The picture I promised...

I'm afraid that there's no real progress to report and nothing likely for a little while. :(

TC

Exhaust? Tick. Rev-counter? Check. Oil leak? Dammit!

Good news: I have a fully fitted exhaust at long last! The exhaust has cost a fortune between ceramic coating, modifications and the original outlay. I’m just pleased to get it fitted. Once this was on, I was keen to put the car back together and briefly start the thing to get a feel for how noisy it is. The fuel tank was reconnected and filled from the jerry can. The scuttle was put in place and the Master Switch, Ignition/Starter, VR2 dash and SPA gauge all reconnected. Master on, ignition up. Fuel pump clicks until it’s happy and I then lift the ignition switch to its second position. The starter turns but it refuses to catch. This continued for a while until I sprayed carb cleaner down the inlets when it starts. I then realise that the fuel I’ve used is ancient. Oops.

When the car did catch I checked the rev counter. This was the only electrical part still unproven. What a result! It works a treat! I can now honestly say that my home-made wiring loom works in its entirety. Splendid. Just as I’m about to go and buy fresh fuel I notice the oil on the floor. I trace it to the join between the oil pressure sender and its feeder pipe. I must admit I cursed a little and then felt relieved that it was something simple. With the help of my brother, this all got tightened up and it leaks no more.

It was now too late to be starting the beast so I plugged in the Optimate charger and locked up, put the jerry can in the commuter and came inside to drink Becks. Still no sign of the camera charger but I will sort out some photos on the weekend.

Cheers

TC

36 days until RAF Valley...

Decent progress. Unfortunately, I can’t find the battery charger for the camera to prove it. ‘Lenny the Lathe’ has been a huge help again; this time fabricating new brackets to mount the radiator and to support the front of the tub – if you remember, the old steel ones clashed with the suspension rockers. No such problem anymore and everything is aluminium so I must have saved at least 100 grams (Woop!)

Among my biggest worries was the cooling system because I couldn’t route the bottom hose with the radiator mounted as it was. The new brackets make this possible and I’ve forked out more cash for more silicon hoses to get the job done. Next on the worry list was/is the exhaust. I’ve got to be honest; the MNR exhaust is one of the least impressive parts of the kit. The tailpipe is nominally clamped to the silencer with the same U-clamp which supports the exhaust at the outlet end. It always struck me that this is a bit agricultural looking and has the potential to let the rest of the car down. I’ve already had the tip welded to the silencer and, having messed about with bike-style straps for longer than I care to think about, I’ve made arrangements to have a bracket welded-on by Charlie at http://www.pro-speedexhausts.co.uk/ . He’s got a great reputation with the guys on the Pistonheads South Wales forum and has been very helpful.

I’ve bought plenty of odds-and-sods to do various small jobs on the car. The contents of a small envelope from Demon Tweeks came to £50 - A bit upsetting but needs must. I’m just glad I stopped counting costs long ago! I need to tidy-up some of the holes in the GRP where they haven’t quite been big enough and moving parts have chipped the edge. Removing the scuttle has allowed me to ‘kill two birds with one stone’ and extend the hole for the steering column at the same time as cleaning up the aluminium. The perfectionist in me has also reared its head and I’ve replaced a switch cover that was tarnished with a new one before the car has even turned a wheel. Don’t even get me started on the way that one of those unturned wheels is already losing its lacquer…

TC

Rear arches back on...

Just a couple of pics.

Looking good:

And even:

TC

P.s. Earache still bad but better.

Post holiday progress; or not…

I was planning on having a really good run at the car this week after a week away. Unfortunately I seem to have ‘swimmers ear’ or similar which is absolute bloody agony. Hence, I’ve only pottered about really as I’ve messed-up the only thing requiring any level of concentration. This was a 2nd attempt at an inspection cover (in a better aluminium which matched the scuttle) so I’ll now have to make a third.

I have done one of the jobs that I was dreading though. The rear arch protectors are a flexible carbon polymer. They aren’t self adhesive and I’d been wondering how to attach them. The supplier, Carbonmods, suggested double-sided tape and a mate suggested Velcro. Neither of these were a satisfactory solution for me. Instead I went onto eBay and bought some strong spray glue. After washing and drying both the arches and the protectors, I marked how I wanted to position them and covered the entire back of the protector. I then lined them up and stuck them on. I’m as relieved with the result as I am pleased. Once I’m happy that the glue has gone off I just need to remove any excess with nail polish remover.

Excuse the mess in the background - the skip is due Thursday!

This job was made easier by the fact that I’d already removed the arches to trim back the tub where it was fouling the springs. I didn’t want to take too much material off as the tub is a bit ‘wavy’ but I think I’ve cleared it enough now.

A final piece of exciting news is that the boot cover has arrived. I need to spend some time fixing this in place once my brain isn’t warped by pain killers. In the meantime, here’s a picture of it lying in situ. I’m very pleased with it – the orange piping is just enough to pick-up the Gulf theme.
I’ve booked my first trackday in the car – the 31st of August at RAF Valley on Anglesey. That gives me two months to complete everything. It should be a ‘doddle’ but I still need to sort out some problems like the radiator mounting so it will naturally be too close for comfort – that’s just the way the build has gone.

Anyway, I’m off to wince some more from the ear-related pain!

TC

The Garage is tidy…

... and ready for action.

The exams are over, and finally I can try to make some progress. The boot cover template is as good as I can get it and ready to ship.
The carbon back panel is riveted on.

I need some material to make some brackets and replace some mild steel bar in the pedal box. I was about to buy some from an eBay seller and amended a measurement by 5mm on 2mm thick Ali plate. The guy wanted an additional £5.50 so I told him where to stick it. So, I need to try to get to my local metals place sometime in office hours.

I put the nose back on today as I’d forgotten what the car looked like ‘complete.’ I thought while it was all together, I’d have a look at the carbon canards to see where they’d go and also put the stripe in place to see what it will all look like. Sellotape is a wonderful thing.

Now, my latest concern: If you look at the above photograph, the lower wishbone is almost parallel to the floor and the steering arms can only be described as diagonal. This spells one thing, bump-steer. The problem is, there is absolutely no way that the steering rack can move. Hmmm… will require some thought; likely by someone with more expertise than me.

A couple of pretty random photos to finish for the evening: Good night.

TC

Too close for comfort...

I’m deep into revision for my last exam of the year at the end of the week but I have managed a few hours in the garage… all of which have been a bit concerning.

I’ve put the front suspension back together and have found two problems:

1. I’ve had Lenny turn my bolts too short – totally my fault; not the end of the world but annoying.
2. More worryingly, once it was all back together I found that the rocker actually clashed with the bracket that Steve had riveted to the chassis to support the body. I’ve always wondered if they should be on the outside if the chassis and this would appear to be the case. There was nothing about this ‘development’ in the manual so it’s not a great shock. The only way that I could attach the brackets on the outside of the chassis is if I removed the main tub – this is not going to happen so I’ll need to fabricate some different brackets. It’s incredible how tight things are around the front shocks. I’ve already mentioned that the lower mount are too close together; I now find that I have about 3-4mm only of clearance between rocker and chassis. I’ve leapt up and down on the front suspension and nothing touches with the aforementioned brackets removed but it’s a bit closer than I’d ideally like.

I’ve also had a quick look at the rear suspension and found that the springs touch the body in their current position. This means that I’ve got to space the wishbones and or dampers differently. Again, not the end of the world but an annoyance none the less, and another job for the list.
I have managed to complete something off the list. I bought some skateboard grip tape from an eBay seller and have since removed the pedals and applied it. You can also see in the photo my original and replacement accelerator pedals. I positioned the pivot too far to the right so wasn’t able to heel and toe. I contacted Grant at Optimum Balance Products who I guessed made the pedal box and commissioned a one-off replacement. Not surprisingly, he questioned what I needed a couple of times as it does look suitable for a club-foot. Still, it does the job nicely. Lenny’s done a great job on my new load spreading seat spacers. New (top) and old can be seen here:
I’ve also almost got the template for the boot cover spot-on. One more and I’ll have it done.
I have had a bit of encouraging news this week. Local MNR owners Ed and Jon (thoroughly nice blokes as it happens) took their car to Muzz Race to get the suspension set-up after I suggested that I would be taking mine there. It sounds like Steff did a great job which is the first bit of good news. The second is that their car weighed 486kgs with a fair amount of fuel on board. I’d expect their car to be quite a bit heavier than mine so I may yet get to 450ish kgs which would be fab!

Anyway, bed beckons – Ciao.

TC