I’ll let you pick your own.

However, seeing that we will have set off two weeks from today, and that I fixed the wipers and tested them at the weekend, why did they have to stop working? It seems that the whole right hand electrical stalk has packed up, as the windscreen washer failed to work as well. Time for some WD40 and some hope….

However, the original battery is back in, and charged, and that has made the indicators behave themselves again…. Oh wait, I fix one thing, and something else breaks. I have created the cab of sentient equilibrium! Not only is it a new life source, but a perfectly balanced being, in a state of automotive zen! Take that Dr. Frankenstein! I see your monster and raise you a black cab with a mind of its own….

Looks like my brain was playing tricks with me again, and I have significantly overestimated the distance between Calais & Le Mans. I’m sure it took us all day last time, but then we were messing about in convoy on the back roads, having tremendous fun overtaking things in fast cars. This time it will be different, as ViaMichelin inform me that it is a mere 424KM from Calais to Le Mans, not the 600-odd miles that I had conjoured at random from my brain. Hey, that’s only a minimum of 6 hours in the cab! Result!

According to the same site, it’s 444KM from York to Dover, so that stage of the journey will take longer than the section in France. I’m still estimating a total travelling time of 24 hours though, its just this way we have more time for breakdowns…

Right, I’m off to pick up the Cab for a week of road testing….

…but not for the Taxi this time. As I sit here gazing at the grey overcast sky which is preventing me from having a go at fixing things on DYK, I ponder how much easier it would be if I had some extra money to plough into the project. Perhaps if someone were to buy my car then this captial might become readily available. [Cue mystical hand gestures & mutterings of buy it, you know you want to].

On the DYK front however, weather permitting, I’m putting together a Programme of Works for the weekend, which will incorporate a substantial run out with the cab fully laden, to see how it copes. A 150 mile round trip in the afternoon should be enough to give us an idea of what to expect, or leave us broken down by the roadside (or both).

I hadn’t really given it any meaningful thought until last night, when I was discussing how long it’s going to take us to get from York to Le Mans.  The answer (assuming an average speed of 50mph, which is optimistic) is approximately 24 hours, which I couldn’t help but think seems rather apt.

As it’s hard to get much meaningful done when you only have a couple of hours in York, Phil and myself have removed a few items from the taxi for a bit of TLC while at home.

Phil has the “For Hire” sign to repair and fix-up, while I have the roof mounted Taxi sign to have a poke at.

I’m thinking it should really say “On Fire” judging by the mess of burnt offerings that are currently inside it, hopefully in a couple of weeks time when I next see Dyk I’ll have something better to show.

Today my lunchtime bread buns have offered me a free football supporters pack taxi decoration pack, for £2.99 it offers me the following delights.

1. Face paints
2. Penalty Tom’s driving blindfolds
3. Roll-up megaphone
4. An inflatable hand
5. Thundersticks (how can they not be awesome)
6. A giant banner giant “please rescue us” sign
7. Bunting
8. Whistles
9. A chanting remote control
10. Napkins
11. Mini-flags

Needless to say, the cheque is already in the post for this pack of tat-tastic taxi bling.

Most of the cabs in Edinburgh are LTI TXI/II’s with a few Metrocabs, there don’t seem to be any Fairways like DYK (the differences are quite obvious when you get your eye in).  However, in London there are a plentiful supply of the older Fairways and metal rot round the TAXI sign seems to be fairly common - I know because I’ve been looking for it.

For the record, the graphic at the top of this page is based on a TXI which has a much rounder shoulderd roof and the sign is, again, more curvy than the Fairway. 

My god, I’m obsessed - I need a 12 step program to fight my addiction.

This is a bit rich, considering I probably won’t be doing much, or possibly even any of it, but here is a list of the things that I remember definitely need to be done before we set off.

1) Replace that terrible 3″ bit of hose that Ian pointed out was absolutely shafted.

2) Tighter the alternator belt.

3) Make it so the doors open from the inside.

4) Fix the taxi sign, and, if possible, pimp it.

Also, Matt’s bodywork repairs will make us look super-smart. I think we should also put our own choice of pictures in the back seat advertising spaces. I vote for a picture of Mary Poppins on one side, and Bert on the other. It’s a jolly holiday with Mary. No wonder that it’s Mary that we love.

As the current theme is to list jobs people are doing. I thought I would throw my hat in to ring.

Once a certain person has returned Dyk (Nice try Tom but your Audi looks nothing the Cab). I will continue with the rust removal and respray Dyk with a lovely coat of Hamerite. I tell you it will start a trend. All those Barrys will be wanting to respray their Novas with Hamerite!

Tom seems to have the mechanics well in hand and the number of free weekends I have before the main event is now only two (neither of which are guarenteed to be free for chief mechanic Tom or anyone else)

Therefore i’m only going to give myself a couple of targets for next time.

1. Make sure the radio, speakers, mp3 player, tape adapter, cigarette adapters, laptop and GPS all work with each other.

2. Repair the “Taxi” light on top of the cab, and see how easy it will be to replace the damaged sign.

Just noticed a decent “reflectoporn” style photo we picked up in Dyks wing too

 Detail :-