The Lowdown
03/08/09
I've been busy organising a concert, so not much time to update Heidi's web site lately.
We have been to a few shows though, and we have all 3 vehicles up-and-running again. Last month saw us at (among others) War and Peace in Kent, and this month sees us at our favourite show: Ursel in Belgium. Heidi has her tilt and door-tops back on for the journey, we'll pack tomorrow after work and then it's off to Dover to catch a ferry.
05/05/09
Heidi's first show in her new, stripped-down guise was Manningtree on 26 April. We were blessed with sunny weather too - so it was the perfect season opener for a topless Laro. Until we find a "Takkenvanger" (this is what the brush-guard is called in Dutch) there's not much more we can do to Heidi at the moment, so our attention now turns to Grisselda the Guzzi...
Heidi's web page has had a bit of a re-design too: the photos page has been divided into t separate pages, those of Heidi on her travels and at shows, and those of work on Heidi or close-ups of interesting/unusual bits. Have a look!
05/04/09
Today we have been painting. Over the past few weeks we've been removing remnants of soundproofing, sanding-down, and preparing Heidi's interior. Once all the cack was removed from the driver's footwell we uncovered a big hole - the dreaded tin-worm! Nothing too scary though; she's in pretty good shape for a 29-year-old Laro. After mending the hole, copious amounts of underseal were applied to the underneath, followed by a couple of layers of red oxide on the inside. This was followed by grey primer, sanding, more grey primer etc. all in preparation for this weekend. The sun was shining - and the wind was only light, so with the help of a gazebo (thanks Andrea!) and a tarp we constructed a temporary painting booth and gave the insides a nice coating of RAL6014. We'll leave everything for a few days to harden, then it's the re-assembly (a bit like a giant Meccano kit). Photos are here.
13/02/09
The new radiator is in! While we had the bonnet up we decided to give her a quick service too: new oil filter, air filter and alternator belt, plus a change of oil. Heidi went for a test-run the other day and everything seems fine. She was VERY NOISY though. With all her soundproofing removed she sounds how she did when we first bought her: like a military vehicle again. This weekend will see us removing the last remaining bits of fluff from the inside and preparing it for a coat of paint. She should then look fairly complete - we just need to find the brush-guard for the front bumper. Anyone know where we can get one?
24/01/09
Heidi's radiator developed a leak at the Bumfreezer. Nothing drastic: she's a Land Rover, so she got home with no trouble - but we went to see our local friendly parts man to ask about a replacement. £900.00 was the quote for a new one from Land Rover - uh-oh! But he recommended a local company and a visit to them last week resulted in a quote of £100.00 (bit of a difference, eh?). So today was spent under Heidi's bonnet removing her radiator, along with a collection of a few hundred wasp and fly bodies, plus one or two feathers. There's always SOMETHING to do when you've got a Laro!
12/01/09
Heidi went to her first event of the year on the 11th: the Heybridge Basin Bumfreezer. As usual, the 11th of January was a sunny day and we had a good turnout of about 40 green machines. I'm sure the bacon sandwiches at the Old Ship helped. Heidi looked good with her new tyres, but she needed a good wash afterwards. Photos here and here.
01/01/09
Gelukkig nieuwjaar!
Heidi has just passed her MOT - what better way to start the year? New (tougher) tyres are on order and will be fitted on Saturday. Lorraine has spent this morning removing carpet and soundproofing from Heidi's interior. It's a tough job because it was held in place using copious amounts of glue; this is what you're left with when you pull on a piece of carpet:
We were advised by the MOT tester that Heidi's front shock bushes will soon need replacing, so that's the next job. Then, in February, we're off to Stoneleigh to have a look at a MAG. Exciting times!
