Classic car mechanic – A quick reflection

‘In the corner of the workshop, Olli Ragbin sits watching events unfold before him’

This week, Eric has been taking workshop photography to new levels and has been having a go at time lapse footage. I haven’t quite worked out how to upload it here, but I have taken a couple of screen shots. This is the busiest...!

Look how packed the place is at night…!

I’ve been thinking about what a very busy year for CCM it’s been.

Eric and I were chatting earlier as I was trying to work my logistics to get the old 911 over this week (got a gearbox issue which needs some specialist attention) and at the same time take the new Aprilia back with me. The bike has had a service, an MOT and Shrimp Eye Justin has sorted out a fork leak with some new seals. This week the weather looks settled, so it’ll be great to have the bike back out. The seasons are turning and there will be fewer opportunities to do so in the coming months, so I’m going to enjoy 2 wheels whilst I can.

‘We’ve got 20 cars in at the moment and I’m recruiting another tech’ sayeth Eric.

It’s hard to believe that the gates of CCM only opened in January this year. We’ve had to cope with lockdown, new premises as well as establishing a brand new business (or rather, taking a one-man expertise show to the next level). It’s been a helluva journey so far and there have been some really special customer cars in our care.

Bristols, Jensens, more MGs than you can shake several sticks at, many many Range Rovers (new and old), camper vans, minis, Morris Minors of many a hue, Porsches, Rileys, a Trabant, motorcycles (GSXRs of many capacities, Gas Gas’, and of course the Priller), we’ve serviced and fixed our off-springs cars, Izzi has sorted her own to be fair, and my eldest probably owes Shrimp Eye Justin a fizzy lemonade or 2 for all the work on the Fiesta, young Chris has welded anything that moved (and if it didn’t move, he welded it till it did), I shudder to think about the amount of parts that Siobhan has ordered (probably not as many parts as there have been motorcycles that Doctor Ray has bought mind), life has been breathed into old family friends and the joy of motoring has been extended on many many occasions.

Whilst we look on the lighter side of life most weeks in our little blog, it is nice to reflect on the journey, with a small smile. We’ve come a long way and have without exception; all loved the journey so far.

So I’ll leave this week with the only proper photo salvaged from the Mon-Fri timeline. Again, my knowledge comes up short and google was deployed to find an answer. Apparently a 1991 MG according to the MOT records.

So from Siobhan, Dr Ray, Shrimp-eye Justin, Young Chris, Izzi, Ingrid, Alfie and Eric, see you next week when our blog will revert to the normal format, will craft unlikely scenarios from the most tenuous of photographic observations, will probably blame someone for something, will most definitely be apologising (probably me) to someone (normally Ingrid) for having got someone else (normally Eric) into trouble by goading them into buying something completely unnecessary (almost always mechanical).

And as another Monday rolls round, we wish you all a very happy week and hope to see you and your pride and joy soon.

Olli

ps Eric…. I’ve seen this Bentley on ‘Collecting Cars’…….

pps...maybe I can upload a video.... let's see if this works....