Stormin

Ten minutes after mowing this afternoon, the C-125 spluttered to a stop and refused to restart. Pushed it back to the workshop and after getting my breath back, investigated. Plug sparking ok but dry. Was going to check the points but as I knelt to remove the cover, I noticed petrol leaking from the air filter. Reached up and turned the ignition key. Engine turned over and petrol flowed out of the carb. Removed the float bowl which was clean inside. Rattled the float up and down, while turning the key and fuel came out. Then gently held the float up and fuel stopped flowing. Put the bowl back and tried starting again. Engine fired up and no sign of fuel leaking out of carb. Finished 2hrs of mowing with out any more problems. I reckon a speck of dirt had been stopping the float needle valve from seating properly.

My first job this morning was to sort out the recoil starter on his wacker plate. There was a broken pin inside the mechanism. To cut a long story short, failed to fix it. Reverted to the good old fashioned way of cord round a pulley and got it going. Ramp in workshop doorway got wacked down. Put the guttering up on the right hand side of the carport. BTW. A bat has taken up residence in part of the middle truss. Bat droppings on the floor. Some kind of sheet is going to be fitted below where it roosts. Otherwise Fiona is going to be kept busy. Final job was some work on the Case tractors hitch. It has a missing pin and still has. We couldn't find anything for a suitable temp' replacement. Not bad for a 32 year old tractor. Rear gable end of workshop was finished yesterday. Makes the roof seem higher. Digger has a nice new cab on now, after being hit by the runaway tractor. It was an insurance job and even came back with an air freshener in.

May I suggest you put you query and photo's in the ride on section. Better chance of people seeing it there.

More done on the workshop today. The finished carport. Dunc built the store room wall and fitted the door last week. Guttering down the right hand has to be fitted yet. I thought we'd done it. Plenty of room for the two Volvos. Workshop when I arrived this morning. Das, the joiner, soon finished the last bay. Dunc and I fitted the side rails while Das, started on the left hand side. Dunc fitting blocks to support the side rails. Used the C-125 and trailer to bring up the service door and frame. Which was then fitted. Front rails also fitted. Dunc fitting the cricket bats. If you saw them before fitting you'd see why they get that name. Das fitting the outer cladding boards. He was up and down that ladder all day. Oh to be young. And before anyone says what was I doing. I assisted Dunc with the side and end rails and kept Das supplied with boards. Also tided away rubbish.

All the Best, Harry. Hope you've had a good day.

I'll hazard a guess at around or just over 600lb. Guess I'm a little bit on the heavy side according to the list Chris has posted.

We got the other side finished on Bank holiday Monday. I didn't return till last Friday due to the workshop floor being concreted and other jobs at home. I went over last Wednesday and found Dunc had done the wall for the store room at the back of the carport and clad the front end. We did fit the barge board to the front and the guttering along both sides. Back on Friday and more work on the new workshop. Started the cladding at last. While another man was fixing the boards, I placed them handy for him. Dunc and I fixed the back gable end cross beams. Also brought a tractor trailer load of boards up from the field. Loaded and unloaded by hand. Only approx. 160. And by the time I'd finished, that's how old I felt. Didn't have my camera, but I'm going over tomorrow all being well and I'll get a photo or two.

That's a beautiful restoration you've done, Marcel.

Won't be room, Alan. Looks like Pam's been cracking the whip and the garden's not looking like I remember it.

He can tell by the rear tyres, Nigel.

After mowing yesterday, with the C-125, I found the front right bolt holding engine and wobble plate had snapped. Solid mountings and not the original rubber ones. I noticed a slight gap 'tween spacer and plate. So I suspect the plate isn't quite true. With feeler gauges it was just over 70 thou. This morning I dropped the front axle and removed the cross bar. The broken end came out easily when the drill bit, bit. So bar was replaced. I then found a washer that measured 75 thou. That would do as a shim under the spacer after I cut a slot in it to clear the bolt. All back together now and hope fully no more sheared bolts. I'd still been having starting problems with the C-125 and yesterday it refused to start. Squirting petrol in the carb mouth made no difference and the plug had a good spark. I decide to check the points and found they were rather wide. That would throw the timing out. I'm assuming that last time I adjusted the points, they'd opened up when the securing screw was tightened. This does happen sometimes. After about a half hour of setting, tightening, checking, setting, tightening, checking, I managed to get the correct 20 thou gap. Better starting now and runs better as well.

Be handy for taking to shows etc for carrying purchases of bits and bobs.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JOSEPH. Red letter day now you become a teenager.

Bill and Ben look good Chris. The Tri-ang pedal tractor as well.

Now I feel old. Liam, No1 grandson, has just phoned to tell us we're going to be great grandparents. Doesn't seem all that long ago, as a toddler, he was trying to wash my Yamaha FZR1000 motorbike with a feather.

Picked the frame and swinging arm up from the powder coaters this morning. Well pleased with them. Wheel hubs and spokes got cleaned up Wednesday and finished Thursday. Really time consuming. The remaining paint on the hubs had to be carefully chipped and scraped off. The spokes rubbed down with emery cloth. Hubs got a first coat of paint this afternoon. Brush painted with one of Carols 3/4" wide artists brushes. Next week I start the hunt for parts.

Have you thought of advertising in the Horticultural and Garden Machinery site?

The C-125 has not started right since I did the rebuild. Needed plenty of winding up and juggling of controls. Ran ok when started and I've been living with it. Today I decided enough was enough and set too to get it sorted. First I checked the points. They were a little wide so I adjusted the gap. Didn't help. So removed the air filter and squirted some fuel into the carb. Open the throttle, turn the key and it fired right up. Fuel pump? OK! I'll change that. Got a spare and tested it. Length of pipe on the inlet and end in some petrol. Worked the lever as fast as I could, and a nice jet of fuel shot out. So that was fitted. Still no joy. Decided to change the reconditioned carb I'd fitted, that a friend had rebuilt. Fitted the original carb and that has done the trick. Must be something in the recon' carb not just right. I'll strip it someday and see what I can find. Maybe the float wants re-setting. Definitely not getting enough fuel through. BTW. I'd remove float bowl the other week and that was spotless. The hand over the carb mouth trick didn't help either. So dirt in the carb ruled out.

Sorry to hear your going to have to part with your Gems. Gareth. Put an add in the for sale section.

Last day on Dunc's carport for now. It's now got both sides and cable end clad. Bit of trimming on the gable end and barge board to fit, but Dunc will do that. Dunc's C-125 got put to work hauling sand up to the yard, for the men doing the paving between house and yard. I can have a rest now till sometime next week.

Happy Birthday, Frank. I hope those boys of yours have a good treat or two instore.

I think it's about 13ft x 32ft, Angus. Got the first row of boards on the gable end yesterday, but hit a snag this morning. You fit the boards over length then trim to suit the roof angle. Problem was Dunc's hand held circular saw packed up. I'm taking mine with me tomorrow and we'll finish the gable end cladding. While Dunc treated some of the paving flags ready for the builders tomorrow, I took the sag out of the side batons. Then it was down to the field for more boards. We got one section finished on the other side and first row of boards on the middle section. We should have sides and gable end finished tomorrow. Dunc can manage the front gable by himself. The partition at the back for the store room will be done sometime in the near future.

Back over the Border yesterday and today. First though a pile of dirt to move from the yard. While Dunc got the tractor and trailer, I drove the digger up to the yard. Never operated a digger since I sold mine about 15yrs ago. 1-1/2 loads and the yard was cleared and levelled. Took the digger back down to the soon to be main workshop, then trailer was loaded with boards and taken up to the carport. Third bay was finished by lunch time. Photo' was taken before we started. After lunch we started on the back gable end. Hopefully get that finished tomorrow and make a start on the other side. It's a grand way to spend a Bank Holiday weekend.

Wheels ready to be cleaned up. Which will be fun. Brake plates etc finished.

That's a flooded quarry behind the trees, Jonathan. Supposedly going to be a nature reserve in a couple of years. Though there is still extraction going on in another part. They're applying to extend, but it will not effect Dunc.