Flick wipe steering wheel switch

Moving the flick wipe switch from its initial position on the aux panel up to the steering wheel. The original position needs me to take my hands from the wheel and the button wasn't the best for finding with gloves on.

The new button - stainless and weatherproof. I made a small bracket from an aluminium offcut.

One 3.2mm hole into the side of the hub - after much discussion on whether that was a good idea - de-burred and sealed with glue to prevent any possibility of chafing. The bracket attaches on the back of an existing steering wheel bolt - so shouldn't affect safety in terms of wheel attachment.

My column is earthed - I found if I actively earth the mounting bracket, blue wire and eyelet, it also earths the top of the column and hub. There must be a conductive bushing inside the top column casting.

An earthed steering hub means the 2x contacts on the slip ring can be used for separate circuits. Horn takes one, my new flick wipe button the other. Both are intermittent and low current, activating relay coils.

That is much better - just where I can find it with my left thumb and without getting in the way of normal driving. Wiper stalk up one click - then each push on the button gives exactly one windscreen wiper cycle.

Update -

Found a friendly shower to test the flick wipe today - much better location - I can keep my hands on the wheel which is especially important in wet conditions as demonstrated in this short clip:

Wind deflectors mk3

The new sun visors are 3mm acrylic, my old wind deflectors 5mm PETG - they're also looking a little tired - what PETG provides in ease of shaping it loses in being soft and prone to marking. Excuse to rationalise things and a slight re-design. 

Sticking with a basic rectangular shape 150mm wide. The acrylic ordered from Trent Plastics on eBay. A 610mm x 457mm x 3mm piece delivered pre-cut into 4 pieces 150mm x 457mm, ordered Thursday - arrived Saturday! I only need to mount hinges, the diagonal cut and a little shaping to finish them.

Smaller this time, and closer into the side of the car more like 30º rather than 45-50º angle. The bottom corner against the bodywork to hold them in the right place. Careful application of heat with an electric heat gun to form the shape.

May revise them so the top edge is horizontal rather than square to the screen angle, or the back edge more vertical? I have a couple of spare acrylic panels - for possible revisions.

Tried my hand at polishing the cut edges - Youtube said a lick with a blowtorch - it works, just need to hold your nerve. Enough flame to smooth the cut edge but not enough to melt it!

That'll do for a while - again, needs a rainy day to work out if I hit the sweet spot between looks and stopping the front tyres flinging road detritus into my face.

Sun Visor fitted

Theres always one stubborn bolt! This one decided it wasn't budging until I cut a new slot in the head and used a large screwdriver. You wouldn't have thought an M4 bolt into a couple of mm of aluminium could take so much force.

I have 5x of them each side holding my windscreen in, so apart from the inconvenience of having to order some more, I guess the screen is going nowhere!

Installed visors via 4x new tapped holes and thread-locked shortened M4 bolts.

This is also an opportunity to replace the bottom windscreen rubber with a longer section (not as long as pictured), and re-paint the wing mirrors and screen uprights - they get beaten up with stone chips.

That looks ok to me. Half hood will need adjustment - but I'll wait until I know these are staying before doing that. The angle currently set by friction of the through bolts acting on the crush tubes - if they move or work loose I'll replace the closed dome nuts with nylocs.

The centre rear view mirror is also out - I never could see anything but the spare tyre through it anyway.

Just needs a test!

They're not intended to block wind - just stop the direct line of rain over the screen straight into my eyes.

Update - adjusted when I added a rear view mirror so they miss it

Sun visor preparation

First part of a little project to add some sun visor / rain deflectors to the top of the windscreen. Partly for sun - but also an experiment to see if I can use them to divert heavy rain out of my eyes!

This is preparation only - I needed a few brackets made up for the windscreen attachment. The visors themselves off the shelf from ebay at a price less than I could construct from component parts - seller C-T-S Spares.

Cut down some aluminium U channel into brackets and pipe for crush tubes. The lot being tidied up with a vigorous shake in a jam jar along with some scrap chain from another project.

I've seen this vibration method on various youtube/tv shows at an industrial scale. It worked really well, knocking off any corners or rough edges and producing a smooth matt finish, much easier and quicker than trying to file or sand small complex shapes.

Mocked up in the final location on the windscreen frame. In due course, and assuming the visors work, the half hood will need a modification to slip over them.

Next step is dismantling the windscreen to tap some mounting holes. The existing frame holes are of course in the wrong place - left over from an early roof design that never really worked.

Wet feet, Pedal box mod

Whenever it rains I get a leak over my right foot.

I've never definitively worked out the water route, I don't think it is puddling or coming in via the scuttle since I had rubber moulding in both locations, it also leaks when the car is just standing in the rain or being washed.

Strongly suspect the hole in the pedal box lid combined with my rear edge bonnet vents is the culprit.

So, while checking and re-adjusting the clutch cable, designed and made a simple waterproof flap which should stop any direct downward ingress while still providing access. The front edge is weighted to stop it lifting.

Afterthought - the cover may benefit from a couple of simple pleats in the front corners so it moulds more closely to the shape of the break fluid reservoir beneath. Need some rain to test it.

Operation Chastise - Dambusters Dams

A fair few miles to get through, with the overnight in the Netherlands, but on the way, based on a tip from a RhoCar member visiting the Dambusters Dams.

Google Map

More chocolate box German half timbered towns and villages.

along with some nice sweeping curves and great wide open views.

The Dambusters attacked tMohne then Eder then Sorpe sequence - my sequence is based on my arrival traveling east to west.

Eder

Just before elevenses I arrive at the Eder, the winding road around the reservoir is an awesome drive in terms of views, but unfortunately limited to 50kph and not so great as a challenging drive.

However the Dam itself - fantastic.

There is a finess/cleanness and lightness (odd adjective for a Dam) to the design.

The tale-tale missing sluices and lighter stone work mid-dam betraying its past - the sluices were not re-installed after the re-build post Dambusters run.

You can imagine the bombing run, first using limited space to line up on the approach over the reservoir.

Then the pull up on the other side to miss the hillside, looks like plenty of space for a smaller plane, a Lancaster still with enough fuel to get home or even with its Upkeep bomb still in place for a go-around is probably a different challenge all together!

These places for some reason send a shiver through me - theres some memory of the history present in the location - the effort of one side to destroy, one side to defend, and the collateral damage. The feelings seem to remain in places even when the people move on.

Decent bit of engineering, and some style too, the structure has a really open/positive feel to it.

Sorpe

Different in design, the Sorpe is an earth bank - so not much to see; I just stopped for a couple of snaps and a breather. I believe this one was not breached, a bomb bouncing over the top - but the sink on the reservoir side and explode mid Dam was just not going to work on the sloped sides.

Mohne

This is the daddy. Compared to the Eder a more brutal design - really heavy imposing towers. The weather closing in a little too and helping the overall feel. Incredible build in the first place, and incredible that anything could damage this structure.

A memorial to the approx 900 civilians that lost their lives in the aftermath.

Notwithstanding the efforts of the allies and impressive achievement of the mission the only guarantee with war is everybody dies.

Early dinner in the restaurant overlooking the reservoir, and then on the move again.

Return to the Netherlands

The road east now a straight run for the hotel. A little traffic around Essen and Duisburg, and then virtually as soon as I cross the border into the Netherlands, more rain.

My patent waterproofing system - plastic bag + clothes peg - re-installed on the sat nav. Works well, the touchscreen even works through the bag.

...and another chance to give the wipers some exercise, at speed its not so bad,

... but the rain got heavier, and as soon as I slowed it covered the inside of the windscreen too!

Arrived at the hotel, opposite the church in Meijel. By the time I had her wrapped up for overnight and checked into the hotel the rain stopped! Its only water though.

Broke the 2016 Duck

Broke the duck and despite the cold, but dry, weather took the Zero out for the first spin of the year.

South through Kent & East Sussex: Towards Hastings, Rye, Romney Marsh, good Pub lunch at the Woolpack Inn  in front of an open fire then a convoluted route home. No sat nav, so mostly just heading sort of south until sea blocked my path then east and choosing any road which looked interesting.

A little bit of pure escapism...
Open road the chance to concentrate on the drive and when in traffic to look at the Kent/Sussex countryside view.

Gave me a chance to test out a Christmas present - some earmuff come headphones.

A pair of Howard Leight Syncs do the job nicely - passive noise protection which massively reduced wind noise and buffeting, a decent sound driven through the Amplirider and not least keeps my ears warm!

Picked up some engine oil on the way back ready for the Annual oil change (When I'm in the mood to crawl around under the car)