A quick update on Pels life, Engine and Family stuff

I cant believe how much (sort of progress) has been made yet the engine is still not together?
The strange looking lifters from Comp Cams have arrived and been taken to Mikes workshop. He hasnt done much on my engine as he was waiting for lifters. While I was there he was getting ready to drop the new 434 Dart motor in my friend Daves Landrover So I hung aorund for 3 hours and helped him get it fitted. This means he can start on my motor very soon now as all the parts we need to get the block assembled are here
We have been having many discussions about the paint finish on the block. I dont want Orange as all my Chevy mates insist that the engine should be Orange !! I did have a mad idea about painting the block bright Pink. But then i gave up on that. Then one of my friends suggested British Racing Green! WHAT! That is the worst colour ever IMO. I'm not a fan of Green unless its Bright Candy Pearl etc.. Mike rang me last week to ask what colour as he wanted to move on with the engine. I just said lets go with a simple clearcoat shall we, as I quite like the look of a bare dry block that is spotlessly clean. He then said that he had an idea that should fit with my requirments. I just told him to get on with whatever he wanted to do. When I dropped in last Monday I saw my empty block on the stand and under a cover. I asked what he had done and he said to me "hold onto your hat mate, I've done what I think is a nice interpretation of a clean dry cast iron block" ?? Damn I wish I had my camera with me right then ?? He pulled off the cover so I could see my Dart block. I had to stare at it for several minutes to absorb what I was seeing? I could not really comprehend what I was seeing to be honest. It looked like he had wire brushed the block until it was clean as could be. Yet the metal was still a dark grey colour with a nice shiny finish ? . It had lots of sparkles in the finish. It looked like a sample of Iron Pyrites ?? In fact its hard to describe the actual finish apart from I love it !! Eventually I had to ask what the hell he had done. He said he gave it a 1st coat of clear laquer and then applied a coat of very small metal flake and then hit it with a 2nd coat of clear. The result is stunning as far as I'm concerned. The fact that the block was still empty paled into insignificance once I had seen this. I'm crewing at the UK Mopar nationals tomorrow at Santapod but after that I'm going to Mikes with my camera to see if I can get some pics to show just how simple but elegant the paint finish is on my new block!

I have 3 jobs to complete on Monday and then I'm off to Fuerteventura for 2 weeks to bask in the warm sea and have fun with my Grand Daughter who is now just 6 weeks away from her 3rd Birthday? Where the Hell did those 3 years just go? OH! I will also be with Faiths Mum and my wife Gill

Faith just did her first Horse riding Gymkana for toddlers. She entered 5 of 10 events and came home with three 1st place rosettes + a 3rd and a 4th place rosette

I was hoping to have my daugther and Faith moved into there new house nearby by this weekend but work has been manic and the cost of setting them up with all the white goods etc has hit the engine budget hard !! So I'm taking the both away for a nice summer holiday first. Then I can ge tthem moved in when we come back from the Canary Islands. To be honest... The longer it takes me to move them in means I get more time with my girls still living with me

I have also been helping a friend who has decided that his super cool Cobra replica is nice. But he also became a Grandad just over a year ago so he has sold the Cobra and has now become a Tri Chevy owner with a car that has a roof + a large trunk and plenty of space to take his Grand Daughter out with his wife for trips here and there. The Belair is a stunning restored car. It has a 454 bbc in there as well.

Pics of my new block to follow. But in the meantime ??