burgundyben
Well-known member
Some years ago I created a theory of uncontrollable events, it was an effort at finding an explaination for things that just kind happen to me, leading me to formulate the theory. It started with me stopping to buy fish and chips, 5 hours later I had spent £4k ( I didn’t have) on a classic car….
I posted at the beginning of last week that the boat was being lifted out the water as I thought I had hit something, there was a indeed a very bad vibration coming form the port engine, when the boat came out of the water there was a blade missing from the port prop, “ah, that’s ok, I’ll fit the spare props”. Well the spare props have more pitch and the port shaft is too long by about an inch and a half for some inexplicable reason and shortening it was one of the jobs that just did not get done in the winter, so the spare prop would not fit as it fouled the rudder, now I’ve wanted to fit these props as they are correct, the old ones were too small, so I decided to pull the shaft out and have it shortened, quick antifoul, new anode, fit spare props and away.
Now this is where the unexpected factor come into play, you see I don’t have any patience for things that don’t work, a few months ago, whilst sat in the car trying to light a spli……………..cigarette the lighter would not work so I chucked it out of the window and since then there has been a hole in the dash.
This Saturday I went down to the boat and removed the shaft for shortening, put the back seats down, slid it into the back of the car, did some other stuff on the boat, generally messed about the boat yard went for lunch etc. when it came time to drive home I jumped in the car and drove off, at the end of the road I braked and the prop shaft slid forwards, the 7/8 inch thread on the end of the shaft inserted itself into the cigarette lighter socket that was empty cos I had chucked out of the window, not the sort of thing you’d noitcie is it? the weight of the shaft pushed the middle of the lighter in and so it became live, but would not pop out, about half way home there was a funny burning smell in the car and a small plastic fire had started at the back of the lighter in the dash……eek….slide the shaft out of the way and blew out the flames……..and carried on home.
<hr width=100% size=1>Sod the Healey - I think I'll buy an E-Type.
I posted at the beginning of last week that the boat was being lifted out the water as I thought I had hit something, there was a indeed a very bad vibration coming form the port engine, when the boat came out of the water there was a blade missing from the port prop, “ah, that’s ok, I’ll fit the spare props”. Well the spare props have more pitch and the port shaft is too long by about an inch and a half for some inexplicable reason and shortening it was one of the jobs that just did not get done in the winter, so the spare prop would not fit as it fouled the rudder, now I’ve wanted to fit these props as they are correct, the old ones were too small, so I decided to pull the shaft out and have it shortened, quick antifoul, new anode, fit spare props and away.
Now this is where the unexpected factor come into play, you see I don’t have any patience for things that don’t work, a few months ago, whilst sat in the car trying to light a spli……………..cigarette the lighter would not work so I chucked it out of the window and since then there has been a hole in the dash.
This Saturday I went down to the boat and removed the shaft for shortening, put the back seats down, slid it into the back of the car, did some other stuff on the boat, generally messed about the boat yard went for lunch etc. when it came time to drive home I jumped in the car and drove off, at the end of the road I braked and the prop shaft slid forwards, the 7/8 inch thread on the end of the shaft inserted itself into the cigarette lighter socket that was empty cos I had chucked out of the window, not the sort of thing you’d noitcie is it? the weight of the shaft pushed the middle of the lighter in and so it became live, but would not pop out, about half way home there was a funny burning smell in the car and a small plastic fire had started at the back of the lighter in the dash……eek….slide the shaft out of the way and blew out the flames……..and carried on home.
<hr width=100% size=1>Sod the Healey - I think I'll buy an E-Type.
