The alternator has landed

Yes, I finally got my hands on it this morning and rushed it round to A2B - and it fits. Huge sigh of relief. So hopefuly they can nail it into place this afternoon and tomorrow I can take it to Rob at Bin Sulayem Garage for testing, and then to the TRA for registration. The door is re-painted, the few odd jobs they had to do are done and who knows, we might even have the chance to take it for The Final Shakedown before the DC.

Tyres for the trailer have had to be sourced from UK, because none that are here have the right load rating. And the supplier in UK couldn't ship outside the EU. So I ordered them for delivery to my Dad in Kingsbridge, who then had to individually wrap them (why?) before TNT would pick them up on Friday. As long as they arrive sometime this week that'll do, because I don't need the trailer till this Friday.

Lots of information has now been posted on the ADDC website, including the start list where I am seeded at 214, ahead of Fadi Melki (who beat me last year) and behind Dave Mabbs (who I beat last year) - go figure. But who cares, once we get going the numbers are academic. It looks a strong field - maybe another top 10 finish isn't on the cards.

I've reached the point where excitement and panic are pretty equally balanced. Last year's cooling problems and this year's disaster at Hail are still too fresh in my mind. I just want to get Day 1 out of the way without any dramas, then I can settle down.

See ya later, alternator

There's not much that attaches to the serpentine belt that hasn't been changed since the Beast came into my posession. The AC compressor has been binned and replaced with a spring-loaded jockey wheel. The water pump has been replaced with one that doesn't have a viscous fan. The P/S pump just got changed as well. And now it's the turn of the alternator. (I'll say that again for those of you who didn't get it first time - the TURN of the alternator. It rotates, you see - please try to keep up.)

The nice man at Bosch told me the voltage regulator had ceased to regulate and the bearings were noisy, and maybe he could fix it. Yeah, right. Unfortunately, the required parts for this Delphi alternator are 'not coming in Dubai' to quote my friend the Grumpy Goat. So after fruitless waiting for Mr Bosch to fix it, and equally fruitless searching for parts in the darkest recesses of Dubai and Sharjah, I decided to hit the internet - because you can find anything on Ebay.

Bingo! Mr Kovaleski in Connecticut had the exact alternator in its original GM package for a starting bid of $100, and when the hammer came down no-one else wanted it. So Mr TNT wil be picking it up shortly, hurrah.

Other bijou problemettes have been addressed by A2B, the fans re-wired, the hub re-sealed and the door taken off for beating and painting. So sometime soon we should be able to get it re-registered.

The clock continues to tick.