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rockinroyston

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  1. rockinroyston

    SPA mirrors

    By rockinroyston,

    New mirrors arrived & been fitted... when it stops raining I may get to test them out :-(  went for the convex glass & from my driving seat in the garage it actually looks like they may be of some use... only time will tell...
    Sustained my first Caterham injury (to me), sunny day plus shorts plus new doors flapping about = burnt leg on the exhaust.... I need to review my car exit technique on the rare warm days! bloody hurt 
  2. rockinroyston

    It lives!

    By rockinroyston,

    It started fine!
     
    Plenty of oil pressure on turn over & when running
     
    Electric fan kicked in & I didn't need to top up the water at all so it looks like I filled it OK.
     
    Cant get it to tick over very well (at all) & its running pretty rich by the smell of it, I assume this is a post build check thing?
     
    I suspect I have some leaks around the exhaust collector but difficult to tell in the garage with all the racketWD40copper grease burning off things... I assume this will settle down as it runs? certainly sounds loud in a small garage!
     
    Only thing that doesn't seem to be working is the fuel gauge. I have heard if you don't fill the tank up to full it doesn't set itself? unfortunately my new jerry can & spout was leaking like a sieve so I was struggling a bit on my own. I'll have another go when I have an assistant...
     
    Very happy! (& relieved...)
    For the you tubers 
    ​& this seems so long ago!

    up date: Filled the tank & the gauge now works! just need to sort out the wingslights & wiring...
    UPDATE: WASHER WATCH
    After the washer set back with the rear radius arm I've been on a bit of a 'washer watch' & while 'tinkering' just spotted I didnt put any washers under the heads of the engine mounting point bolts... damn... on the list of jobs for today... glad I spotted this anyway! easy to rectify (as long as the bolts slip out OK...)
     
     
  3. rockinroyston

    First drive!

    By rockinroyston,

    Picked up the car from Caterham which was a bit of a low tech 'here are the keys & see you later' affair. Car sounded great! and everything seemed to be in order! so set off in bright sun shine but then hit the M25 & the clouds & rain soon appeared. It has to be said driving a Caterham with zero miles on the clock in the rain with no doors or roof  (on the M25) is not the best way to spend your first few hrs with a new toy! The wind & road noise above 70mph was just ridiculous so had to play with the trucks & random drivers in the inside lane which is not my normal road position... felt very vulnerable, cold & wet... not a great start but managed to get home in one piece. After a thaw out & some food (& the sun came out) I took the boys out for a spin around some of the nice local driving roads which was much more fun! I also found my ear plugs & put a coat on... altogether more pleasant & the heater works well! Also took the project manager for a spin & she lasted a mile before she wanted to drive... & did well!
    So quick summation... loving it! but I wll be selecting 'avoid motorways' on the sat nav. Due to a local 'do' on Saturday night my plans for a drive on Sunday were canceled... probably for the best. Unfortunately my work is mentally busy at the moment & I'm going away for 2 months next week so will leave the car in the project managers hands... Looking on the bright side at least I have a week of driving before I go which wasn't necessarily going to be the case. Not going to get a chance to do the doors & roof yet & so far I haven't even taken the bonnet off to look at the new pipe work & wiring... on the list... I don't think I am man & machine in perfect harmony as yet & its going to take a while to get used to it, I can also see my ex biker 'defensive driving skills' will need to be re learnt...
    p.s. the wing mirrors are rubbish on the motorway... but amazingly the windscreen wipers were surprisingly effective... I had intended to get the go pro sorted for the first drive but ran out of time. I'll get it sorted for a drive in the sunshine on nice roads! never been a fan of the M25... even less of a fan now...
  4. rockinroyston

    IVA pass!

    By rockinroyston,

    Got the call I wanted & it passed the IVA!
    Have had a few issues with Caterham re costs & stuff tho... still in discussions...
    As luck would have it I was in Brighton for a meeting so on the way back popped into Caterham to pick up all the docs & meet Michaela whjo went through everything with me. All off in the post this morning!
    So my car was looking a bit dismembered & was sitting in the rear car park looking a bit sad. Unfortunately the 310 up grade hasn't happened yet due to a busy bank holiday weekend so I couldn't get to hear it running  which was 'disappointing' as its been with them since the 20th March... It would appear my smoke issue was because I over filled it with oil... what a numpty... & hadn't let the oil drain down properly... In my defense I was told the engine 'did not have oil in it' & then changed to it 'does have oil in it' when I loosened the super tight oil filter & loads of oil dumped onto the floor... When I checked the oil after running the engine I didn't leave it for 5 minutes to drain down so it looked fine... hopefully no lasting damage done but I'm ready for the argument :-( & no idea how they blagged it through the IVA with the smoky exhaust when they did the noise test at 5000 rpm! so point to their team for that one!
    Once I get the car back I will post all the new engine wiring routes & pipe routes that are 'essential' but not mentioned in the manual anywhere at all or during my frequent correspondence with Derek... cost me a small fortune (2.5hrs at £75-00 per hr)... I did make a couple of errors that I'll put my hand up to as well LOL, but nothing major except for the bloody rubber grommet on the top of the headlight stay (between the headlight & the bracket), my solution of double shrink tube was not acceptable apparently.... that was an expensive mistake. I should have stripped off all the caterham annoying floppy rubber tube stuff & just started it from scratch & done it with proper shrink tube, then the grommet would have fitted (maybe...). another 2.5hrs at £75-00 per hr to rectify.... apparently...
    Anyway... I've moved on & will post photo's to assist fellow blunderers get it right first time...
     
  5. rockinroyston
    Not updated for a while as my computer crashed just as I was about to save my blog which was some what annoying! going to save as I go along next time... So this covers about 2 days of work spread over a few sessions. 
    Rear ARB, now done, Caterham now no longer use the hex extender... put the car on the Dion tube & torqued up all the rear bolts. I was surprised how little the suspension deflected but checked with Derek & this is normal
    Interior, this is now all done. Only issues I had were with the sill protectors... whilst I was fiddling on the windscreen end the other end was scraping all my paint off... The sill protector is really sharp! & I decided to put some IVA trip over the end of it as it could take your finger off. I'm sure the carbon ones are fine but the steel ones are a liability... I was much more careful on the other side & used masking tape on the edges... just need to get it all off now.. haven't pop riveted all the sides yet until I've worked out where the arm rest goes in relation to the random doors & roof stuff... Also haven't carpeted the boot area yet as I decide to paint it with 'never drying hammerite' hopefully it will dry eventually! must be cold in the garage.
    speed sensor, used some Maplin spiral wire protector that I have just discovered! great stuff & I'll be using it elsewhere too.
    Hand brake, re routed the hand brake as per Dereks instructions & then secured using the 'team Ivan method' with back to back P clips. (Wasn't keen on the tie wrap method). Used 2 cut down brackets from B & Q to secure the top to the ali boot cross brace. The cables are now well away from any spinning objects & the hand brake appears to work... job done
    Boot floor, the ali strut was pressed against the diff which can't be good so I drilled out the rivets & raised it with 3 small nuts held in with a bolt. The floor is now in & its fine, had to trim about 2mm off the ali honeycomb bit to get it to fit.
    & thats about it! rather optimistically I have booked in my car to be picked up my caterham on the 27th March so the pressure is on! also started the IVA process & have my booking reference which is now being watched by Caterham... I regretted doing this almost immediately because up to this point I've been pretty chilled out re the project but for 'real work' reasons I need to get a shift on otherwise it wont be done til October...
    So main things on the 'to do' list:
    Front wings (a worry...)
    Front light wiring completion (been putting this off...)
    rear wings & rear lights
    boot cover & roof 'sticks'
    Start the engine up (a worry...)
    Do an IVA idiot check...
    Put the wheels, nose cone & bonnet on....
    Bleed the brakes again....
     
     
     
     
     
     
  6. rockinroyston
    So had a few random 3 hrs sessions over the last few days so a quick summation...
    Dion tube:
    Brake line attached & built up the ears & stuff. Can I just thank Andrew Bissell & his fantastic Blogg! I have to say without this I would have ground to a halt really really quickly. The photo's with the bolts for the ears & brakes is invaluable. I have used his blogg for lots of things but this bit saved the day. 
    http://caterhamsevenbuild.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/build-day-11-rear-wheels-left.html
    One thing I hadn't picked up on, the nut that holds on the 3 way brake adapter to the Dion tube stud is not metric.... after a bit of searching I found a suitable lock nut with a white insert... Didn't do too much damage when I was attempting to put on a metric nut...
    I had purchased a brake line bending tool... waste of time when you already have a fixing on the end of the tube as you have no room to use it...used a large socket to bend it around like everyone else seems to!
    Next stage the manual says insert the tube from the right hand side of the car as if its really important. I was a bit worried about this as I had no room on the right hand side. Inserted it from the left with no issues at all... who knows...
    A frame,
    after fannying about got this loosely connected.
    Shock absorbers 
    Disconnected A frame.... feeling well pleased with myself that I'd put on my roll bar & then suddenly remembered I hadn't torqued the bolts up... well remembered me!... mucked about for a good 10 minutes trying to find an Allen key that fitted with no joy, I then finally peered up the tube & noticed I hadn't put a bolt in... for gods sake... this is the trouble with doing short sessions... anyway... bolt inserted, & torqued up... job done.
    I can now see why you are warned not to strip the lower bolts of the shocks. After mucking about for a while I got the bolts in & managed not to strip them. Then re connected the A frame with no issues.
    Radius arms
    Checked with Derek & these go in the bottom hole he also advised that the pressing should go next to the caliper... I obviously ignored this snippet of info & found out why you do this when I tried to assemble the brakes...Had to drill a hole through the bottom hole as there was no corresponding hole in the steel behind it.
    A frame
    Forgot to mention that before I did the radius arms I put the washers on the end of the A frame. By some miracle I ended up with 4 on the LH side & 3 on the right hand side (which is what it says in the manual!) & the ends of the Dion tube were identical each side when measured to the chassis... wonders will never cease.
    I was getting a bit tired now & started losing the plot a bit...
    Started assembling the ears & brakes & inserting the half shaft... Struggled a bit & called a halt when Derek pointed out I'd not put on my rear brake disc...
    update: also noticed from photos on Jerrys Blogg (https://jigthecat.tumblr.com/)  that I left off the two spacers from the brake caliper... oops... but better to find out now anyway! I probably would have noticed when the disc didn't fit in the gap...
    So I sort of have a rear suspension installed just need to get the brake bit sorted & make a start on the rear ARB...
    One thing I did find out.. the hub nuts are different sizes! The one with the LH thread (nearside) has a 41mm nut which I had previous bought a socket for.. the RH  (RH thread) side has a 41.5mm nut... Derek has said he will send me one which is very nice of him!
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  7. rockinroyston
    Thanks to a photo supplied by JIG I found the 'special Bolts' they were helpfully in the bag with all the rear brake pads... should have realised.. Also got another set in the post from Caterham so now I have spares....
    So set to work on the front. No real issues & everything went on as expected.
    Only drama of any note was the front ARB... as per everyones instructions I soaked with rubber lubricant & got the 1st rubber halfway down the first straight & then it seized solid... refused to move in any direction. Had it in the workmate & I could see I was starting to damage the powder coat... time to stop & have a cup of tea... once the brain cells picked up I decided to have a go on the other mount & this time I heated it up in some boiling water & the good idea of the day was to use washing up liquid instead of rubber lubricant. It almost ran onto the tube on its own! Just had to get the other one off so I tried the washing up liquid trick & eventually got it moving. My theory is the rubber lubricant is so thin it gets wiped off the inside of the rubber as you push it down the tube & then everything gets solid... the washing up liquid is thicker & creates better lubrication, well it did in my case!
    So filled with over confidence I rushed to insert the plastic balls into the cups (which in my head would be easy...). First issue was the ball didn't want to go in at all.. pushed & shoved to the extent I almost knocked the car of its axle stands.. right stop... think. It appeared once I (cleaned the cup of grease) there was some powder coat getting in the way & also the ball had a bit of a casting mark around it... so out with the dremmel to do away with the excess. Tried again & it slid in fairly easily (unexpectedly)... but I hadn't put much grease in so I decided to take it out again... I must have twisted it & the ball crumbled into two halves... great... I had assumed the ball would be made of some high tensile nylon, but no it seems to be made with a hard crumbly plastic. e-mail to Derek admitting my failure & asking for another one :-(  Managed to get the unbroken one in once I had de painted (& greased up!). Not looking forward to putting the other one in tho. I hadn't taken on board how non compliant the ARB is, think I need to look at a few blogs before I try it...
    So what else:
    Horns... wow...
    Dinotrolled most of the underneath of the car, few more cans required but the bulk has been done
    Attached gearbox to engine, no issues
    Attached engine to engine hoist & its apparent I need a couple of extra shackles for the engine leveler.
    All in all a bit of progress made today & only one failure requiring Derek...
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
  8. rockinroyston
    Decided to have a semi day at work & field e-mails whilst I worked out how to do the headlights...
    followed this method which went OK when I read it properly...
    http://www.caterhamr500.co.uk/2014/02/build-day-four-headlight-and-indicator.html
    first attempt I did all the wiring & was very pleased with myself & then I noticed the nutindicator housing & bracket sitting there looking at me... had to take it all apart again.... how I laughed.
    Couple of things I did that weren't in the details above:
    I Sprayed rubber lubricant down the floppy tube that comes with the headlight assembly. This made it much easier to push the green wire through with all the other wires. I used shrink wrap to tidy up the ends of the floppy tube, this made it a lot easier to push through the holes in the headlight bracket & it will go through the rubber grommet in the chassis with no issues (I tested it...).
    Future issues... the green wire is quite short so I'll probably need to extend it when it comes to electrics time... All the other wires are quite long. In the manual its says 'pull the wires into the headlight to get the correct length' LOL, I'll eat my hat if that works but I'll give it a try when I get the lights fitted. as they are soaked in lubricant it might work but I'm not hopeful.
    I've never used shrink tube before... its great! tested it out on a few random things. Heated it up with a mini propane powered soldering iron (the top bit comes off & it turns into a mini blow torch). Very happy with this bit of kit & my new shrink tubing skills... If in doubt it will be shrink wrapped...
    I did destroy the soft grommet thing on one of the green wires (as it went in & out of the black tube a few times). Hopefully this is just a seal & i can drop some silicone in or something. Seems too soft to be anything structural in the socket.... hope not anyway.
    Next project: finish off all the front suspension & headlights. I'm a bit more confident about this as I'm pretty much half way there really. & it means I can put my head in the sand re the 'elephant in the room'... who needs an engine when you have other things to do...
     
     
     
  9. rockinroyston

    Bell Housing

    By rockinroyston,

    So decided to look at the elephant in the room...
    Pleased to find the engine dragged over the floor easily & set to work. First issue 2 sets of bolts (1 set on the gearbox & 1 set on the bell housing) 1 set cup type with split washers the other set normal with flat washers... neither are 70mm as indicated by the manual... my longest were only 50mm. Only been going 20 mins & my first e-mail to Derek.. got a reply in 5 mins 50 mm cup type with split washers are the ones.
    Next issue I don't have any hex type sockets so cant reach the heads inside the bell housing.... Quick Amazon prime purchase & should be here tomorrow along with some long ones to reach the ones behind the starter motor... Derek confirmed no gasket or sealant required between the bell houseenginegearbox & no rubber gasket required on the end of the shaft. Loosely bolted up & now awaiting Amazon delivery.
    While I twiddled my thumbs I decided to put a thin smear of grease on the starter & ring gear, this was dry as dust. Derek confirmed that Caterham don't do this on their builds but it wouldn't do any harm. 
    Whilst I was flinging the gear box about trying to work out what all the various plugsbolts did & where to put the oil (which don't seem to match anyone else's gearbox ive seen pictures of) I noticed some oil had dripped out of a small relief valve. hmmm, another e-mail to Derek confirmed that the gearbox comes pre filled (apart from all the oil on the floor obviously...).
    Needed another project so I put the heater in... no dramas to report on that one.
    Then had a look at the hand brake... seem to be missing the pulley & assorted clevis pins so that's it for the day...
    Semi progress... hopefully my 'special nuts' will arrive tomorrow otherwise I'll be at a bit of a loose end over the weekend & wont be able to complete the front uprights :-(
     
     
     
  10. rockinroyston
    Duramat floor almost complete.... Measure twice cut once... few extra tiles on order DOH! hadn't taken into account the tiles being 'handed' so more waste around the edges than expected...
    Went for the hi-viz option so I can find all the stuff I drop on the floor... 'Project managers' not quite so sure of my choice... but should match the yellow stripe on the bonnet nicely!
    Good news on the delivery front too! Caterham have hinted that a December delivery date is now looking 'possible' & my chassis is in 'construction'!
  11. rockinroyston
    Hi
    My first faltering steps on my build... starting the blogg... 
    Ordered my 270 SV in July hoping that it would be delivered in November but hadn't taken into account (or even known about) the Academy series taking over the factory... & its not due until January . This will be my first 'kit car'... Many many years ago I did squeeze an MGB engine into my morris minor van & it didnt fall a part so i'm hoping it will all come back to me... Since then its been Jobshouseskids....
    Anyway the only work I've been able to do is tidy the garage  & awaiting delivery of some floor tiles to give the impression that the garage is owned by someone who knows what they are doing... 
    anyway more to follow as the disaster unfolds... I await with excitement & trepidation for the not so
    'imminent' arrival of the boxes... 
    Obviously I've already upgraded to a 310... & so it starts... LED headlights?  lowered floor? (I'm quite tall...)
     
     
     
     
  13. rockinroyston

    Track rod ends

    By rockinroyston,

    Track rod ends
    Had my 1000 mile bolt check completed & everything was fine apart from the tracking which they adjusted & there was a noticeable improvement (ive only done 400 miles in it lol the project manager had completed the other 600...).
    Had a quick look at the front suspension when I got back & one trakrod end has a lot of thread showing & the other one has none? Can this be right? I would have thought they would be identical? I know they started off as identical when I put it together as I had to take the suspension apart to do this...
    https://www.lotus7.club/blogs/return-front-suspension
  14. rockinroyston
    Been putting off this job for ages as the thought of duradotting the roof was just too hideous to contemplate... but as the rain looks like it will never stop I finally decided to do it... Rolled out the roof & what a surprise most of the dots were already on! result! it still took ages to do the doors etc... I have to say doing the soft goods has been the least favorite job of the build really. All done but didn't get the vote of approval from the project manager & admittedly it did look like it was wearing an ill fitting mac (but it was fitted correctly...). Having been caught once in a hail storm I did have some motivation tho... The difference the doors make to the wind noise is a massive improvement tho! but even number one son said I should leave the doors off...
    Fitted the mirror mounts supplied by Eccles & these worked a treat! temporarily fitted the standard Caterham mirrors but I do need to investigate something a bit more elegant & they also contribute to quite a large blind spot which is not great on roundabouts.
    So far I've racked up about 900 (s)miles most of which have been trouble free. & have my 1000 miles check up booked in with Caterham for mid September (holidayskidsworkweather have played havoc with my diary...). Left hand indicator is going at double speed which I assume must be the indicator relay as all the lights are working, & the drivers side 'windscreen wiper' flew off at speed during a thunderstorm... fortunately I managed to retrieve it but a bit embarrassing as I had a piss taking passenger on board...
    Hopefully there will be some 'proper' Sun before we reach Autumn :-(
    update: Found the issue with the indicator, the crimped wire on the back of the front indicator hadn't been crimped on properly by Mr Lucus & it had become detached... bit of a pain as access is zero to crimp it back on.. going to have to put in a wire extension piece & crimp into place, bit of a bodge but its either that or taking off the headlight stalk & redoing the wiring. Having done this a few times on the build I don't intend to re visit that little project :-(
     
  17. rockinroyston

    Gone....

    By rockinroyston,

    & there it was gone... lots of cheery tales about how rare it is for an amateur build to pass the IVA test first time... great! My tracking was so 'all over the place' it didn't really want to go up the ramp LOL! Glad he had a winch...
    So just a waiting game now & I'm dreading the 'you appear to have..... & it will cost you XXX to rectify' e-mail from Caterham...
  18. rockinroyston
    So that's it finished! Went around all the IVA stuff & did a few last minute jobs like screwing in the interior side panels & then washed it lol...
    So last post for a while! to do:
    Car picked up 27th March by Caterham for PBC & 310 upgrade
    IVA booked for 20th April :-(
    & then the registration process begins...(on the basis it passes the IVA)
    Due to me needing to actually do some 'real work' I'm leaving the doors & hood for when it gets back. Also I didn't under seal the front wings so they can see that it is bonded properly. Not done the boot carpet so they can see the earth wire. very minor stuff.
    The only things I need CC to do ( I hope!)
    1) replace a rivnut on the pedal box cover which annoyingly became detached
    2) Tracking which is miles out
    3) front headlight retaining clips on one side that just don't want to play ball & head light alignment which I didn't even attempt.
    4) Tune the engine so it doesn't sound like its a demented tractor which will all link in with the 310 upgarde anyway.
     
     
     
     
  19. rockinroyston

    Roof done...

    By rockinroyston,

    Well maybe not LOL but a couple of duradots to hold the front on the windscreen & this will be a lot quicker than getting the top on when randomly parked up...
    Update)
    Just got a date for my IVA & its not until 20th April which is a bit disappointing. However  I couldn't have started the process much quicker as DVSA require a photo of the complete car before they will press the final green 'book it in' button. If I'd known that I would have put the wheels nose cone & bonnet on a bit earlier. That would have saved me a week or so... it only needs to look finished in a photo... my DVSA contact is...'Aaron Ace'... thats got to be a made up name!
    But its worth people knowing... don't wait until you finish the car to start the process... Caterham (South) need 6 weeks notice to book in for a PBC (if you are getting them to do the IVA which I am) & apparently this gets longer once the sun comes out as all the existing owners decide to get their cars booked in for a post winter service...
    Car is being picked up by  Caterham on the 27th March so at least they have plenty of time to rectify all my faults & sort out the 310 upgrade (looking on the positive side...).
    Rectified a few issues.
    Exhaust
    Re did the rear mount, thanks Andrew & Jerry for pointing out! Still seems to be under more side ways tension than I would have expected. I'll get Caterham to check this out... maybe my engine isn't in straight... nervous LOL..
    Air inlet.
    Re drilled the airbox to give me some more rear movement & also added a couple of washers on one side to tilt it a bit. Now lines up with the hole in the bonnet much better! but still not perfect. It seems to me that the rubber hose is 1/4 inch too short & to get it onto the engine properly its pulling the airbox on its mountings. Another job for Mr Caterham.. maybe my engine isn't straight... more nervous laughter...
     
     
     
  20. rockinroyston

    99% finished

    By rockinroyston,

    Great day today!
    Finished off the headlight wiring & everything worked first time! for some reason the headlight keeps popping out of its clips on one side every time I touch it. I've re inserted them about 6 times now & given up... Caterham can sort that one...
    Put on the nose cone, struggled to get the last clip in but got there in the end
    Put on the bonnet & it looks great. Did notice the air intake doesn't line up with the holes at all well so I'm going to have to re drill the holes in the airbox. Its far too far forward basically. Bit annoying!
    Took the car down off its lofty perch & as with everyone who does this was still surprised how low it is! looks fab tho :-) Only issue that is now apparent is that I've put the exhaust bracket on the wrong way around & the exhaust is noticeably too low... not really apparent when its miles in the air!
    UPDATE: its completely wrong LOL, thanks Jerry & Andrew for highlighting... on the list to rectify! Been in Manchester for meetings all day so hopefully I'll sneak an hour or two in the garage tomorrow once I've cleared my e-mails :-(
    Still a few minor jobs, mirrors, wipers, doors & roof (I'll do these after the IVA) & an IVA cover whip around... all easy!  
    So called it a day & tidied the garage for a few guests we have around tonight, out with the champagne is in order!
    & of course the influence of youth...
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tra3Zi5ZWa0
     
  21. rockinroyston

    Front wings

    By rockinroyston,

    Had a few hours in the garage & put the front wings on. 
    Tried a new method of lining up & it seemed to work....
    1) Ground the paint off the wing stays where the bonding was going
    2) Drilled a hole for the earth near the top of the stay underneath
    3) With my electric glue gun temporarily glued on a cable tie in the centre of the wing stay & marked a distance of 80mm from the wing stay with a piece of masking tape
    4) applied glue to the wing stay, Plexus MA300. This is is what I bought with the bigheads (when I was going to use these) but apparently Caterhams test Centre don't like cable ties on the wings & now they just bond them on.
    5) put the wing on & lined the front up with the masking tape. The wings lined up with the wing stays pretty much so the only distance that seemed to be an issue was the 80mm.
    6) squirted some more glue around the wing staywing & wiped it with a gloved finger so it didn't look such a mess..
    & Job done! it was pretty easy at the end of the day so i'd been worrying unnecessarily...
    Fitted the side repeaters with shrink wrap on the wires & another layer of maplins spiral wrap for good measure. The most difficult task was getting the rubber grommet in the hole where the wire comes out.. pain in the butt!
    Had an e-mail from VOSA & they want a picture of the completed car to continue the process so nose conebonnetwing mirrors will go on tomorrow for a glamor shot! & then I can complete the wiring for the headlights.
     
     
     
     
  22. rockinroyston

    rear lights

    By rockinroyston,

    Well after the engine start success I wandered around in the garage in a bit of a dream for a few hrs & didn't manage to achieve much.
    Got most of the rear lights working Brakes, indicators, side lights, number plate fog light... & completely forgot to check the reversing light... on the list for tomorrow.
    Update: Reversing light... tick!
    Took all the engine mount bolts out & put in the missing washers...
    Finished off the scuttle trim which has been half hanging off for a while...
    Started on the front wings & using my new stepped drill made short work of enlarging the hole in the wing... should have bought one of these earlier, what a great tool! thanks Jerry! threaded a wire through the wing stay with a view to using this to pull the main one through, looks straight forward enough anyway.
    Special treat & put on all the wheels! only temporarily but I needed a boost!  it did make me realise how low the car is going to go... you get used to it being at the working height... haven't lowered it yet as I still have to bleed the brakes againspray a bit more dinatrol & repaint the inside of the wings with the black gooey underseal.
    So tomorrow I may glue (sorry I mean... 'bond') the wings on! doesn't look as bad as I feared now that I have all the bits together.
    Had a quick look at the IVA check list & I seem to have done 75% of it already so that's good! but I do seem to have run out of IVA strip to do the fuse box... my only e-mail of the day to Derek (& also checking which way round the indicators go...I think its fat end to the front as this is the way the pre drilled holes would seem to dictate)
     
     
  23. rockinroyston
    The day didnt start well... I'd been wondering about the torque on the rear bolt that attaches the radius arm to the Dion tube. Sent a picture to Derek & he confirmed it was 81nm (which is not really what the manual suggests) but he also pointed out I needed two chamfered washers, one each side... I scurried to the manual & this is not even mentioned... Derek agreed to a photo spot the ball on my set up to make sure nothing else has slipped the net. Soon discovered that I'd also left off 4 washers from the Dion tube on one side A silly mistake which I quickly rectified. I then got the thumbs up from Derek that my install seemed correct... In the meantime had an e-mail from Jerry Brown asking if I'd noticed the earth connection to the fuel tank... eeeerrr no...quick check & there it was jammed down inside the chassis. Had to take the floor out again so I could connect... couple hours of work & I was back to where I thought i'd got to yesterday....
    So apart from re visiting stuff:
    Exhaust: Silencer now on & very nice it looks to!
    Lamda sensor: all connected up. Used a couple of cable tie pop riveted anchors & my new Maplin cable protector
    Battery: Put the battery back in. Briefly connected it up just to see if there would be a massive spark & all my fuses explode but the only thing happened was a whirring noise from the back. I can only assume this is the fuel pump but I was surprised it started up without the ignition being on... e-mail to Derek
    Garage: Tidied up my work area...Picked up the accumulation of litter & snipped cable ties in the garage, it was descending into chaos & I couldn't find stuff...
    So another day has successfully passed without me starting the engine! but I really have run out of tasks that I can claim need to be done... so tomorrows the day... once Derek has confirmed the whirring noise is normal, just need to get some petrol...
     
     
  24. rockinroyston
    Been on my list for a while but needed to tick it off... took 3hrs & a bit of faf!
    1) Disconnected the seat belts... & fitted the hood sticks
    2) Put a slit in the cover & removed the bar
    3) drilled out holes in the top edge of the cover to line up with existing holes & loosely put back all the bolts
    4) 2 at a time put in the duradot connectors. This involved taking off the bolts each time... a very dull process! I also put the wrong backing bit on a couple of them & had to drill them off, luckily I seem to have a few spare...
    5) Put back the metal bar into its sleeve (having first re drilled the holes) so the seat belt bolts could go through it... This job was made doubly dull as I didn't have a metal drill bit that was big enough & had to dremmel out each hole...
    I knew I wasn't going to enjoy this job... maybe I approached it with a poor attitude! but job done & it looks fine.
    So now need to do the 'carpets' in the boot & put on the filler protector.
    Over the weekend I had a few test pilots sitting in the car & it dawned on me that I should have put the big red belt connector on the centre console side not the side nearest to my delicate body skin... So another job for the list... hopefully it wont involve having to take the seats out...
    Update: it did involve taking the seats out as I couldnt get the torque wrench onto the bolts.... but job done & bodywork saved!
    So another day another 'not starting the car' achieved! but Amazon delivered a big Jerry can today so I can waste a another day buying some petrol & doing a few essential random time consuming jobs....
     
     
     
     
  25. rockinroyston

    Rear wings

    By rockinroyston,

    Actually got some work done on the car on a weekend & put on the rear wings. No major issues but a small amount of damage :-(
    In my head I decided to put the wing protectors on before I fitted the wing. Abandoned this idea as juggling a floppy painted wing & non co-operative rubber trim was a pain to say the least! So on wing (one) I fitted the wing firmly & then half fitted the wing protector. Then removed the wing & completed the rivets next to the body work. I removed the radius arms & had to dremmel out the hole a bit so it all fitted ok. The second to rear bolt on the wing is a super pig to get on & how anyone with fat fingers can do this beyond me! I did it in the end but did loose a few washers that fell between the chassis & the skin never to be seen again...
    On the second wing I went for the same approach but when I lightly tightened up one of the bolts I heard a crack & yes I'd cracked the wing... On inspection it seemed like someone has skimped on the fibre glass as it was super thin along the edge.. not happy. I repaired with a layer of plastic Araldite & then re drilled the hole. A very small crackstar is visible but its right on the rubber trim so I think I'll just have to get over it... Decided I didn't want to take the wing off again so did the wing protectors with the wing in situ. This was actually really easy & I just held a piece of cardboard between the drill & the bodywork. Very easy with no issues, I'd do it this way if I ever had to do it again.
    Loosely fitted the rear lights. In my mind I am a rubber grommet missing but I'm guessing its meant to go in the bodywork hole & the fitting hole on the fibre glass wing doesn't need one... e-mailed Derek for clarification.
    UPDATE: Derek has confirmed the rubber grommet goes in the body skin. The fibre glass hole doesn't need one.. I have a few sitting around in the shed so I may fit one anyway. Looks like it will get the full blast from the road so why not...
    Got number one son to paint under seal inside of the wings to assist with stone flick 'staring' situations.. he loved that LOL.
     
     
     
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