Day 42 18/6/11 Whoops I over done it! and my last show

I decided to crack on and with a heel bar and some elbow grease I removed the spacers used on the donor cars brake pedal that were welded to the bulkhead.  Once removed I cleaned up the spacer the spot welds on a bench grinder.  Right, Put them on the brake servo and refit the brake pedal.  I fastened the steering column to the bracket and offered it up again.  I still was not happy, the steering column was too far to the left and it would be impossible to drive.  I double checked the fitting  but the side of the bracket was still fouling the clutch bracket. I looked at the bracket again and went back to the internet (facebook photos).  The photos showed the bracket fitted to the demo car looked the same but the angle of the side piece appeared to be the one from the opposite side of the bracket.  Back to the car and the bracket.  My thoughts were that the bracket, which was made from one piece of folded steel, had been folded and welded up the wrong way.

I took some photos and sent them off to Graham and Ben to see if they can shed any light on the issue.  I still can’t reach the last bolts on the rear suspension top mounts.  Need someone with longer arms.  Time to make a few calls.

The Newark kitcar show is on at the agricultural show ground.  The weather is all over the place with heavy cloud and rain showers but I decided to go mostly because I wanted to find someone who could potentially paint my car when the time comes and also that I get some ideas for a colour choice.  The turnout wasn’t as good as it had been at Stoneleigh, I expect the weather played its part with numerous car cockpits under golf umbrellas or in some cases the whole car wrapped up in its “sleeping bag”,  The show didn’t have any sprayers showing but I got a few photos of some nice cars.

 

There were a few interesting colours and combinations including a light blue pearlesant cobra which on closer inspection revealed that it was a film applied to the bodywork.  It looked awesome until you got close up then you could see the seams and overlaps.  The favourite colour for my car is looking like British Racing Green but with the variety of BRG available I’m looking for options. The mica pearl effect is very subtle but I haven’t seen it in a dark green. The current favourite is the Lotus metallic green.  I’ve seen it on the Evora (albeit with twin yellow stripes) and the Elise 

and think it will look great and kind of reminds me of my first Impreza.

I went passed the Italian replicas some of which I recognise from Stoneleigh.  One of the guys I got chatting to, whilst admiring some very nice cars, couldn’t understand the reason for the cars as they were only Toyota MR2’s underneath.  Later I got chatting to one of the owners who had a Lamborghini Diablo. However this was no “dressed up Toyota”.  Painted in the mica pearl orange, as seen on the Lamborghini Aventador and MSC’s new RTS demo car (which looks cool), under the hood he had fitted a 5 litre V12 BMW engine with a couple of turbos bolted on for that little extra lift.  He recently had a new clutch fitted. As he told me shortly after its first engine management setup, with the engine only pushing out 400hp, the old clutch had given in and shattered whilst he was driving it. The new clutch should take up to 700hp and he is having to do extra workouts in the gym to operate the clutch. His plan was to run it for the summer and for the winter was to change the gearbox to a Porsche and tune the top end of the rev range.

Alas there were no Murtayas to be seen, something that I will have to rectify next year. MEV have produced a kit that from the online photos I thought might be direct competition for the Murtaya. But after seeing it in the flesh so to speak there’s no competition.  The MEV X5 is a redressed Mazda Mx5 which I’m sure would be fun but not the power of the Murtaya.  It also doesn’t have the detail either and you lose the boot.  Sure it is cheap, there is no IVA test required, it’s a relatively straight forward panel replacement which appears to be growing in popularity due to low cost and complexity as well as laser scanning giving near perfect replication of body panels.

When I got home there was an email from Graham confirming my suspicion that I had been given the wrong part.  The part that had been delivered was for a left hand drive and he would arrange a replacement on Monday.  Graham also included photos of the pedal box and the column mount which highlighted a screw up on my part.  I did not need to part the accelerator pedal from the brake pedal.  Also there are only two fixings onto the tub not four as I previously thought.  Also the spacers I took from the donor car were not required the spacers on the clutch pedal look like they need to come off.  None of these are major issues and all are easily restored.

Day 41 – 15/6/11

This evening I did a little adjustment on the holes I cut out on the last session and the first rear suspension top was done.  I’d like to say the second was done in half the time but it took just as long. However, not as long as I took struggling with actually fastening the nuts in place. Two nuts went on with no real issue but the third is very close to the top of the tub and it is a tight fit.  I eventually gave up on the third simply because my arms just aren’t long enough and fingers too thick.  This would have to be a job for Kim the next time she comes up as she sports a distinctly slimmer figure and more nimble fingers.

small cameras can get in all sorts of places my hands can't

I moved on to the steering column again.  I had spoken with Graham (MSC) who said they were aware of the problem and that I should be able to mark up and improvise the holes.  So I set about mounting the brake pedal.  The accelerator and brake pedals are made one by a spot welded plate.  First job is to drill out the spot welds.  No problem, and the two pedals are parted. I mounted the brake pedal to the servo unit and then looked to the steering column bracket.

I held it up to the underside of the dash laid on my back in the tub trying to get the bracket dash fixing holes and the pedal mount holes to line up.  Not a chance.  No matter how I tried I couldn’t get four fixings on the dash and three fixings on the pedal brackets.  The only way I was going to mount it on the dash is if I space off the brake pedal from the bulkhead.  I went back to the donor car with a set of calipers.  On the donor car the brake pedal was spaced off the bulkhead by four 20mm spacers welded to the bulkhead.  So I need a few spacers.  I called it a night.

Day 40 – 11/6/11 - Success is as fickle as the days weather

First job today was the putting the drive shaft back into the differential.  And two hours later I gave up. I can’t get the end of the shaft passed the circlip and I’m concerned about damaging either the shaft/diff splines or the circlip.  I suspect I need some advice.  Part of the problem is applying the pressure to slip through the circlip.  Eventually I ran out of other ideas so the only option left is to put in on the car so all the parts are secure and I have better control when applying pressure or until I get the advice and try again.

I switched to the steering column. I cut the hole out no problem a quick pilot hole then the new hole saw.  I pulled out the steering column and put it in the hole then grabbed the column/pedal box bracket.  Now if I’m honest something about this bracket bugged me. It had since the Kit Car show.  The problem was the fixing holes.  I mounted the steering column to the bracket and put it up to the underside of the Tub “dashboard”.  The Clutch pedal is already mounted and I was able to slide the bracket over the top of it and then the niggling in the back of my mind became clear. The fixing hole for the front of the clutch pedal bracket didn’t line up, and it wasn’t a millimetre or two out it was far more.  I grabbed the brake pedal and looked at the fixing points and compared them to the bracket holes.  Nope they were nowhere near.

I took the bracket out and removed the column.  Turning the bracket over I tried to put it in place again.  The pedal mount holes aligned no problem but the rest of the bracket wasn’t going to fit.  I’m going to take a guess that when the plate was drilled it was done upside down so when it was welded into place on to the bracket the holes are ass about face.  I went back to the donor car and it confirmed my suspicions.  The holes are the wrong way round.  I took a few photos to send to the lads at MCS and see what they recommend.

Right, back to the rear of the car.  This time it is the rear shock mounts.  The three fixings holes are marked on the tub there are two options A or B. I held the mount up to the tub I would need B.  There is also a centre hole 75mm diameter.  I double checked all the measurements with the donor car and set about drilling pilot holes and then the full 3x8mm.  I measured repeatedly to find the centre between the three points and then drilled 1x75mm.  It took a little playing to ease the 8mm holes before the top fitted close to flush. I still need to do some finishing touches but it looked right.

Day 39 – Twist and Go

It’s a few days later Its Friday morning and I’m laid in bed.  The clock reads 5am.  Recently awoken by some annoying fruit loop on his way to work on a “twist and go” with a “modified” exhaust trying to get to top speed, all of 38mph, between the speed ramps down the street. All noise and no trousers – wish he’d get a proper bike. I could make better time on my mountain bike.

The problem of the sub frame and the tank was bugging me and had done so for the last couple of days.  Trying to work out where I’d messed up or was there another solution.  Then it came to me – Doh! What a pillock! After removing the tank from the donor I had cleaned up the tank. I had also flattened out the seam along the back because to was bent upwards and I couldn’t clean it properly. That was problem.  All I had to do was bend it back up and it should fit.  Wish I could get back to sleep - May as well go to work.

Back from work I took a hammer to the tank seam and “gently” put the curve back into the seam and then touched up the paint work. The sub frame now fitted like it was made to which was a relief.  Next bit to go on was the diff nose mount. I put it in place on the tyres.  The holes were the wrong size 8mm instead of 12mm.  I quickly drilled them out and mounted the front bolts.  Then I looked at the holes for the trailing arm mounts.  The diff nose mount and trailing arm mount all fasten to the same fixing plate on each side in the car so I wanted to make sure they all lined up. The lead hole lined up so I opened it up to the 12mm but the trailing two holes looked a little out.  I took the fixing plate out and compared it to the trailing arm mount they lined up fine so I guess a bit more hole adjustment on the tub.  Now here is a small dilemma the holes in the fixing plate for diff nose and the lead hole are slightly slotted.  Now when I took the rear end off the donor it came off i one piece diff, nose mount hubs etc but it is going back one bit at a time.

I decided to move on the springs as I would need them to take the weight of the hubs when I mount the differential.  The top mounts from the donor car need fitting to the new AST shock absorbers.  The rear shocks and tops went together no problem. In fact there were no spring clamps needed.  The only point of concern was I noticed that the spring was on its highest ride height setting and no clamp required.  So it was on to the front springs.  These were the opposite of the rear shocks.

I was going to take them to Kim at college to use their spring clamps as I originally thought I would need them once for this job and that would be it.  However the adjustable ride height on the shock would require the spring clamps to be used again.  So I splashed out on my own set.  I figured it would be a straight forward job.  However, that was not the case.

The first problem was the bottom spring.  It has a flat cross-section and the clamps are designed for a round cross-section this in itself is not a problem but the space between the spring and the damper cylinder was too tight to fit both clamps.  After numerous attempts each of which, when tension was applied the clamp would slip off. I was concerned I was scratching the paintwork on the shock so I taped up the clamps with some electricians tape.  I tried to compress the flat spring off the shock and make it secure with a few ty-raps.  But that didn’t work.  I tried compressing the main spring which was more traditional in that it had a round cross-section.  The problem there was the threaded shaft of the clamp was obstructing the mounting of the top mount.

I tried a number of different options but at best the compressed spring was still 10mm too tall. Now any experienced engineer will tell you horror stories of springs going flying across workshops clamps slipping/breaking and the nasty injuries incurred. And I figured if not careful I would end up with a similar tale. I tried to press the top down on to the shaft using one hand and my chest and using my other hand to tighten the centre nut.  But although I managed to get the nut on the top bearing was not lined up and it couldn’t get it to square up and maintain pressure.  I need another pair of hands.  The bottom ring on the shock has a number of holes drilled in it which I can only think are used for a special clamp tool.  I decided to leave it and searched online for a special tool.

I couldn’t find a tool online and had a word with Graham at MSC and sent him a few photos to explain the problem.  His response was the same as I had been trying at the start.  Kim called said she would pop round so armed with some large ty-raps and a second pair of hands we tried again.  With a little trial and error we manage to get the compression required and made short work of the second shock.

Mounting them on the car I then gave Kim the task of confirming my measurements on the location of the hole in the firewall for the steering column.  Having received a photo with measurements of the location of the hole from Ben I had previously marked out where I worked out the location was.  So I gave Kim all the measurement tools I had and told her to confirm it.  It may sound straight forward but with the angles don’t make for easy measuring.  Fortunately Kim agreed my mark up was accurate.  I know I have a lot of fibreglass cutting to do and Kim is not good with the dust due to her health so we mounted the suspension arms on the rear sub frame and called it a night. 

Day38 – Hokey cokey fuel tank

It has been a couple of weeks since my last update and things have been a bit slow.  The fuel line has turned up along with the steering knuckle and gear shift linkages.  I was unable to find an identical connector for the fuel line so I opted for a straight brass connector.  I cut the old connector off and using the steam from a kettle to warm the thin wall fuel line (unlike the ticker rubber reinforced fuel pipes supplied with the kit) and fitted the inline connector.  I’m pretty sure the seal was good enough but decided to fit a clip later.  The rest of the fuel pipes were showing signs of corrosion so I cleaned them back and repainted them dark green along with the power steering hydraulic pipes.

    

Now onto the sub frame:  I chopped the exhaust hanger off the sub frame and painted it up.  With the hanger removed I was able to hold the sub frame in place and assess the work required to fit the sub frame properly.  From speaking to Ben at MSC there is a metal crush tube surrounding each of the predrilled holes so I can adjust the hole alignment. A major point here: The bottom hole cannot be widened as it is designed to match the sub frame fixing holes.  I got a round rasp and started working on the worst of the holes.  All was going well until the note from the rasp went all metallic on me. Bugger I’ve hit the crush tube.  I put the sub frame up to tub and fitted the bolts again.  It was better but not enough.  The only alternative was to work on the other hole.  Working on the other hole as I pulled the rasp out it snapped in two. Double bugger!  So I persisted with the broken rasp until my patience and finger tips wore out. I put the sub frame up to the tub again still not enough.  Then an idea came to me I pulled out the battery drill and a 13mm flat blade drill bit.  Ten minutes later and success – the sub frame fitted and the bolts go all the way up and through the holes in the top plate.

      

The fuel tank, now resplendent in black with green pipes, it was time to put it in position. I gave the roll cage fixings a final check tightening as some won’t be seeing daylight again and used a stack of three tyres to rest the tank under the tub so I would only have the lift it a little to get it in place.  After a long struggle I managed to get a nut on each fixing bolt.  But there was no way the tank straps would go all the way to the tub.  I tried again, and then again. This was getting so frustrating. I moved the tank back on the straps and tried again, it was close, but no cigar.  The fit was tight and once the bolts were tightened I was concerned that the pipes and clips might be fouling on the tub.  So off it came...again.  Turns out from the scratched paint work on the top of the tank it was the roll cage bolts on the tank.

Now the only Murtaya in Holland, to my knowledge, belongs to a guy called Bart.  I read his build blog online a year or so ago and I remembered his solution to this problem was simple.  A ruddy big hammer! I downsized the solution to a rubber mallet and moulded the offending areas of the tank.  In the tank went and out it came again, a few more choice blows and in went again and in, out, in, out, shake it all about. You do the hokey cokey etc.

Finally, it went in smoothly and securely.  I used a hacksaw blade to check nothing was rubbing on the tank or the tub.  Now for the sub frame, using the same tyre stack as before I put the sub frame in place and started to wind up the bolts when the lightening strike of bollocks struck again.  The sub frame was fouling on the back of the fuel tank.  I gave up for the day – I was knackered

Day 37 – 11/5/11 - On to the fuel tank

I received an email from Ben today with the layup details for the steering column hole in the front bulkhead.  I checked my steering column and confirmed I need a 53mm hole cutter pity I only have a 51mm cutter.  I’ll see if I can borrow one.

Dan popped round to give me a hand for a couple of hours to finish off the trimming down the roll bar nuts. I showed him the rear sub-frame problem I also noted the exhaust mounting bracket will also foul the tub by 1-2 mm.  I figure I’ll grind the metal back a bit and then see how it fits.  Shame to cut the dry powder coating but I’d prefer to cut the metal back and touch it up with some POR15 than start hacking into the resin and risk breaking into the foam.

We then pulled the fuel tank straps out of storage and held them up to the predrilled holes. The front holes are cut M6 but the provided bolts are all M8.  I drilled out the holes and moved on to the back holes.  These holes were drilled M8 but not drilled through to the other side of the tub.  I had to extend the drill bit in the chuck to actually drill through to the other side.

 

Now we got the fuel tank out and a bag of new fuel pipes.  I was about to remount the metal fuel pipe assembly that takes the fuel feed, return and vent lines from the top of the tank to the side where the new pipes would connect.  I pulled the coils of pipe out of the bag.  Ah! Now I see a problem or rather don’t see.  There are three lines on the tank and only two pipes.  I laid the pipes out and they were of equal length (3.5metres).  I went back to the delivery list, Yup! 2x8mm and 1x6mm pipes each 3.5metres. I’m a pipe short.  There was also another issue.  The main fuel feed pipe wasn’t metal it was actually plastic. The end had a 2 part connector (with a push,squeeze,release action) that would not fit the new fuel pipe in a month of Sundays.  I had a look in the car builder solutions catalogue and was unable to find anything like it.  I had to send photos of the rear sub-frame holes to Graham and Ben and I gave them an update and requested a fuel line.  Ben also asked for some photos of the rear sub frame holes which I sent.

Day 36 -8/5/11 Roll bar and Rear Sub Frame

The seat belts have turned up and thankfully they are substantially smaller than the donor cars.  I boxed them back up and stashed them away until I need them later on in the build.

Back into the garage and it’s time to play with something new fibre reinforced bonding compound.  I gave a friend Mark a call to give me a hand to line up the roll cage.  Whilst waiting for Mark to turn up I set about checking the other fixing plate locations.  The trailing arm and dif nose mount are fine but the rear sub-frame needed some work with the Dremel to get the holes to line up I manage to get the driver’s side no problem but the passenger side was a different problem. I managed to get them lined up laterally but longitudally one of the holes was about 12mm out and they are only 14mm diameter holes.  I dug the bolts out of the box and offered the rear sub frame in place.  The drivers side was no problem but the passenger side I was unable to get the sub frame bolts go in more than a couple of inches.  After that the bolts fouled on the bushes.  Closer inspection revealed that the Predrilled holes were not square to the tub. Bugger!  This will take a fair amount of fettling and the dremel won’t be any good because it won’t extend deep enough into the tub.  I put the heel bar tight in each the hole and held a square against it.  It wasn’t just one hole it was both and they leant into one another like the verticals on a trapesoid.

    

Mark turned up and I switched back to the roll bar.  After a bit of discussion we clamped a metal bar across the back of the door frames (as shown in the photo) and tried to get the roll bar equidistant from the clamped bar.  Then marked the round the feet positions.  Now because the layup isn’t a smooth surface trying to get it aligned right and set in a position whilst the bonding sets was going to be a problem.  I decided to drill two holes on the rear feet to hold the roll bar in position we required whilst the floor pads cured.  Previously I had followed Bens instructions and covered the feet with the metal reflective tape. Then I made up a batch on compound and laid it on the marked out floor pad areas and mounted the roll bar fixing the two rear pad bolts in hold it place to. I then cut away the excess compound.

45minutes later the compound was hard, and the heat generated from the reaction between resin and hardener had dissipated.  We unbolted the two rear pad bolts and after marking the fixing hole centres with a firm shove released the roll bar from the grip of the bonding compound.  I drilled the holes on the foot pads and then mounted the roll bar and to check the hole alignment.  AH! There is a problem.  According to the Nut and bolt assembly all the fixings are 10mm.  But the floor plates of the roll bar are 8mm holes.  Not a major problem, I acquired a step cutter bit from the car show. A great tool when you are drilling holes in plate metal. I ran the bit through each hole, problem solved.

I mounted the roll bar again and dropped in a couple of M10 bolts into each foot just to check the alignment. No problem.  Mixed another batch of compound and repeated the previous procedure.  I used a little less hardener this time because the curing on the first batch was a bit fast. I left it for a couple of hours but eventually it was hard.  I removed the floor bolts and marked the rear hole centres and with a couple of good shoves released the roll bar and drilled the M10 holes.

I tidied up the waste on the edges with the Dremel, dropped in the all the bolts and located the underside plates.  The Dremel came into its own again just to clean a couple of the drilled holes so the bolts all lined up with the holes in the plates.

 

I tightened the nuts up so the plates were flush with the tub and marked up where the bolts would need cutting back so they won’t foul the fuel tank.  However the Nyloc nut wiped the mark away so I had to count the threads.  It was getting late so we called it a night.