The Island of Misfit Toys

I don't have too much to report this week. I have been trying for a year to get some of the grill chrome pieces that Gordon Wilson had made up and that were advertised on the Register. I even phoned Gordon a couple times. I managed to reach him once while he was diving somewhere and we never reconnected. Harvey Pitcher finally took control of the inventory and, on Friday morning, I received a nice email from him explaining they were ready to be shipped. Thank God and Harvey (of just Harvey if they're the same). If I hadn't sourced a pair from him, I would probably have to have a pair made. That's a giant pain in the ass averted.

Above I posted a good photo of the hand brake from Duncan. I went and cut it off last night. I then looked on the Internet for about three hours for something that could be used as a replacement, but nothing seemed capable of doing the job. I'm tempted to restore this one and use it. I know Steve says he's going to tackle restoring Duncan next summer, but I just don't think he understands how hard that will be. He'll never miss it. However, I'm driven by conscious, so I will continue to look for an alternative. Damn conscious. I emailed Harvey asking if he had any leads. I hope something comes from that.

I haven't heard about where my engine cowl's at with Austin Metal.

Earlier I reported how on one weekend I went to Vancouver Island (where I found Duncan and Victoria) to a place called Coombs. Coombs is a small village that features a general store with goats on the roof. It is widely considered the weirdest place in Canada. Well there's a beat up, old Morris Minor there that kids play on. It has the pedal I need for my brake. Last week I talked to the owner of the car and he said that I could have the required part, provided I fabricated something that looked like a steering wheel to mount on the column. Right now there's nothing there. So this weekend I made something out of plywood. I'll take it over there next weekend to collect my pedal.

Finally, above is a photo of my van taken in May when it was moved from one room in Aaron's shop to another via the outdoors. I call the latter room the Island of Misfit Toys because it hosts an array of early and mid-stage projects. This photo was taken off of Aaron's website, and I had not ever seen it prior to last night. I posted it here because I just like the site of the van outdoors with the grill piece on.