Slow and steady wins the.... Hillclimb?

I'm not exactly flying through the build at the moment - mostly due to work commitments allied to a lack of sundry-type parts. However, there is some movement.

The picture below shows the footwell panel ready for powdercoating and held in place with Cleco fasteners. These things are brilliant. I've had the panels on and off a dozen or more times and these temporary rivet type devices make it so easy! They are simply squeezed into place with a special pliers and removed in the same way. Mine were bought from http://www.nfauto.co.uk/ and are a must of you have a lot of panelling to do on a kit car. I think they're right up there with a Dremmel in terms of useful tools.

Other work has focused on the wiring and things are starting to fall into place. I'm desperately trying to keep the wiring as neat as possible. The picture below shows the ECU, starter solenoid and Kliktronic controller bolted to the centre tunnel. I need to invest in some wire to get it all plumbed in now.

The new flexible brake lines have arrived from Merlin Motorsport and these will go in as soon as I can get hold of some 6.5mm p-clips.

I was originally hoping to have the engine in these weekend but a combination of 4 nights out on the town this week and lack of time to order bolts has meant that it'll have to wait. There's little chance to make great strides this weekend due to work commitments.

That said, I hope to get the remaining aluminium panel (scuttle/footwell tops) drilled and ready for fitting at a later date. I really need to sort out a powdercoater also!

If you want to see a similar car coming together more quickly, try here: http://mymnrvortx.blogspot.com/ Steve actually collected his kit a week later than me!

In any case, I'm enjoying my time in the garage!


TC

P.S. If you've never tried drinking cocktails named after cars and talking to another Petrolhead with a similar machine I can recommend it. Cheers!

Still no pictures and limited progress.

I have finally got all 100 holes drilled in the aluminium footwell panels and the chassis. I have 3 big holes left before the whole lot can be deburred and finally sent to be powdercoated. Two of these holes are for the brake master cylinders, the final hole is to run the brake line to my line-lock through.

There's more parts to be sorted for powdercoating at the same time. These are:

• 2 x Fuel tank securing straps
• High level brake light mounting panel
• 2 x nose-cone supports

I'm contacting a couple of companies for quotes for the brake lines tomorrow. The ECU is mounted in the footwell. The position of the starter solenoid is marked. I am making some progress - honest Guv! On the subject of the wiring, I'm happy to do it as long as it's kept simple. For this reason, I'm not using the bike relay box or starter solenoid and am instead using a trusty Lucas-type. Where I'm not so good is on the size of cable to use for some of the wiring so I'll be taking advice from Vehicle Wiring Products when I order.

One final bit of good news - after much searching, I've located a source of new diff drain plugs. Mine is chewed to bits so this is a relief!

It's amazing what makes you happy when you're building one of these things.

Look after yourselves & each other... :p

TC

I never said I'd make it easy for myself....

Apologies for the lack of updates, but due to the house move, I've no broadband and we can't even find the charger for the camera!

There's 3 of us that have all picked-up our MNR kits at around the same time. Needless to say, they other two guys have raced ahead. So why is this? Well, predominantly because I've made a few decisions that have slowed me down:

1. The brake lines supplied with the kit have been sold and I'm going to run Goodridge flexible hoses throughout the car. The lines didn't fit anyway because of my line-lock set-up and I just don't like the look of copper pipes (I know - how daft does that sound!?) so with the help of a guy called Chris Mason (cheers Sir!) I've worked out what flexis I need. I haven't bitten the bullet yet because they're not exactly cheap!
2. I once had a conversation with a guy who successfully builds and prepares race cars. He told me that he rivets panels on at inch intervals. Stupidly, I've taken his advice when it comes to my footwell panels. So whereas other MNR builders may use 30-odd rivets to affix the panels, I'm using exactly 100! Great! I've also decided to have the panels powdercoated so they're not on yet either.

On the positive side, I have done a fair amount of planning when it comes to the wiring, so that shouldn't be too difficult. I've also dropped my 4-2-1 exhaust off at Camcoat in Warrington to have it ceramic coated. This should a) Reduce under-bonnet temperatures and b) look cool.

So, that's about it for now. I'm off home to get back in the garage. I should have some pics on Tuesday when I'll explain what a wonderful device the Cleco fastner is.

Ciao for now.

TC