Handbrake finalised

An easy job to start with, I clipped the last part of the handbrake cable in place on the rear hubs ready for the rear panel.

Disaster!

While moving the car from my garage to my drive (25m or so) the trolley partially collapsed and one wheel fell off. I managed to wrestle it off the road and into my drive where I attempted a repair.

I think it's just too heavy now and in need of its wheels to get it off the trolley. My repair should hold but don't know how long for.....

Engine arrived

After being told no more engines were availiable, I found one online and it arrived this week. Very lucky!

Not at a stage to use it yet, but at least I've got it.

Dash prepped for the clocks

So after my build order changed massively due to a possible shortage of engines I have put an order in for the engine which now means I can't afford the clocks when I wanted them so have had to do other jobs. I decided (due to the weather), to finalise the dash so it's ready for the clocks when I do get them.

A very straightforward process, but very time consuming. 

Firstly was to attach the GRP dash to the scuttle. I lined everything up and then marked the first two holes. These were then drilled out while a rivnut was inserted into the scuttle. I drilled to 7.5mm even though the bolts are 6mm to give a little room for error.

After the first two holes were perfect, I moved into the next two. Repeated the above and moved on etc etc. 

Finally it was all drilled out and bolted to the scuttle which made it feel much more solid than before.

Next up I set about drilling the holes to mount the clocks. I've opted for the stainless steel surround as I like the mirror like finish it gives. I lined it up with the cutout for the steering shaft and ensured it was level using a spirit level and the kitchen counter. Once lined up, I marked the holes and was impressed with how close my pure guesswork was a few months ago.

As I didn't have a hole cutter, I drilled loads of small holes using a blunt 3.2 mm bit I had from drilling rivet holes in the chassis.

I then used some small snips to cut the holes through to each other.

Once the holes were loose, they pushed out and I sanded using a flap sander attached to my dremel. This made short work of the GRP but had to control myself so I didn't sand too much excess away - this will be done when I have the clocks to ensure a snug fit. 

I then added the surround so I could see how things are going to look and peeled back a small but if the protective film to see the mirrored finish.

It looks great and can't wait to get it fitted.

Just a word of caution, if working with GRP use a dust mask and eye protection at all times. It's horrible stuff and will cause you issues if you don't.

Car seats

As standard GBS don't sent fitting kits with ANYTHING arghhhh, so could only sit the seat in the car before removing it once I'd finished for the day.

I had the obligatory sit in it and smile - much tighter than I remember. 

Trial fitted a headlight.

I couldn't help but trial fit a headlight today as I thought it would set the car off nicely - it did. 

I also sat the cycle wing ontop just to see how it would look. 

What a day!!

I had a fantastically productive day today, I spent 7 hours outside, endured a few showers but loved it.

Firstly I added the front left wishbones, shocks, hubs, brakes, calipers and discs. Before repeating on the other side.

I started with the lower wishbone using a double ended hook I've made from a cheap ratchet strap. I then added the shock absorber before adding the upper wishbone utilising the same strap I used on the bottom.

I didn't take many photos during the build but it's all straight forwards and obvious.

Discs and calipers were then added which went on easily and I'm nearly in a position where I can bleed the brakes.

I also found some small plastic caps on eBay and used them to fill the holes on the cycle wing carriers to try and prevent rust in the future.

I repeated on the other side and it's looks amazing. 

Front hubs

My front hubs arrived today and it finally made sense how they fitted together with the wishbones and cycle wing carriers. 

Mine arrived black as they has accidentally been powder coated, I don't mind as it will add a layer of protection but will have to remove some as the brake disc won't fit at the moment.

Basically the cycle wing carrier slots into the large hole ontop of the hub and is then held by a bolt on the rear - in true GBS fashion that doesn't come with the hub. 

I pressed the cycle wing carrier in as far as I could manually, and then tapped it home with a large rubber mallet.

And the final product...

How the rest fits together is self explanatory now I have the parts. 

I have so many bits to do over the next week :-) 

Seat runners

I got seats and runners for my birthday so today spent cutting and trimming so they will fit. As they are universal runners they don't fit out of the box so some modification is required.

Firstly I elongated the hole that will attach to the seat at the rear, I did this with a manual hand file. The bottom one is the modified side.

Next was altering the other side, the drill bit would have slipped out of the end so decided to just cut a slot so the mounting bolt can fit anywhere along the slot. This was done with a dremel multi tool.

I filed everything down by hand and then gave all bare metal a coat of black paint to protect from rust.

When it was dry I fitted it to the seats.

Above is the rear of the seat and the hole that was elongated to give extra room at the other end.

 And this is the front of the seat where I cut the slot, not much room to play with here but a good solid fit. The bolts were put in with a bit of thread lock to stop them coming loose in the future.

Once everything was in place I added the handle which was a tight fit but not going anywhere so happy with it as is.

And that's it, now I need to fit them to the car tomorrow - if it stops raining. 

IVA Covers

Part of getting the car on the road is the dreaded IVA test (very in depth MOT for those who don't know) and part of that is making sure all the nuts and bolts are covered so they don't cause injury if you hit someone (don't worry about the wheels, hot exhaust or moving CAR as long as the nuts and bolts don't scratch you!) 

Anyway it was straight forwards a free working out how far into the wishbones the ball joints need to go. I'm working on 50mm from the centre of the ball joint to the end of the wishbone.

 This was my first attempt (on the left) but it doesn't fit very snugly so tried again using part of the tapered end of the cover. About 15mm is tapered and the rest isn't giving a total size of 50mm.

It sits nice and tight now. I put it together as above and then wound it into the wishbone using a bit of leverage when required.

And that's it. Repeat for the other side (minus the initial error) and I'll be happy in the knowledge that if I do run a child over the nuts and bolts won't graze it! 

PRESENTS!!!

Another year older (and wiser), and I was a lucky boy this year. I got:

Track rod extensions 

Track rod ends

Upper ball joints

Lower ball joints

Vented grooved front discs

Front pads

Gear stick and handbrake gaiters 

Seats

Harnesses

Adjustable seat mounts

And some vouchers which I spent on front hubs and front calipers!

Thank you to all who contributed. 

This evening I spent putting the ball joints onto the wishbones ready for fitting to the car this week. 

I also sat the harness on the seat and admired how it looked.

Can't wait to get these fitted.

Dash board

My wife bought me the dash panel as an anniversary gift which was unexpected. I spent today cutting, drilling and finally fitting it in place. 

Firstly I marked the area that needed cutting out, before covering the whole thing in masking tape to protect against any scratches.

All done.

Diff access panel waterproofing

Just a small job for this evening. I decided to add some foam to my diff access panel to try and stop any water ingress into the boot. I won't be driving in the rain normally but you never know!!

I bought two sheets of craft foam from hobby craft for about 70p each and glued them to the back of the access panel. Trimmed it with a Stanley knife and sanded until it was perfect. 

Just need to recut the holes to attach it now. Will probably do that with a drill tomorrow.