Newsletter 04 - August 1998

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pennies so you can throw some at the car when you get it. (Use 2nd class post). Thanks for the stamp for the envelope. It sounds as if your background of garage sweeping should come in handy when building. It should be noted that the Minari body doesn’t dissolve the way you describe, I thought that was reserved for the east German Trabant. Please don’t apologise for typing. I scan le=ers into the computer and then play with them to make them fit the pages, though I don’t alter the wording. It sounds as if your car will have a Mummy, no Daddy, just lots of ‘Uncles‘! Do you propose to colour (in) your car with the crayons? See also Page 19! Who’s a really sad (old) sod? Latest purchase for my little car will probably cause consternation amongst some of you, but it had to be done. I have bought a cruise control. Yes one of those things you find on cars for softies and old fossils, well there is the reason for me to have one after all. I suffer with dodgy knees, I blame building a kit car, which tends to involve crawling around on the cold concrete floor, especially in winter. Also riding a motor bike in all weathers, snow and ice included hasn’t helped. But as I enjoyed both of those, I think that I will blame the Fire Brigade for making me do drills involving carrying some one down an escape ladder. If I sit in one position as when driving, for any length of time I get a pain in my right knee. I had a cruise control fitted to my Laguna and found it invaluable on the drive to Morocco a couple of years ago. I thought that a cruise control would be a worthwhile addition to the comfort I have tried to ensure I have in the car (seats, heater, hood, radio etc). Don’t laugh, you will get old one day. It just comes earlier, age wise, to some than to others. Take the p..s and I will hit you with my stick, or set the dog on you. Except she is also old and probably wouldn’t even look up at you from her position guarding the drive to make sure no one steals it, where she loves to be while I am working. However, try as I might I have been unable to make the thing, (the bloody thing) work properly. I have narrowed the non-functioning down to a defective solenoid in the throttle cable actuator servo. Next weekend I will try to swap parts from the Laguna on to the Minari. Swap I did, and work it did, after a fashion. On the Laguna one can accelerate by pressing the set/accelerate button. With the Laguna bits on the Minari, though a set speed would be maintained it wouldn’t increase when requested. Not quite in desperation I sent off a letter asking for an electronic cruise control, with a cheque for the previously agreed price. With a first class stamp on the envelope, I posted the letter to catch the 4.30 p.m. Monday, collection from the local post box. At about 10.05 am at work the next Page 8
day I got a phone call from the suppliers. What command module did I want? Not only had the post office delivered the next day, it appeared to be the first delivery, but, the suppliers had opened the post and were actioning the order. I was told that I should have the kit (where have I seen that word before?) the next day. That is what I call service and what we should all be able to expect when paying good money for a service, not the more usual ‘delivery in 28 days’ nonsense. That just gives the supplier a month of interest on our money for free. When I got home from the fun factory on Wednesday evening, true to their word the new control was waiting for me. It must have been delivered in the morning after the family had left for their various days outing (I cant say work as daughter No 2 is at Uni.), and before Andrea came home from Uni. at about 12.30. At the weekend I started fitting it. Late start due to shopping. I fitted most of the parts and connected the actuator up to the wires to test it out and guess what, It worked, well pull was applied to the carburettor cable. As the actuator wasn’t connected to the carbs. I have no idea if it will work on the car but I am most hopeful. Sunday is for visiting, so Monday (rota leave day) I will make up a bracket to mount the thing properly, then we shall see. Oh! I do hope this one works. Oh! Yes. Yippee, whoopee, cap in the air time! We have success at last! There is a very slight adjustment to be made, but that is just fine-tuning. There is the facility to change the rate of pick up, sensitivity, or gain, at the moment it needs backing off a bit. The control tends to snatch slightly, but as I said a minor problem. 90mph on cruise control, (sorry that should read 4,500RPM otherwise I was doing an illegal speed), no problem. The adjustment worked and though there is still a slight snatch on take up it is more than acceptable especially at SPEED. To further ease my knees I found that sticking my rather large camera bag under my right knee helps to support it, keeping it in a more upright and straight plane. So, rather then use the camera bag, I have made up a small cushion to go between my right knee and the side sill. Quite sad really. But it works. Roll on Switzerland. Sod work for a liAle(?) while! Page 9
Page 1 and 2: Minari Owners Register News Leer Nu
Page 3 and 4: I saved this just in case there wer
Page 5 and 6: Dear Dave, 8th June 1998 The day ou
Page 7: What sort of plane is a ‘funny ho
Page 11 and 12: Fortunately the Channel was calm, I
Page 13 and 14: town is in a state of turmoil as th
Page 15 and 16: Unbelievable though it may be, on 1
Page 17 and 18: To return to the report on Stanford
Page 19 and 20: Good Ideas! Had a phone call from B

Newsletter 04 - August 1998

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