Not a term I often use but there was an urgent need to have a look at my customer's Beaufighter, he'd noticed an issue with the rear suspension whilst he was out putting some miles on it before a an upcoming much longer journey, something I'd advise everyone to do. When I'd jacked it up it was easy to see the problem, the cast aluminium centre link of the Watt's linkage had cracked and come apart, we think caused by a combination of a 40 year old casting, new and quite likely stiffer bushings, the stress involved in replacing them and, finally, the state of the roads. Fortunately the owner also has a Brigand, he said I could go get it, whip the linkage off and put on the Beaufighter. With Bristol not being a company known for changing something that works it was relatively straightforward. There will be some work to do on the Brigand when the parts are swapped back, and that will be when we have manufactured new links as, apparently, they are made of unobtainium
I don't feel I can leave this without referring back to the state of the roads. For local readers, there's a pothole at the junction of Hampson Lane and Stoney Lane caused by the proliferation of quarry trucks that use it, about the depth of an Action Man in the sitting position. Watch out. And on the subject of quarry trucks using that road, I have only driven this car twice, the last time I was clipped by one that was driving up Scriffen Lane (grass down the middle) that I was only on because another had fallen off Bay Horse Road, closing it, and today, on the test drive, I had to take serious evasive action to avoid another that was just too big and unlikely to even slow down. @^(*@^&.
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