Pulled the bottom end off, found that some muppet (me) had put the #2 big end cap on the wrong way around.
Spent about 4 hours with a tiny file and stone cleaning her up.
Put it back together, coolant flange on the front of the head develops a leak, turns out to have a hair line crack in it. PHUQING cars.
Get it sorted (posh metal glue)
Drive to the shops, leave lights on, smile at nice lady who gives me a jump start, drive to petrol station, bastard starts, alternator not charging, turn her off, check connections, ok, start again, but it won't, have to push start accross Sainsburys petrol forecourt on my own (hairy) some old guy honks at me and tells me to get out of the way, I suggest in the polite calm mood that I am now in that he complys with a famous Anglo Saxon saying involving sex and travel.
Get it running, decide that I will go to Cornwall (after all the boot is fully loaded), new piston rings, so nice and gently up to the rev limiter in first second and third getting on to the motorway. Alternator stops charging at Bristol when I re-fuel, get another Jump start. Bloke says 'how good it is to see these old cars still running'... if only he knew!!!
Half way down the A30, running on side lights, no heater or radio the alternator packs up, not enough power to power the gauges (first thought, 'it must be bloody cold, temp gauge is dropping, woah it's using loadsa fuel) followed by missing (electric fuel pump). It is now dark, a lorry indicates to pull out of a lay-by, I flash him out (forggeting the lack of power) the bastard shuts down, immobliser cuts in, alarm goes off and I gently roll past said lorry with no lights, hazards flashing and siren slowly dieing.
Then a loud bang, she fires back into life with a whooping 10volts on the display, and I drove all the way there on sidelights only and no other problems.
My mate down there very kindly lent me the alternator from a loan car, fitted it and hey presto, 14 volts, test drive seemed a little limited, by the rev limiter, so we removed it, now does a true 60 in second and has given it another 8 mph on the top end. Un-kind I know, but I was beyond caring by then.
Journey home was great. (nothing stoped working/fell off)
Gotta love the MK1