Huge Crack

This was about the time when I was at Edge Hill College, my wife had gone and I was trying to shag everything that moved at the college and the car was providing excellent transportation between Ormskirk, my job at UAPT in Skelmersdale and Wigan.

The fact I now had a smooze-mobile made everything so much better for all concerned. The car itself bridged the gap between college and Automotive Products - my first job as a stress engineer.

I went up to Comet discount Electrical warehouse in Wigan and bought a Booster and big speakers for 22 quid or thereabouts, the same crappy cassette player that adorned the Cortina was also installed. These things were loud! - I remember installing the whole thing outside Karen's house in Quantock Close, took the wiring under the carpet like a pro and then cover those expensive (sic) looking speakers on the back shelf with the fur fabric that the wheeler dealer had so obligingly installed.

Karen had become a regular item and we booked into a bed and breakfast down in Llandudno, I recall trying to drive up the great Orme in this beast, the handbrake was shot and the engine/clutch just about managed to get us up there with a lot of wheezing etc. Exciting stuff, and the drive back down was just as much fun - the real brakes weren't exactly stellar...

It was a great car, was reliable and didn't let me down during those first few months at AP. I quite liked the mobile, the stereo was well loud enough and it seemed a good car for me, apart from a little requirement for WD-40 every now and then.

One rainy day, outside of MFI in Liverpool (or was it Comet.....) I looked under the bonnet to spray some of that marvellous duck oil and noticed a huge crack through the bulkhead. The car never felt safe after that, was doomed from that moment...