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2016

Crank Up at Castle Gardens - April 17th
By Stephen A. Carr

A week before the Crank Up, I gave the Jeep its Spring service, and then drove out to fill the tank ready for the following weekend. When I started up after filling, the engine was a bit rough for 30 seconds, and then ran fine.

The following day, I took it to the farm where I keep the Dodge, to check the Dodge over. When I tried to start up to drive home, the engine wouldn't turn on the starter. I turned it over a few times by hand on the starting handle, and then it fired up, rough again for 30 seconds and then fine. I got home ok, but suspected the head gasket. Pulling the plugs and turning on the handle again blew a little water out of the number four cylinder. Grrrr!

A replacement was rapidly ordered on Monday 11th. It arrived on Tuesday and was fitted that day, having already stripped the engine while waiting for the postman! It was test run on the drive to check for leaks, and on Thursday and Friday had some short test drives, torquing the head down a few more times, until movement stopped. I clocked up 15 miles during the tests, hoping all would be well for the Crank Up.  

 
The Crank Up was the first show of the year, and not in the usual location. Normally we meet on the green next to York Castle. However this year, the site was booked, so the green was unavailable. Within sight of the castle is Tower Gardens, a small park overlooked by the tower. This was our 2016 display location, in amongst the trees. It was a nice sunny day, but with a cool breeze. 
 

My drive started at 08:10, leaving Washington and heading south on the A167 to a layby near Croft Circuit to meet the beginnings of the Northern convoy, Maurice in his RAF Hillman staff car. A little further and we picked up an MB and M38A1 and a bike at Northallerton. While waiting there, there were normal cars passing with snow on their roofs. We drove in our convoy of five, almost all the way, until being separated by traffic lights in York. However, we all found the site and parked up, and my Jeep gave no trouble on the trip, with the radiator level unchanged after arrival.
 
I didn't count the vehicles attending, but there was good support, and the location probably gave us more passing public, as the green by the castle is surrounded on three sides by buildings. There were lots of people passing through the park who stopped to see what was going on, and a number of the Scout and Guide groups left their event to come and see us. The drive home was uneventful, and 'Jessie the Jeep' made the 164 mile round trip in five hours and upon getting home, I checked the radiator level, and it hadn't changed at all.
 
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