,the fees make more sense anyway.
Come and have a look,see what you think.
Ebay might still be the place to buy with its huge customer base,especially for the stuff I like to buy,classic car parts,old tools and that sort of thing but selling,as a business,is just too expensive.

Ebay.When's the funeral?.

2010-01-30T12:23:00.000-08:00

I tried ebay to see if it will be a quick way to shift some gear.I used it a long while ago for some years but the high fees,crummy feedback rules and insistance on paypal made me move more to my web site.
This latest excursion onto ebay was a disaster.There are hardly any buyers on there and most of those left have deep pockets and long arms.I thought this country was in bother but didn't realise how far it had spread,even stuff at really low prices is hard to shift in any quantity.
Trawling ebay for stuff to buy is a waste of time.It use to be full of quirky stuff and bargains,now its just a glorified Tesco or Amazon.
What a shame.
Meanwhile sales on ebid seem to be fairly stable as more people move from ebay.It will be a long while before it challenges ebays place as No1 though.

Rule Britannia.(if the rest of the world don't mind)

2010-01-12T00:44:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to find suppliers who can guarantee the tools I sell in my shop and on the internet are made in this country.So far I've drawn a blank.
A country that sent engineering products all over the world now seems to be a shipping agent for China.
I found one firm in Sheffield who've made spanners and the like for years but even they are now considering importing stuff from the far east as the price of labour and raw materials climb.No wonder China is the biggest polluter in the world,it makes more stuff than anyone else in the world.How all this pollution in making the stuff and then shipping it sits with all the aims of the 'greens' seems less important than the interests of big business,but its ashame that people are prepared to buy just about anything as long as its cheap,forgetting the real cost is spread far wider.
Sad.

Diesels.The infernal combustion engine.

2010-01-10T09:41:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to improve the Nissan diesel in my old taxi.It might be long lasting and reliable but its a bit agricultural and though they clatter on for years its not exactly relaxing to drive.
I tried all sorts of additives and the one thats impressed so far is the Redex 0 to 60 cetane booster.The engine seems to run smoother with it,maybe it improved performance and mpg but I haven't really tested it but the engine is definately quieter.
I'm now going to try some low ash two stroke oil,I've read on some forums that this should achieve the same sort of results and with the sulphur content of diesel fuel being reduced it might help lubricate the pump and injectors.
I'll see how I get on.

Don't feed the birds?.

2010-01-08T02:04:00.000-08:00

Most days I put some stuff out for the resident pigeons and seagulls especially in the winter.Two reasons,One I feel sorry for the poor beggars and Two because the council tell you not to.
They're all gods creatures after all and those who moan about the noise of seagulls might like to think how glad my old mate who went stone deaf at the age of twenty would like to hear them again.

Global warming avoids Lowestoft for a day or so.

2009-12-21T03:08:00.000-08:00

The fish docks and port were covered by snow overnight but it's slowly thawing.Overnight it was way below zero.At this time of year it's normally a bit warmer right on the coast as the winds warm as they cross the sea.
It's a good job no one relies on the useless wind turbine 'Gulliver' to generate the leccy to run their heating.It spends more time stood there like a gormless statue than during something as radical as generate any leccy,and still the green brigade want to stick these things up all round the coast.I expect the real reason for them is the grants and plenty of palms getting greased.

Phantom jobs but real job losses.

2009-12-15T06:43:00.000-08:00

The employment picture in Lowestoft has taken another hard knock (in fact its taken a few).Jeld wen,a major employer who make wooden furniture has gone down the pan and Elizabeth hotels who own a lot of property in lowestoft (some of which was to have been improved) have gone into administration.
The EDP and Lowestoft Journal can drivel on about the phantom 10,000 new jobs all they like but things are pretty bad for the town at the moment and it doesn't look as though in reality things are going to get any better.
Meanwhile,the ludicrous 'Waveney Campus' project has finally vanished without trace.Millions of pounds have been squandered on this monument to its stupidity by our council,the council tax payers of the county will be paying for something that never was,neber should have been and never now will be for years to come.