Omega Owners Forum
Chat Area => General Car Chat => Topic started by: aaronjb on 24 December 2019, 10:09:00
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I'm going to post slowly until I'm up to date here .. I'm copying this content from a thread on another forum, mostly :)
Everything began in .. 2011, maybe? With me sitting in a friend's office and looking at his model Cobra; he said to me "How expensive could it be?" and we downloaded the price list for Dax .. quick calculations later suggested £25k and I'd be on the road!
I can hear you all laughing uncontrollably now.. optimistic isn't the word! But I digress. A trip to Detling (RIP) where I sat in a Dax, a GD, looked at a Viper and looked at the AK was followed by a trip to a Dax open day and a test run in their demonstrator (not a test drive!) and a trip to Crendon to meet JK and sit in a Crendon.
At the time I wanted to build a 'modern' Cobra, but over time that has turned into wanting a more period correct Cobra and I probably should have bought a Crendon - but never mind, I committed to Dax… and so the story begins.
Early 2012 saw me road trip to deepest, darkest Wales to purchase an XJ40 donor off a man who declared "I hope you aren't going to break it for one of those kit cars, this car is too good for that!"
(https://i.ibb.co/qW0VYcw/image.png) (https://ibb.co/TbKdM75)
I can't even describe how optimistic he was! You could see daylight through the firewall, the pedal box was the only thing stopping the firewall from falling out in fact, the inner wings were completely rotten where the wiring looms passed through and so on! We ended up chopping the boot off with a plasma cutter so it would fit in the garage with the door shut, stripping it and waving goodbye to the rest - keeping the V5, of course! Amazingly, we only set light to it once with the plasma cutter.. and that was Kevin writing his initials in the rear wing, if memory serves! ;D
If I were doing it again I'd just buy a donor pack... there was a lot of swearing at rusty bits, but eventually all the required parts were liberated with no thanks to:
The front suspension arms on one side, which were stuck together and eventually liberated by drilling out a bolt:
(https://i.ibb.co/59JjByz/image.png) (https://ibb.co/b3GvzZy)
The rear disc that the previous owner had put on in the wrong orientation, so you couldn't get to the handbrake adjuster. A 3-leg puller and lump hammer got the disc off eventually:
(https://i.ibb.co/k223QmX/image.png) (https://ibb.co/nMM3zPj)
The swing bolts were well and truly recalcitrant, too, but finally the crusty diff was liberated:
(https://i.ibb.co/7k6DrLY/image.png) (https://ibb.co/ph9T450)
Then, there was a break of a month or so while I waited for Dax to deliver the chassis and chassis packs, and I gathered other parts....
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Oo goody am looking forward to this thread as well.
I have the utmost respect for anyone doing a simple task like building a kit car. Simple things like changing donor parts mid build......
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Also looking forward to this thread ..... I'm not at all jealous of your garage though .... ;) ;)
and does a UK car not have a bulkhead rather than a US firewall? :-*
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and does a UK car not have a bulkhead rather than a US firewall? :-*
Yes, but the OP works for the yanks, and thus loses the ability to speak English ;D
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You say £25K was optimistic to finish the build, but what would one of these cars sell for once completed?
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Christ ! was it really almost 8 years ago when you collected that Jag ? I can remember you posting about it and would have guessed it was two to three years ago !
Agree about the garage. I would hate to be lumbered with an inferior facility like that to work on my cars. A damp sloping driveway is a much nicer place to be.
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.... A damp sloping driveway is a much nicer place to be.
;D ;D I can get my Smart Roadster in my garage .... just! :y
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You say £25K was optimistic to finish the build, but what would one of these cars sell for once completed?
£45-50k for a well built, decent spec "normal" replica, £60-70k for a factory build of any of the regular marques, £90k for a factory build aluminium car, £120k for a Kirkham (which is identical to the aforementioned £90k car, but instead of coming from the Bloke in Stoke comes from Americaland) or £180k for a "real" continuation car.. £2-3m for an original ;D
That was the old garage - wait until you see the new one .. it's infinitely less damp! ;D
Anyway, moving onward in time:
Somewhere in here, I managed to pick up a few bits that I thought would come in useful for the build.. namely:
A fully running 390cuin Ford FE engine
A partially stripped 428cuin Ford FE engine block, crank and pistons
A pair of Edelbrock FE heads
A set of throttle bodies and EFI setup to suit
An Aston Martin fitment Tremec T-56 (long input shaft)
A QuickTime bell-housing
Some of that - one engine, the bell housing and the Tremec - were necessary because Dax didn't have any jigs to put the FE engine into their chassis. This should be your first clue that I was heading down uncharted territory! Not that I am the first person to put an FE in a Dax (although I might be the last?), but clearly they hadn't kept any jigs because who would be stupid enough to do that?! I believe their "big block Ford" option was the 460 series engines, FWIW.
Finally, in May 2012, Dax arrived with a chassis and associated chassis packs - everything that should be needed to build a rolling chassis. You can also see the two engines, one of which, plus gearbox, was just back from Dax:
(https://i.ibb.co/yhLRVjs/image.png) (https://ibb.co/JxXdCJk)
It all took up a lot of space in the garage:
(https://i.ibb.co/nQznP84/image.png) (https://ibb.co/qmkWJFh)
Not a lot happened, really; the following year was spent stripping the donor parts down to components for refurbishing, organising powder coating and/or refurb - Wards for the hubs, a local guy for blasting & powder coating the suspension arms, that kind of thing.
Stripping bits down, the front end went quite smoothly:
(https://i.ibb.co/fvNfDH3/image.png) (https://ibb.co/VmCRwTF)
The rear end parts were considerably more crusty and resulted in at least one snapped bolt (apparently this is quite common, so Ed at Wards told me):
(https://i.ibb.co/VHBHNwB/image.png) (https://ibb.co/SQvQxfv)
Then .. hiatus.
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I want GTM 777F. Nothing less.
I have £45000.
I believe the word 'optimistic' has already been used.
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Top stuff, thanks for this Aaron! 8)
Question, is the Jaaaag rear end really up to what you're going to be throwing at it?
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You seem to be missing several zeros, Opti...
Question, is the Jaaaag rear end really up to what you're going to be throwing at it?
Yeah - they are pretty much bulletproof.. I'm not aware of anyone who has grenaded one, and there are people with superchargers and NOS who put out at least as much torque, if not more, than I will be :y
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Cool :y
I knew they're used in pilgrim builds, but as we discussed before, they don't do big power.
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If I am still alive when these projects get completed, you will have to give them an outing down to the sun. Few beers and a paella and do the return journey.
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If I am still alive when these projects get completed, you will have to give them an outing down to the sun. Few beers and a paella and do the return journey.
I was reading the club mag over Christmas (that's one out of 12 read, then ;D) and there were two trip write-ups in there - one around north west France and one down to Spain.. the one around France involved a fuel pump failure, front wheel bearing failure and a leaking fuel tank (on three different cars) all fixed in France, and the one in Spain involved a self-destructing engine ;D so er.. I'll put that on the list! :)
The next episode:
2016 arrives, three years after I got properly started and .. well.
The hubs came back from refurb looking shiny and new, with new bearings and so on all nicely set up (except the fronts):
(https://i.ibb.co/t8bV1L7/image.png) (https://ibb.co/V2vfkw7)
I surveyed the nut & bolt kits I'd taken delivery of several years prior and found that I was missing a boat-load of bushes and a few bolts and, rather importantly, about 50% of the front suspension. That was quickly sorted via Dax, and I got all OCD and sorted stuff into boxes and piles:
(https://i.ibb.co/4j5Fnr6/image.png) (https://ibb.co/zS0mTvy)
I tried to strip down the front suspension arms of their bushes and found that neither my 10tonne press, nor pullers, could extract the original bushes. The hacksaw did, however:
(https://i.ibb.co/QPKTv7H/image.png) (https://ibb.co/2vkC30M)
They were then blsated, powder coated and assembled with the new bushes:
(https://i.ibb.co/RTNRTyD/image.png) (https://ibb.co/jkznkRr)
Finally I started actually assembling things to the chassis like the ball joints into the De Dion beam, using sockets & threaded rod:
(https://i.ibb.co/HPHG2Bh/image.png) (https://ibb.co/1XmRn7z)
I assembled the shocks & springs. Due to time in a slightly damp garage the zinc plating had started to show some rust, so they got a coat of black paint:
(https://i.ibb.co/vjWkm18/2016-02-21-14-44-36.jpg) (https://ibb.co/6WSFbY5)
And my first 'Dax' foible - when you are trying to insert the upper ball joint and caster shims into the upper suspension arms, they won't fit. The trick is to lean on the wide end (the chassis end) at the same time as shoving the shims & ball joint in:
(https://i.ibb.co/WFw4x7R/2016-02-21-16-17-43.jpg) (https://ibb.co/2PQ1nRp)
(https://i.ibb.co/8zwjPRx/2016-02-21-16-17-21.jpg) (https://ibb.co/f8WCrKN)
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I suspect ( but dont know) that those lightweights had failures due to lack of attention to detail during build. That of course would not apply to OOF kit car fettllers.
Northern France? Thermostat wouldn’t even have opened.
When the group arrived and was well watered and rested, a 2000 metre assent of the Sierra Nevadas would be in order.
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When the group arrived and was well watered and rested, a 2000 metre assent of the Sierra Nevadas would be in order.
Then I'll definitely pass ;D
The pace quickened.. because I had an imminent house move approaching!
March 2016 saw the front suspension basically complete:
(https://i.ibb.co/7CHdstH/image.png) (https://ibb.co/1Q3tFG3)
And me dealing with rust on the chassis due to poor prep prior to powder coating (despite WaxOyling the whole thing and the driveway several years prior):
(https://i.ibb.co/CbxKbQw/image.png) (https://ibb.co/YcvBchN)
Discovering that I had the wrong diff yoke of the two kinds available - central pinion and offset pinion - which was quickly rectified by a phone call to Dax. Here, showing the wrong one:
(https://i.ibb.co/gTDgPj0/image.png) (https://ibb.co/r6Zyc7B)
Building up the rear suspension and then realising that I needed to drill the extra hole in the rear hub carriers.. so un-building half of it again..
(https://i.ibb.co/X4W1wGV/2016-04-03-18-07-32.jpg) (https://ibb.co/3sT2JPk)
The third hole needs to be added top right, here, using the mounting tube on the De Dion beam as a guide:
(https://i.ibb.co/vq10Dr8/2016-04-03-17-55-45.jpg) (https://ibb.co/02qHQW3)
And that just left the driveshafts, which were being recalcitrant:
(https://i.ibb.co/ry0g8RZ/2016-04-03-18-07-47.jpg) (https://ibb.co/x5Ly9tM)
The Haynes manual described disassembly of the driveshafts as follows:
Using a suitable socket just smaller than the bearing cup on the lower side and a tube just larger than the bearing cup on the upper side, drive the half shaft down so that the bearing cup is exposed.
Now grasp the bearing cup with mole grips and wiggle it free of the half shaft.
Turn over and repeat.
That’s all great in theory but what I found was that the bearing cups were so tight in their bores that there isn’t a big enough pair of grips in the world.
On the advice of a fellow forum member we welded a long M10 bolt to the bearing cup and used that plus a large socket to draw the cup out of the half shaft loops – that works very easily once you have the welder set up so you’re not either blowing through the cup or welding it so poorly that the bolt snaps free of the weld.
(https://i.ibb.co/4K7wvDG/2016-04-17-14-46-08.jpg) (https://ibb.co/ck1KfpH)
And, finally, wheels were added:
(https://i.ibb.co/H7J1Kpf/2016-04-17-15-59-25.jpg) (https://ibb.co/F6PNhqL)
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Cool :y
I knew they're used in pilgrim builds, but as we discussed before, they don't do big power.
the Jag diff is easily up to a tuned V12 with the suspension loads of a heavy car fed into it. Aaron's de-Dion rear on a car that's half the weight won't be bothered by any power level he can afford from an FE ;D
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Cool :y
I knew they're used in pilgrim builds, but as we discussed before, they don't do big power.
the Jag diff is easily up to a tuned V12 with the suspension loads of a heavy car fed into it. Aaron's de-Dion rear on a car that's half the weight won't be bothered by any power level he can afford from an FE ;D
Aye,the amount of torque applied will be limited by the tyres letting go at that weight ;D
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The Jag diff is easily up to a tuned V12 with the suspension loads of a heavy car fed into it. Aaron's de-Dion rear on a car that's half the weight won't be bothered by any power level he can afford from an FE ;D
Yea - 462cu in stroker kit (from Scat - new crank, rods, pistons etc) plus Eddy heads and intake with a 750cfm Holley is about the limit of my budget .. and even that is knocking on to the £10k mark, I think! Next up would be Blue Demon heads, forced induction etc.. but I think I'll be OK with the power levels I'll have ;D
Trying to prepare for a house move, refurbishing the bathroom prior to moving out, taking a very long holiday (three weeks - one in Hawaii and two driving Route 66 - amazing!) nearly killed me, but with the help of my Dad I managed to get to the point where we could move house with it..
Shortened driveshafts were refurbished and fitted with new quality bearings:
(https://i.ibb.co/VtDVbpW/IMG-20160420-194848.jpg) (https://ibb.co/47MWCgZ)
Which meant that all four wheels could go on:
(https://i.ibb.co/DRBYjPZ/IMG-20160605-161115.jpg) (https://ibb.co/1mCM4Yk)
We temporarily mated engine and gearbox - note the spacers made out of 15mm copper tube due to the too-long input shaft:
(https://i.ibb.co/ggyjh3b/IMG-20160606-173603.jpg) (https://ibb.co/LpSkH8D)
I'll bet I sat in it and made brum noises here:
(https://i.ibb.co/qJzK10P/IMG-20160608-195902.jpg) (https://ibb.co/g4GNgvB)
We also threw the 428FE together enough that it could be moved - the (scrap) crank is stopping the pistons from falling out .. but there aren't any bearing shells:
(https://i.ibb.co/k6zRwKy/IMG-20160610-115652.jpg) (https://ibb.co/G3GK87J)
And then we fitted the body! Here's a top tip:
Don't try and fit the engine first and body later if you are using an FE! The exhaust ports won't clear the bottom of the footwells, so we ended up 'jacking' the footwells apart to clear and then letting them relax again once the body was over the engine. Such fun.
(https://i.ibb.co/nmz5CdV/IMG-20160625-150309.jpg) (https://ibb.co/C8hT2CX)
Finally everything got packed into a covered car trailer, hooked up to the back of my pickup (I still miss that pickup..) and dragged from Bracknell to Northampton to its new home:
(https://i.ibb.co/M8RCbZT/13709868-10154398391666204-6294812461588728354-n.jpg) (https://ibb.co/dbQ5Sj9)
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After moving the car in summer 2016, I took the opportunity to do some measuring - like how much (or little) clearance to the bonnet and floor the car might have when all is said and done; the car is sitting on chassis trolleys at this point, so is higher than final ride height. Turns out that the air cleaner just clears the bonnet, and the sump .. well, that will just clear the floor:
(https://i.ibb.co/DKxm0v9/image.png) (https://ibb.co/pXtNYMf)
(https://i.ibb.co/DgNbJxf/image.png) (https://ibb.co/5xd90Nh)
Then there was much measuring while we figured out where the body needed extra trimming at the footwell corners to clear the chassis (same on both sides), and the engine came back out again:
(https://i.ibb.co/C584dcr/image.png) (https://ibb.co/wNg8Hkv)
(https://i.ibb.co/cNhLFs5/image.png) (https://ibb.co/2j3Ntp2)
(https://i.ibb.co/Zz38dm2/image.png) (https://ibb.co/MkbVn6B)
The body got lifted into the rafters using an array of pulleys, and I set about making brake lines:
(https://i.ibb.co/YfPhNXd/image.png) (https://ibb.co/XFjtWD5)
(https://i.ibb.co/ZLMMxGX/image.png) (https://ibb.co/TvggtY2)
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Before the rear brakes can go get buttoned up though, the rear toe needs to be set - it is set using shims between the hub and the De Dion beam; the hub mounts to the beam using the bolt holes that would originally have been used for the brake caliper hanger though, so once the brakes are on, changing the shims means un-mounting the calipers. Worse still, the calipers mount using threaded rod and nuts on both ends due to access issues.. so getting it all apart again in future is going to be a pain in the backside. Still, front & rear toe was set using lasers and long lengths of aluminium angle and a lot of trigonometry!
Rear toe setup:
(https://i.ibb.co/bQkFtjq/image.png) (https://ibb.co/Bc9GkHd)
Front toe setup:
(https://i.ibb.co/1RDdFG9/image.png) (https://ibb.co/bNS2c5r)
(https://i.ibb.co/SK7Wt56/image.png) (https://ibb.co/wKr3SBd)
All that just to get toe 'close enough'..
Front brakes went on easily enough - these discs are second hand but in good condition besides the surface rust and they can always be swapped out prior to IVA:
(https://i.ibb.co/C18KSDj/image.png) (https://ibb.co/2nh3pHz)
The rears gave me some trouble as I had the wrong set of brake hoses for these calipers. There are two kinds of Jaguar caliper and the brake fitting comes off at a different angle - just like the diff, I had the wrong combination of parts:
(https://i.ibb.co/kgthWGt/image.png) (https://ibb.co/bgkr86k)
While the body was still off I took the opportunity to run the main battery cable. It passes through the factory made holes in the prop-catcher using two 35mm Lucas grommets split down the middle and super-glued in place:
(https://i.ibb.co/LhB48H0/image.png) (https://ibb.co/Cs4xzDw)
Since my plans for the brakes involved separate master cylinders for front & rear, I couldn't use the standard Dax plan of two separate brake lines for the front and one line to the rears, splitting in the middle. Instead, I had the same setup for front & rear - a single line leaving the master cylinder, splitting in the middle of the chassis and going to each side. That meant that I could fit the brake light switch (pressure style) well away from sources of heat - time will tell if this stays or if I switch to a mechanical switch on the pedal box:
(https://i.ibb.co/TmNKbV3/image.png) (https://ibb.co/zGt87yv)
And that takes us up to March 2017..
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Once I’d got hold of the correct Goodridge brake lines for the rear, the front & rear calipers could be attached - of course, looking back on these photos now I see that I did everything on the rear as though they’d never need to come off again, yet they will - you can’t bleed the brakes with the calipers attached as the bleed nipple is no longer at the “top” with the hubs mounted on their side like this.. Ah well, that’s a problem for a later day.
Fronts:
(https://i.ibb.co/Vv6NRsb/image.png) (https://ibb.co/sF7PnZc)
Rears:
(https://i.ibb.co/8ry4w8N/image.png) (https://ibb.co/gS0F8gm)
The body was up and down more times than a <insert euphemism here> at this point, trimming, testing, trimming, checking, trimming and so on, using plum lines from the arches to make sure everything was ‘even’ side to side and aligned with the center of the hubs as best as is possible.
One interesting point to note - the build manual has you push the footwells up against the little vertical plates at the end of the chassis part of the footwell - the idea being that the pedal box will ultimately bolt through both the fibreglass footwell and the metal, but two things became apparent:
If we did that, the body was off-square by about a quarter inch at the front end, so the wheels would never be even
When the pedal box was offered up and placed, per the build manual, “as high up as possible”, the lower mounting holes would miss the metal plates in the chassis anyway!
Because of that we decided to make the body square on the chassis (or “more square”, perhaps I should say!) and then pack the footwell out with an additional strip of 3mm steel between the fibreglass and the steel chassis, allowing us to both fill the gap and raise the plate enough that the pedal box will bolt to steel at the bottom.
Eventually the body was attached using Würth adhesive and pop rivets per the build manual - thank heaven we had four people and two compressor driven pop-riveters at this point! There are no pictures because we were all too busy trying to finish riveting before the adhesive set..
You can just see what I described about the footwells in this image, before the packing plates were added:
(https://i.ibb.co/XWnkPSv/image.png) (https://ibb.co/VLFpG2P)
The main tub with so many rivets. So. Many. Rivets:
(https://i.ibb.co/z6cZM9q/image.png) (https://ibb.co/RjncFrR)
And the boot, which needs in-fill plates to be added over the chassis rails left & right, and the cut-out section to be filled with the piece laying in the boot; that provides clearance for the De Dion beam and also contains a steel reinforcing strip as it is the front mounting point for the fuel tank straps:
(https://i.ibb.co/3Ttg4LB/image.png) (https://ibb.co/K5CTb3F)
Here’s the pedal box being offered up:
(https://i.ibb.co/TBfcbTq/image.png) (https://ibb.co/RpF2BS4)
Shown here at its lowest possible point rather than where it will end up (as high as possible). I really, really wanted a bottom hung pedal box rather than the Dax one, but in the end I just couldn’t make one fit without sawing off a few inches of leg. Due to the design of the footwell the master cylinders can’t exit the footwell forward (because of the chassis box section), and having ‘rear facing’ cylinders means moving your feet upward into the steering column.. So, Dax pedal box it was. For now, I can always change it later, right?
I must have added the steering column somewhere around here, although I don’t have any pictures of the inside (the Corsa B ePas column), but here’s the intermediate shaft plus the bearing I installed (rather than the Dax bushing):
(https://i.ibb.co/98skjp2/image.png) (https://ibb.co/3rB9HTW)
And one last picture for this update - we went to a show (I forget which one!) and bought a load of exterior lighting stuff as well as some lathe tooling and bits & bobs:
(https://i.ibb.co/KXWKNJZ/image.png) (https://ibb.co/xD6FmNv)
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At the show I mentioned earlier, I also ordered something rather extravagant. It turned up in a very large box:
(https://i.ibb.co/Vp5njj3/image.png) (https://ibb.co/2YHVnn5)
I had to call in reinforcements (my Dad!) because I couldn’t move it on my own.. Despite it being the “mobile” version:
(https://i.ibb.co/8Ks43D4/image.png) (https://ibb.co/h7915R1)
As you can see, I’ve also fitted the front lights. These were LED versions which were rather expensive, and they “stuck out” past the chrome ring making the whole thing look like a Pug with a too-small head and eyes about to pop out.. A shame, really, as I rather like the idea of being able to see well at night. We’ll revisit those, later.
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Threads like this remind me why I have an interest in working on cars. Its great, keep it coming please.
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Yes it's awesome! Thanks for sharing Aaron. :y
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Yes......very impressive.
If memory serves 462 cubic inches is seven point something litres.
Exactly what a Cobra requires.
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Very impressed Aaron 👍👍👍
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Thanks guys :y
I'm slowly catching up to 'today' now.. ;D
May saw me working on the fuel system - running the fuel feed from the fuel tank ‘sump’ (such as it is) and out to the fuel pump via a pre-filter, then forward to the Filter King main regulator and filter.
Here you can see a fuel shut-off valve on the outlet of the tank, since removed. The tank outlet is a plain 1/2" barb with an AN-8 compression fitting with the hose being PTFE lined, nylon braided fuel hose from Torques on eBay:
(https://i.ibb.co/DM6NTpV/image.png) (https://ibb.co/VChd5mj)
That runs under the diff and then makes a left turn on the chassis rail, through the sintered pre-filter and then slightly upward (less so now as the pump has moved down a bit) to the JESUS CHRIST WHAT IS THAT NOISE Carter fuel pump:
(https://i.ibb.co/B42JGb8/image.png) (https://ibb.co/CJKy6gx)
Dax supply a Carter P4070 rated at 50gph, but I went with the P4600HP rated for 100gph to give me plenty of headroom should the engine need more fuel and I should be able to use it as a lift-pump to supply a high pressure pump if/when I go for EFI. Either way, the way I routed the fuel system lends itself to being ‘split’ either before or after this pump and re-routed fairly easily, even once everything is in the way.
The fuel line then loops back and runs through a bulkhead fitting that is in the prop-catcher loop beside the main +ve lead, and forward to the Filter King filter on the engine bay bulkhead:
(https://i.ibb.co/XtHJPSk/image.png) (https://ibb.co/w4t6qMr)
The return hose shown here is now removed, but can be reinstated easily enough if/when I go for an EFI system that requires one. The fuel tank already has provision for an 8mm return line next to the outlet, but was also modified recently - more about that later.
Next, I set about designing the internal boot hinges.. When I say designing, I blatantly stole the design from a Cobra forum member ;D
First I bought a set of MGF boot hinges, as I know those have been used previously, but mounting them on the DeDion chassis is complicated by the shock towers protruding into the boot area and their resulting in-fill plates, so I went back to a more ‘original’ style arrangement of a steel hoop with pivots. Here, I’m mocking up the pivot section in cardboard, having worked out the angle off-vertical for the hinge section and, therefore, the relative difference in lengths for each hinge plate. Hurrah for trigonometry!
(https://i.ibb.co/KbvLqmC/image.png) (https://ibb.co/YPsykbv)
Then a brief pause in work for a trip to Le Mans 2017 with some friends - the BMW is mine, the Hummer is what they came in, the tank is not with us :lol:
(https://i.ibb.co/LtmhzyG/image.png) (https://ibb.co/nc98syW)
That was a bloody good trip..
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Prop shaft catcher!
Lets hope you never have to use it for real.
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Fingers crossed! The prop will be custom made by somewhere like Bailey Morris - it's all of about 9" long ;D
What next? Well, I punched some big holes in the end of the footwell to try fitting a bottom-pivot pedal box from OBP Motorsport:
(https://i.ibb.co/9gpPKHt/image.png) (https://ibb.co/7CShMt4)
I ended up abandoning this idea, glassing the holes back up and reverting to the Dax pedal box - as I mentioned earlier, I just wasn’t able to get the pedals far enough down the footwell that I could comfortably use them; even though the pedal boxes are beautiful. Maybe I’ll come back to this idea one day .. again, the brake lines are designed to be ‘split’ and re-routed easily if I do.
Then there was a trip to Classics on the Common at Harpenden, where I saw a colour I’d love to pain the Cobra .. except unfortunately the owner of the truck didn’t know what colour it was:
(https://i.ibb.co/gyDCdfP/image.png) (https://ibb.co/tBb5zvx)
I got back to fabbing the hinges for the boot lid again. I’m a self-taught welder, can you tell?
(https://i.ibb.co/3W9nFr5/image.png) (https://ibb.co/ZKp0gLR)
Remember - a grinder and paint, makes me the welder I ain’t!
In the end, I had something passable, though. Note that the hinges look on the piss ‘outward’, but once the steel strap is curved to match the inside of the rear deck, they will hang vertically again. Trigonometry success!
(https://i.ibb.co/mCwRZFp/image.png) (https://ibb.co/rGSQ8f9)
(https://i.ibb.co/1QWJ24m/image.png) (https://ibb.co/qjQF12r)
This looks simple here, but there was a lot of trial and error! The thing I realised was that the pivot point has to be a lot closer to the rear deck than you think in order that the boot lid will actually rise up and clear the opening without catching.. So there were at least two versions of this whole assembly..
Then we rescued a dog. He took up quite a bit of time and came with some behavioural problems being a 9 year old who’d had a hard life; but he settled, became best friends with one of our cats, never grew to like other dogs, loved cuddles, and I miss him terribly. He passed this year (March, 2019) somewhat unexpectedly from the big C.
(https://i.ibb.co/Ws8nfYp/image.png) (https://ibb.co/hCQsVt1)
Found his pictures scrolling through my Google Photos and had to include him..
(https://i.ibb.co/QHy7fgM/image.png) (https://ibb.co/4Shw7qp)
Bernie (our tiny, 2.5Kg, female 6y/o cat) loved him, and he loved her.. Meg (our 5Kg, female 12y/o cat) did not love him!
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a very interesting mechano set, thanks for sharing
how much does it cost to IVA ,register etc ?
will it be subject to massive £££ initial RFL bills ? being a big engine new car :-\
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a very interesting mechano set, thanks for sharing
how much does it cost to IVA ,register etc ?
will it be subject to massive £££ initial RFL bills ? being a big engine new car :-\
He hasn't thought of that, he'll shit himself when he checks. 😂
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a very interesting mechano set, thanks for sharing
how much does it cost to IVA ,register etc ?
will it be subject to massive £££ initial RFL bills ? being a big engine new car :-\
IVA is £450, tax is £265p/a same as any other large engined car built before emissions based VED was introduced :y And the MOT will involve "Visual smoke test only" for a pre 1974 engine.. I think registration itself is about £80 once the IVA is complete :)
Plus the inevitable IVA re-test fee :-X ;D (£90, because almost nobody passes first time)
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.... Hurrah for trigonometry! card board engineering :y
....
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.....
I’m a self-taught welder, can you tell?
...
No ::) ::) ::) ;)
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In my defence, I've improved a lot since then ;D
And yes, I love a bit of Cardboard Aided Design!
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In my defence, I've improved a lot since then ;D
And yes, I love a bit of Cardboard Aided Design!
I much prefer TIG instead of MIG .... MIG is too easy to get a beautiful looking weld that doesn't actually weld to two bits of metal together
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I'm itching to buy a nice TIG welder .. but at £800, it was a bit expensive for an Xmas present! :'(
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I'm itching to buy a nice TIG welder .. but at £800, it was a bit expensive for an Xmas present! :'(
Combine it with your next birthday prezzie ;)
If you get one, look out for one with a High Frequency start rather than having to scratch start :y
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Plus the inevitable IVA re-test fee :-X ;D (£90, because almost nobody passes first time)
Ahem. ;D
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Plus the inevitable IVA re-test fee :-X ;D (£90, because almost nobody passes first time)
Ahem. ;D
Is there something you'd like to say? ..... ;D ;D ;D
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No one likes a show off you know ;D ;D
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Yes it's awesome! Thanks for sharing Aaron. :y
Yep ,my thoughts too
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I'm itching to buy a nice TIG welder .. but at £800, it was a bit expensive for an Xmas present! :'(
I don't find any need for TIG on a car. They're only really necessary if you're intending to do a lot of aluminium welding. And you'll need to do a lot, just to be able to do it at all.
I use mine for brackets because it lives at the end of the freezer auxilliary workbench, and saves getting the much bigger MIG out of the front porch for a few seconds of welding.
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I'm itching to buy a nice TIG welder .. but at £800, it was a bit expensive for an Xmas present! :'(
I don't find any need for TIG on a car. They're only really necessary if you're intending to do a lot of aluminium welding. And you'll need to do a lot, just to be able to do it at all.
I use mine for brackets because it lives at the end of the freezer auxilliary workbench, and saves getting the much bigger MIG out of the front porch for a few seconds of welding.
My comment re TIG was just that I prefer it to MIG .... you get a nicer weld .... but I've never had need to buy a TIG set as they've always been available at work. ;)
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I think TIG appeals to me for the same reasons it does for you Andy - it just seems a much 'nicer' process; you know, less angry pixies throwing blobs of hot metal around the place ;D That said, having switched from whatever gas came with my welder (in a big BOC bottle) to Hobbyweld "universal" gas, my welds are much, much cleaner with a lot less spatter - may also have something to do with practice, I suppose :)
On with the (catching up) show:
I fancied a change of pace - I was probably frustrated with the pedal box and boot hinge at this point - and remembered that my bonnet hinge didn’t come with any collars to set the left & right position; the Dax hinge is basically a large tube that pivots around a smaller tube with the smaller tube mounted to the inner wings, and is free to slide left & right along that tube unless you restrict this movement. The build manual mentioned locking collars, so I decided I’d make some up out of some aluminium bar I had lying around. Lathe time! These are (short) videos, so links rather than in-line.
First, part off a section of 6082 long enough for two collars:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ChyQvgCAnzpt7YSR7
Then face off the ends:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UmHgLUfWkxCigUwJA
Spot drill for the center:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Nb6q81Ph6gaNzUyM8
Then up a size:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/KNc35eJUFq4vXgKdA
And up another size:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4Q7VZK5tcPppHh4y7
And then out with the boring bar to bore out to final size:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/EeLr2UWgKBPZk72G8
Then parted them into two, cross-drilled for a grub screw and tapped them for M4 grub screws:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/mPeEgn5pFAiRKtAZA
Then, nothing much happened - or at least was photographed! - until November when we went to the Classic Car show at the NEC and I picked up a full set of IVA-bezel Smiths Electronic gauges, Lucas switches, warning lights and so on:
(https://i.ibb.co/Hzp8qd5/image.png) (https://ibb.co/wWrm4s5)
Spotted another colour I’d really love to paint the Cobra - House of Kolor Candy Apple Root Beer - but since that’s a candy colour and hideously expensive .. probably won’t!
(https://i.ibb.co/dBh6hwX/image.png) (https://ibb.co/v1tmt6f)
Finally in November, I glassed in the in-fill panels in the boot:
(https://i.ibb.co/2v95kSq/image.png) (https://ibb.co/zXMN4Fs)
(https://i.ibb.co/0Bp58bK/image.png) (https://ibb.co/rbK9Tr3)
And also welded a throttle-stop to the pedal box, so that I can set the limit of travel without relying on the carb itself:
(https://i.ibb.co/XLk3Mqv/image.png) (https://ibb.co/h91ZwSt)
Remember, a grinder and paint, etc!
(https://i.ibb.co/9nsnr3b/image.png) (https://ibb.co/tB8BJPq)
(https://i.ibb.co/vYLSnGq/image.png) (https://ibb.co/6BDkCxw)
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Really interesting thread Aaron, well done. :y
I remember the Smiths dials well, as my Mini Cooper S had a Wood and Pickett dash that was littered with them. :y
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Their current ranges of dials are really nice - all electronic innards, stepper motor driven etc.. though they still make the mechanical ranges as well :)
January 2018 saw the delivery of the windscreen from Brasscraft - a heated, tinted winscreen plus wind wings and sun visors, and all the fittings:
(https://i.ibb.co/yss6TW7/image.png) (https://ibb.co/vzz35ZR)
The heating elements are reasonably unobtrusive, just like a tin-top:
(https://i.ibb.co/6nHMVBw/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
Finally I got back to hanging panels on the car, too - first, the boot was hung:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4tGxDDakC8ec2yGw6
I used flat sections of fibreglass to build up plinths for the hinges to bolt to, and sandwiched bond-in fittings in there. They still need tidying up with filler and smoothing to be presentable, but they are functional at this point.
I hung and gapped both doors:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gEs4dZyCjk6gumzU9
One went very easily indeed, and the other was a complete pain! It turns out that the tubes the hingest bolt to aren’t symmetrical with respect to the body (despite them being part of the scuttle hoop that is factory bonded into the body), so packing spacers were needed on the
drivers side to move the hinge toward the A pillar. Here you can see that the passenger side is 10cm back from the A pillar:
(https://i.ibb.co/58XFtqz/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
But the drivers’ side is 11cm back - that 10mm makes all the difference with the door barely opening on the drivers’ side before the hinges fouled the A pillar:
(https://i.ibb.co/MCNYSJf/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
Pretty sure it was Dave who suggested I check the scuttle hoop was actually square..
Progress is slow at this point - we’re up to March already now, and I fitted the brake reservoir on a home-made bracket:
(https://i.ibb.co/v1t3YhD/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
It juuuust touches the underside of the bonnet right now, so may need slightly adjusting.
There was a trip to snowy Goodwood to see the “real” ones at the Members Meeting:
(https://i.ibb.co/rwkRfpf/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
And this at the NEC:
(https://i.ibb.co/BGZyP6Z/image.png) (https://ibb.co/8b5rBx5)
And having picked up some “normal” headlights at the NEC, I swapped out the LED units:
(https://i.ibb.co/VgQXbGG/image.png) (https://ibb.co/fknmZWW)
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:y
Can I ask a wiring loom question? Does the loom you fitted have options for anything you might choose to fit? I am thinking how do you wire in options like heated screen or an obscure. Dash instrument.
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The loom I have is a so-called "universal" loom with (I think) 12 circuits - each of those circuits powers something, and mostly they're things required for the IVA test like the demister fan, lights, fog lamps, brake warning circuit etc etc, plus a radiator fan, starter motor. Basically, the bare minimum needed for a car.
Everything after that I've had to add myself - take a feed from the 12V distribution block (which has a 200A capable feed - more than enough!) to a fuse, use that to feed a relay and then use a switched live via a switch to energise the relay coil. That's how my heated windscreen is done, for example, as that needs a 25A feed. The Corsa B EPAS has a 50A permanent live feed plus a 3A switched live feed, both of which were also added (obviously the 50A feed uses a mega-fuse and is off the distribution block)
I have learned that I hate vehicle wiring ;D
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Join the club. Right from when I was driving along Colwick Road in Nottingham in the 70s in a mini with extras and smoke came out of the bonnet. I leapt out and disconnected the battery and threw a jacket over the flames.
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Let's hope I never have that - although I did pop a few fuses trying to figure out the wiring for the wipers! Trying to translate the Lucas wiring diagrams for the switches I was using (which aren't "wiper switches" - and yes, they're special things). Got there in the end with the aid of a relay, though.
The rest of March saw me working on the braking system again, so now I can talk about my solution to desiring twin master cylinders, yet using the Dax pedal box!
What you can see here is twin AP Racing master cylinders mounted to a Compbrake Escort pedal box, which replaces the servo and houses the bias bar etc:
(https://i.ibb.co/XyM0dkc/image.png) (https://ibb.co/KNS4QzT)
Usually they are open-sided, but since I didn’t want a route for air/etc to get into the car from the engine bay, and a way to render the bias bar invisible. You can see how they normally look on their website: https://www.compbrake.com/product/ford-escort-mk56-brake-bias-servo-replacement-pedal-box-balance-bar-kit-hydraulic-dual-cylinder-copy/
The cover plates were just bent up steel, welded closed and then secured with rivnuts in the pedal box itself - they can be removed fairly easily for access to the internals if necessary at IVA, and the bias bar will be lock-wired and nyloc’d, once I figure out roughly where it should be set!
Somewhere in here I’ve fitted the winscreen and the wipers - the wiper boxes are upside down, as I would find out (much) later!
(https://i.ibb.co/nknZhfp/image.png) (https://ibb.co/s36kLQ7)
(https://i.ibb.co/98K0V9B/image.png) (https://ibb.co/LkjyJzB)
I’m fairly sure I bought the wiper kit from Dax assuming the bundy tube would be pre-cut to length and flared; either that or I bought it from Europa or CBS, but either way it wasn’t.. I flared it using my cheapy eBay brake flaring tool:
(https://i.ibb.co/6PBxm8s/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
Not perfect, but it gets the job done and the tube won’t fall out of the wiper boxes!
We’re in April now, and I’ve fitted the boot lock:
(https://i.ibb.co/THH5mQv/image.png) (https://ibb.co/8jjV6yK)
And stay:
(https://i.ibb.co/5BhNmZj/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
I was never totally happy with the way the stay is mounted, though, so I’ll probably revisit that later.. It’s a bit wobbly!
Some brightwork went on:
(https://i.ibb.co/BfjtJFw/image.png) (https://ibb.co/3TW7bQk)
And I finally started on the wiring loom .. I think it took close to a year to finish the wiring, in the end!
(https://i.ibb.co/10PjZzS/image.png) (https://ibb.co/D1vT4rq)
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The first bits of loom went in relatively quickly - some of it was very easy to judge and figure out, but what I found hard was routing all of the services without knowing where some of it would need to end up or how much space I’d actually be left with behind the dashboard when that went in - more than I thought, I think is the answer to that!
(https://i.ibb.co/SmFNVf4/image.png) (https://ibb.co/YdH2f0F)
But that’s how the fuse boxes and relays started off looking - they remained quite similar until now, in fact, although they’ve been joined by a few more relays and a few more fuses..
Here, I’ve punched the main front-to-rear loom through and run it along the chassis rail; notice that the fuel return is gone, now..
(https://i.ibb.co/kSmmBPQ/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
Since the loom was modular, it is joined in the middle using waterproof connectors:
(https://i.ibb.co/Pzht5TK/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
Some continues upward into the boot:
(https://i.ibb.co/PT38mWS/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
While some dives down to feed the fuel pump:
(https://i.ibb.co/5RDmq2Q/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
Everything, and I mean everything, is secured at roughly 9” intervals using P-clips or push-in conduit clips. Overboard, maybe, but the IVA man can’t question it .. hopefully!
It is a bit crowded down by the fuel pump, though!
(https://i.ibb.co/c3xX4LW/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
I tried to keep cable runs outside where possible, so the rear loom (which was handily quite long) actually runs up into the ‘cavity’ between boot and rear bulkhead, and then along the rear chassis leg before entering the boot to feed the rear lights:
(https://i.ibb.co/sVj76ZP/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
We are up to July 2018 by this point! And I’ve also sold a car, taken several holidays, been away for work a few times and Louise is well on the way learning to drive and has bought her first car - a Smart For Two which she loved but hated! Oh, and I’ve been helping a mate modify his car by fitting a new exhaust; it’s this mates fault that I’m building a Cobra in the first place, I should add!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Hymc2UPWrjesfVQy7
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While I was away for work the main +ve and -ve feeds for the loom went in courtesy of my Dad, and on my return I fiddled with the microswitch on the handbrake a little bit to try and get it working reliably:
(https://i.ibb.co/nCc5QJP/image.png) (https://ibb.co/k18WqCm)
I started fitting the bonnet hinge - first, by laying the hinge against the bonnet and drilling holes through the inner skin and bonded-in steel plate per the build manual, then tapping them for M8 bolts:
(https://i.ibb.co/0sM8d1Y/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
Then the inner tube (bolted to the bonnet) was married to the outer tubes (which bolt to the inner wings) and these were drilled through into the arches and bolted into place. Remember, this is some time in 2018 .. I just (literally last night) moved the hinge up in the arches as high as possible so that the bonnet no longer catches on the front of the car! I think that took about four hours, because it’s really hard to be both sides of the wheel arch at the same time…
(https://i.ibb.co/Xyq9rHD/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
(https://i.ibb.co/C2pm0P8/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
Note those locking collars I made earlier are now installed :)
I also borrowed a set of wheels from another forum member that were up for sale - sadly, the offsets weren’t right for the Dax. The rears were close, but the fronts stuck out a long way..
(https://i.ibb.co/dLp9xdv/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
(https://i.ibb.co/Ss02FS1/image.png) (https://imgbb.com/)
In September, I got back to the wiring harness that nearly killed me…
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Looking good Aaron, and a great read, thanks!
You seem to have a very broad skills base, for an 'IT geek' ;)
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..... and Louise is well on the way learning to drive and has bought her first car - a Smart For Two which she loved but hated! ....
Great choice of car! :) :)
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Looking good Aaron, and a great read, thanks!
You seem to have a very broad skills base, for an 'IT geek' ;)
These days I'd much rather be building things than sitting behind a desk - but there's a lot more money in the latter, so behind a desk I sit ;D
Great choice of car! :) :)
She loved the way it looked but hated the way it drove - the only reason she ever passed her test is that it was (fairly) quickly sold and replaced with a MINI Cooper S (automatic). She just couldn't get to grips with the not-really-automatic gearbox (lack of creep) and the fact that speed humps felt 10x their size so she went more slowly which meant being (dangerously) overtaken by the local tits. Now they just sit up her arse, instead ;D
I really wanted to keep all the wiring as hidden as humanly possible, which meant some creative routing and keeping as much as I could up underneath the body - i.e. around the bonnet opening, boot opening or under the car, in the arches etc.. lots and lots of either rivet-on or bond-on (Würth) cable tie bases were used at this point!
(https://i.ibb.co/pJ1V5V9/image.png) (https://ibb.co/qkDqVqP)
In that picture the wiring is exiting the bulkhead between the brake reservoir and clutch master cylinder - you can just see it popping out through a Trigger Automotive rubber bulkhead grommet (https://www.triggerhandbrakes.com/Bezels1.html). The loom splits into two right there with one leg running down each side of the bonnet opening.
Down the left run the lights (headlights, sidelights, indicators), horn, radiator fan, alternator sense and brake switch wiring. That splits again by the inner arch with the alternator & brake wiring staying inside the engine bay - you can see the brake switch wiring dive down the inner arch - and the alternator wiring is curled up in a loop. The lights continue through the arch, then back out through the other end of the arch to the lights where it splits (again) to run to the drivers’ and passenger side lights with the radiator fan wiring (obviously) stopping in the middle.
The right hand side has the wiring for the coil, water and oil pressure & temperature senders, etc, and terminates in a plug between footwell and wheel arch with the rest to be completed once the engine is in.
The brake fluid sensor and water pump wiring both drop down from the rear lip of the bonnet opening - you can see one above, and the other here:
(https://i.ibb.co/JFGxywc/image.png) (https://ibb.co/h14XZJg)
Inside the car, I started wiring in what I could, like the wipers (oh, how I cursed at the wiper wiring .. a lot):
(https://i.ibb.co/Xxj4Wd5/image.png) (https://ibb.co/VYJNLhC)
As well as IVA compliant-yet-not-Dax dashboard layouts (padded dash should pass radius requirements, but we will see!)
(https://i.ibb.co/pyH9YLC/image.png) (https://ibb.co/sHTM8VL)
Somewhere in here I must have also fitted the VW Beetle wiper stalk to the Corsa column per instructions I got out of Kevin Davies - basically, the Corsa stalk bracket also houses the upper bearing, so you can’t do away with it entirely (despite the Corsa column being an almost perfect fit for the Beetle stalk!) - so you hacksaw off all the excess plastic, then file it down to be exactly the same size as the column itself. It is still retained by the two plastic retaining pegs from the original column. You can see what needs to be ditched in this picture:
(https://i.ibb.co/JB9hYjn/image.png) (https://ibb.co/2nTbz3q)
You’re really just keeping that central ‘tube’, and securing it into the column with pegs that drop into the square holes (there is one at the bottom, unseen, too). I could have done it in the lathe but since it took about five minutes with a hacksaw and a file… Here you can see how that looks once completed:
(https://i.ibb.co/dW1Drwt/image.png) (https://ibb.co/tmkD4Tz)
I went away for a bit (to Berlin, lovely city) and came back to find that my Dad had put all the gauges etc in the dash for me.. Plus a couple of things (like the USB socket) that I wasn’t actually going to fit. Never mind!
(https://i.ibb.co/4tDsn8j/image.png) (https://ibb.co/Jtbxwvz)
I made up a temporary panel for switches, so that I didn’t have to keep dragging the large (and floppy) dashboard around, and wired up the lights, hazards etc:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ERtBptMLErKzdVJ77
Figured out the wiper wiring and .. at this point realised that the wiper boxes are upside down, so the wipers run backwards:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/9pJRfJnsGsmishi19
Progress slowed due to work (trip to Tel Aviv), holiday (trip to Paris) and so on, but finally the dash was in and had all the switches in it - ready to be upholstered:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/kcnPNQBZwbMehBBU7
Plus, I tried to fix my two indicator stalks .. I had one that wouldn’t ‘latch’ properly, and one that latched nicely but didn’t work electrically! They are an absolute nightmare to take apart - very cheaply made, full of tiny pieces and violent springs etc.. the one that wouldn’t latch was cheap and easily bent inside (hence no longer latching) and the expensive one was covered in green verdigris.. Once filed off, that one worked, at least! The other one went into the bin:
(https://i.ibb.co/HF1MJ4X/image.png) (https://ibb.co/6nVpdwN)
And we are at the end of 2018, at last!
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The deep red paint on the Chevrolet truck that you liked reminds me of VW Blackberry Metallic. At least that's what I think it's called. Very rare, but sometimes you see it on VW Transporter T6 & Combi vans (https://www.stormvans.uk/volkswagen-transporter-lwb-t6-2017-blackberry-cruise-control-parking-sensors/). So dark that it appears black from a distance or a casual glance. It's only up close that you see the lovely deep red.
Anyway since it's a standard VAG colour and used on a commercial at that it might not be too expensive at an auto paint factor.
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The deep red paint on the Chevrolet truck that you liked reminds me of VW Blackberry Metallic. At least that's what I think it's called. Very rare, but sometimes you see it on VW Transporter T6 & Combi vans (https://www.stormvans.uk/volkswagen-transporter-lwb-t6-2017-blackberry-cruise-control-parking-sensors/). So dark that it appears black from a distance or a casual glance. It's only up close that you see the lovely deep red.
Anyway since it's a standard VAG colour and used on a commercial at that it might not be too expensive at an auto paint factor.
Oh yes, that does look like a nice colour! I like that a lot.. thanks, that's going in "the list" (of potential colours)! :)
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January 2019 .. I realised I had an issue with the steering; an enormous amount of play. Most of it seems to have been in the universal joints that came from Dax many years previously, so I replaced them with much more substantial UJs from CBS - they required the intermediate shaft shortening a little more, but seem to have less play. There may still be a little play somewhere, but I need to button everything up from the wheel to the .. wheels, before I can find that. This was the play before I started (BTW, all these Google Photos links are videos):
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rAoZfiMtiWmaGKQ87
These were the original UJs. It’s impossible to really see the play in a video, but you could just about see it in real life - cumulative play from each UJ added up to almost an inch at the wheel rim!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Y7KySsE5STvtYYhF6
As long as it doesn’t turn out to be the steering rack.. :)
I grunted and strained a bit underneath the dashboard area and turned the wiper boxes around, so at least the wipers don’t try to bury themselves in the bodywork anymore :oops:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/sSdqxsGv7DJTUYNT9
Not much else really happened in February, and in March we lost a lot of time after I got punted up the arse while driving the OHs Mini - very little damage, but a lot of arseache with insurance companies who wanted to write her car off (which she’d only had a month) saying “A car that age, we may as well just write it off” without ever seeing it, when the damage amounted to a slightly bent bumper cover and a few scratches on the bumper:
(https://i.ibb.co/z6YfDNj/image.png) (https://ibb.co/Sf8vGJW)
Repaired in the end, and the body shop did a fantastic job and blew in an area just large enough to cover the one scratch the car had elsewhere which was nice - and I honestly can’t tell it’s been painted. But what a load of arseache. By way of thanks, the Mini decided to start blowing blue smoke on overrun (stem seals, known weak spot) and occasionally rattling (timing chain .. known weak spot) - should have written it off :lol:
Near the end of March we did an insane road trip to Bristol, a place near Bristol, and Farnham, and collected another FE engine (390 FE truck motor complete with C6 autobox) for a bargain price - and this one came with a lot of accessories & accessory mountings:
(https://i.ibb.co/Y3cJpGm/image.png) (https://ibb.co/478CPxz)
That was a long day in a rented van .. the other two stops were to pick up new dining chairs that were cheaper on eBay than in Ikea (like, half price cheaper, or it wouldn’t have been worth it), but jeez.. A long day in a van.
The dashboard also got its nice soft covering to satisfy the IVA man:
(https://i.ibb.co/5hnPdn4/image.png) (https://ibb.co/TMbsZb2)
But by far the worst thing in March was this:
(https://i.ibb.co/m8560rC/image.png) (https://ibb.co/vY4ZhCx)
That was the last walk we ever took him on. He’d suddenly gone from his normal bright self to lethargic, unable to eat, poop, not wanting to walk, so we booked an emergency appointment and walked him up there. The vet found an enormous mass in his abdomen and after tests decided it was inoperable due to its size and his age, and he never came home.
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Shit, forgot about that last picture when I copied & pasted that last one over from the other forum.. dusty in here :'( still miss that pup.
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Dusty here too :'(
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Heartbreaking 😢😢
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Gulp yes. Pets attain a special place in our hearts. I bet you still miss him
Our dog managed to escape a few days ago and hoover up food scraps left by ( town dwelling) olive harvesters. We are just praying he didn’t eat any poly bags or chicken bones etc.
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We'll have another, eventually .. but we're waiting until our older cat (who definitely does not like dogs.. or cats.. or people ;D) is no longer with us. Then we'll see. We do occasionally dog-sit for a friends
mongrel cockerpoo, though - Diesel was such a joy in the house in comparison, he never chewed anything, never destroyed anything (ok, that one time) where she eats everything in sight - she even tried eating the fake coal in the gas fire ffs! Then again, she's a joy to walk where Diesel wanted a fight with everything..
Took a while to get back to the car after losing Diesel, but I eventually turned the rats-nest of wiring behind the dash into a … slightly tidier rats-nest:
(https://i.ibb.co/7K9j2zJ/image.png) (https://ibb.co/njW6z0s)
Oh and we finally got her Mini back - nearly two months after the accident:
(https://i.ibb.co/QXrXdGH/image.png) (https://ibb.co/52B2FVj)
And that takes us up to the end of April already.
May(!) arrived and my wheels arrived from Bob @ Vintage! Unfortunately one was damaged in shipping by Fedex and had to be replaced; which was all taken care of by Bob, so top points for service and customer care, there, I’d highly recommend him:
(https://i.ibb.co/C9WFnrn/image.png) (https://ibb.co/QHXG656)
First job in May was to fit the door latches - I wanted a nice ‘easy win’ on my to-do list, and thought .. how hard can that be? Follow instructions, job done.
So I did! First, a tip:
Don’t do everything to one door and then just think “I’ll just mirror the same measurements over” because you’ll find it won’t work. Ah, symmetry.
Dax supply the door latches with a backing plate that goes inside the door - you can tap that plate to accept the bolts or you can use nuts behind it; given access is damn near impossible unless you have hands like a five year old but arms like Michael Jordan, I went with the tapping option! Then, you can use the back half of the lock mechanism as a template to drill the four mounting holes, the large clearance hole for the pivot and the notch for the lock itself:
(https://i.ibb.co/NWs4wws/image.png) (https://ibb.co/JrKhXXK)
Here, you can see that I clearly fell for the “This door will be the same as the other one” and had to move the lock further away from the edge of the door.. This also lead to an interesting difference side-to-side - here’s the passenger side striker:
(https://i.ibb.co/DWTryGs/image.png) (https://ibb.co/mTgNwv1)
And here is the drivers’ side striker:
(https://i.ibb.co/fGYL4fn/image.png) (https://ibb.co/vvxRZpQ)
Note that one has a stack of washers - this was the door I did first, following the instructions in the build manual for lock position with respect to the door edge. Then I mirrored that to the other side and found that I couldn’t move the striker far enough away from the lock to clear.. Which implies the door gaps on the outside (which are roughly equivalent) do not follow through to the size of the inner skin of the door. Surprise!
Anyway, if you are in need of a rough guide, you are looking to put the striker about 65mm up from the corner return shown here:
(https://i.ibb.co/zh2dm6s/image.png) (https://ibb.co/6RtQyXY)
With the back edge of the striker about 10mm in:
(https://i.ibb.co/2qyByHP/image.png) (https://ibb.co/Y23G3w8)
Also the “notch” will need to be much bigger than you think!
(https://i.ibb.co/gRHdMJ7/image.png) (https://ibb.co/vjghxkB)
I got all this stuff close to aligned by measuring as above, but still needed to enlarge the striker post hole a little. No problem, because you’ll need to bond a steel spreader plate in behind the glass anyway - so what I did was drill the hole in that the ‘exact’ size I needed, then bond it in with Wurth and, while that was still pliable, set the position of the striker and tightened the bolt up:
(https://i.ibb.co/28T6nDR/image.png) (https://ibb.co/xmNsCpw)
Once the Würth had set I unbolted everything, rust-proofed the area and then covered it in a few layers of 350gsm glass mat to encapsulate everything. Finally, once that was dry, I drilled back through using the hole in the steel as my guide.
Now another tip - I did all of this with the car sitting on the lift, off the ground. Turns out, once you put it back on the ground the doors are harder to shut (hmm.. Chassis stiffness, anyone?? I’ll be honest - that was a little disappointing!) so you probably want to do a final adjustment on the wheels.
I also fitted the door hinge escutcheons, which was really just so that all the holes will be there. They’ll come off again for paint, like all the other brightwork:
(https://i.ibb.co/fxvxJ8b/image.png) (https://ibb.co/3CzCKfw)
Looking at the pictures, that was actually all done in one day - May 11th.
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May & June saw some travel, so little other progress, but I did start on the fuel filler - another “easy job” on my to-do list. First, I punched a hole in the side of the boot to get the flexible filler hose out:
(https://i.ibb.co/W57SmS0/image.png) (https://ibb.co/021PHPK)
I have several pieces of advice here. First, I bought just about every kind of fuel filler hose CBS sell and only one is actually flexible enough (the one shown here) - it is their “ultra flexible fuel filler hose”. It is not marked externally so you will need the certificate of use that they supply with it come IVA time, so keep that safe!
Secondly, don’t do this at all. Take the tank, assuming you bought a Dax one, and have it modified with the fuel filler neck on the side and add a vent for filling. So, out the tank came and I drew all this on the side of it:
(https://i.ibb.co/kcnz5MD/image.png) (https://ibb.co/ysTKdVk)
Then I took it to Ollie at Olliminium (https://bicesterheritage.co.uk/specialists/olliminium/) in Bicester Heritage for the modifications to be made; he did a fantastic job of following my scrawls and also switched the fuel outlet from a straight tube to an AN-8 fitting for me, chopped the original filler off and welded a cover in, and all for an excellent price.
I also took an entire car load of engine parts over to my engine builder and left everything there for the 428 to be turned into a 462 stroker..
When the tank came back - and we are in August now - I gave it a coat of black Plastidip; that rubberised peel-off paint. It dries flat black, rather than shiny:
(https://i.ibb.co/9sFC0Gq/image.png) (https://ibb.co/YpzqSbt)
I also picked up and wired in a Toad immobiliser - no pictures of that, but I did manage to snap a tap trying to put a cable tie base in, which meant I had to take the steering column out again, grr.
Based on a post here, I picked up a relay that is actually a GPS tracker, too:
(https://i.ibb.co/HGZtZVm/image.png) (https://ibb.co/6DQHQm6)
Make no mistake - the Chinese will know where your car is and the security on these things is laughable; a recent investigation concluded that they mostly send all the GPS info back over clear-text HTTP with no security, but .. you get what you pay for (and I’m willing to bet that some expensive solutions do exactly the same thing, too!): https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/popular-gps-trackers-found-to-have-major-security-flaws
For less than £20, though? A technological marvel.
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I refitted the fuel tank having modified the straps a little to make the job easier (still a two man job, though!) and bought some more extra-flexible filler hose because I cut the last one a smidge short (whoops).
(https://i.ibb.co/Q8ndwD2/image.png) (https://ibb.co/xmGHTFp)
I also added the 1/2" vent hose using ultra flexible breather hose (CBS) and a 90 degree joint; that should miss the tyre but if not I can shorten it a little. The 1/2" vent (and 6mm breather) are both fitted to the filler tube using Revotec self sealing fittings (https://www.revotec.com/acatalog/Self-Sealing-Fittings-with-Threaded-Fitting.html). Hopefully the larger breather will help a little bit with spit-back during filling, but we’ll see.
The smaller breather hose runs, per the build manual, up to the highest point available (the top of the boot) and then runs across the car to the far side and was originally going to run back down to below the level of the tank; that ensures that even if the car is upside-down, the tank doesn’t empty via the breather. Instead, I fitted a small Mocal fuel tank breather valve in the (near-side) wheel arch - https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/mocal-in-line-fuel-tank-breather-valve-23340/. Those valves are expensive, but seemed better than having a breather tube dangling under the car!
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We are up to individual jobs now, hurrah, and we’re almost caught up with real time! In September, my front & rear bumpers arrived from Europa. I bought these because I wanted a way to attach rear fog & reverse lamps that was non intrusive, and because quickjacks won’t pass the IVA. I think the ultimate plan will be to french fog & reverse lamps into the rear valance, and I have a slimline LED unit for that but again, since I don’t know for sure it is IVA compliant, I’ll go with the big plastic gonks for now!
They should end up somewhere like this:
(https://i.ibb.co/M83zjWT/image.png) (https://ibb.co/0Bd0W8N)
One thing I have discovered while fitting the rear bumper is that the holes on my quickjacks (from Andrzej) are slightly closer together than the tubes on the Europa bumpers. The quickjacks match the pre-made holes in the Dax chassis (thanks, Andrzej!) but the Europa bumpers do not.. Maybe the Dax ones do, I don’t know - I’ll be honest, I assumed they were all the same thing from the same ultimate supplier (Brasscraft?) but maybe not.
What that means is I’ve that had to compromise a little bit at the rear - there’s a thread about it somewhere - and the holes in the body are a bit bigger than they need to be in order to allow the grommets (also Europa) to ‘flex’ a bit and have a little wobble in the hole such that both options will fit, ultimately. I also found that the bumper should be higher than you think, and actually higher still than you can make it on the Dax, so that posed a challenge because the fixings then protrude through the boot floor!
On a real car, the bumper should be high enough to make access to the boot latch a pain in the neck, I believe, but on the Dax it is just a little higher than the bottom edge of the boot:
(https://i.ibb.co/kyycHvC/image.png) (https://ibb.co/266KnH4)
What you can’t see in that picture is the amount of squeezing and wiggling required to get the threaded bar to go through the combination of the holes in the chassis, holes in the body, tubes of the bumper and finally into the overriders! Strong fingers are required.. Not to mention an array of nuts that you can use to wind the threaded rod into the overriders, because you can’t just put the threaded rod into the overriders and then slide the whole lot onto the car, like you can at the front.
Here you can pretty much see that the upper fixing is pretty much directly in line with the boot floor at the rear end (because the boot floor droops down):
(https://i.ibb.co/DDb2M37/image.png) (https://ibb.co/ccvn8zN)
That meant I needed cover plates to cover the holes - first, I tried mocking plates up in cardboard:
(https://i.ibb.co/mcC2D3M/image.png) (https://ibb.co/CH5Y1fT)
But in the end I decided to just make the cover plates in glass using the boot floor as a mould. First, I laid a layer of mould release tape over the hole, then I used a short length of 38mm PVC waste pipe, slit on an angle, to make a tapered ‘hump’ and taped that down to the existing layer of tape, making sure that the tape extended well onto the boot floor and the vertical rear surface of the boot - and finally I glassed over the lot with a few layers of 350gsm mat:
(https://i.ibb.co/1f77h2z/image.png) (https://ibb.co/kg55kcm)
(https://i.ibb.co/sQ5VjwH/image.png) (https://ibb.co/vmsj1PY)
They were then released, trimmed and can be pop-riveted back into the boot with a sealing strip. Fairly easy to remove when/if the fixings need access, and relatively watertight.
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A blue German Mini.......never had you down as a hairdresser Aaron. ::)
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It's the fiancée's car, don't forget ;) surprisingly fun little gokart, though, despite the automatic gearbox. I'd have a Clubman to knock about in, if we had the space/money and I didn't have the Range Rover cluttering up the driveway already :-[
The front bumpers were waaayyy easier to fit than the rears and took about five steps..
Step one, I hung the bumper on the car using some clamps, and used very short lengths of stud to mark where the holes in the body needed to be. Then I just drilled through the body and, finally, through the chassis plates:
(https://i.ibb.co/gZGdtkh/image.png) (https://ibb.co/DfNYw0T)
(https://i.ibb.co/wgQTt92/image.png) (https://ibb.co/H4P0ZW9)
Then I took my Finishline grommets and visually laid them over the existing holes, drew round the outside with a Sharpie and then drew a line ~3mm smaller for the cut-out and used tiny drum and flapper sanders on the Dremel to enlarge the holes. A few trial fits for each grommet were required and then a little tweaking as things tend to ‘walk’ one way or the other with cumulative errors, but they were all fitted pretty quickly:
(https://i.ibb.co/CvqX01m/image.png) (https://ibb.co/NpXkYVt)
Finally I cut some 15mm OD stainless tube (roughly 100mm long - I think there’s 5mm difference between top & bottom to account for the rake) which is a (very) snug fit in the grommets and installed the whole thing:
(https://i.ibb.co/Ph5XVB2/image.png) (https://ibb.co/yy8vxLz)
I still need to get back to mounting the fog lamp etc on the rear bumper..
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Progress was interrupted a little by some dog sitting:
(https://i.ibb.co/TL5wc6S/image.png)
Working on the other half's MINI (timing chain and valve stem seals):
(https://i.ibb.co/vHbsz2d/image.png)
(Note creative use of some old Ford FE pushrods as TDC indicators..)
I (re)fitted the bonnet after moving the hinge upward slightly so that the leading edge clears the bodywork, then fitted the bonnet gas struts - I bought the fitting kit from Dax and the struts from SGS Engineering and it was a fairly simple, if slightly fiddly job, with the lower fittings bolted through the bonnet opening lip and the upper fittings riveted to the 'rib' that runs around the outside of the bonnet per the instructions. Also per the instructions I made up small stainless steel 'supports' that go from the lower pivot bolt to the inner arches to stop the bonnet opening from being flexed an alarming amount by the force exerted by the gas struts! No pictures of that right now because, apparently, I didn't take any..
I also broke out the welder, which turned out to be a joy to use with a new welding mask from R-Tech and some new gas from Hobbyweld, and made up some crucifix shaped brackets for the fog/reverse and rear reflectors to satisfy the IVA man..
My welding has improved a great deal, it seems:
(https://i.ibb.co/2SbD2FY/image.png)
These sit between the rear overriders and the bumper tubes - just like the Dax reflector brackets would (I have a set of those, too, but the spacing is wrong for the overriders..):
(https://i.ibb.co/rpLfzy1/image.png)
3mm strap steel, so there is a little 'bounce' on the fog/reverse lamp but unless you certainly aren't bending them without excessive force (I know, because I put a 'dog leg' kink into the brackets to sit the fog & reverse further back, and that took a lot of force in the big vice!)
Right now, I'm working on fitting the roll hoops so I can get the seat belts in. I bought escutcheons from Europa and hoops from Dax (actually, I have a set of Europa hoops, too - they're chrome, the Dax ones are stainless) and to get the escutcheons to sit flat you have to open the bodywork up quite a bit and then 'chamfer' it so that the rubber grommet can sit down 'under' the surface of the fibreglass. In doing so, I accidentally opened up between two layers of fibreglass (probably where the inner tub is bonded in) and since I didn't want water to get in there, I bodged some Würth in:
(https://i.ibb.co/TYF4hd7/image.png)
The rear fixing goes into a 'tower' that is triangulated into the chassis in the boot, and per the build manual you should make up a metal spacer that is the same thickness as the fibreglass to avoid the 'glass being crushed when you bolt the belt down.. so I did that on the lathe and made up a little spacer out of aluminium. Simple op as I already had stock ~16mm dia, drill the centre out to 11.5mm to clear the 7/6" bolt (I know, I'm mixing my measures!) and then part it off at the right thickness. ~6.8mm for the pax side gives a finish about 0.5mm proud which seems good:
(https://i.ibb.co/xjkKNcf/image.png)
The drivers' side is, naturally, a different thickness.. so I'm glad I didn't knock up two spacers at the same time!
Once the hoops are back in again and bolted down, I need to drill through one leg each side and fit a retaining bolt. That should be a fun task inside the wheel well! But you can't (reliably) do it earlier as you don't know the final height of the hoops until the body is on..
I'm also not quite decided on how to fix the escutcheons down. There is bugger all 'meat' between the fixing points and the, now chamfered, hole.. rubber rivnuts (rubnuts) maybe. Or stainless self tappers into the fibreglass..
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RTV102 should do the job ;)
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Bond the escutcheons once the car is painted.
CBS do a coil of sticky polyurethane - the sort of stuff that's used to stick the plastic moisture shield under door cards - that is really handy for lots of similar trim jobs
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They are currently screwed down - but yes, might bond them on once the car is painted. That said, they are a royal bugger to get on and off as the giant rubber grommet always wants to walk off the stainless escutcheon, so you have to wiggle them down with lots of
saliva lube.
You'd think that a roll hoop from Dax would match the chassis from Dax, right?
Wrong!
(https://i.ibb.co/m6xGDLm/IMG-20191122-181407.jpg)
With all my strength yanking on the third leg (fnarr) I can just about, maybe, get the bolt started.. it's ~7mm off, half the bolt width!
C'mon people.. jigs? Quality control? Unheard of in the kitcar world, I believe.
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Ever looked at a Dutton?
They're comically bad, until you look underneath. Then you stop laughing, and wonder how they made so many with such poor engineering/materials/fabrication/quality control. Not to mention that many of them were assembled by people who have no idea which end of the screw to hammer into their fibreglass......
At least your mounting tab is big enough for you to file the hole into some sort of alignment
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I've looked at the odd Dutton from a distance .. usually rubbing my eyes and wondering why anyone would buy one ;D
I "fixed" the roll bar issue by using chrome ones (rather than stainless) from a different supplier - they were 'better'.. not perfect, but wrangleable into fitting at least.
Next job was to finish fitting the harnesses now that the roll hoops were in. I needed to drill "up" through the threaded bosses already welded to the chassis in order to break through the floorpan, and I didn't want to damage the threads so .. I turned up a little sleeve, 9.5mm OD, 6mm ID, and about 70mm long. Surface finish isn't great because I had the power feed set up for threading so had to hand feed the length several times - but it's functional:
(https://i.ibb.co/VSKRbFk/image.png)
(https://i.ibb.co/BsZGGnj/image.png)
I have remembered how much I love working on the lathe.. should have been a machinist!
Anyway, it was a nice slip fit through the threaded bosses:
(https://i.ibb.co/s9RRrmJ/IMG-20191129-192713.jpg)
So I could jack the car up and drill through the guides - this is one of the few times that the scissor lift was a hindrance as it really got in the way of the jack!
(https://i.ibb.co/njfd1q7/IMG-20191129-192911.jpg)
Opened up the holes to 11.5mm from the top and put the eye bolts in and voila! Belts:
(https://i.ibb.co/JyWR0WL/IMG-20191129-194419.jpg)
No seats, though, so it's a bit uncomfortable.. Really must put those back in, but need to finish fitting the heater first - that's next up.
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Sorry but I must,,, A heater in a Cobra with a soft roof :D Is Mr jb going soft in his dotage. ;D
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Sorry but I must,,, A heater in a Cobra with a soft roof :D Is Mr jb going soft in his dotage. ;D
For the IVA, there has to be a method to demist the windscreen - the commonly accepted method is a heater (the examiner will check the air output).. a heated screen alone should comply (and I have one) but I don't know of anyone who has been through the IVA using only that to pass and it's hard for the examiner to test.. so, heater it must be :y
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Sorry but I must,,, A heater in a Cobra with a soft roof :D Is Mr jb going soft in his dotage. ;D
For the IVA, there has to be a method to demist the windscreen - the commonly accepted method is a heater (the examiner will check the air output).. a heated screen alone should comply (and I have one) but I don't know of anyone who has been through the IVA using only that to pass and it's hard for the examiner to test.. so, heater it must be :y
so a propane torch to heat the screen Vice grip garage style is not acceptable ???
there a bit picky these IVA people ;D
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Vice Grip Garage clicky (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igetfdjfEtw) for those who've not seen it :y
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Sorry but I must,,, A heater in a Cobra with a soft roof :D Is Mr jb going soft in his dotage. ;D
For the IVA, there has to be a method to demist the windscreen - the commonly accepted method is a heater (the examiner will check the air output).. a heated screen alone should comply (and I have one) but I don't know of anyone who has been through the IVA using only that to pass and it's hard for the examiner to test.. so, heater it must be :y
That's me told, every day a school day :D
No windscreen,, be cheaper, then fit later.. ;D
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No windscreen,, be cheaper, then fit later.. ;D
I do know people who have done that! However .. you then have different 'sharp edge' rules to abide by (stricter ones) that make other things harder to comply with, and an examiner could (if he was feeling really pedantic - and some are, most aren't) say that you had presented an 'unfinished' car and make you go away and come back again later.. :)
so a propane torch to heat the screen Vice grip garage style is not acceptable ???
there a bit picky these IVA people ;D
I think they frown on that .. although one mate did use the testers kettle to empty his footwells of water after driving to the test in the rain, so they're not that picky ;D ;D ;D
I have one of the T7 Designs 3.5kW lightweight heaters (actually, two, but that's a long story) and I've been upside down in the footwell (as has my Fiancée!) trying to fit it for .. a few days. In the end, I realised I just couldn't persuade the water hoses to bend that way, plus the outlets for the demister vents were all on the wrong sides. Although it's highly configurable, there just weren't enough openings for what I needed so out came the step cutter and tin snips!
I had to make an extra cover plate to cover what would become the 'front' outlet (facing the end of the footwell and in the way of the water hoses):
(https://i.ibb.co/7ym71NX/image.png)
Then punch out two new outlets and drill the mounting holes:
(https://i.ibb.co/SNXX8qs/image.png)
(https://i.ibb.co/Pj8RhSL/image.png)
One small change after that is that the new cover plate had to be riveted on - the nuts foul the (computer case) fan inside. Now all I need to do is get back in the footwell, upside down, on my back, and get it all back in place for the nth time ;D
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Hats off to you. I hate car heaters. I am convinced that the heater is the first item that comes down a production line and the rest of the car is built around it. All that laying on your back fumbling with your neck about to snap.
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The blower motor is the first thing fitted in an Opel Monza Varche. Second is the heater matrix,
Entire dash out to change either :(
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The blower motor is the first thing fitted in an Opel Monza Varche. Second is the heater matrix,
Entire dash out to change either :(
Pretty much the case with most cars, which makes owning older cars such fun :D
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The blower motor is the first thing fitted in an Opel Monza Varche. Second is the heater matrix,
Entire dash out to change either :(
Pretty much the case with most cars, which makes owning older cars such fun :D
Then I recommend a Corsa (newish shape one - 2008) .. I had to look at the blower motor on a friend of my OHs; glovebox out, pop out a trim panel (fingertips only) and it's right there staring you in the face.
Which is handy, given they don't last very long ;D That problem was solved when the car was used to ram-raid its way out of a (commercial, not residential) garage, though, during a theft of tools & safe burglary.
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The heater is now in - I've since replaced the jubbly clips with the correct size, and secured the air hoses to bonded-in cable tie bases so they can't flap about behind the dash:
(https://i.ibb.co/D4nWF3P/image.png)
One of the last remaining "big" fibreglass jobs was then to make the holes for the sidepipes (thanks to Dave for his advice via Facebook, ensuring I didn't make the big gaping holes in totally the wrong place):
(https://i.ibb.co/6RJzMvH/image.png)
It does seem like I need to put the collector in the freezer for a bit, or get the torch on the front end of the sidepipe, in order to be able to get it all the way in.. they are a bit 'snug'. Tail end is fine and is just a slip fit, but the front end is what you might call a 'press fit'. The holes will probably need enlarging a little (especially toward the bottom), but they're basically there now and with the pipe set beside the car on blocks it looks very nice indeed. Of course, since there's nothing at the front end to attach them to, they're back to sitting in the upstairs hallway..
(https://i.ibb.co/3WRsBZ5/image.png)
Ho hum.
Might tackle the carpets next (spoiler: I didn't), because that seems like a 1000-piece all-white jigsaw, at least to figure out where it all goes. Then maybe drop the spare engine in, mated to the gearbox, so I can get everything else plumbed in ready for an engine that actually runs..
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.....
You'd think that a roll hoop from Dax would match the chassis from Dax, right?
Wrong!
(https://i.ibb.co/m6xGDLm/IMG-20191122-181407.jpg)
With all my strength yanking on the third leg (fnarr) I can just about, maybe, get the bolt started.. it's ~7mm off, half the bolt width!
C'mon people.. jigs? Quality control? Unheard of in the kitcar world, I believe.
It's only half a hole out! ;D ;D ;D A podger would soon line them up .... ::) ::) ;)
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The blower motor is the first thing fitted in an Opel Monza Varche. Second is the heater matrix,
Entire dash out to change either :(
Pretty much the case with most cars, which makes owning older cars such fun :D
Then I recommend a Corsa (newish shape one - 2008) .. I had to look at the blower motor on a friend of my OHs; glovebox out, pop out a trim panel (fingertips only) and it's right there staring you in the face.
mk 3/4/5 Cortina:
Open the bonnet
Undo 3 self tapping screws that secure the heater box cover
Undo both jubilee clips, and pull off the hoses.
Swap the heater matrix.
Reverse the above list, top up the coolant and call it done.
Granadas are very simi!ar.
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It's only half a hole out! ;D ;D ;D A podger would soon line them up .... ::) ::) ;)
But then the podger is in the way of the bolt you need to get in :P ;D
While ruminating on the carpet and wheels, I had a fiddle with the wing mirrors I have.. I used the fixings that should be used for the soft top clips here, which left them far too far up the windscreen. I've since moved them further down on a slightly different bracket fixing. These are IVA friendly mirrors so they have to meet all the exterior radius requirements and fold out of the way in the event that they should hit a pedestrian. Damn pedestrians.
(https://i.ibb.co/HrdhSzZ/image.png)
Also threw both seats in* and the harnesses so we could both sit in the car and make brum noises..
(https://i.ibb.co/9vrjjx8/image.png)
I was going to add the dash .. except I realised I re-fitted the steering column too far to the right the last time I had it out, and the dash doesn't fit. D'oh! Need to fix that.
*I say threw, but that is one annoying job as my arms are just too big and lack sufficient joints to get to some of the seat to frame fixings. Next time they come out, I'm tempted to weld the nuts on the underside of the seat frame so that I don't have to reach under the seats to bolt them in! That would make much more sense, although it precludes the use of nylocs, of course.
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Weld or otherwise attached a small tab at each bolt and wire lock them once torqued. That way you can safely bolt them from underneath ;)
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Weld or otherwise attached a small tab at each bolt and wire lock them once torqued. That way you can safely bolt them from underneath ;)
why sod about with wire-locking?
weld the bolt to the top of the runner when the seat is next out, and use a nyloc nut under the car.
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;D
Good point, well presented ;)
Would also make the seats a doddle to locate :y
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It's not the runners that are the problem ;) I did actually consider welding the bolts to the runners, but since they aren't at 90º to the runners, that proves tricky to accomplish and still be able to get the bolts through the car.. (runners are on an angle, there are 5º wedges under the front bolts, 0º on the rear)
It's the seats being bolted to the runners that you can't reach underneath once the seat is in.. so weld nuts to the underneath of the runners where the seats bolt in and I could bolt them in without having to have the runners half unbolted from the car.
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Much easier to demonstrate the problem in a picture .. but I don't have one; it's all because the floorpan isn't flat and the seats don't go very far forward because of the incredibly narrow footwells :)
I popped the current (possibly temporary) dash back in again; I'm sure it will need re-working, possibly for radius requirements and probably because there will inevitably be electrical gremlins.. I'm still not sure how the radiator fan is supposed to be switched in the wiring loom I have (which came with very, very basic instructions from S-V-C), for example, so that will be interesting. Still, the immobiliser still works, and I've properly fitted the little red LED now so the IVA man can see it go blinky blinky.
(https://i.ibb.co/WGLvYzH/image.png)
Does look a lot more like a car with some floor carpets, seats and dash in. Just still missing the bit that makes all the noise..
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My better half is away this weekend (visiting her family in Wales .. I can't remember which weekend this actually was - before Christmas, anyway!) so I thought I'd spend lots of time in the garage - work (the kind they pay me to do) had better ideas though, so I split my time between my desk and the garage in the end.
Still, I did make some progress - after dropping the dash in yesterday I spent some time with the knock-on adapters and a rear wheel, trying to get it to clear the rear brakes. The only other person I know who has been there & done that with a DeDion had to machine a little off the caliper, but I think a 3mm spacer will probably move the wheel out enough that the wheel clears the caliper and the tyre still stays inside the arch - time will tell, as I have to wait for them to turn up. So the steel build wheel went back on for now (as I think I mentioned earlier - I have 3x 16" alloys and 1x 15" steelie on the car - the 15" steelie clears the caliper because it doesn't have the 'lump' inside that the alloys do).
I turned my attention to the in-fill panels needed to finish off the footwells prior to carpet today, and set to with a little Cardboard Aided Design:
(https://i.ibb.co/DLzTfbJ/image.png)
The mock up cleared the hinges and clipped to the scuttle hoop with terry clips, and then I used that as a template to cut out a sheet of ali using an air nibbler and manual tin snips:
(https://i.ibb.co/ZM1qTkp/image.png)
I think with a little more trimming (just a hair) it will fit pretty well, and once covered in carpet you'll never see the amateurville metalwork! I don't have a sheet bender, so the bends were all formed with blocks of wood and clamps, and my hands, so they're not precisely regular along their length.. but they'll do!
Need to order some more ali now so I can do the drivers side as well.. and then try and figure out how all the carpet is going to fit on top of all this!
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....
mk 3/4/5 Cortina:
Open the bonnet
Undo 3 self tapping screws that secure the heater box cover
Undo both jubilee clips, and pull off the hoses.
Swap the heater matrix.
Reverse the above list, top up the coolant and call it done.
Granadas are very simi!ar.
So is a Mk1 Cavalier :y :y
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....
mk 3/4/5 Cortina:
Open the bonnet
Undo 3 self tapping screws that secure the heater box cover
Undo both jubilee clips, and pull off the hoses.
Swap the heater matrix.
Reverse the above list, top up the coolant and call it done.
Granadas are very simi!ar.
So is a Mk1 Cavalier :y :y
Sadly the modern ones are huge, gone are the days of few cables, heater matrix, couple of flaps and some tubing.
Its now, heater matrix (or two), multiple flaps for each side plus also potentially the rear, evaporator, servo motors, electric heater etc etc, fricking huge and all eating up real estate I would rather like to get my hands on for my own kit.
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....
mk 3/4/5 Cortina:
Open the bonnet
Undo 3 self tapping screws that secure the heater box cover
Undo both jubilee clips, and pull off the hoses.
Swap the heater matrix.
Reverse the above list, top up the coolant and call it done.
Granadas are very simi!ar.
So is a Mk1 Cavalier :y :y
Sadly the modern ones are huge, gone are the days of few cables, heater matrix, couple of flaps and some tubing.
Its now, heater matrix (or two), multiple flaps for each side plus also potentially the rear, evaporator, servo motors, electric heater etc etc, fricking huge and all eating up real estate I would rather like to get my hands on for my own kit.
Oo have you got a kit car in prorgess? Can we have a thread on it too? My adventurism nowadays extends to swapping a 4x4 for an MX 5 ( with gears no less)
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....
mk 3/4/5 Cortina:
Open the bonnet
Undo 3 self tapping screws that secure the heater box cover
Undo both jubilee clips, and pull off the hoses.
Swap the heater matrix.
Reverse the above list, top up the coolant and call it done.
Granadas are very simi!ar.
So is a Mk1 Cavalier :y :y
Sadly the modern ones are huge, gone are the days of few cables, heater matrix, couple of flaps and some tubing.
Its now, heater matrix (or two), multiple flaps for each side plus also potentially the rear, evaporator, servo motors, electric heater etc etc, fricking huge and all eating up real estate I would rather like to get my hands on for my own kit.
Oo have you got a kit car in prorgess? Can we have a thread on it too? My adventurism nowadays extends to swapping a 4x4 for an MX 5 ( with gears no less)
Sadly not, this is the day job, I could do with space in the dash to mount a module or two but its crammed
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A delivery arrived so I took a quick half hour to work on the rear wheel fitment.. this image shows both the problem and the solution in one:
(https://i.ibb.co/bNhLq3X/image.png)
You can see here the area of paint I've removed from the caliper - due to the offset (backspacing, whatever we're calling it) the 'ridge' inside the wheel coincides almost exactly with the brake caliper. An extra 1/4" of outset (or .. 1/4" less backspacing) would probably put the wheel about perfect but as far as I know I'm only the second person to put knock-ons onto a DeDion, so all I had to go on was Kev Davies' measurements
For the record, I'm talking about the 'other side' of this ridge:
(https://i.ibb.co/1dKvWNn/image.png)
So I have two choices - shave a little off the caliper (which gives me the heeby jeebies!) or see if a spacer gives me enough movement, so I bought some universal 3mm spacers.
(https://i.ibb.co/Wtg0kTK/image.png)
They still leave plenty of centre bore remaining for the knock-on adapters to sit on and they move the wheel out just enough (to the tune of about 2mm!) that it now clears the caliper, while the wheel remains nicely inside the arch and should pass an IVA with tyres on. We'll see once I have the tyres, maybe I'll have to revisit the calipers after all..
(https://i.ibb.co/8x2MvfG/image.png)
They do look good, though!
(https://i.ibb.co/1Jw23yy/image.png)
The spacers are cheap and nasty and need a little filing to fit, despite being 'right' on paper. There are much better made options out there (machined, rather than cast) so I'll probably invest in a set of those if this does turn out to be the answer.
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Your sliding caliper can be safely ground where you've marked it, because it has no internal parts to worry about. Unlike fitting 4 piston Princess calipers which need quite a lot of grinding to fit under 13" wheels. I discovered that the castings weren't even when a heavy brake application broke the seal out of an over thinned casting :o . We checked all our cars, and went back to ordinary M16 calipers........
The angle-iron type metal folder from Machine Mart will save you a lot of hassle, and is cheap enough that it's not worth making one. If I ever build a work bench, it will have a length of heavy angle along the front edge, drilled and tapped on 100mm centres to clamp on another piece to make a long bender. It will be handy for straightening flanges too.
If you ever find a shoemaker's last, grab it; the various curved shapes on a stable base are very handy for sheetmetal work.
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Cheers Nick :y I had visions of grinding material away there and then the outside of the brake caliper falling off the first time I got enthusiastic with the brakes ;)
Funny you should mention a metal folder - I have one now, after I made the in-fill panels for the footwells I went out and bought one.. as you say, they're cheap enough that it isn't worth messing about trying to make one. Just need to assemble it and find it a home in the workshop!
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We dropped a 'buck' engine in so that we can start on exhausts etc along with the final gearbox. Now, let me preface this by saying that since Dax didn't have jigs for an FE+T56 combination, the mounts were placed using my buck engine plus a GM T56 and its now an FE+Ford T56 Magnum which has a slightly different mounting flange arrangement at the back - I think it might be a sniff wider, which has become a slight problem!
We're alright up the front end with the engine:
(https://i.ibb.co/Px4fRs6/IMG-20191229-171458.jpg)
There's even acres of room for the exhaust headers:
(https://i.ibb.co/wwBR1PK/IMG-20191229-171524.jpg)
But it's pretty tight down the tail end of the gearbox:
(https://i.ibb.co/v4fqyDV/IMG-20191229-171942.jpg)
In fact, the tail end bracket is pretty much touching chassis:
(https://i.ibb.co/BfKdFnF/IMG-20191229-171612.jpg)
Two things became apparent during this - a) my old gearbox had a GM style rubber mount on it which is narrower than the mount that MDL supply, b) the new mount is too wide for the steel plate welded to the chassis because the bolts are farther apart than the GM style.
Oh, and c) The gearbox needs to share the same space as my fuel line and my main battery cable .. in fact we all but severed the main battery cable with the gearbox, so that now needs replacing (BUGGER!) as does the fuel line (less annoying to replace). Good job the battery was disconnected!
I also need to source a new GM style transmission mount, and then figure out how much packing it'll need to ensure the gearbox output flange and diff input flange are parallel-but-offset (possibly none, we'll see!)
Still.. that battery cable. BUGGER. BALLS. ETC. I said worse in my head, but not out loud, because my Dad was giving me a hand to do all this...
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So while pondering gearboxes and stuff like that, I thought I'd chip away at odds and sods, getting ready for the real engine - that kind of thing..
Refitted the wing mirrors tonight at a more reasonable height with the aid of some slightly longer BA screws (but not too long!)
(https://i.ibb.co/HNjdr2X/IMG-20200106-194036.jpg)
Fitted the alternator to the buck engine - this isn't the final alternator (or engine!); this one sounds like gravel in a cement mixer so clearly needs a rebuild!
(https://i.ibb.co/M7CLLHC/IMG-20200106-194014.jpg)
Not much space back there, but these are the original FE brackets so must be right..
(https://i.ibb.co/GPC3qHd/IMG-20200106-194022.jpg)
Also 3D printed some bits in preparation for exhaust work.. progress, little by little. And my gearbox mounts are now on the way..
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I am thinking that given the complexities of this project, you ought to have had TWO cars. One with a basic engine and as you went along learning transfer to your car. At the end you could sell the basic one to me to offset your costs and time. I have £15 k waiting. :y
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Funny you should say that .. many people build more than one and use all the lessons they learned on the first car on the second one - if I were doing it again I'd probably go for a Crendon rather than a Dax; which is designed around the FE engine being a more authentic copy.
Then again, if I had the cash lying around.. I'd have one of Dave Brooke's completely authentic aluminium cars. Sadly they're now £80k (turn key cars only) and despite having known Dave for a long time (I might have been one of the first people to know he was even planning an aluminium replica), I still can't get him to sell me one in kit form so that I can afford it ;D I shall keep working on him.
Dave's 427 S/C car: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AC-COBRA-427-SC-SHELBY-ALUMINIUM-BODY-AMERICAN-COLLECTORS-KITCAR-HISTORIC-RACING/324024727480
His 289 FIA car: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AC-COBRA-289-FIA-HTP-TOOLROOM-RECREATION/324024727620
Or, if you'd prefer a roof, Daytona Coupe: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AC-COBRA-289-FIA-HTP-DAYTONA-COUPE-TOOLROOM-RECREATION/324024728026
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You could buy a proper car for that kind of money. :-*
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Hmm seems like my 15k is a bit low. Hope you weren’t offended. I must still be living in the seventies! ;D
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I thought Dax had the better chassis and suspension configuration of the various options out there?
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I thought Dax had the better chassis and suspension configuration of the various options out there?
Yes and no .. vs Pilgrim & AK, yes probably; with the camber compensating front end. The chassis is still a basic ladder chassis of square tube, though, and the DeDion beam rear is a little like having a live axle.
Crendon (and Dave's car, and Kirkham) use twin 4.5" round tube chassis rails with outriggers per original cars, and I think they'll be much stiffer than Dax/AK etc, with unequal length wishbones front & rear. Crendon uses repurposed Jag parts, Dave's cars are entirely bespoke (even his diff casings are cast specifically for him to original spec) :)
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Having left the door shut on the garage, more or less, for a week, I thought I'd carry on 'dressing' the temporary engine so I can figure out throttle cables, heater hoses, that kind of thing.
Thought I'd fit the coolant header tank and see if it clears the bonnet, today:
(https://i.ibb.co/7WXKj9t/IMG-20200117-165020.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/nsdYk7J/IMG-20200117-165154.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/nLCc66d/IMG-20200117-165242.jpg)
(https://i.ibb.co/qxS9gW6/IMG-20200117-171219.jpg)
It does not. To the tune of about 2".
So my Dad popped down last weekend to give me a hand with the header tank.
We took my 'good' header tank (which isn't coated in 40 years of paint) and took it to pieces:
(https://i.ibb.co/t225sjV/IMG-20200119-103237.jpg)
There is what looks like verdigris here and possibly a split in the seam where it is folded over - I did read on clubcobra that this is quite a common failure mode. Still, this header tank was made in 1962 so it's had a good life! There is a classic car radiator repair place near where my Fiancee works, so I'll take it over there when we're done and see if they can fix it. If not, the worst case scenario is that I buy one of Bob @ Vintage's new brass header tanks and just use my modified, shortened, bracket. Anyway.. verdigris:
(https://i.ibb.co/qDqw8Pk/IMG-20200119-103249.jpg)
We chopped about two inches out of the inlet pipe - basically as much as is possible to lose - and then put it back together dry without solder, added some 1/4" ply on top of the radiator cap and the tank itself and then closed the bonnet and success! We have about 1/4" of air gap above the ply spacers, so about 1/2" of gap before the bonnet.. that should do nicely. We could even have got away with shortening it a little less, but why not - it is still nicely the highest point in the system above the inlet manifold, so we should be good there.
(https://i.ibb.co/R3m9Cs6/IMG-20200119-155719.jpg)
We had to chop the original bracket into pieces and then bend & weld it back together - it is only tacked together at this point, and needs welding fully and then reassembling in the correct order (bracket and inlet at the same time):
(https://i.ibb.co/w0rz6Wv/IMG-20200119-160413.jpg)
But, this is basically what we are left with - look at the difference between left and right here:
(https://i.ibb.co/0D1bDLt/IMG-20200119-155931.jpg)
Oh - and of course we turned the header tank around 180 degrees to match the radiator!
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Hi Aaron,
I'm very new to this site and started reading your cobra build yesterday.
The level of detail you have gone to is fantastic.
I was fortunate enough to have borrowed a friend's real 69 CJ over the summer - obviously with a 428 shoehorned in. The 428 hooked up to the 4-speed toploader does not compare to anything I have driven before. It pulls in every gear! I dread to think what it will be like in your light weight Cobra!
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Glad you've enjoyed the thread! :)
I'd love to have a Mustang to keep the Cobra company, but Fastbacks go for such strong money now.. actually as does just about anything American that's been restored or looked after (I drooled over a lime green 440 Charger (https://www.retroclassiccar.com/1969-dodge-charger-440-v8-auto/) recently, but at £54k it's a bit out of my price range!). Ah well, another missed opportunity - like getting into an air-cooled 911 back when they were pennies ;D
I'm hoping that the 428 (stroked to 462) plus the T56 will be 'lively' ;D
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No massive progress - my propshaft arrived today and it looks the right length.. I just can't maneuver it in around everything else without taking the hand brake cable out of the way, and I can't get the hand brake cable out of the way right now as the scissor lift is in the way after shuffling the garage around to put the engine in - d'oh! I'll have to move it around again tomorrow in the daylight and give it another go.
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I have restored (with plenty of help from a knowledgeable friend) a 66 fastback with a 289. The 289 ‘drives civilised’ compared to the 428, but, obviously does not have that big block kudos. Took 7 years - mostly in my garage with as much of the original parts replaced so it is far from pristine.
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Also, I might have got lost along the way, but, what happened to the 390 block? Just wondered once the cobra build is complete you could attempt an Omega drag car build! My understanding is that the Cetera had under the hood capacity for a V8 and that Opel has been considering it for the Euro model toward the end of the line.
Others may pick me up as being incorrect on this though and I cannot remember where I read this.
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GM Europe went as far as building a prototype V8, but decided against it. The excuse given was that cooling was too marginal, but it seems more likely that the powers that be stopped it as GM Europe (along with Ford) had already decided to pull out of the big car market.
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GM Europe went as far as building a prototype V8, but decided against it. The excuse given was that cooling was too marginal, but it seems more likely that the powers that be stopped it as GM Europe (along with Ford) had already decided to pull out of the big car market.
This hasn't stopped a member here doing it, however. ;)
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Also, I might have got lost along the way, but, what happened to the 390 block? Just wondered once the cobra build is complete you could attempt an Omega drag car build! My understanding is that the Cetera had under the hood capacity for a V8 and that Opel has been considering it for the Euro model toward the end of the line.
Others may pick me up as being incorrect on this though and I cannot remember where I read this.
I have three blocks/engines - a 428 that was a block in need of a rebuild (but came with Edelbrock heads), a 390 with stock iron heads (but came with an Edelbrock Performer RPM inlet manifold) and a 390 with stock iron heads and stock iron inlet manifold ;D
Bought the first 390 as a running engine years ago from a guy up near Oxford and was originally intended to "drop right in", but storage while my last garage was being built saw it deteriorate to the point it needed a rebuild..
The 428 block was acquired when I bought the Eddy heads - the block came along as part of the deal ;D It came with pistons (unknown) rods (knackered) and a crank (very, very knackered - awful shoddy machining had been done on it)..
The last 390 came from Bristol and was another "running" cut-out shipped over from the US - I'd guess it's a truck block given the amount of mud & oil covering it! It's being used so I can figure out where the exhaust, alternator, starter etc will end up.. but it came with a load of accessories (like the factory alternator mount) that are expensive to ship over on their own. Plus.. y'know. Spare.
The 428 block was good, though, so that got put together with the Eddy heads and intake and is being rebuilt with a Scat 9000 stroker assembly (https://www.jegs.com/i/Scat/942/1-94652BI/10002/) (forged flat-top 11.4:1 pistons, forged H beam rods, cast crank) with a target of 462cu in displacement.. with a mid-range cam (nothing too lairy, I'd like to be able to drive it under 2000rpm! ;D) it should be good for a nice square 450hp/450lb/ft and all available from 1500rpm up. Well, that's the idea, anyway.. it's been with the engine builder for about 8 months at this point!
So I'll still have two 'running' 390s.. although one lacks an intake.
Oh .. and there's also a set of individual throttle bodies with fuel injection sitting in the garage (several thousand pounds worth :-[ :-[) that I might fit once the car is on the road.. ;D
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Not a bad idea to have the spares and I suppose there is always doing a 67 GT Steve McQueen replica who want a 390. My preference is definitely the 428 though.
I have a 289 in the Mustang. But also have a 351 Australian Cleveland block - the 300 BHP engine similar to those used at Bathurst in the XA to XB Falcons. That one needs a re build - long term plan!
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I haven't achieved much in a couple of weeks now - the prop shaft arrived, but is slightly too long to fit in without moving the gearbox forward or down (there's too much chassis in the way and too little articulation in the universal joints to allow it to clear the chassis and be fed into the gearbox) and I sort of ran out of enthusiasm to bugger about doing all that just to put something in that I'll inevitably have to take out again.
I also sourced some Jaguar bolts to attach it to the diff, which turned up grade S (roughly 8.8) and consensus on the Cobra forum is that they should be grade T (roughly 12.9?) so I've ordered some direct from Jaguar this time to see what turns up.. (3/8UNF, roughly 1.5" long with about 5/8" plain shank makes them a little bit oddball)
I also got the header tank that I modified properly remanufactured by a local radiator specialist, which also came back this week.
But yeah, I've totally run out of enthusiasm to actually do anything to the car :(
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I haven't achieved much in a couple of weeks now - the prop shaft arrived, but is slightly too long to fit in without moving the gearbox forward or down (there's too much chassis in the way and too little articulation in the universal joints to allow it to clear the chassis and be fed into the gearbox) and I sort of ran out of enthusiasm to bugger about doing all that just to put something in that I'll inevitably have to take out again.
I also sourced some Jaguar bolts to attach it to the diff, which turned up grade S (roughly 8.8) and consensus on the Cobra forum is that they should be grade T (roughly 12.9?) so I've ordered some direct from Jaguar this time to see what turns up.. (3/8UNF, roughly 1.5" long with about 5/8" plain shank makes them a little bit oddball)
I also got the header tank that I modified properly remanufactured by a local radiator specialist, which also came back this week.
But yeah, I've totally run out of enthusiasm to actually do anything to the car :(
Have a read through your bank statements. It will make you hate it even more. ;D
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That's half the problem, I think - money has been tight recently and I feel like I'm constantly spending money (even if it is only £30 here, £30 there.. or £300 and £100 in the case of the prop and header tank) and getting nowhere..
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That's half the problem, I think - money has been tight recently and I feel like I'm constantly spending money (even if it is only £30 here, £30 there.. or £300 and £100 in the case of the prop and header tank) and getting nowhere..
Well...you've come too far to stop now, point of no return and all that. At least, when you get it finished, you can enjoy it for a while. Then, perhaps, recoup some of your outlay by selling it on. Doubt you'll get it all back, though.
That's the pessimistic outlook. Tomorrow is another day and, if the sun starts shining, you may find yourself full of renewed enthusiasm.
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If you really can't be bothered, develop a bad back and get you missus to ring car SOS. ;D
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That's just the way it goes sometimes, I get the same with the train.
I find I need to focus on a smaller job for a while and see a result, then away you go again.
At the moment, the 'small' job is fabricating a whole new front end ;D but, its moving along well and the metalwork will be finished in about three weeks :y
(http://preserved.railcar.co.uk/Images/108/50645-2019-12-15-Mark-Russell.jpg)
(That is a moth or so ago, I am now working across the top of the windows)
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That's half the problem, I think - money has been tight recently and I feel like I'm constantly spending money (even if it is only £30 here, £30 there.. or £300 and £100 in the case of the prop and header tank) and getting nowhere..
then do some of the time consuming fit/finish jobs that will help to make it look more like a car.
If you haven't already done this, buy some beers, invite some friends around to fit the wheels, put it on the ground, push it outside and bullshit about it for a while.
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If you really can't be bothered, develop a bad back and get you missus to ring car SOS. ;D
Excellent idea! ;)
That's just the way it goes sometimes, I get the same with the train.
Christ, I have enough of a job finishing a car .. I'm definitely never taking on something the size of a train! ;)
then do some of the time consuming fit/finish jobs that will help to make it look more like a car.
But yeah - like both of you (Nick & Fuse) have said, if I can concentrate on some smaller fit & finish jobs for a bit, at least I'll feel like I'm getting somewhere :) It might also help if the engine builder would break radio silence!
If you haven't already done this, buy some beers, invite some friends around to fit the wheels, put it on the ground, push it outside and bullshit about it for a while.
I might splash out on some tyres for the "proper" wheels (instead of three disintegrating, flat, 16" Jag wheels and one 15" steelie that actually stays inflated) and do just that :y
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That's half the problem, I think - money has been tight recently and I feel like I'm constantly spending money (even if it is only £30 here, £30 there.. or £300 and £100 in the case of the prop and header tank) and getting nowhere..
There must be someway of generating more cash :-\
Bloke at work rents out his driveway, but there again he does live quite close to the railway station ::)
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That's half the problem, I think - money has been tight recently and I feel like I'm constantly spending money (even if it is only £30 here, £30 there.. or £300 and £100 in the case of the prop and header tank) and getting nowhere..
There must be someway of generating more cash :-\
Bloke at work rents out his driveway, but there again he does live quite close to the railway station ::)
I've tried the street corners, but I just don't get that many takers.. ;D
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The diabolical shit weather doesn't help, although the days are starting to get longer again ;)
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The diabolical shit weather doesn't help, although the days are starting to get longer again ;)
True that - especially when the job involves pushing the car out of the garage to move the scissor lift, or going to the cold workshop! ;D
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Or did DG mean for standing on street corners? ;D The only problem with going the Car S.O.S. route is it would mean having to put up with that useless waste of space Tim Shaw turning up and I'm not sure the trade off would be worth it :D
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Or did DG mean for standing on street corners? ;D The only problem with going the Car S.O.S. route is it would mean having to put up with that useless waste of space Tim Shaw turning up and I'm not sure the trade off would be worth it :D
That would be just the motivation I'd need to get off my @rse, out in the garage and finish the bugger off.
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Back to the discussion about prop-to-diff bolts. My genuine Jaguar bolts turned up today (ordered direct from Jaguar Classic Parts, part of JLR) and do you know what is stamped on them for grade?
Bupkis.
(https://i.ibb.co/wcG2TDs/image.png) (https://ibb.co/kmbPpY1)
(https://i.ibb.co/rKB9g13/image.png) (https://ibb.co/cKWqP7w)
(And yes, that's sitting on top of a rather jury summons for me ::) >:( )