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Channel IX, 1960 Mark IX

Mon, 06 Oct 1997

MkIX - some success

A day of mixed successes. It was meant to be a day of great joy - the IX would go in for it's registration check and we would motor home confident we would be utterly legal on the road at last.

A couple of gremlins jumped in though - first, the forward fuel valve on the carbs decided to stick open - petrol pumping ecstatically onto the garage floor. Turned off ignition switch. Tried again - fuel valve worked, pump stopped ticking - phew! Press starter button - silence - pressed again - even more silence - another press this time with a modicum of frustration - deafening silence. F@#! Up with bonnet - delicately, for I have on a crisp white business shirt, I reach for the 'hand' starter button - clack, grind, whirr - no start. Again, whirr, grunt, grind, still no start. Oily fingers but, thanks be, nothing on shirt! Push car out onto driveway. Clouds gather as we do this - the skies darken and, yes, it chucks down with rain. Shower passes, out with jump leads, start up Toyobishi and manoeuvre. Attach leads - press dashboard button - briefest of whirrs and vroooommm - she's away. Is it going to one of those days? Hit the highway, running 5 minutes late for Testing Station appointment. Arrive, onto the dyno, brakes "OK", lights - "OK", rust, "OK", steering, "fine". (No questions on speedo constantly reading zero mph!) Indicators - all working with light that would out do the Pharos. "Hmmmm" - the orange colouring is a *little* faded. "Can't have white light showing at the rear, you need new lenses" - uh oh. Over the pit, "hmmmmm", we hear teeth sucking - oh dear what has discovered (more importantly, what have *we* not seen?) - "your brake hoses have to be renewed" melancholy starts to set in. he climbs into the car, pokes at pillars, sills, lifts carpet. "Good bodywork for her age" our spirits lift a little. "But" - oh no - "you must have full seat belts in the front". Our hopes are dashed. Our own enquiries had told us that (in New Zealand) our 1960 creation would not need belts (ignoring own safety factors) - the rules are (we saw the regulation book at the Testing Station: up to 1955, no belts required, for 1955 - 1970 no need if belts not fitted originally AND the registration has not lapsed. 1970 onwards MUST have. Our registration lapsed for 2 weeks, a year ago. "Got to have them - no two ways about it".

The nice man affixed a VIN (vehicle Identification plate - metal, riveted to scuttle panel next to factory chassis plate) and etched our rear windscreen with ditto number (yes, sandblasted into the glass - but thankfully quite discrete). Gave us our papers and said "come back within a month and the re-test is free". We paid the man $120 for his troubles and jumped in the car. Pushed button - grrriinnd - nothing. Battery flat - oh shame and embarrassment! "No problem" says a man from the sidelines as he strode out with jump leads and a starter "pack" - a quick flick and she turns over but takes while to fire. Our helper as it turns out was Jaguar mechanic back in blighty! "sounds like your timing is a little too much advanced". We chat for a while and hear of his days with a Manchester Jaguar dealer back in the '60s.

Home we go.

So, peoples, we need the low down on fixing seat belts to our lovely lady.

Time is of the essence as we MUST go on the British Link rally in two weeks time.

Trish Duffy (Hi, Trish!) has already been kind enough to tell us about their VII and the holes they found in the 'B' pillar under the walnut trim. Of course, with the IX there are the cigar lighter mountings on the pillars - - we do not want to lose these or have to bastardize them (if at all possible). We've spoken with 2 of the 3 MkIX owners here in the Auckland JDC and both have the basic (and now deemed unsafe) lap belts bolted into the floor pan. We will need to install inertia reel lap/diagonals with the three point mounts.

What shall we do? has anyone added such devices to a MkIX? if so, how? We wouldn't mind "amending" the cigar lighter mounts if the job is discrete. There might just be room to mount the fitting below the lighter.

Oh yes, the indicator lenses we can get locally (Vital Parts in Auckland) same as MkII and the hoses we can get made up to suit (at "The Hose Doctor").

signed Desperate of Auckland

Channel IX


Saloons

MK VII-IX

 

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