After five years of sitting, I’ve decided it’s finally time to get my 1974 Triumph TR6 running and back on the road. In 2016 (I think), I had it running after repairing a damaged head gasket. That fix only lasted a handful of miles. I did a compression test at the time, and determined another failed head gasket is likely the problem. I think they keep blowing because the engine overheats. The radiator is full and the water pump is good, so I think the ignition timing is the culprit. To cover all the bases, I have a 160° thermostat to put in to keep things cooler.
It took so long because I haven’t had the right combination of money and time until now. About a year ago, with pandemic benefits coming in, I bought almost everything I needed to get the car going. I couldn’t get rocker shaft studs though, so the project was put on hold again. I rounded up the remaining parts today and ordered them. Hopefully they’ll be in by next week. In the meantime, I need to get the alternator rebuilt, which a local company can probably handle. I’ll be dropping it off tomorrow.
Once the parts are in, the whole thing should probably only take a few hours, potentially spread over two or three days. I have a vacuum gauge to accurately set the ignition timing now, so hopefully I can avoid overheating this time.
As promised, I have an update on the aeroponic garden. It took a little longer than I was expecting, but I suppose plants are kind of slow and I’m a bit of a procrastinator. Here’s the new set up in the basement:
I’ve got a shelf that should be able to hold up to six bins total, plus another identical shelf in pieces behind this one. I have unfortunately few plants in the garden currently, thanks to the cats and my own horticultural inexperience. The cats managed to murder a few of the plants I was getting started in the egg carton and glass cups, and the egg carton started decomposing and growing mold. So, note to self, don’t use egg cartons for this thing again. Additionally, I was worried about over-watering the plants, so I accidentally under-watered them causing them to sprout very slowly. I have a second bin that I plan to fill with dirt to start more seeds and grow underground things like carrots, it’s just full of stuff right now. I’ll probably just buy another bin.
The lights are regular LED shop lights, recommended by someone on YouTube. They’re nice and cheap and very bright. The plants seem to be enjoying them so far.
The rosemary and peas up front seemed to stall out in the last week or two, but I’m noticing some more growth on both of them today. They both had brushes with the cats early on. The garlic continues to grow like gangbusters and the other peas are going nicely. I think I need to get something better for them to climb though. I reduced the amount of nutrients in the water this week and I think it’s been helpful.
Roots are looking great!
The reason for the delay in getting this garden in the basement is that there was only one inconveniently placed outlet available, and it’s already fully utilized. I added a new 20 amp circuit and six outlets (12 plugs total) myself. It took me some time to research how to add a new circuit and then wire up the outlets. It was pretty easy, and whether this garden is permanent or not, we needed additional power in the basement.
Some of the outlets I added. The timer controls the lights, and the thick wire goes to a power strip with another timer for the pump.
I’ve also started adding some overhead lighting, which needs its own circuit. I’ve decided to take a break from that for a week or two, and I’ll probably finish it soon. The lights I bought should be able to screw directly to an electrical box, but I couldn’t find the right type, so I’m doing the ye olde string and nails thing. Someone else can fix it in the future.
I’ll continue to update on this project as needed. I hope to start seeing some fruiting in the next month or so, and I’ll be getting more seeds started in the next week or so.
