Good to hear! Location is fine in UK I was planning to go there. Is it possible to email you? I don't think I have access using the forum profile contact system since I am still a new member. I can give you some details on what I was thinking!

Well let's keep in touch.

Now that all the documentation has arrived, over the next few weeks all the work is being executed on the old car.

I've FINALLY made time to make a start on proper work on this car. I would like to get it up and running for Swedish Day in a few weeks.

We collected the car on a trailer and took it up to my friend's workshop located in the middle of nowhere down here in Devon.

Up on the ramp, we had a good look around, poking here and there finding nothing more than the hole under the driver's seat that I already knew about. Apart from the non-working horn, sorting out a couple little electrical issues and other things including rhd headlights, the main job in hand was dealing with brakes. So we went about getting the wheels off to find, with no surprise the calipers seized and perished rubber. As well, the servo is hissing and I'm going to change all the brake lines. Brake back plates too need to be replaced.

Sadly though, we came across what is probably the reason the car was laid up all those years ago and it's a very weird one seeing as the rest of the car is pretty solid: the subframe is completely rusted around the spring housing. Like, completely rusted.

Seeing as you're not allowed to weld suspension components - I'm sure you could get away with it is it wasn't so bad - the only option is to remove the whole lot and replace it!

I doubt at this stage I'll be taking this one to Swedish Day!

Anyway, I got straight on the phone to our man Triple-S who reckons he's got one down the road near Chichester...

Hi S & G, was good to meet you at Bruntingthorpe. What a great weekend. Hope you are still looking after that Fordson Major!

A small update here: having reached stalemate on discovering the condemned front subframe, I got in touch with a guy local to me who has a 144 that has been off the road for many years.

Its the same year as mine and I'm having the whole car. It seems very excessive seeing as I only need the front subframe, but there are other bits and bobs that I will salvage including the boot lid struts and speedo in MPH.

Once the restoration of my 142 is complete, I will then strip down the 144 and sell off the parts to contribute towards what I'm paying for the thing. It's not even covered 90,000 miles!!

Good news on finding the subframe attached to a complete spares car! :thumbs_up:

Will you be converting it to RHD as well seeing as you now have the bits to do that? :thinking:

Guess what? It is already RHD!

'Twas the foreign number plates confused me! :err:

I know one photo shows the interior but i'd somehow got it in my head it was taken in mirror-image! :rolleyes:

142 Rules! :-)