Footwell panels

After sorting the roof I set about getting the footwell panels ready for fitting. So I measured up the centre line of the chassis and drew a straight line down the panel where this would centre my rivets. Then I put evenly spaced marks down the line and drilled them out. I deburred each hole with a 7mm drill bit and then positioned it on the chassis.

I drilled through the first hole and held it in place with a Cleco before continuing with the rest and adding more clecos as I went. 

I then started on the passenger side but the drill died halfway through and it was freezing so stopped for the day. 

Once I've got the passenger panel ready and the back panel I will add the sealant and get them in place.

Took about 3 hours today.

Fixing the garage

It was the first time that I went into the garage today after it raining the night before. Turns out that the roof still isn't completely waterproof so set about sorting it. I put a clear tarpaulin up and zip tied it to the roof cross members - it should now be sorted. 

Being an asbestos roof I couldn't play with it! 

Differential fitted

Today was a job that needed doing early in the build and ideally with someone to help but I didn't have anyone so struggled on alone. I used a ratchet strap to help hold it while I got the first bolt in. After that it was plain sailing. With the planning and prep work included it took about an hour in total. 

Trial fitted some panels

After fitting my pedals I had a play with my body panels and trial fitted a few just to see how it would look. I think things will come on quickly once I fit them for real. 

Pedals fitted

After fitting countless bushes to the wishbones I decided to fit them to the pedals and then get the pedals on the car. It was fairly simple, bushes fitted the same and there were two that needed fitting into the chassis itself. Given how awkward they are in the wishbones I didn't relish the task but they slipped in much easier so think the holes are ever so slightly bigger. 

After the bushes were fitted it was a simple case of fitting the metal tube through the middle and bolting together. The pedals moved together until the bolt was tightened up and now it all works perfectly. Maybe a bit stiff but I'm sure it will loosen up over time with use.

May need to cut the bolt down slightly but awaiting confirmation from GBS.

Suspension bushes in

Due to the lack of fitting kits (that I forgot to order) I've decided to make a start on fitting the suspension bushes. Basically you need to clean out any powder coating from the wishbones, give it a good coating of copper slip and the same with the nylon top hats. Then using a vice slowly and squarely squash them in. Once both sides are in, insert the metal tube (which is what the bolts pivot on) and again force it home with the vice. Quite simple but very time consuming. So far has taken about 4 hours and only just finished the front!

Steering Bung

Not really much to say on this but it was the first part I assembled and put on the car so thought it worth a mention.

Simply assemble the three parts and slide them into the hole on the chassis - easy.

First jobs...

So after unpacking and putting my parts in a mixture of the garage and the spare room (very understanding wife) I set about starting with my first few jobs, turns out though that I hadn't ordered any sealant, rivets or nuts and bolts to fit various parts. But of a shame but will order on Monday. 

Collected the kit

This weekend my wife and I hired a van and took the long journey up to GBS to collect my long awaited toy. We were greated with a cup of tea and then set about accounting for all the parts. Wasn't a huge initial order but enough to keep me going for a while at least. 😀