Blimey Iain..... thank you so much, it means a lot
It's taken me a while to put down my thoughts about the weekend because i'm still in shock how good it was!
Like most of you I've been to many shows but nothing compares to this.... not by far.
I've had my little beat up Super for 26 years now and it was 52 years young on the 27th of April. When Blyton park was mentioned i really did fancy it but the car didn't even have an engine and was carrying a little excess weight due to layers of fibre glass and bright blue filler in the rear quarter and boot area..... it was a dream.
Then one day i said "sod it, lets go for it" and booked a place..... i got the last place, number 50! But that was the easy part.... i started to take the car apart and realised it was a total rebuild of the subframes, brakes and lines, suspension, steering and all the underneath and engine bay and not forgetting the engine and gearbox!
I sorted out my different engine components and we took them to Paul Inch in Plymouth who worked a bit of magic and machined a beautiful 'S' engine for us. The gearbox was a 3 synchro straight cut including a straight cut Salisbury diff and MED straight cut drops. This was all put together by my Father in law Mr John Kirby (thank you).
We got the engine back from Paul and Kirb's started to put it all together while i got on with the body and suspension......
Many phone calls later ordering parts (cheers Rich
) i finally started putting the car back together....... We fitted the engine in a week before the event and had it running on the Wednesday! Mr Bob Bennetts came over and helped with setting up the suspension (another late night) and we finally loaded the car on the trailer on Friday night.
Driving up was so surreal because this was going to be the first time i had driven my mini in 26 years!! We turned up late Saturday night and just crashed out in the van.
As they say the rest is history because you all know how awesome Sunday was...... amazing. Driving around Blyton was a delight and a life's ambition for me.
Sunday night was amazing sitting around with Mark, Pete and a few others obviously talking minis! First time I've ever had chips and chicken in gravy
We done 536 miles... half of them was nerves getting there..... the rest was pure smiling all the way home.
If it wasn't for Mark and Pete arranging this amazing day, my little old Super would still be in the same state it has been for the past quarter century. So i would like to say a huge thank you to Mark and Pete for making Blyton happen, but to you all who was there.... you all made the Blyton MK1 Action day unforgettable, thank you.
Kind regards to you all.
George
