I’m an engineer at heart so I relax by building or restoring things. ARK Automotive is something I created to share my experiences.
Great British Sportscars is one of the last remaining independent British car makers. It primarily makes kit for self assembly but it also does factory builds like Westfield and Caterham who share the same basic Colin Chapman design – the Lotus 7. Learn More
Triumph Stag Restoration Blog
Having owned a Herald, 2000 Saloon and a Spitfire in the past, a nostalgic side in me longed for another Triumph. The sound of the burbling V8 did the rest. Learn More
Virtual Pinball Blog
I love pinball and have done way before video games and consoles. To buy a decent re-furbished pinball table isn’t cheap – you’re talk upward of £7k, and for one of the newer tables, 3 times that.
My aim here is to see what I can accomplish using open source software and the hardware I have either surplus to current requirements, cadged from friends or bought cheaply with Gumtree or EBay. My target is a Virtual Pinball Table with roughly the same scale and involvement as the tradition tables of my youth but at a fraction of the price of an original or re-furbished table. Learn More
Suffolk Super Colt Restoration
Here is something a little different. I came across an old mower on fleebay for a few quid quite local and on a whim stopped by on the way home and bought it. Every year and every mown stripe is quite visible on it, and I don’t think the engine has any compression, but that’s all part of the fun isn’t it. Learn More
Jaguar XJ-S HE 5.3L V12 Coupe Restoration
In the midst of a fuel crisis with petrol at £10 a gallon, how about a 5.3L V12 with a prestigous thirst? But the way I see it, with electric cars taking an ever greater market share, when will I ever have the chance to drive a big V12. This one is a 1986 HE coupe. It starts and stops, but the exterior and interior need a lot of work before the car can take to the road again. Learn More
Philaterly
An odd mix with the other topics on this website, but something I have been doing since I was a small boy. Latterly I have been buying stamp album lots from local auctions. Harvesting the stamps from them and then incorporating them into my collection. Learn More.
Range Rover (L322) Vogue – 3.6L TDV8
This vehicle is slightly different to the others in that it’s my daily driver as well. I no longer need a highly efficient motorway machine for business miles and commuting, So without these constraints – what would I like to drive? Well let’s start with a Range Rover Vogue (L322). I’ve always wanted one and much prefer the L322 styling above the “brand” styling of the L405. I’m sure it will be troublesome so here is the story.
Need Help?…
I’m not a professional mechanic – I’m simply a well meaning amateur who cares and enjoys what I do. If I can help you with something I will contact me.