h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

But please, never in a clay pot. Did that once, almost had to replace the reverberator.

This place has an echo echo?

Clearly your reverberator's working fine.

Reminds me of an old job, when one of the engineers accidentally broke wind in the echo chamber. He never heard the end of it.

At least he got his own back.

Well, the reverb is nicely warmed up and the chrome piston gear shift knob is firmly attached now, but I still worry about the overdrive activation switch. What to do?

you have the chrome shift? Very nice, although look after it as general info is that they can stick a bit due to not meeting the exact specifications after chroming.

As for the overdrive, whack it into full, switch on and retire to a safe distance. Local pub is best. If you haven't seen a cloud of smoke debris after your third pint it's ok to go back in.

Best of luck

I blame you, you know. Maybe the didn't have the correct ABV?

ah.

Now, the question is, did it go 'graunch, graunch, graunch, spoing' or 'shrggggg, shrgggg, grcchhhh, shrggggg, shhhhrggggg, grnchhhh, grchg' before the smoke?

Most assuredly it went 'shrggggg, shrgggg, grcchhhh, shrggggg, shhhhrggggg, grnchhhh, grchg' - but then it is an Italian model with an inbuilt Mediterranean shrug-ometer.

Ah, that's not good news then.
That's a classic sign of the idler cog engaging in overdrive with blocked oil ways leading to seized gudgeon pins and split oil rings.
Good job it stopped, could have just seized solid and thrown the medium middle cogs through the front door.

I wouldn't worry about the Mediterranean shrug-ometer, they don't tell you anything you don't already know and tend to be an overhead on the power output. Although anecdote would have it that they do help the worker cogs to last a bit longer and experience less wear.

Time for a strip down and rebuild methinks. Maybe add in a decimal thrust bearing and high grade shoulder shim whilst you're at it?

The French-made shrug-o-meters are better.

Obviously this is where I am going wrong, as I see your advice for a decimal thrust bearing, I think the original is Imperial.

French? Well, ok. I have a German one that runs just perfect. I assume it's German, at least - a little more polished than most and it says"Achselzucken-meter" on the back...

The German pattern is pretty damn good. Be warned, though - don't even consider the 1884 model if you're ever likely to want to use the Icelandic lap-screw (the best, in my opinion).

I don't have overdrive on mine - and I wouldn't consider it, it only causes the gears to over-heat. The French shrug0meter is a different matter though, without it you really have to bother, with it you don't.

Now, if you want to actually remove an overdrive, which of the models of hexagonal spin nuts would you recommend to close the harch foil with afterwards? Counterclockwise ones?

Hatch, not harch of course. Any child will know you never close the harch foil

I am so glad you corrected that typo, I was in the midst of chucking out my 1970's overdrive installation manual as being seriously remiss in not including 'harch foil'. Mind you, it is a bit tatty these days, the back cover is missing and I'm a bit worried about the the last words are missing too.

The last things it says is -

" It is most important, to allow the overdrive unit to bed in properly, that....."

You had me worried there.

I'd go with the Welsh ones, I know a lot of people don't like the brass locks on them, but they're the only ones for me.

Welsh ones? Really

I'm not sure I could steer my Steampunk-At-AT properly without the German ones