Inter Mission

It can be quite an emotional punch when you’re let down by someone; looking up and seeing the Wind fall out of the Sails as the Boat starts to slow to that inevitable halt. But, sometimes, in that moment, you catch a whiff of a Breeze that, if you’re quick enough, you can take advantage of and Tack or Gybe into.

For varied and personal reasons, Danny who was charged with doing all the Body Work had not even been able to start the endeavour. That has meant the Beast sitting still for the better part of Six Months, my understanding and sympathy being tested but never exhausted until I realised that perhaps it wasn’t going to happen at all. That happened last week.

Therefore in the spirit of that fresh Breeze I decided it best to look for another avenue, and successfully.

Thanks to a recommendation from a friend [who has a Morris Minor with them currently] the Beast is headed West to Somerset to the rather perfectly named Hellbent Custom & Classic..

Reunited

Looking back to that February Weekend, I can now say that I was pretty stressed about the situation. The Beast had been sat out in the Salty Sea Air on the South Coast waiting for a restoration rescue that never came, and I felt I was to blame for that. To blame because I had trusted perhaps too eagerly the empty promise from the Body Shop that it was [always] “next on the Ramp”. As it turned out, I wasn’t able to collect the 4Runner from said Body Shop because of a timely Train Strike, so my Mechanic mate Andy stepped up.

When I arrived in Brighton the following morning, my reunion with the Beast was a pretty emotional one. I was so relieved to see it; so relieved to see that it hadn’t deteriorated beyond a salvageable state [although I may yet be proved wrong on that..!]; so relieved that I had taken control of the situation as it were.

Bearing in mind that I had not seen the 4Runner for going on Five Months, I did wonder how it had faired in the Yard of the Body Shop, and when I climbed up into the Cab, I was a little disheartened. Mould had taken up residence on the Seatbelts and other contact points, it made me a little be angry. I had to look past this though, knowing that this chapter had ended, and a new one had begun that would see the 4Runner looking better than it had ever done in my ownership.

Transported back to Eastbourne [no MOT], I gave the 4Runner the once over, charging up the Battery, and passing a Cleaning Cloth over the soiled Cabin. I prepared the Beast for its Somersetonian Sojourn filling up the Boot with the Bounty I had accumulated the past few months.

Springs, Torsion Bars, Uppers, Lowers, Disks, Drums; the List goes on. Once the Body Work and Chassis refurbishment has been done, the new parts will ensure that the 4Runner drives and stops as good as it looks.

I have a Spreadsheet on the go, so will in the true spirit of this Blog reveal the full Cost of the Work once it is all done. But there is plenty for me to be getting on with in the meantime, with Porsche Seats needing restoration, and a few Cockpit items to source.

The Beast arrived safely in Somerset yesterday [at time of typing], Kye sending me a photo of it safe and sound behind Locked Gates. All that remains now is an assessment, an agreement, and a bit of a wait. I’ll post Photos here and on my Instagram as the Work progresses.

One thing to mention as this Post draws to an end is, and this has been asked of me a few times [especially recently], why I care so much for the 4Runner. I have owned some lovely Motors, and ones that have greater and wider appeal, and more worth. The answer is the same each time – I honestly do not know why, but I love the Beast. It is simple motoring, it is slow motoring, and it is definitely un-glamourous motoring, but I find it very enjoyable motoring; perhaps that’s just it.

Hasta Luego, Amigos..