Well I know its late on a Sunday evening and I really should be in bed but I just can't wait any longer to let you all know the saga of getting the newly obtained highwayman 550 miles home.
I hope you are sitting comfortably because this could go on a bit!
Up at 5.30 on Saturday morning and out the house by 5.45 with Carol (the long suffering wife) by my side and on to Gatwick airport for 6.30. Carol bought her car home and I went straight through to departures. Flight took off 10 mininutes late at 7.50 but he put the hammer down and I was inside Glasgow terminal by 9.00. Straight outside and on to a coach for Glasgow Queen Street railway Station. Arrived 9.30 after only 20 mins ride and would you believe a train leaves in 4 minutes for Perth. Get a ticket and jump on board and off we go. I phoned Ross (Mactosh) to let him know I would be at Perth Station at 10.30 and Ross duly met me there in the Highwayman right on time. Introductions made we headed for Ross's house in Auchtermarder and was there by 11.00. It was all so easy over 500 miles in 5 hours. No delays. Today is going to be a good day! (I thought). Paperwork and spondoolicks exchanged and a nice cup of tea from Mrs. Mactosh it was time for the off. Ross went through all the workings of the van with me and at 12.00 I set off with only 550 miles to go! 54861 miles on the clock. The van seemed to pull well but was ticking over on idle a bit to high and I thought I could alter that later. Only a quarter tank of petrol so after 45 mins I stopped to fill the van and me with juice. 54892 miles. After a little break came the first problem! It wouldn't start but luckily I had parked on a hill and rolled into a bump start. Hoping the battery would charge with the next long journey I set off once again at 1.30. A solid 4 hour drive over the mountains and down into England seemed to fly by with the van going well if a bit noisy. Keeping up a steady 55-60 all the way. Only small problem was the drivers window kept falling down a couple of inches and I was getting a cold ear. At 5.30 I stop to fill up again and have some dinner. 55098 miles. 237 miles done and not far of half way. Press on I thought. Filled with petrol and done the maths 25.8 miles per gallon. Wow I was impressed! Right now will it start? No hill this time so kept my fingers crossed. Started on the button and I thought yes away we go. NO we don't I seem to have no lights. In to the station for a £10 torch so I can see what I am doing and an hour later I locate the loose wires on the fuse box and fix them. Eureka we have lights and at 7.30 I plough on down the M6. 3 hours later I am pulling into some services on the M40 for my overnight stop. 55261 miles and exactly 400 miles. Not bad for one day. Got a coffee for the services and climbed into my sleeping bag at 11.00. I amazed myself and slept for 8 hours solid waking at 7.00 this morning. Crack on I thought. I had a meeting arranged near Blenheim at 11.00 about 1 hour away and thought I would get there early park up and have a close look at the van and try and sort some minor problems. After a quick wash and brush up it was off we go at 8.00. NO you don't no battery. Flat as pancake and no hill to roll down. After 10 minutes I found 3 hefty looking blokes to give me a push but Olive (the van) did not want to know. Poor old girl had obviously done to much the day before. Next choice was walk over in the rain to the petrol station and spend another £10 on some pathetic quality jump leads. Back to the van and a suitable bloke chose the wrong place to park I.E. next to me. A bit of begging later and his bonnet was up and the leads attached. Still nothing happened. That bloke had to go as he was late (well he was now) for a meeting. I don't give up easy and thought I would wait untill a AA/RAC van pulled in and bribe them to start me. Thren my luck changed and in came to guys in a Motorway patrol vehicle. You know flashing lights etc. They volanteered to help a damsel in distress (Olive not me) and proceeded to get some huge jump leads out and attach them to there mega sized 4 wheel drive type battery. Right turn her over he said!
Bugger all. Still wouldn't start. They gave up and so did I so I called the recovery number on my insurance. Within 20 minutes Brian arrives to rescue me. He said is this a Commer because it looks more full stop to me. A comedian! Old school mechanic with new school tools. Perfect. He checked out everything with digital this and that and told me my battery was flat. Ha Ha. He found a problem with the choke and fixed a problem with the carb whilst charging my battery with the biggest leads you have ever seen. I think he used to jump start Jumbo's with them. Anyway with some easy start squirted down the carb she fired up. It was now 10.30 and 2.30 hours wasted. Gave Brian a drink and went on my merry way. Got to my meeting an hour late and had a beer and some lunch. Left at 2.30 for the final 100 mile leg of the journey. Started first time and off I went to the petrol station to fill up for the 3 time in 2 days. Started again this is good. On to Oxford and down the A34 towards Winchester. Lots of hills and jockeying for position with lorries etc but 60 miles reasonably O.K. If you think its bad so far the last 40 miles are the worst. As I came of onto the a and b roads across country to home the heavens opened and with all the good will in the world the Commer wipers are not the best. So lights on and fingers crossed. Lights are patheticly dim (like me) but I soldier on. Only 20 miles to go and on a particularly dark bit of road when all of a sudden NO F*****G lights. Can't see a thing so just braked in a straight line and stopped in the middle of the road. Flicked the switch and kicked the dimmer switch and they came back on. Of we go again in even heavier rain when all of a sudded engine noise rise a lot. Pull over to discover an exhaust manifold leak has appeared. Oh well should get me home and set of again with a little less power. The puddles were so deep by now that even the Highwayman was aquaplaning on some and it was a pretty scary ride and then it happened. The drivers window had dropped agian so I wound it up and it just exploded. Glass flew across the cab and covered me in little bits of the sharp stuff. I havn't a clue what caused it and I nearly crashed in the process of leaping out my seat. Managed to do the last few miles very wet, very cold but got home by 6.00. In total 550 miles in a 36 year old bus at over 25 mpg. The perfect journey really!
ITS JUST COMMERN SENSE TO HAVE ONE
I hope you are sitting comfortably because this could go on a bit!
Up at 5.30 on Saturday morning and out the house by 5.45 with Carol (the long suffering wife) by my side and on to Gatwick airport for 6.30. Carol bought her car home and I went straight through to departures. Flight took off 10 mininutes late at 7.50 but he put the hammer down and I was inside Glasgow terminal by 9.00. Straight outside and on to a coach for Glasgow Queen Street railway Station. Arrived 9.30 after only 20 mins ride and would you believe a train leaves in 4 minutes for Perth. Get a ticket and jump on board and off we go. I phoned Ross (Mactosh) to let him know I would be at Perth Station at 10.30 and Ross duly met me there in the Highwayman right on time. Introductions made we headed for Ross's house in Auchtermarder and was there by 11.00. It was all so easy over 500 miles in 5 hours. No delays. Today is going to be a good day! (I thought). Paperwork and spondoolicks exchanged and a nice cup of tea from Mrs. Mactosh it was time for the off. Ross went through all the workings of the van with me and at 12.00 I set off with only 550 miles to go! 54861 miles on the clock. The van seemed to pull well but was ticking over on idle a bit to high and I thought I could alter that later. Only a quarter tank of petrol so after 45 mins I stopped to fill the van and me with juice. 54892 miles. After a little break came the first problem! It wouldn't start but luckily I had parked on a hill and rolled into a bump start. Hoping the battery would charge with the next long journey I set off once again at 1.30. A solid 4 hour drive over the mountains and down into England seemed to fly by with the van going well if a bit noisy. Keeping up a steady 55-60 all the way. Only small problem was the drivers window kept falling down a couple of inches and I was getting a cold ear. At 5.30 I stop to fill up again and have some dinner. 55098 miles. 237 miles done and not far of half way. Press on I thought. Filled with petrol and done the maths 25.8 miles per gallon. Wow I was impressed! Right now will it start? No hill this time so kept my fingers crossed. Started on the button and I thought yes away we go. NO we don't I seem to have no lights. In to the station for a £10 torch so I can see what I am doing and an hour later I locate the loose wires on the fuse box and fix them. Eureka we have lights and at 7.30 I plough on down the M6. 3 hours later I am pulling into some services on the M40 for my overnight stop. 55261 miles and exactly 400 miles. Not bad for one day. Got a coffee for the services and climbed into my sleeping bag at 11.00. I amazed myself and slept for 8 hours solid waking at 7.00 this morning. Crack on I thought. I had a meeting arranged near Blenheim at 11.00 about 1 hour away and thought I would get there early park up and have a close look at the van and try and sort some minor problems. After a quick wash and brush up it was off we go at 8.00. NO you don't no battery. Flat as pancake and no hill to roll down. After 10 minutes I found 3 hefty looking blokes to give me a push but Olive (the van) did not want to know. Poor old girl had obviously done to much the day before. Next choice was walk over in the rain to the petrol station and spend another £10 on some pathetic quality jump leads. Back to the van and a suitable bloke chose the wrong place to park I.E. next to me. A bit of begging later and his bonnet was up and the leads attached. Still nothing happened. That bloke had to go as he was late (well he was now) for a meeting. I don't give up easy and thought I would wait untill a AA/RAC van pulled in and bribe them to start me. Thren my luck changed and in came to guys in a Motorway patrol vehicle. You know flashing lights etc. They volanteered to help a damsel in distress (Olive not me) and proceeded to get some huge jump leads out and attach them to there mega sized 4 wheel drive type battery. Right turn her over he said!
Bugger all. Still wouldn't start. They gave up and so did I so I called the recovery number on my insurance. Within 20 minutes Brian arrives to rescue me. He said is this a Commer because it looks more full stop to me. A comedian! Old school mechanic with new school tools. Perfect. He checked out everything with digital this and that and told me my battery was flat. Ha Ha. He found a problem with the choke and fixed a problem with the carb whilst charging my battery with the biggest leads you have ever seen. I think he used to jump start Jumbo's with them. Anyway with some easy start squirted down the carb she fired up. It was now 10.30 and 2.30 hours wasted. Gave Brian a drink and went on my merry way. Got to my meeting an hour late and had a beer and some lunch. Left at 2.30 for the final 100 mile leg of the journey. Started first time and off I went to the petrol station to fill up for the 3 time in 2 days. Started again this is good. On to Oxford and down the A34 towards Winchester. Lots of hills and jockeying for position with lorries etc but 60 miles reasonably O.K. If you think its bad so far the last 40 miles are the worst. As I came of onto the a and b roads across country to home the heavens opened and with all the good will in the world the Commer wipers are not the best. So lights on and fingers crossed. Lights are patheticly dim (like me) but I soldier on. Only 20 miles to go and on a particularly dark bit of road when all of a sudden NO F*****G lights. Can't see a thing so just braked in a straight line and stopped in the middle of the road. Flicked the switch and kicked the dimmer switch and they came back on. Of we go again in even heavier rain when all of a sudded engine noise rise a lot. Pull over to discover an exhaust manifold leak has appeared. Oh well should get me home and set of again with a little less power. The puddles were so deep by now that even the Highwayman was aquaplaning on some and it was a pretty scary ride and then it happened. The drivers window had dropped agian so I wound it up and it just exploded. Glass flew across the cab and covered me in little bits of the sharp stuff. I havn't a clue what caused it and I nearly crashed in the process of leaping out my seat. Managed to do the last few miles very wet, very cold but got home by 6.00. In total 550 miles in a 36 year old bus at over 25 mpg. The perfect journey really!
ITS JUST COMMERN SENSE TO HAVE ONE
at least you can have a proper look at the faults now at your own leisure. well done mate you have truly arrived at the madhouse
