I almost called this post Waking Sleeping (Black) Beauty, but in truth it was more like waking a grumpy teenager. Every time I thought that this car was ready for its MOT another little problem would show its head. And so a quick job, that was only going to take a month, or so, has lasted nearly 14 months. However, D612 PNT has been coaxed, persuaded and sworn at until, like that grumpy teenager, it has risen from its slumber and is now tested, taxed and insured and ready for a summer of motoring.
The story started back in 2013 when the owner of D612 PNT, Chris Nicholls, first approached me about helping to resurrect his Midas Gold Coupe. However, at that time I was too busy and couldn't have looked at his car. I was still too busy through 2014, but Chris waited patiently and kept in touch. In fact if anyone was hassling me about the car it was Tony Moss. Quite often Tony would visit my workshop and his route from Coventry would take him past Wellesbourne, where Chris was then living So Tony would start a conversation with " as I drove past Wellesbourne this morning, I wondered when you were going to make a start on Chris's car". So if Chris had lived in Kineton, or Snitterfield, i.e. just off Tony's route, his car might still be sitting under the dust sheet right now. Then early on in 2015, with the club getting ready to celebrate its own 30th anniversary and that of the Gold Coupe, I realised that I had a bit of free time and space in the workshop and that it might just be possible to get the car ready for Stoneleigh (well we got the car there and it was running, but not ready to go back on the road).
Chris has owned D612 PNT since it was new in 1988. He had the optional rear seat fitted, along with children's seat belts in the back, so that he could use it as family transport. He also had MED upgrade the engine to 1380cc, fitted a higher lift cam with roller rockers and a gas flowed head. So pretty fast family transport at that. However, a back injury meant that he couldn't comfortably drive the car, or work on it, so he laid the car up in his workshop for when his back got better. Chris's back did get better, but his life also got busier and so his Midas remained under that dust sheet. Fortunately, the workshop where D612 PNT was stored was kept warm and dry and the dust cover meant that the bodywork and interior was protected from damaging UV light. In fact you couldn't have asked for better storage conditions, unless you had thrown in a rolling road to keep the car exercised on (well some classic car owners do that!). Chris had regularly run the engine, up until five, or six years ago, when the car had refused to start. The result is that Chris's cars is one of the most original Midas Gold Coupes around. Its Black gelcoat is still shiny, if showing a few faint scratches and a bit of print-through from the woven rovings in the roof. While the interior is still just as it was in the late 1980s. However, after nearly 18 years of storage, all the mechanical bits would need checking over and revitalizing, where necessary.
As Wellesbourne is just off the M40, I called in to take a look at the car on one of my trips past. Although Chris had a boost starter, the engine barely turned over and it wasn't possible to start the engine. It also quickly became apparent that the fan belt was missing (why do I still call it a fan belt when it doesn't drive the fan?). In fact both the water pump and alternator were seized solid so it looked like it might need a new starter, whilst it definitely needed a new battery, alternator and water pump. I agreed to collect the car in early April, so I had four weeks to get the car running before Stoneleigh.
When I collected the car Chris had already bought a new battery for it, whilst I had got my hands on a replacement water pump and an uprated alternator - a new 70amp alternator of the type used on post '89 Minis actually worked out to be cheaper than the 55amp version of the Metro. So when I got the car back to the workshop my first job was to see if the engine would fire up. I had already checked that it would turn freely, by rocking the car in second gear, but I needed to find out what all the problems were and what was preventing the engine from starting.
Ready to get stuck in by Alistair Courtney, on Flickr
With the car off the trailer and on my scissor lift I was able to take a better look. With the new battery connected up the engine turned freely and the ignition was even giving a fat spark. However, no fuel was getting through to the carb so it seemed that a new fuel pump would be required. The piston of the SU carb was stiff, the oil in its damper pot having become waxy with age, but I squirted some fuel past it and tried the starter again. This time the engine fired and ran for a few seconds until the small dose of fuel had been used up. So far so good. The starter motor was working fine with the new battery and the ignition was working as well. I had agreed with Chris that I should give the car a thorough service, with new oil, oil filter and spark plugs then a 2 stage chemical flush of the cooling system and new coolant as well as the new water pump, alternator and drive belt (that's what I should be calling it instead of fan belt!). I had now added to that list, a new fuel pump and a service kit for the carb (which would prove to be even more necessary than I had imagined).
Rusty steel and crusty ally by Alistair Courtney, on Flickr
That seems like a good place to leave the first installment of the story. There is plenty more to come, so I will deliver it in small doses.