Steering Committee

Yesterday was the first time that I'd spent a whole day in the shed for some time.  The main focus of the day was to firm-up the position of the upper steering column and to get most of the fabrication done.  Dave was thankfully not far away and was able to notch tubes and turn-up bushes as needed. His tig welder also came in very handy. As part of the job of fabricating the upper column, we also needed to determine where the paddle was going to sit and also make the stand-offs to suit.  

The main support is in place, but it the outer column needs a couple of stabilising tubes to make sure that it doesn't move.  I was originally planning to drill lots of holes in the outer column but will now leave it as-is as there is some 20-odd cm of length where it needs to be self-supporting.  The column inner is now also mostly complete.  The run is very smooth which should mean that I get a clear idea of what the front wheels are doing.  The main point is that it suits me perfectly; between the custom column and pendulum pedals its shaping-up to be the most comfortable kit car I've ever sat in.

Speaking of pedals, I also spent some time experimenting with the clutch pedal linkage which is effectively ratio-adjustable.  I hesitate to say it but it looks like the clutch feel will exceed that of most BECs, which is a very good news as some are like on/off switches.

Finally, and not unrelated to the pedals, I sliced up some ERW tube to obtain some suitably light angle with which to fabricate control-cable support brackets.  Again these are just tacked in place at present.  The bracket in-front of the pedal box in the picture above will actually just support a fabricated stand-off which will hold the cable adjuster for the 'go' pedal.  The bracket in the top-centre of the photograph, welded to the flank of the pedal box, will house the cable adjuster for the clutch cable.

I was hoping to finish the reverse gear this weekend but its yet to arrive - two weeks later than quoted!

TC

Geminus

Apparently the word Gemini is derived from the Latin for plural or twin, which is rather interesting given that Gemini is not often used as a noun and hence there appears to be some debate as to whether it warrants a plural at all.  Why is this of importance?  Well, I visited the Stoneleigh kit car show on Sunday and actually doubled the number of Geminis that I've seen in the flesh to, not including mine, four!

Here's the two new ones:

It was quite interesting to talk to the two owners, even though my modifications/specification means that the lessons to be learnt were largely limited body fitment.  In any case it was great to chat through some of the issues and also to get a good idea of where I should panel to underneath the front of the car (for aero-efficiency purposes.)

On Saturday, I really do need to bash together a panel to enclose the rear of the tunnel so that I can get a seat moulded.  I can then get the steering column welded in.  

I've commissioned HPC gears to make me a custom dual gear for the electric reverse.  This prompted me to total-up the cost of my reverse mechanism.  Holy Smoke!  Details once I get all the parts back.

TC