Endeavour Overcomes Adversity.

This a tale of endeavour overcomeing adversity.

The Plot.

Its the summer of 1985 and we are about too set off

on our first foreign holiday with the caravan.Were

going for the full monty and travelling down too the med

for three weeks on a five star site all booked through

the CC foreign touring service.There are two families

each with two adults and three children and all the

gear needed for three weeks on site.I,m driveing a 1976

volvo 244 saloon towing a sprite and brian a 1975 volvo

245 estate towing a lunar.

The Journey.

We,ve decided too set off a couple of days early too

make the most of the holiday and perhaps visit Canterbury

enroute.Dover is 265 miles and were useing M6,M1 and

M25.Late afternoon see,s us through the Dartford

tunnel and onto the A2 and thinking about stopping

for the night.

The Troubles.

As we head up the A2 Brian suddenly pulls into a layby

and stops.I pull in behind him and he tells me he,s lost

all power from the engine.We go under the bonnet and

find that the cambelt has snapped.Now neither of us has

breakdown cover and in those days red pennant only

covered you once you were across the channel.We have

little choice but too bed down in the layby for the night.

Anybody who has had a 2 series volvo will know that it

has what is called a "safe motor" which is one that if the

cam belt breaks there is no damage too the valves or

the pistons so the following day we shoot of too the

nearest motor factors and get a new belt take it back

and fit it.Hey presto were mobile again and off we go.

Weve only gone about five miles when bang the belt snaps

again !!.The A2 has now become the M2 and were on the

hard shoulder stranded.We decide i will drive too the

next junction and find a site too reassess our position.

I find a site,book in an drop my van and then head back

too the motorway where i tie a towrope too the estate,still

with the van attached and tow the lot the short distance

too the next exit (strong these volvo,s) we then split

them and get too the site.A closer inspection of the estate

tells us the cam shaft has siezed so we remove it too

find the front bearing has been starved of oil (blocked journal)

and the bearing has overheated damageing the bearing

surface.Were we downhearted ? you bet.Were we beaten ?

no way.There was a holiday at stake and we were young

and not easily phased so another trip too a motor factors

got us another cam belt and some grinding paste.We apply

the paste too the bearing surface refit the camshaft and

with a ratchet and socket start too turn the camshaft round.

For the next four hours we repeat this process about

twenty times until we are satisfied that the bearing and

camshaft are back in harmony.

The Outcome.

The following day we set off for Dover with fingers crossed

and make the port for an early afternoon ferry knowing

that once across the channel we will have red pennant to

fall back on.We had ploughed on where many would have

thrown in the towel.

The Reward.

We were rewarded with four weeks of sunshine and one of

the best holidays we,ve ever had.With visits too both Monti

carlo and St Tropes.On returning home we have covered

approx 2400 miles and the estate is still going strong.I return

too work tanned and with a great sense of satisfaction.

.

ps,

The volvo estate went on too cover a futher 12,000 trouble

free miles before the engine was swopped.