The Blog

The last couple of months have disappeared faster than my old-fashioned cocktails. I’ll tell you what lads, it’s great to have a few fellas around to do all the work. Leaves me plenty of time to work on the important things… like my tan, and what car I’d like next.

I joke, I joke. Sure nothing would get done if I wasn’t here. Couldn’t leave the lads in the garage for a second. They’d be off making tea at 11 am and then heading off for lunch at 1 pm. They’re lucky I’m here to act as sheriff. Actually, you’re right, police jokes aren’t funny. I’ll give it arrest.

Anyways, thanks for coming, I suppose I better tell everyone what we’ve been up to! You’d nearly think we’ve gone off the radar because of the tax man or something. Ha. Ha. *cough

No, no. Everyone knows that we’re pretty much in exam season, so what better time was there to do some… tests! I know right? We were testing out new colours and designs for a few cars, but I promise I’ll give more on that later. Trust me, sure I never lie.

In the garage, things are looking well and the work is tipping 90. At times, it might have even tipped 92. We’ve got a red MGB Roadster shell awaiting some paint, thinking metallic red with a biscuit interior or metallic grey with a wine interior.

Plenty of minis just awaiting paint as well, as well as our own de-seamed mini. It’s going to have a sunroof, and custom rear lights… we like subtle changes in design. Since you last visited a couple of MG’s have passed through, and even a convertible Mini. Busy times! As Spiderman’s Uncle Ben once said, “With bigger garage, comes great responsibility”.

Le Facebook page has been updated, and I remembered the password for el Instagram so I threw up a picture or two. I won’t tell you how many, I’d only ruin the surprise.

I was asked what the busiest month of the year will be… I said, “It’s gonna be May”. It’s like how boybands sing the word me. So that’s why it’s funny. Gettit? Gawd lads, if I have to explain all of my jokes.

Oh! Did I even tell ye about the new garage?! So we’ve now got dedicated areas for stripping out cars, bodywork, mechanical work, a new HUGE spray booth, polishing and an area for rebuilding. The lads keep asking for a place to eat their lunch. They’re gas!

I’m keeping this short and sweet like a donkey’s gallop as we’re our traditional flat out here. But photos will keep going up as usual. Mind yourself there now, big few weeks ahead.

I was there struggling with the seatbelt this morning when suddenly it clicked – The blog, I nearly forgot about the blog! Nearly never milked a cow though, so here I am like a discounted escort – here to give you more bang for your buck.

What have we been up to since Christmas I’ve heard you say? Well kids, not much. The turkey took it out of us. Ah no, to be honest, I just got up there… that’s how flat out we’ve been. A lot of our time has been taken up with trying to take over the world. Wait till you see the new garage, it’s like the old garage but bigger and different. The original plans weren’t good enough so we ended up doing to those what I do on the dancefloor – tearing it up.

Great news! The stretch in the evening is almost back. As is the sun! I’m excited but my tanning salon isn’t.

Like that time I put a rocket on the back of a wheelchair, we’ve been ramping up the amount of work we’re doing amidst all this getting bigger-ness. We’ve got a de-seamed show-stopping Mini in the pipeline, a Volkswagen Beetle Karmann convertible, a Mini convertible, a new MGA… basically, there’s an endless list and with the bigger garage comes more projects.

So to answer your question as to whether we’ve been busy or not… Pfft! Is the Pope-Mobile Catholic? We’ll be delivering more this year than a maternity ward nine months after Valentine’s Day.

It’s almost show season as well so we’ll probably be off to the MG and Triumph show soon enough. I’m a bit rusty but hopefully, we’ll be able to nab a few bargains… “Ssh ssh sshhhh… don’t look down, just take the 20. Say nothing to no one about nothing…”

I actually haven’t had time to update the site with all that we’ve done, and our marketing department are too busy sipping champagne and looking good in suits that they forgot to do it. Typical. I’ll get everything up to date on all the usual spots – le Facebook, el Instagram and this site.

But at least the lads in the garage are doing a bit. But not enough. Those lads think they can stroll in at 10 past 8 in the morning and head away at 9 pm… are they joking like?

Hang on, I see one of them going to make tea. Is this just a job to him?

Listen I better let you go, I must deal with this spoofer. Don’t be surprised if you see an ad on site tomorrow looking for a new mechanic.

Mind yourselves, and enjoy Lent – take two of your new year’s resolutions.

Ahh Christmas! A time for giving and all that jazz so here’s your Christmas Card. Listen, don’t be worrying about the cost of it now alright, I don’t want you to be stressed. I’ve got the presents sorted for the lads in the garage. What did they get? I actually got them a really thoughtful present. A good strong pair of gloves. Orange ones. It’s thoughtful because when they head off for lunch on Christmas Day, they’ll have grand clean hands!

Its fierce damp out there, no drying to be honest. But in other news, it’s almost Christmas, Eve! Said Adam. And everyone knows what that means, the annual fellas on tour buying their presents. Big day coming up. BIG day.

The garage will nice and peaceful for the next few days. Peaceful because there’s a ban on the radio being on... flippin’ Christmas songs like. Phase 2 of the garage expansion is underway but I’m keeping details of that under wraps for another day or two. Just had a quick look outside there… still no sign of snow anyways. I suppose like a useless fisherman, we’re only codding ourselves thinking we’ll get a white Christmas.

Listen, I don’t have too much time now to be writing to you… there’s a dirty box of Quality Street calling my name here, it would be rude to ignore it… and if there’s one thing I’m not, it’s rude. Mind yourselves, have an awful lovely Christmas, eat all of the food and enjoy the celebrations. As you’re eating olive the food, spare a thought for Olive, the other reindeer. Relegated to the reserve reindeer squad. Awful sad.

Lads! How are all of the things? There’s a bit of nippiness in the air alright, safe to say that it’s so cold that you wouldn’t even find a degree out in this weather. Not one degree. There are no degrees out. Long gone are the days of the suntan lotion… This tan?? Oh no no no, I’m actually naturally sallow…

Right, to the job at hand! I’m back to two hands now which is, in a word, handy. It was a footballing injury rather than a car crash as it seemed in the last blog post, thanks for all the Mass cards. What have we been up to? Sometimes I ask myself the same question, but then I realise it’s time for a coffee break. Would you believe it’s December? Tis the time for giving I suppose, so I said I’d give you an update because I’m sound and all that. Before I get stuck in, I must tell you about the trip!

It was NCT time for one of the Minis and you’d think at this stage they’d have some idea about cars in there by now, but alas it was not to be!! I mean complaining that the bonnet doesn’t open from the inside and pulling on the wires under the dash is a joke. Not like my jokes, because my jokes are so cool they make snowmen look like puddles, but a joke all the same! Yera at the end of the day the car is tested but, can someone please teach them about older cars?!

I almost blacked out there trying to be serious, it's not for me lads, not for me.

Anyways, back at the garage, plans are in place for a new office, complete with a boardroom and drawing room. Seriously, all we’re missing now is to have a tv show… or at least a radio show! This face like.

We’ll be wrapping up the last of the cars that are here now and taking in a few more after Christmas. Don’t worry, the lads will get an hour or two off to have their Christmas dinners, I’m not that bad! WAIT!! Wrapping up… I made a joke and didn’t realise. Wrapping up. Christmas. Like wrapping presents… I’m too fast for myself now. Speaking of Christmas and wrapping, I have all the presents sorted. Lyons Garage Hoodies – simples.

Our marketing department (you’re impressed, I can tell), are working on a few more videos to come out over Christmas so keep your eyes like an orange. Peeled. Anyways, a picture is worth 1,000 words, no idea how much 1,000 words is worth though, but sure we’ll go with the flow and I’ll have some up on le Facebook, el Intstagram and a few new pages on the site for new builds. They’re more than decent. They’re right grand.

I must mush now and get back to it, I can neither confirm nor deny that there is a sleigh in the garage… Sure who’d need one of those like?

BREAKING NEWS! Quite literally some breaking news. I broke my humerus bone. The wall came out of nowhere and long story short there are 2 metal plates and 14 screws. All are obviously well rust treated, but as the old master would say “To work on car, you must become car”. I might have taken it too literally.

We said adios to the Renault and the white MG B Roadster at the weekend. Awful sad lads, awful sad. What’s worse is that we’ll be saying goodbye to the 1981 Mini (in blue) soon enough as well. They grow up so fast. BUT! That means more projects and an excuse to order more parts. One word – bubble wrap. Yes, two words, but I’ve one hand so give me a break like.

With the career-threatening injury (I’m not one for exaggerating…) the floodgates opened and many an episode of Overhaulin’ and Fast N Loud was watched. As a great man once said – “Great to see”. So, after being in no way influenced… We have a loverly Mini Shell and a loverly MG B Roadster shell that I’ve sketched up a few ideas for. The Mini will probably come first but there are subtle modifications being made like countersunk petrol caps, and custom rear lights….Look I’ve said too much. But you can have a look at one of the sketches below, luckily it was my bad hand that got injured so it didn’t affect my drawing skills.

We took a trip to Laois at the weekend, and just for something different we went to a car show. Lads. An indoor car show in Ireland – Genius. Seriously though, there needs to be more of these as all the big expensive cars come out to play. There was a McLaren. ‘Nuff said.

Actually, did you see the cinematic reveal for the 81 Mini? If not why not? It took months! You can have a shnakey look at it here on the YouTubes.

I think I just spotted one of the lads trying to head for an early lunch. Is he joking? This isn’t a holiday resort at all. The only time they’re allowed near the swimming pool is when they have to clean it for me. Lads listen I’ll have to sort this divil out, go on and mind yourselves, there are walls out there that jump out of nowhere.

On a more serious note, if you’re interested in a Mini or MG that’s a little bit different get in touch, we’re on the phone or on the line anytime. (That was tough, I’m not suited to this being serious craic!)

Great talk. David over and out.

Jaysus lads you wouldn’t notice the time going by at all. Now it might have had something to do with the battery in the workshop clock being dead, but I like to think it’s because of all the hard work we’re doing… and not so much because of the fumes.

So in the garage and behind all the fumes… actually that nearly sounds like a great title for my next book – Lyons Garage Restoration: Behind The Fumes. Anyways, sorry, I’m easily distracted… We’ve been our traditional flat out here in the garage, borderline horizontal but not.

Oh wait! I just remembered what I wanted to tell ye about. Beaulieu! Pronounced like that children’s TV show about the snowman that used to be on Network 2, Bouli (Boo lee) or Bay loo depending on your level of pretend poshness.

Home to the National Car Museum, Beaulieu is also home to the International Autojumble with over 2000 stands and a reputation that says if you can’t find it there, it probably doesn’t exist. Like a flock of flies to a light bulb, you’ll find many the budding wheeler dealer complete with hats and catchphrases like “honestly, it’s my last 20” and the old-time favourite, “you’ll take fifty… you will… ssh... don’t look down, just take it”. But there are plenty of cars on display for people to drool over and a classic car auction. I suppose if you pushed me to sum it up in a few words, knowing my usual level of detail in how I describe things, I’d probably say it was grand. Nay! Right grand.

The Renault is now sitting beautifully in a light blue paint… or low-fat milk blue as I see it, constantly reminding me about that diet. But it's okay, the sight of a few finished minis keeps me sane… ish.

There are a couple of new projects on the way, from Minis to more exotic machines. Anyways this is only a short update as you really should be doing work. What about me? I’m grand! Sure I have slaves “employees” for that. Speaking of employees, I’m actually dying for a cup of tea…. “Lads, c’mere for a sec”…

I’ll let ye go, god bless the hard work. Work hard, don’t hardly work. Goodnight, goodbye good luck!