It's been a few months since I've updated this, mostly because there's not been much progress.

On 6th August, the day after finishing the ST170 brake conversion, went to get the tracking done. Got home to find out I'd locked myself out so went to pick up the spare keys from my parents.

On the way, hit a bit of a bump and the wishbone ball joint and hub seperated, the wheel turned 90 degrees at 40mph and ripped the driveshaft out at the tripod joint. The wheel got pushed back into the wing which has been damaged, and the arch liner has also been shoved out of place so need to sort that out.









Was frustratingly only about 200m from my house... but had to wait 45 minutes for the AA to turn up so I could get it home. (I wasn't going to be able to drive for a few months, so didn't see the point in getting it straight to a garage, also I had better things to spend my money on). Had to get a flatbed AA lorry and a patrol van, because, would you believe it, the flat bed doesn't carry any real tools, and we needed a trolley jack to support the front left of the car on as it was being dragged onto the flatbed.









The next day, August 7th, I went into hospital very early (6am) for a planned elbow operation. I dislocated it back in June and ripped the ligament off the bone, so once the swelling in the joint had gone down, I had to have it reattached, and have all the pieces of broken bone in the joint removed. They drilled a hole in the bones and then threaded the ligament through before reinforcing it with surgical thread and muscle fibres.

The ligament in question


Bionic arm


Scar after 4 weeks


Scar after 3 months (still healing)




So without being able to drive, and being effectively one-armed, I've not been able to sort the car. Managed to get some parts over the last few weeks though. I've decided the car is going into a garage to get sorted, because I don't have the time, patience, inclination, or strength in my elbow to do the work myself.

Replacement driveshaft


New front wishbones


Also got a replacement ST170 brake conversion which I'm going to use, replacing the lot should sort it.

- Both front wishbones replacing
- N/S driveshaft replacing
- Both front hubs (and discs/pads) replacing
- Gearbox oil change
- Brake fluid change
- Tracking aligned (with a centred steering wheel)

Once the garage has done the work, they're also going to MOT the car because that runs out next month.

And will get the winter tyres fitted too. So gonna be a lot done, and should have the car back on the road again end of next week.




Finally, been doing a bit of work on the side whilst I was on sick leave, and that paid for this:



I've been waiting for it since Easter basically, agreed to buy it off my friend and was going to have it when he got his new one in early summer but then a week before, I did my elbow in so couldn't ride until now. He kept it for longer and SORN'd his new one in the meantime, but now it's finally mine.
It is sooooooooo quick, and so much fun, but the weather isn't great so have only really been able to take it out on a proper ride twice since I got it. Still using it to get to work though, at least whilst the car is being fixed. Properly loud as well, it's got a carbon fibre race exhaust which is deafening but sounds really good. Getting through the earplugs though haha