MNR Build Diary

2011-11-17T20:18:00.002Z

Not been on here for ages! Anyone still looking there have been a few more updates.

After messing about with the Megasquirt I took the plunge and off it came to be replaced by an Omex 600. Along with GSXR throttle bodies on a ST170 plastic manifold the car was transformed.

A mapping session has raised the power to 178bhp which I'm more than happy with for now. I think some attention t the gearbox ratios would make the most of it.

A slight mishap with a kerb has also seen the wheels changed and there's now a set of 13's on with 888 rubber.

Also fitted a full cage and some nice mirrors to make it look a lot better, the cage helps keep the cover up as well....

2010-04-01T14:31:00.002Z

Its running on the MS as we speak, it starts, idles, revs and picks up OK. Some hesitation at certain revs and doesn't like to run when its cold. Need some high speed runs to get further up the map. A track day may be needed.

However I've hardly done any mapping yet so hopefully as the weather improves I can get out more with the lappy for some home 'tuning'

Went to the All Ford Meet at Scotch Corner last weekend and lost the speedo magnet off the prop n the way back... repairs needed and its a fiddly job getting the centre tunnel off:-(

2010-02-09T11:15:00.002Z

Megasquirt is installed, wired up working, but way to go with getting the tune right. Although it started first turn of the key its running rich and I'm learning the ins and outs of Megasquirt.

In the meantime heres a video of the event...

2010-02-05T16:49:00.002Z

Over the winter I've been doing some mods to the car. Mainly the installation of fuel injection using CBR1000RR throttle bodies and an ecu called Megasquirt. The Megasquirt is a diy educational bit of kit that allows you to learn all about efi. There are tons of resources on the internet to support you and I bought a fully biult tested unit with a base map loaded.

So far I have had the motor out for a bit paint and tart up, and I've installed the aluminium bellhousing saving a few kilo's in the process. The Megasquirt is installed and wired up, its alos talking to my laptop so things are looking up. All I need to do now is understand the startup and idle setting s and I should be good to try it.... stay tuned... I hope to have it running in the next couple days and wil post a video as and when it happens.

Nice clean, painted engine with ali bellhousing..

Nice cam cover with new gasket rubbers and a nice coat of paint....

I've installed an engine steady bar to stop it swinging around in the corners...

CBR TB's with ST170 fuel rail injecting into the ports at the front of the manifold. CBR injectors are not connected at the moment....

2010-01-27T15:58:00.001Z

Not been on for a while, nothing been happening apart from wiring up the Megasquirt. Once I'm ready to start it I'll post soem pics and a video.

Meanwhile heres a nice knob I knocked up earlier....

2009-11-13T20:52:00.002Z

Bit of cleaning, thinners, cillit bang, wire brush etc... then some paint....

New ali bellhousing as well, not sure whether to paint or polish atm..

2009-11-10T20:49:00.006Z

Today I've spent all day in the garage, never even noticed how cold it was till I've just come out to see the lawn covered in frost! Brrrrr... I've lifted the motor out this morning after disconnecting everything, trailer has gone so I have tons more room to move about, with the car directly under the winch out it came.

Not wanting to remove the clutch as I want to see how the ali bellhousing fits I attached the engine right hand stand to the side of the block. trying the bell housing on I could see it was touching the starter ring on the flywheel so out came the carbide grinder and a little bit of fettling later, nothing touching.

Cleaned the left hand side of the engine which is quite corroded for a 2002 motor. It was the front in the Focus so someone may have had a modified body kit that let a lot of crap into the bay. It certainly is a lot worse condition than the 1.8 I had before. Cleaned it with a circular wire brush in the drill ready for a coat of engine enamel.. sprayed the sump with some HT matt black I had lying around to tidy it up.

I've also remade the idler mount at the front which previously used the pas pump bracket which was very bulky and a bit over the top. With the hacksaw and welder the bracket is now much slimmer! I've put the front engine mount cover back on to keep any nasty stones off the cam belt and used that to mount the idler bracket. Just needs a bit paint.

With the motor up on the stand I can see where the oil is coming from, there is a big leak at the back that will be OK to brass back over and although I though the plug was leaking it doesn't appear to be, maybe when its hot? Anyway, new plug and seal should sort that.

2009-10-20T18:53:00.003Z

While I've enjoyed driving the car this year to various meets and shows and I've been slowly upgrading the brakes and transmission etc time has come for a bigger step. Changing from carbs to EFI.

One All Ford show to attend this Sunday then the engine is coming out for a tart up. With it out I'm going to be painting the block and sorting the oil leak from the sump. Hopefully its the drain plug as I checked it after welding by filling with oil and leaving overnight....

Installation of the aluminum bellhousing at the same time as I've figured out how to modify the type 9 clutch arm and pushrod system to replace the clutch cable.

Heres some pics of my new EFI setup. I've spent weeks whittling this from a lump of steel and have faithfully recreated the port injection position from the original ST manifold and the front set of injectors are from the ST170 engine.

The TB's are off a CBr1000RR which had an 8 injector setup. The bodies have 4 on them.

ATM I intend to use the ST injectors as they came with the engine so should suit it across the rev range, if not, I can configure the extra 4 on the TB's to give more when needed...

2009-10-13T21:30:00.007Z

New brake master cylinders fitted tonight. Gone is the remote reservoir and hopefully thats the end of the fluid leaks I've had since starting the build! New front brake pipe to the front union so I can put the brake light switch on the side and maybe it'll work.

I've trimmed the pushrods on the cylinders to get the pedal back in line with the clutch. The brake pedal has always 'hung' forward to far for my liking.
New LSD in, lobro's on with a bit of machining to the spindles to get rid of the ABS teeth and my brand new set of massive 10" drums under the back wheels.Brakes need fluid and bleeding and maybe some bias adjusting. If it keeps dry I'll go find a road somewhere for some brake testing!

2009-10-12T17:21:00.002Z

After the recent event where the bonnet flew off I'm going through a few upgrades.

First up got an lsd diff out of a 92 dohc Sierra and have fitted that in place of the open 3.62. The lsd is 3.92 so some recalibration of the speedo will be required, nothing major as its simply inputting a different factor. New diff is bolt on lobro's as opposed to the push in items I had on before.

Lobro's and shafts have been derusted, treated to zinc primer and black top coat. Drive flanges and bearing carriers have had new bearings and seals installed and I've used the opportunity to fit the 10" drums I've had lying around for a while. Local motor factor had all the bits new for the drums so was fairly painless. Had to space out the handbrake cable clamp as the entry into the back plate was a good distance further out than the 7" ones I took off.

Next step is new brake master cylinders. I have some integral units to replace the remote reservoir as they still leak and chuck fluid onto the chassis. Not good. As the backs need bleeding down now anyway it should be a straight forward task. if a little messy, but hopefully no more fluid leaks!

While I have the tunnel off fitting the diff I'm going to be running a new fuel pipe as I need a return after deciding I'm defiantly going the EFI route. I have nearly finished fabricating a new inlet manifold to accept the 43mm Honda TB's I have and have welded in bosses at the port head to use the original ST170 fuel rail and injectors. Management will be Megasquirt as I fancy learning the system thoroughly....

I have a new bonnet sitting upstairs as well and will have all the work done for the last Ford show on the 25th October.

2009-08-31T16:22:00.004Z

Been a while now, not much happening apart from driving. Had a couple of incidents, very minor but managed to start it up from outside the car with it in gear. CRUNCH!
Then couple nights ago was messing with the carb jetting ahead of a power dyno run and forgetting to fasten the bonnet back down... WHOOSH 80mph and off into orbit. All in, two small bits of damage, not too bad....

Saturday 29th saw me a nd another couple 7 owners at McDonald Racing for a dyno run. Making 167bhp at 6200rpm, I'm quite chuffed with that as after removing Fords variable tract injection system for home tuned bike carbs there is only 1bhp different from Fords claim for the Focus. Still undecided whether TB's will be an advantage or not.

Here's the run...

2009-06-21T19:23:00.002Z

Ho ho, been to Newark this weekend, what a hoot! After a little rain during Friday night Saturday was cloudy and windy but today has been glorious. Got home safe, warm and dry!
Big thanks to all the Locostbuilder peeps I bumped into and it was a lot better than Stoneleigh (and free!) I was mightly impressed with R1pete's turbo motor on th rolling road, put the TVR to shame!
I tried to take a lot more pics this time so click HERE for my pictures.

2009-05-16T18:22:00.004Z

I still have some thoughts about improving the MNR but atm its all about driving. I may leave some to the winter when its off the road.

In the meantime I'm starting a new kit car project, all be it more of a conversion. I've always fancied a Jago after lusting after WWII jeeps and now I'm on the road to getting one. It has to be 4x4 for me so I've got a Suzuki SJ413 off ebay that will be stripped down to the chassis and built up with a Jago body to replicated the Willy's.

This is the starting point.....

Ive started a new blog, HERE, just need to see how much work I get done on it the rest of this year.

2009-05-14T13:47:00.002Z

I've been busy driving! Been down to Stoneleigh for the car show, camping 2 nights. Nice 450 mile round trip, wet coming back. No drama's to report, car behaved perfectly, was comfortable and despite the downpour and truck spray I managed to stay dry!

Wilwoods are starting to feel better than the OEM Sierra brakes but the pads squeal very loud at low speed. Need to see if that improves with bedding in.

Pics from the Stoneleigh show can be found HERE! I only really took pics of things that caught my eye and stood out like the beautiful SS100 rep. And the V8 engines... yum yum. There was just too much to look at on the 2 days.

Got some tips lining the bodywork up and some ideas to make a new column shroud. More car building to come!

So, bodywork to do, steering cowl to make, switches to move and 10" drums to install.

I will have tons of time on my hands soon...

2009-04-30T21:09:00.003Z

Sorted the lights, they didn't have a wiring diagram and I wired them up wrong. Sorted that out and all is good again.

Wilwoods are on and the brakes feel a little better, not sure if I have all the air out as I didn't have the correct size spanner for the bleed nipples 1/4" AF, American calipers you see. I'll be having another bleed before I go away this weekend.

I'm now in the possession of some new drums as well, 10" jobs off an XR4i. They look simply massive! No time to get them fitted before Stoneleigh kit car show tho, they will have to wait.

Finally decided to make a new gearknob after loking at my aweful broken Ford one for nearly a year! Saw some nice ones in Burtons catalogue and decided to have a bash meself.

Anyway an hour on the lathe and I'm well pleased!

2009-04-18T18:13:00.007Z

New brakes arrived yesterday from Rally Design while I was out picking up my new Dominator headlights in carbon fibre effect. The lights are much smaller, 4", and are more of a 'torpedo' style than the rounded bowls of the 5 3/4" jobs.
Fitted them today and they do look smart, however I seem to have created a fault in the wiring, the main beam indicator on the dash is lit up all the time now. Little bit of investigation has found it not to be the lights or new wiring so I'm a bit stumped.
Great day out at Specialist Cars last Sunday, hundreds of cars and people, more Porches than you could shake a stick at. Excellent turn out from the 7's as well and we had a nice steady blast over the moors afterwards. Apart from the heavy frost on the morning it was thoroughly enjoyable.I have put all my pictures from the day in a folder inside my picture galley, just click the link on the right to see them. click the 'my pictures' in the gallery then select 'Yorkshire Breakfast 2009'

Ford RS meet tomorrow, and then I'll be cracking on installing the Wilwood 4 pots and bigger discs...

2009-04-12T16:46:00.003Z

Got the carbs pretty close and the motor revs past the 8K ceiling on my tacho, need to keep that in check!

Had a run over to Specialist Cars in Malton today for an open day in aid of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. Met up with fellow 7ers on the way down. Hundreds of people and some very exotic motors lying around.

I took plenty of pics, just click here to go straight to it: Yorkshire Breakfast 2009

Set of Wilwoods next I reckon...

2009-03-18T20:33:00.004Z

Got the Lambda and AFR gauge working now. Haven't really done anything yet apart from see how it idles. With the new exhaust I noticed it hunts and drops down when idling, the Innovate lambda's telling me its very weak at tick over. I'll be having a look at tuning the carbs this weekend, even if its just near enough to get back down to Blogg Brothers for a proper set up.
Still need to complete the new inlet manifold tho!

Any, here's some pics of the exhaust I got from AAS in Newcastle. Sounds great, ticking over quite quite but once the revs build and the VVT kicks in it howls... nice!!I've constructed a copper heat shield for the sensor out of 28mm copper pipe as advised inthe Innovate manual.

2009-03-14T11:00:00.004Z

Some pics of the sump chop on my ST170. Rear section of the sump boxed in to create extra capacity. I left the original part of the rear section, you can see the profile where the weld is and drilled holes through it to create a baffle.

Needs to come off soon as its leaking, making a mess on the garage floor!

2009-03-10T20:42:00.003Z

New exhaust on last Wednesday, had a run down to MNR Saturday. I've connected the VVT to the aux output on the Mj and set it to switch a relay at 4K. This allows high cruising speeds without the cam kicking in and buggering the mpg up.

SO, couple of nice empty straight roads and 4K in third gear... whoosh! off she goes and pulls like train!
Carbs are not set up properly yet as there is a fluffy moment between 2.5~4K where I think it is running a bit weak. I need to get the LC1 connected so I can see the AFR and have a go at tuning myself....

In the meantime I've been kicking on with the log burner, bit late for this winter but will get rid of tons of rubbish in the garden and its there for next year. I got an empty 19kg bottle a while ago and left the valve open for a week, turning it upside down after 3 days. With tons of old engine oil I drilled a hole in the top of the bottle next to the valve and filled it with water. I then cut the valve off and left it full of water in the garden for 3 months!

I got a length of 4 1/2" 3.5mm pipe the other day so I've been cracking on....

Doors marked out a partially cut. Thought original marking out was too high.

Doors fully cut out.

Hole cut in the top for steel chimney pipe. Next step, hinges and welding up.
Its tight in the garage when all the toys are in!

2009-02-21T15:31:00.004Z

Been for a drive out today, nothing more than a mile eating session, sitting in traffic, testing the new coolant pipe setup. Couple of burst in first and second some speedy motorway driving. All went well with no incidents and I took some pictures.

Its going in for a new performance exhaust next week, bigger primery's and beefy silencer to extract as much power as possible out of the motor.

2009-01-31T11:36:00.004Z

Some pictures of my ST engine install....

Thermostat/header connections.

Exhaust on, straight off the 1.8.
Soon to be replaced for a bigger one!

Engine on the stand showing the sump chop.
I cut it level with the bottom of the bellhousing.

New nearside engine mount with custom alternator mount
using the original aircon pump bracket.

2009-01-25T16:48:00.002Z

Yesterday I had my first run out with the new engine. Nothing spectacular as the roads were damp in places and it was very cold. Went down to see a fellow MNR builder who is getting ready for SVA.

I've bought an Innovate LC 1 lambda kit so I can have a go at tuning the carbs for their new application. So, I need the lambda boss welding into the exhaust..... paid a visit to AAS Exhausts in Newcastle to see about getting that welded in and a couple of other tidy ups on the exhaust, welding two joints, nice hanger etc... Anyway to cut a long story short, and explaining I wanted 200bhp from the motor I've booked the car in for whole new exhaust system with much bigger pipes throughout. I hadn't planned this atm but knew it needed doing so I'm in for it just need a hefty cash injection....

Got back home in the dark with no drama's apart from a concern with the coolant. I'm not convinced I'm getting the correct reading from the temp gauge, and its chucking coolant out when its cold. I suspect this is due to the header tank connection being very close to the bypass output of the thermostat housing. I'm going to move the header tank connection down to the bottom hose close to the radiator to try and smooth out any surges that may be the cause of the coolant being expelled.

Immediate plans are to cure once and for all the brake fluid leak that's been a constant problem with new master cylinders with integral reservoirs, move the header tank connection and get the exhaust done. Then I can think about cams to get up to 200bhp. And I still need to make a new inlet manifold.

Roll on the warm weather!

2009-01-18T20:10:00.006Z

Got my hands on some 5mm steel plate. I've decided to make a new inlet manifold. Seeing as I made the original one I can save a bit of cash making this one too. I've got the Ford Plastic one to use as a template and it should be easier this time as the ports on the head are larger. I wont have to reduce the tubes to make them fit!

I've swapped the thermostat housing for the one of the 1.8. This is because the newer ST one has temp senders that are push in and held with sliding clips, where as the 1.8 one has threaded sensor holes. This has enabled me to fit the Acewell sensor to the bottom of the unit. I started the engine again for another warm up/leak test and while the fan came on as it does at 86 degrees the dash was only registering 55... This may be due to the sensor sitting on the bottom of the thermostat. The problem is I've blocked the rear outlet that would have gone to the heater so there's not much flow over it. However this may or may not be problem during normal driving when the water is going round a lot faster. Time will tell. I have a mechanical Racetech water temp gauge I may attempt to plumb into the top sensor.

Congratulations to Vinny, Bill & Basset for getting their cars started today. You can check their blogs out with the links on the right..

2008-12-29T20:33:00.002Z

Quick update. I've used the inlet manifold just to get it running. Everything connected now I've had it outside toady with the engine running up to temperature. Revving it up its spitting a fuel mist out of the carb trumpets. Not sure if this is due to the manifold not lining up with the head so I reckon a call to Blogg Brothers again to make me a new inlet and set the carbs up for this engine.

Before I do that I'm going to try and get the Megajolt work the VVT, opening the oil pressure switch at 4k rpm.

Tidying the garage out atm to try and get my Rover in over the winter. Can't stand the windows being frozen up on a work morning!

2008-12-21T10:41:00.004Z

Got some silicone hoses in the post yesterday and set to making all the water connections. This time I've run the bottom hose down the outside of the chassis in the gap between it and the body. I've run the hose through a tight gap between rad mount and chassis and am hooping it won't cause a problem. Its all solidly mounted and shouldn't be moving around.

Hoses going round outside of chassis.

Bottom hose going through tight gap in chassis.

Top rail is now secure thanks to some correct size reducing hoses and the tube is fastened to the engine with a home made ali P clip. Heater outlet on the back of the thermostat housing to block and it should be ready for some antifreeze. Next step is the oil filter housing to make oil tight and get some new oil in.

2008-12-16T22:44:00.003Z

Took the ST inlet off and tried my homemade carb inlet off the 1.8 on it. Looks like the inlet will be staying with the 1.8. The ST inlet ports are about 10mm further up and nearly twice as big! Too far away to adjust the other one. So a new inlet manifold is required for the carbs.

On the opposite side the exhaust is on, no real difference in the exhaust ports so on it went without any fettling. I've made a top hose pipe out of B&Q aerial aluminium pipe and bent it to drop under the exhaust. Some slight crimps on the folds but nothing to worry about. I'm going to block the top vent on the radiator and use the vent from the termostat housing. This is higher up and makes for a neater installation. In order to connect the bottom hose I need a 180 degree hose to get the water pump outlet pointing forward. 180 is probably a bit too much but seeing as I can't get a 155 one it will have to do. Its not far way now, apart from the inlet, so will be trying to get it finished over the holidays. Merry Xmas all!

2008-12-10T20:50:00.005Z

With my new camera in hand and after much tinkering over the last few days with engine mounts, remote oil filter housing and like took the plunge, hoisted it up and dropped it in. Clutch splines lined up no problem and the engine dropped onto the box. I've popped a 10mm piece of steel under the offside engine mount. With that in place it lifts the engine slightly and leaves the sump hanging down about an inch all round and gives it a bit of a run off towards the drain plug.

After mucho head scratching and different release arms off ebay I have abandoned the ali bellhousing as an expensive mistake. With it having the option of starter on either side it was a bit too wide. I ground a lump off the clutch arm side so I'm not really able to sell it on. What a bummer...In the picture above you can see how much further back the filter housing is. Theres no chance of the steering arm catching now!
Its just a matter of connecting everything up now and I started with my new alternator mount which has worked out quite well. Alternator is now slightly higher and further away from any chassis rails and is really much more compact. With the belt on and tightened up its ready to go.

Duratec (zetec) ST170 engine will initially get its chance on the carbs off the 1.8. 4 X 40mm should be enough... A trip to Bogg Brothers may be needed but at this time I need to be convinced injection is needed. I'll be wiring the VVT up to the shift light function of the Megajolt so it will open at 4K rpm. Should make it sing.

One thing about the ST engine is the port sizes. The standard zetec ones are heart shaped but these are just plain round holes in and out. BIG plain round holes. The exhaust manifold will be having soome metal removed from the flange and depending on the inlet shape once I take the ST inlet manifold off I may fettle the carb inlet or make a new one.

New water hoses are required as the blacktop water pump union is smaller than the zetec one, comes out slightly pointing backwards and as I'm sticking with the Ford thermostat housing new top hoses as well. Lots to do, should have it running by Sunday.....

2008-11-27T22:24:00.004Z

Many hands make light work they say... and I must agree. Many thanks to Andy W for coming round tonight and giving me a hand on the very night I finally took the 1.8 out. Andy on one side, me on the other it was out in about 90 minutes.Took delivery of a brand new aluminum bellhousing Monday. With it offered up to the ST there was a very small amount of fettling to get the starter clear of the sump and that's where I left it for the cider, sorry, for the night!

I'm not going to be using the water rail I had on the 1.8 as I feel the original Ford housing works better and as I'm considering a heater this will suit it better. So some remaking of pipe work is in order and I will be plumbing the Focus oil cooler into the remote filter head. First I need to attach the new bellhousing, derust the flywheel I'm going to use and actually get the ST engine in!

I'll give the Mondeo clutch that I bought for the 1.8 a go but feel I may need to upgrade to some thing stronger. Time will tell. Old 1.8 out, new ST waiting menacingly to go in...

I'll be taking the opportunity to clean the engine bay out while there's plenty room. There's still mud and grass from the crash and fibreglass dust everywhere from the rebody so its an opportunity not to be missed.

2008-11-21T13:40:00.002Z

Quick update, engine is ready to go in with new belts and oil/filter etc. Was intending to get it in this weekend but have bought a new aluminium bellhousing at the last minute and am waiting for it to come. Picking up my 'new' Rover 45 this afternoon as well.

2008-11-17T17:53:00.007Z

This week has seen me buy a new tintop, Rover 45, and get the Focus engine ready for install. I took the engine and alternator mount off the silvertop and offered them up to the blacktop. Of course they didn't fit. As mentioned earlier there's one of the M10 threads for the engine mount in the block missing, although I've seen other blacktop engines where this is present! Also my custom alternator mount fouls the water pump housing. So, I've made a new alternator bracket using the Focus aircon mount and remade the engine mount using a threaded boss on the sump.This required a bit of angle with lugs for the alternator that bolted on using the A/C pump points. Its a bit closer to the engine than the last effort and a lot lighter!I used the original steering pump bracket to mount an idler for the auxiliary belt with an attachment point for the alternator upper adjuster arm.The engine mount has been remade using the top mount behind the A/C bracket. This involved grinding away the thickness of the mount from the back of the A/C bracket and sharing the bolt holes in the block. An extra 'leg' was welded to the bottom of the mount to attach to an M10 boss on the cast sump.A new belt was sourced from Halfords that goes round the new system, along with new engine oil and filter. I'm just waiting for a new cam belt kit to come as I want to install it while the engines on the stand. Then I'll be hoisting the 1.8 out and dropping the ST170 in!

2008-11-06T23:37:00.003Z

ST170 engine install starting now.... the engine has been on the stand for a bit now while I've chopped the sump and rebuilt the car.

Tonite I've chopped off the side of the sump to allow the type 9 starter to fit. I've roughly pushed all the ribs back but will need to bolt up the bellhousing and starter to see if its OK. Attacked the sump with the angry grinder and forgot to take any before photos. But, if your thinking of doing it yourself you know what the 'before' picture is.Here you can see the modded sump pan and the back of the ali sump reduced to the same height as the type 9 bellhousing. Really need a new camera......Next, I need to take the engine and alternator mount of the car and do the necessay mods to fit to the Focus engine. i need an idler to get teh water pump turning the right and the Focus block has one of the M10 engine mount bolt holes in the block missing that are present on the earlier 1.8. Strange..

Got a £7.99 car cover from Lidl tonite which looks to be doing a nice job, bit flimsy but OK for in the garage.

2008-11-05T09:19:00.003Z

Managed to get the car ready for Mondays track day. Over the last couple weeks fitted finished off all the niggly little bits and bobs. Number plates on lights fitted up, sanity checks on the water oil, suspension bolts etc. Arranged the new front cycle wings leaving the back real close to the road.

All of a sudden its Sunday morning, the suns shining and nervously I'm behind the wheel driving to the garage for some fuel ready for Mondays track day. Found the back of the cycle wings fouling slightlty on undulations in the garage. Get home to find them scraping the top of the drive so out with the cutoff saw and trimmed the bottoms back to 4" off the ground. They seem OK like that and it does help keep the debri from the wheels down as I found out on a cold wet track Monday.

Monday dawned for an early start down to Teeside Autodrome in the fog and peak traffic round the Boro.

the track was soaking with standing water and not wanting to bin it on my brand new shiny Yoko's I was takign it fairly easy. Had a couple of moments round the chicane (everyone did) as it was very slippy there. You could tell who had been off by the amount of mud they were carrying back into the pits. Some nice cars there, including a really old 60's Lotus 7 and a mad supercharged Busa Westfield.

Pictures of the day can be seen here: http://petrolhead.fotopic.net/c1605837_1.html

Got home in one piece with a small list of improvements.. stop the horn blowing on left handers, stop lights not working and an intermittent Acewell. The dash kept going to 0mph, rev counter erratic and sticking. Hopefully its just the plug into the loom loose as these things weren't there before the crash.

Some observations. Since the rebuild and suspension setup by MNR the car feels very stable combined with the new Yokohama Pradas. However the car did feel quite slow compared to the zetec engiend Westies, but as my engine temp was a chilly 58 degress due to having no thermostat in certainly didn't help.

So, next steps are the ST170 engine install, then better brakes, maybe some lighter uprights Toyota gearbox, soem proper dials for the dash and a heater... well I thought how good a heater would have been on Monday, if the engine temp had been up.

I've just picked a FWD Escort gearbox up off the bay that will be engineered to accept the W58 box to go behind the new power plant.

I have decided the trailer has to go as its in the way now, along with all the other junk I've accumulated. I need room to move the car around freely to facilitate the upcoming engine swap.

2008-10-12T17:11:00.004Z

Split the weekend between the scooter and the car with hardly any beer to speak of, in fact in the garage until 1am Friday night/Sat morning without a drop. A first in my book...

Anyway with the scooter running and sporting a brand new performance carb (should see around 7bhp, thats total mind, not extra!) I've been working on the car.

I picked a new set of Yokohama Prada 2's on Friday and had them fitted at the local tyre place Saturday morning. With them nicely bolted up to the car I thought about how to fit the Ace. Not wanting to cut any holes in the dash I've mounted it on the column. I've used a 35mm exhaust clamp with a hole drilled through the flat piece and a 40 mm long piece of hex that has an M8 thread through it. I'm leaving the shroud off for now until I've driven it a bit and decided the final position of the column.

This morning I set about fitting the nose cone that I've been dreading. Making a cardboard template I marked the curve of the nose on the body work and trimmed it back. I used an electric sander for the fine adjustments smoothed it back until there is a nice small even gap with the bonnet. This time around I've recessed the body for the headlamp bar, not cutting into the nose at all. The bar bolts onto the chassis bracket that had bits of wood on last time round. At the moment the body is not secured to the chassis at the front as I want to do it a bit better than the wood I used before. And of course the nose cone is scratched to bits where it slid off the front and bounced off the block paving. ARGHHHH!! Well, I can't have it all going smoothly now can I??

Headlamp bar bolted to chassis let down into the bodywork instead of cutting into the nose cone.

2008-09-29T19:56:00.003Z

Right then, having survived the threat of redundancy I'm back on it once more. One of my colleagues volunteered at the last minute so everyone is happy. Although, with one gone and the same amount of work, I'm actively seeking a new job.

Thats the good news, heres the bad... the new scuttle is now wearing 4 holes in the wrong position, one large one where for a minute I thought the steering was on the wrong side, two where the expansion tank was too high initially, and one where the mirror was in the wrong position. With all that in mind I'm attacking it little by little now with the dreaded cutting of the front body tub to fit the nose looming.. oh my god!

Tonight I've made a cardboard template for the nose fitting as the front of the body tub needs trimming back and secured the bonnet. With the expansion tank now a bit lower (back to its original position) the bonnet could be offered up and the bonnet clamps fitted.

2008-09-28T19:04:00.003Z

I'm not enjoying this at the moment. Probably because I'll find out tomorrow if I'm redundant or not....
Today I've put the new inside rear guard on and all the lights back on. I've also been polishing the new bits and trying them on. Polished the bonnet removing all the marks from the original build up and offered it up to the scuttle... DOH! the expansion tank is too high, why didn't I measure the position from the old scuttle? OK, so how about the new aeroscreen I got last week? Fix it on with the mirrors, taped the aeroscreen on and measured the position of the mirrors. Offside first, everything OK, off to the nearside and measured the postion on the aeroscreen to match the other side and drilled the first hole. Hmm looks a bit further in.. earoscreen had slipped under the tape and one hole in the wrong position.... time to pack up and continue with the death by lager project.
As I've said, find out tomorrow if I'm out of work so I think I'll leave it till I'm in a better mood.

Trackday booked for 3rd November so plenty of time to get me head round it and get her back on the road.

2008-09-27T18:51:00.004Z

Still a bit pi€€ed off with the crash, putting it back together reminds me of the crash. Underneath the car is still scarred with mud and grass where it was dragged out of the ditch, but I'm determined to get her back together and out on the road again. Soon!!

Today I've been fixing the bodywork around the cabin and bolting down the scuttle. This time I've kept the scuttle rigid by cutting holes for the steering column. I had to totally disassemble the column to get through the holes and it took ages fiddling with the little bits and bobs that make up the tilt mechanism but it was worth it, it looks a lot neater than cutting slots and chunks out of the dash. I'll need to cut the cowl back to suit the new set up but I want to drive the car about a bit and get the column in the right position first as I've also adjusted the brake pedal back a bit. New carbon look dash looks super!!

Got the offside rear wing on as well and will be cracking on tomorrow to get the rest sorted.

2008-09-21T17:28:00.002Z

Got the car back yesterday. Went down to MNR with my locost trailer and brought it back. The new body tub is loosely fitted atm as the scuttle, bonnet and nose cone need to be fitted before the body is finally attached.

So, started by measuring the scuttle as I want to just have holes for the steering column instead of cutting slots out. This will keep the scuttle rigid as cuttign slots at the front mean the dash can flex all over the place.

Measured where the column comes out the back and transferred it onto the new scuttle. Cut the hole and tidied it up then realised it's on the wrong side! ARGGHHHH!!!! Abandoned ATM while I drink myself to death....

Stay tuned....

2008-08-31T12:27:00.003Z

Car is now down at MNR and the insurance company have given the go-ahead Wednesday gone. Popped down to MNR Saturday to do some interior mods with the body off.
To give myself a bit more room round the throttle pedal and to show off the chassis a bit I've moved the trim panels that were on the inside and riveted them onto the outside of the chassis rails. With the body off and easy access to the pedal box I've adjusted the position of the pedal to move it back more into line with the clutch. This will allow me to adjust the seat better and not have the steering column pulled out as far.

The new body tub is on order and with MNR fitting it this time they should make a better job than I did the first time.

ST170 sump chop is just about done, the pan is finished and just the pick up pipe to cut down to size.

2008-08-23T16:54:00.001Z

Quote is in to the insurance company for a repair... just waiting to see what they say.

2008-08-17T21:14:00.003Z

A small glitch has befallen the progress here... I've crashed it! Just ATM I feel totally gutted and fancy throwing the towel in.

2008-08-15T17:29:00.003Z

Ok, one quick offer on ebay and a drive down to pick it up today and I now have an phase 3 Zetec ST170 engine out of a 52 reg RSFocus that had been wrapped round a lamppost. It came with everything attached and was lifted into my Rover with a forklift. I spent an hour or so stripping all the pas and AC pumps, starter motor and exhaust etc, off so me and lad could lift it out!

A quick look and measure up show the sump is a little deeper than I have atm so that will have to be modified. Not a problem as its a steel pan unlike the alloy one on the 1.8. Also a huge lump of the alloy brace above the steel pan will have to come off to get the starter motor in. The water pump runs the wrong way on these blacktop engines (although this one is silver!) so that will be changed along with a new cam belt. One of the engine mount threads in the block is missing as well so I'll have to adapt the mount as well. no time to waste I see this as a fairly straight forward swap and will be using the carbs off the 1.8 until I get me head round some bike throttle bodies and engine management. Easy extra 50 odd bhp with much more to come as funds allow!

2008-08-11T18:29:00.004Z

Today I've been down to Blogg Brothers to get the carbs set up. I've been out on a few runs and noticed I wasn't getting very far before having to stop and fill it up again. Not knowing how much is left in the tank when the fuel gauge does down to the last bar on the screen I've been putting 20L in at a time and measuring the miles... I reckon its under 30mpg so hopefully today will see that improve.

Dave ran it up and checked the emissions to see how it was fueling. The mid range was so rich it ran the CO off the gauge! HC was very high as well all over. The idle was too weak as was the top end. We tried it with both the airbox on and off but found the biggest problem was the remote filter, it just couldn't flow enough air! So, the whole lot is off and until I get a Pipercross sausage filter on the carbs are running open, which was how Dave set it up.

With everything set up, basically changing the needle position and drilling the mains out, balancing the carbs and setting the air screw the CO dropped right off as did the HC and was stable right through the rev range. Finally a power run on the dyno saw 120bhp at the wheels. Doesn't sound much and I thought it would be a lot higher than that as it feels a lot more on the road. Hopefully the mpg will improve and I can rag it up to the red line! More power (ST170 engine?) is in order!

Nearly 600 miles on her now and so far so good, two minor problems with broken wing stays but, easily fixed. The roads are bloody awful, what do we pay our road fund for I ask???

2008-07-22T13:02:00.002Z

Friday 18th I had all my forms ready to post but finishing early I decided to call in the DVLA office and hand them in. what a result, the girls at Stockton DVLA have been nothing but helpful and within 20 minutes of presenting the forms I was walking out with reg and tax in hand. It was probably made a bit simpler because I already had a reg on retention so that was signed as a cherished number with the car registered on an 08 number.

First blast out was Sunday as it rained all day Saturday and I met up with some other guys and had a run round the moors over Ripon. Superb day out, even a bit of rain didn't dampen the enjoyment of open top motoring again.

My immediate thoughts are an engine swap but not the turbo engine. That is a long term winter project. I'm thinking of a much newer 2L Zetec E for a few extra horsepower and its an in out swap. Shouldn't take more than a day to swap just need to find one cheap!

2008-07-16T14:55:00.004Z

Its a PASS!!

4am start down to Beverley Tuesday 15th July and by mid day had the MAC in my mitt!!
Popped into DVLA Stockton on the way back for a cheeky inspection and they were very obliging, so, after arranging the insurance I'll be on the road for 1st August.

A enjoyable experience in all, the nice weather helped, me leaving me house keys hanging in the front door this morning didn't tho He hummed and harred over the bottom dash radius which was clearly no good to his gauge, but apart from that no dramas. Axle weights well balanced within 5kg of each other. I didn't ask any of the results though just the speed test, which was reading 2mph over. The brake and noise tests where simply OK.

I now have insurance courtesy of Footman James coming in with the cheapest quote. I just need to send all the forms and paperwork to DVLA once I have the cover note and I will be on the road!

So, keep tuned for the development of the car, I already have a 2L Rover Turbo engine an Supra gearbox so I'll be turning may attention to that.

I'll be keeping the blog updated with the progress as it happens.

2008-07-12T19:19:00.002Z

Not much happing ATM. Just the usual last minute panic with SVA in 3 days time. Its a double edge sword with getting the trailer ready and finishing the car.
I have the car booked into the local MOT place on Monday for a brake and emissions test so both need to be ready for then, then off to Beverley Tuesday 5am for the final act, before DVLA that is!!
Had the car outside today in the sun and ran it up to temp until the fan kicked in, switch it off and did it again with no leaks or dramas. I changed the throttle cable yesterday for a slightly longer one and it has help the running on problem I had, it revs and settles down to its 850rpm idle OK now.

2008-06-22T17:20:00.003Z

Long time since I posted so here goes. Been fiddling on with the car getting all the last minute jobs done. Still a few little things but nothing major I cant finish the weekend before the test.

In the meantime I've been thinking about the logistics of moving it around. Before the test I want to get it down to MNR for a check up so a tailer defo required there. 100 miles to the test centre. Thought about driving it there but I would be more happy trailering it to avoid any hassle. Then I need a trailer to get it to DVLA for the inspection. Cheapest I can get a trailer for is £50 a day so adding up the fact I need to leave at 5am for the test thats two days, if it fails thats another two days for the retest. MNR and back? Yep two days hire and I may just get away with one for the DVLA. I'm hoping I can call in on me way back from the test.

So searching ebay I come across a stripped out caravan fairly local and a bit of bidding frenzy later its mine. I had picked it up within an hour of the auction ending and towed it back. I now know why I never want to tow another caravan in me life. Awful! Anyway it was cheap, I have some steel lying around and I can always sell it later to recoop the cost.I picked it up Monday gone and by Friday it was down to the chassis. Yesterday rained all day so very little done but today I've cracked on making the top out of some box section and angle I had in the garage.

I've ordered some lights and rear props off ebay and I kept all the wiring, side markers and such off the van so I'll be cracking on with it this week. I'll be making all the rest out of wood for quickness and may upgrade to steel later. it will be living in the garage with the car on it as I have no where to leave it outside. It would soon disappear off my drive!

2008-06-09T14:40:00.002Z

Rang the test centre to see what was going on and they said a letter was in the post with the 27th June as the date. Get in, same day I'm going to see Bon Jovi in London. Asked for an alternative date and they gave me the 15th July. So, some small jobs to do, tons to worry about and we may be on the road for autumn.

Bought some mdf to make adapter plate templates for the Rover conversion, but nothing else ATM!

2008-05-30T16:28:00.001Z

Had a mail from Vosa today saying my application has been progressed and sent to Beverley TS. They will be in touch to arrange an inspection date.

WOOOHHHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

2008-05-26T18:19:00.004Z

Still waiting for VOSA to give me an SVA date. I sent the Amateur Built Declaration form off on the 9th May and on Friday the 23rd another one arrived. I rang the up to ask whats going on and put the phone down more confused after someone telling me there was something missing from the form. That was after he said they had not received the first one. I pointed out it was signed for on the 13th and he found it in about 30 seconds! Anyway I have to phone back later this week as whoever I need to speak to is on holiday :-/

In the meantime I've picked up a Rover T16 engine that will be married to my Toyota W58 gearbox and installed in the car at a later date. It will be a challenge as the recognized route is using Sherpa van or SD1 gearboxes. Van boxes have rubbish ratio's and SD1 boxes are rare. Land Rover R380 boxes fit but they cost a fortune. I already have the Toyota box so thats whats going in. People put them behind big V8's and they come from Supra turbos so I know its well up to the job.

This is the box...

This is the engine, getting them together will be a challenge....

Making the box fit the engine is fairly straightforward if time consuming! I have two options, the first being a Maestro backing plate (I already have) that I can mark the Toyota bellhousing out on and redrill the mounting holes. Only problem here is the starter mounting is where the turbo is. Moving it to the other side isn't a drama as the Maestro plate is a 1/2 inch piece of steel plate. In a word, heavy!

Option 2 is using the original FWD bellhousing. Separating the FWD gearbox to expose the front part which is little more than a bellhousing. Grinding the diff carrier off makes it suitable. Then making an adapter plate to bolt the Toyota box to it. Nice over box clutch lever but the starter sits in the bellhousing and hangs over the top of the box. May cause a clearance issue. This way makes the install a lot lighter and it should be dead easy to line everything up. Again may need to move the starter!

I got this idea from a fellow Locostbuilder, Bill who is doing the same for his 7. Check it out here:

http://bills-locost.blogspot.com/

2008-05-19T20:51:00.002Z

Right then, while waiting for Vosa my mind is turning to what happens after SVA.... current plan is to lift the 1.8 zetec and replace it with a turbo engine. Plan is a Rover T16 with a Toyota W58 gearbox. I will then have a spare Ford engine that I may replace with a 2.0L and drop it into one of these little tin cans!
I really fancy one of these French fillies with rear wheel drive and 160bhp.....

2008-05-18T08:54:00.002Z

As requested some pictures of my rad mount. They are not very neat but are out of sight and do the job remarkably well. Aluminium brackets riveted to the chassis tube at the bottom as described in the build manual. The original top brackets, one of which can be seen in the picture of the top mount were to far back to fit the hoses etc, so I made brackets that bolt to the top mounting plate on the chassis that also serve as handy earthing points for the front lights, and the rusty Sierra horn bracket I've reused!

2008-05-17T17:33:00.002Z

Quick update, nothing much happening ATM, waiting for Vosa to give me a date for SVA. There is a small amount to fettle, boot lid, fog light switch, and chassis number to stamp on. Then some fettling with polish to make her shine.

2008-04-28T21:00:00.003Z

Since my successful track day I've got the carbs off and I am checking the settings, float height etc and strengthening the return spring. I'm going to try putting a spring on the end of the throttle return cable so when the throttle is opened the cable pulls the spring giving a good pull back. Just thinking of some ideas ATM.

I've now fixed the cycle wings on. They are glued on with some horrible super sticking window bond PU adhesive. Just hope my initial trials in getting the wheels off is still OK!
Thinking along SVA lines I've made a front indicator mounting/bumper bar. Bent some bits of tube up welded them together and with a loop round the bottom will give me a bracket to mount the front reg plate off. Not sure on the look yet but it may grow on me.

The landmark today is I've posted my SVA forms requesting a test date of 2nd June. That gives me plenty of time to sort all the last little bits out, get some insurance, have a pre MOT and think of anything else that may need attention.

Some more pictures from the track day!

2008-04-21T18:58:00.003Z

Today saw me at Teeside Autodrome for a track day. Arrived just after 8am due to slow traffic on the A19 and A66. Good selection of cars, a lot of Westfields, but not as many bike engined cars as I thought would be there. Temporary front cycle wings made out of the side of a washing machine. Worked a treat and looked quite good as well!

Went out on a 3 lap intro behind the pace car to get used to the track. After the introduction we were out on the track. I got going and found there wasn't much top end revs when I thought I could smell petrol. As I backed off to pull in... Boosh! steam everywhere. The top bleeding pipe had blown off and sprayed water everywhere. Fixed that by flaring the pipe a little and holding it on with a tie wrap. Out again and within 2 laps the temp was up to 110deg. In again to find the water rail cap bubbling away. Another couple of goes and still running very hot.

With help from the guys around me I decided to take the thermostat out as the top pipe to the rad was a lot colder than the rest of the system. Out again and the temp stayed down at 70deg and dipped on the back straight. Excellent, now the fueling. The car was very quick through the twisty bits and due to the throttle running on a bit I only used 3rd and 4th all the way round. Out on the straight I could get it up to 5500rpm in third but only 4K in top. Everything flashed past me on the straight. I had a meddle with the carb settings a few times, and ran it without the airbox but deciding the main jets were too small I concentrated on getting some laps in and having a good time.

Couple of points from the day, the throttle needs a heavier return spring and the carbs need setting up correctly. Not too difficult, just need a rest for a bit as I'm aching all over!!

So with 88 miles on the clock from today it's SVA next. Just a few bits to dress up and we should be on the road soon!

2008-04-20T21:08:00.002Z

This weekend has seen me working towards tomorrows track day. On Saturday I started it up and found the exhaust blowing and it was running like it was only on 3 cylinders. Pulling the plug leads off one by one only made it worse.

I checked the carb settings and balanced them, still running real rough. Thinking the easiest thing to do so close to my outing was to put a new set of plugs in. So, off to Halfords and once in the lumpy running was gone. Some silicon on the blowing join and that cured the blowing.

Today I've been checking round the nuts and bolts to make sure every thing is tight and fitting the body work. Made a neat holder for the battery out of a piece of stainless that came from a deep fat fryer! Loads of other little jobs that has seen me in the garage till 10pm both nights!

Been out to pick up the trailer I'm borrowing and last thing is the second seat and harnesses in just in case I get any passengers tomorrow.

I'll post some pictures of the day when I get back, hopefully in one piece!

2008-04-17T17:40:00.004Z

The last few days have been really busy. I always said that the last thing I would do on the car is fit the front cycle guards and thats whats happened. I PU'd and rivetted a 4x6" piece of ruffed up ali to each stay. This should give a good large surface area contact between it self and the cycle wing.

After checking whether I could get the wheels off without removing the guards its all go. I trimmed the front back and fastened them on with tape and carefully removed the wheel. Everything looked OK so I'm ready to glue them on with some PU adhesive. However I'm a bit put off because it can take a couple of weeks for the PU to cure and I have the track day in 4 days time, so I've decided to do the track day without any front guards and stick them on after. Hope it doesn't rain!

Fitted the rear boot cover. I've trimmed it with small rubber U trim and fastened it down with PU. it was loaded up with bricks and bits of lead to weigh it down while the PU set.
There's a cut out in the middle so I can get at the handbrake cable and other bits under there. I got a piece of 25mm angle to trim the edge where the internal panel drops down into the cabin. I used some rivits to hold this and theres PU underneath as well.

YZF1000 mirrors arrived yesterday so a quick sit in the car holding the mirror and a few holes later they both on and should give me a good rear view for SVA.

I wasn't too happy with the look of the supplied fixings for the harness. My fault, I told them that was what I wanted. The top mounts were the same as the bottom, clip on through eyes. They just didn't look right on the car so a trip to the scrap yard and I came away with some Ford Ka buckles, swivells bolts and covers. I think they look a lot better and should be no problem for the SVA

Battery clamp to manufacture, body work bolted on this weekend and on the track Monday. I'm going to have ago at checking the tracking and balance the carbs before I go and fingers crossed it will be a dry day!

2008-04-09T21:19:00.003Z

Made a little bracket for the air filter then fitted the front cycle wings tonight. Thought it was going to be a daunting task but turned out to be quite straight forward. Cut the wings stays down to equal length so there is about a 20mm gap between it and the tyre then carefully removed two fillets on each wing to slot over the stays. I want to bond them on with PU adhesive but I need to check whether I can get the wheels off. The guards have a fairly big wraparound and are tight against the sides of my 205's so I may have to make them removable. I will be cutting back the front so that may allow the wheels out. Need to get it outside to check, it's too tight in the garage.

2008-04-08T20:59:00.002Z

I've been going at it hammer and tongs since my last post. With the end in sight I have booked a track day for a bit of a shakedown.

I visited MNR last week and got all my paperwork for Vosa and the Dvla filled in, I'm just holding off sending them in until I've done the track day to see if anything falls off or I blow the thing up! I checked out a freshly SVA'd car in the workshop thats given me inspiration as the two guys had just picked the kit up in December and it's on the road now! There was two of them mind, I'm doing this on me own.

I've made a final fit of the scuttle, sorted the airbox out and started fitting the front wings. My goal is to get it finished for the track day 21st April then send the forms off and make it SVA friendly for the big day.

It's really come together lately. A few weeks ago it seemed like there was loads to do, now Its nearly all done. Just need to finish off trimming the cabin with some edge trim, secure the inner panels properly and fit the boot cover. Arches on and and I should be ready to go. Fingers crossed!

2008-03-31T20:44:00.002Z

Working from the back forward I've been concentrating on the cabin. With the seat in place I've been able to adjust the height of the steering column properly and get everything inline. The pedals need a little adjusting as the brake is a little to far forward and there's not much room for my big feet!! I'll let the pictures show how far I'm on. With the light nights now I'm going to get it outsdie to get some decent pictures!

2008-03-24T21:38:00.003Z

The little things take the longest, as they say. I agree, give me suspension build ups or engine installs any day. I really don't enjoy the niggly little things.

Spent the last two days sorting the interior and am afraid to say it doesn't look any different! What I've managed over the last two days is getting the gearstick and surround sorted. I looked around for a nice chrome ring to go round the gear stick hole but couldn't find anything that didn't resort to ebay or some week long wait. Raking around in the shed in the garden I came across a square rubber corrugated affair that I think was off an old Montego. My garden shed is were I keep everything else that is not directly involved in the build. Might come in handy I think looking at rubbish and this time its come up trumps! It has ever increasing square folds so I measured one of them 3 from the bottom and trimmed the tunnel cover to suit. It all fits together quite well.

Having had the final attack on the tunnel cover with the dremel it slips on nicely. I was all ready to fasten it down when I remembered the fuel pipe that needed rerouting. Luckily I had a new full length copper pipe, supplied as a return but I didn't use it so out with the old one and in with the new. Sounds dead easy but chopping the heads off rivits and running the new pipe in took forever but its done now so thats another item off the list. While I was on with the fuel pipe I changed the mish mash of jubilee clips and replaced all with nice new shiny pucka Norma fuel clips.

The seats are ready to go in now, once I've secured the side trim panels and tunnel cover that is. All the spacers are made and holes drilled to slip them in soon.

So, thats were we are, loads of prep work, niggly little bits I'm not very keen on. Never mind, its been snowing and its frozen solid now... spring has arrived!

2008-03-22T16:53:00.003Z

This week seems to have taken a golden leap towards completion. The seats are sitting on their Citreon C3 runners, but still need bolting into the car. I'm looking for some 'free' ali spacers to get them over the diagonal chassis rail.

Ive tidied the engine cooling system up finally linking the bottom hoses with a length of 16mm ali pipe from B&Q. Last night I went round checking all the connections, making sure all the hoses were connected etc. Pouring two 1 litre bottles of antifreeze in one at a time and checking for leaks, a couple of the clips needed a tighten up with a spanner. Filled the system up with water. Filling up via the cap on the water rail till its full to the top leaves the header tank half full. Result!

Got a Mini exhaust bobbin off ebay and discovered the bracket I'd fabricated didn't stick out far enough. DOH! Off it came and 5 minutes later a new was ready :-) A corresponding bracket to bolt onto the rear silencer clamp was also made and some paint applied.

It took a little fettling to get the manifold to fit tightly as previously I've only used a couple of studs to locate it. Most of them came out when I took the Ford cast item off. Anyway, cleaned the studs up after getting the rusting old nuts off and inserted them back in the block with some threadlock. One of the holes on the new manifold needed enlarging but once that was done it was bolted on with a new gasket. The rest of the system was bolted together on the new brackets and feels pretty solid.

With everything ready for a warm up test I resisted the temptation and left it full of water overnight to make sure there was no leaks. Off to the club to see a Rush tribute band and a skin full. I thank you.

Today I checked for leaks and with everything apparently water tight I cleared all the rubbish thats accumulated at the front of the garage. Starting it up, oh, need to get that choke cable connected, I backed it out into the sun. Running well, ticking over nicely, and very quiet! I let it tick over until operating temperature was achieved and a couple of minutes later the fan kicked in. WAHOO!!! Turned it off to find the fan keeps running until the temp has dropped. Get in there! Nice to see the Sierra wiring doing all the right things ;-)

Got the camera out to take some pictures and was about to get the video camera out when the heavens opened, 5 minutes after these pictures there was a covering of snow!

What you can't see here is the engine ticking over nicely.

2008-03-18T20:28:00.004Z

Went out again tonight to crack on... but, brrrrrr too cold for me! Nipped back indoors and made a cardboard box 53mm x 132mm to check the rear seatbelt mount. With the box sitting in the chair and a straight line from the upper belt mount there needs to be a 450mm distance from the front of the box. This is required by SVA and is designed so you don't get pulled down in the seat in the event of a frontal shunt. With my seats on 1" blocks I have around 490~500mm so plenty there.
As you can see in the picture's above the bottom seat harness mounts are very tight in the corner of the chassis. Just enough room to get them in and tighten them up.

Top mounts are clip on as well which I'm not to happy about, tightening them up they don't all face forward. Nothing to worry about, just looks a little crap!

The copper pipe you see there is the fuel pipe. Thats coming out and being rerouted as I'm not too happy with how close it is to the handbrake mechanism.

I've took the plunge and secured the back trim with Tiger seal. Thats it, it's not coming off!! again.

2008-03-17T20:32:00.004Z

Too much beer over the weekend so with a rest day Monday I've cracked on a bit.
Seats arrived Friday afternoon so after taking loads of junk, thats been clogging the garage up, off to the tip, then over to the scrappy. Search round for suitable seat runners and came across some nice almost brand new ones off a very sorry Citreon C3, there was a C2 next to it with the same runners but they were a bit rusting and the drivers side was twisted. Picked up some connectors as well for the Astra speed unit and some for Toyota switch gear I have.

Today I've modified the runners, basically cutting off threaded studs and welding a lug to the front for screwing onto my new seats. A hole drilled at the back to suit the fiberglass seats, oh, and not forgetting making them a bit narrower as well. That little lot took all of 4/5 hours!

I've cut the bonnet to suit the exhaust and made a chassis mount for the silencer at the back. Drilled all the holes for the harness eyes in the floor and screwed them in. These are all the little, easy things that seem to take ages to do. Before I realised it I've spent 9 hours in the garage today!

2008-03-11T20:21:00.005Z

I've spent the last few days tidying up the wiring under the scuttle. The Acewell is all wired in now apart from the speedo pickup that I'm still deciding where to put it. I've bundled all the wiring together with spiro and convoluted tubes, soldering and shrink covers over the joins.

With the scuttle in place there is a gap between it and the alloy shelf in front so I've attached a piece of ali angle to fill the gap and give the bottom of the scuttle some support. It lost a bit of rigidity when I cut the channel for the steering column.

With the scuttle in place the new alloy header tank was mounted. I sat it up as high on scuttle side as the bonnet would allow, checking carefully to make sure.
I used a piece of tubing I picked up off a Corsa in the scrapyard. It was long enough and had enough bends in it to get all the bottom hose sections out it. The OEM pipe clips are a nice touch as well. That is without going to the expense of a blinging silicone install!
A piece of 16mm pipe from B&Q will complete the connection to the bottom hose at the front of the car.

I couldn't resist a tidy up and sitting in it again. I'm impressed at the height of the scuttle which gives a nice closed in feeling. It feels like your well down behind the shaped top unlike some other 7 type cars I've been in. With the wind deflector on top this should give a good level of protection from the elements.

Picked a spare 1.8 zetec engine up on Sunday from a fellow Locostbuilder. Slowly collecting parts for the turbo conversion.....

2008-03-06T22:22:00.003Z

I've been working hard on it with little to show for my efforts lately, out in the garage till 10.30 and the like! Basically I'm wiring the Acewell in and generally trying to get all the under scuttle bits and bobs finished off, wrapped up nice and tidy. This is so I can get the scuttle on, drill the holes for the side repeaters, and mount the alloy header tank so I can get some water in the system.

Wired the alternator up tonite and started her up and the voltage on the Acewell went from 9.4V (redtop getting a little flat with no charging) up to 14.4v Result.

Also had a little stab at the the connections up to the header tank. I've used a bit of 6mm microbore copper for the breather and I will paint it black once its all configured correctly.

Pushing on now, I have much enthusiasm for it at the moment. The months are flashing by and I do want it finished soon!!

2008-02-19T22:36:00.007Z

Got the final brackets cut out drilled and fitted for the Rover handbrake setup tonight. I've trimmed the tunnel cover back a little more as well and the action is a lot smoother.
I was going to spray the brackets but in the greenhouse outside it said -4 so I'll leave that until it warms up about 10 or so....

Trial fit of the exhaust as well tonight, runs real close to the body, hope its not going to get too hot and mark the body! I'll be able to mark the position of the manifold exiting the body and cut out the bonnet to suit.

Ive ordered a set of triton fibreglass seats this week along with some black 4 point harnesses that I will be grafting in as soon as they arrive. Once the alloy header tank arrives I'll be getting the engine 'wet' for the first time and a prolonged run up.

2008-02-18T21:47:00.013Z

First bash at the new handbrake setup. Not happy with the Sierra cut and clamp setup I decided to look for an alternative.
With my daily drive being a Rover I looked at the setup in the car and in the manual for the drum set up. The Rover has a twin cable setup that I thought would fit. Off to the scrappy for a Rover 200 lever and the clamp that holds the cables and down to the motor factor for a new cable. £35 a side for Rover 200 cables! Gulp. No way, off to ebay. One rover 200 cable in the post as a taster and the bloody thing was about 7 foot long with 4 huge P type clamps. No good, too long.
Back on ebay to look at the pictures of other cables I thought the Freelander one looked the same (ends) but looked a lot shorter. Ordered one right cable for another trial fit.
The spring on the drum end of the cable was about 2/3 longer than the Sierra one so out with the snips and it was soon the length required. The connection through the back plate is OK but I had to remove the spring clip to ge it in. Cable tension will hold it in place. So success on one side and another cable ordered off the bay I have all the makings of an unmolested (slightly) OEM setup.

Because I had a lot of inner cable slack with cutting the spring down I had to move the cable clamp at the lever end back to compensate. This meant the clamp ended up over the diff, so there is one bolt through the existing chassis bracket and the back bolt goes down just in front of the diff casting. To this I have a small 1" plate with a nut welded on thats sits under the diff casting and pulls the new bracket down onto it.

The Rover 200 handle has a neat over the top mechanism which suits this type of car much better I think. The mountings are shorter than the Sierra ones and also on the wrong side. I need to make a plate to bridge the two bars welded to the chassis and bolt the handle to that.
No dramas so far, the handle comes up through the tunnel cover in the same place and I may enlarge the hole a bit more as the Rover handle has a nice rubber gaiter that rises with the handle filling the gap. I just need to move that fuel pipe thats in the way, re-route the wiring a bit and flatten out the cable angle a bit and jobs a gudden!

Got my new Acewell as well this week and have it temporarily wired up. No dramas so far apart from the brake warning light is on all the time. A session with the multimeter should have that sorted. Its a lot bigger than i thought it would be and does everything I need. Not sure whether to mount it onto the face of the dashboard or mount it on top of the steering column.

Its just I hate drilling holes in the nice shiny virgin fibreglass!

And the hardest bit tonight? Getting the pictures up on here!!!

2008-02-09T21:48:00.000Z

Quick update... the alternator is now mounted on the engine and working ok. I'm now working on the handbrake system. I have a handle off a 220 Rover and cables off a Freelander. The cables needed a little fettling to fit but provide a OEM system that Mr. SVA will be happy with.
it is time to be getting on with the dash and my new Acewell dashboard. Stay tuned!!!!

2008-02-08T18:00:00.000Z

I've abandoned the airbox for the minute.I picked up a nice brand new Brise alternator off ebay and with it being quite small I thought it would be ideal.
Well, much head scratching with the alternator bracket I made earlier I nearly threw the thing in the bin! :-(

After searching the net and Locostbuilders I came to the conclusion an under hung bracket would do it.. and, it works perfectly, even with the belt I couldn't get tight enough before.

I've made a bracket out of 30x30x3mm angle from B&Q that pivots the alternator at the bottom. The adjuster arm at the top lets it swing out into plenty of space under the water pump outlet. It bolts onto 3 of the M10 holes in the block, the back being shared with the engine mount. The Mondeo pulley I had lying around fitted on perfectly and with a coat of paint thats one more headache out of the way!

I'm looking at alternative handbrake set ups now as I didn't feel the Sierra cable cut and attached with rope clamps was SVA friendly and it didn't look very good either. I'm looking to use a Rover handle that has a very compact mechanism and the cable attaches with big nipples. One cable per side means no cutting. However the cable I got off a Rover 200 is about 2 yards too long so I'm looking to use a Freelander jobbie that has the same ends but is much shorter.

Whether the other end fits the Sierra drums is another matter. Time will tell!

2008-01-25T20:46:00.000Z

The new air box is coming along quite canny now, although the amount of time its took is staggering! I started what seems like two weeks ago and it's still not finished! I have redesigned it slightly and remade some sections to be fair.

It fits under the bonnet OK and just needs a cover and a means of fastening it to the carbs. The cover will be permanantly attached with 5 fixings through the box. I've purchased some 8mm tube from B&Q and I'm going to extend the mountings through the box and out the top of the cover with some 6mm thread bar to hold it all together. Then I'll be making a scoop to go under the top of the nose cone apparture, again out of said old washing machine and I should have a system that uses the carbs as they were installed on the original motorcycle.

2008-01-14T22:43:00.000Z

Well, new year and new aspirations! So they say anyway.

I picked up some nice shiny new wheels in the Halfords boxing day sale and am mighty proud of them despite saying I was happy with the Ford ones for now! I have also spent a fair wedge at Car Builder Solutions who provide a cracking service with quick next day delivery. I went through their catalogue and wrote down everything I thought I needed to progress.

I've also swapped the pulleys between the two Ford alternators I've got to get over the slack drive belt problem I was having due to not being able to find the correct length belt. The Mondeo unit had a bigger pulley so that took up the slack on the belt I had.

I've trial fitted the bodywork again and fitted the bonnet catches so I can see how much clearance there is for an airbox without cutting holes in the body. I'm going to build an airbox and supply it with cold air from the front of the nose via a remote filter. There's not to much room in front of the carbs so I'm making a mock up out of cardboard before I start cutting metal.

I now have new found enthusiasm after a visit from the Dangerous Brothers who both have MNR's on the road. I do now intend to have it 'finished' by the end of this month!

2007-12-24T21:22:00.000Z

Well, I haven't done anything with the car since the last post. I've been too busy with other things :-).

At the moment I've been trying to find a fan belt that fits the alternator but can't get the correct length. I've been trying to fit a roller to take up the slack but with it being so cold in the garage I haven't had a real go at it.

Next step for me now is finding some decent wheels and tyres in the sales and getting some seats. That should get me pretty close to finished and give me the umph I need to get it to the SVA test.

I'm also trying to decide about arch mounted indicators as I really don't fancy drilling holes in the nose cone! Strange but true....

I haven't abandoned it yet, its just I'm thinking about the 32 year trials bike thats in bits on the garage floor and the scooter as afore mentioned! One big push should see me close, I really do want it on the road for the summer.

As its christmas eve, I'd just like to wish everyone a happy xmas and a prosperous new year.

2007-11-10T19:32:00.000Z

Today I have fitted the hoses for the coolant system, well some of them anyway. I purchased a 90 degree reducing bend to connect to the water pump and used a combination of B&Q aerial pole and some hose I got from the scrappy a while back. I still need some hose for the top connection as none of the bits I have are suitable. It needs to dip down under the light bar then up to the outlet on the thermostat housing.
The water rail has made installation of the top hose very straight forward, and its a very neat factory looking piece of kit.
I also fitted the alternator on the bracket I made last week as you can see in the picture. I need a trip to Halfords to get a belt and some water hose and hope theres no bling wheels on offer to tempt me.....

I have a plastic expansion bottle off a Corsa at the moment but I may splash out on a nice shiny ali head tank! Gulp!

Ive moved the radiator forward slightly to give more room for the bottom hose and it now sits up a bit higher. I just hope the nose cone fits now!

To solve the problem I had with brake fluid leaking I purchased two screw in/push on connectors and got rid of the bits of brake pipe and union setup. Hope it does the trick, there was brake fluid all over as changed them!

I now think thats all the mechanical stuff done and its bodywork and trim next bearing in mind the requirements of SVA. The wiring needs tiding up and I need to think about clocks. I still haven't decided what I want to dash to look like!

2007-10-31T21:01:00.001Z

Well, thats the whole of October gone and I've done nothing with the car. How time flies...

I am quite amazed at the number of people who have come onto my blog here. Nearly 3,000 at the moment. Thanks very much everybody.
I have not abandoned this blog or the car build, I've just not done anything on the car since my last post. In fact since I came back off holiday in September!

In the last couple of weeks I've picked up a 100cc scooter and I've been fiddling with that. I got it dead cheap off ebay and it just needs some TLC and I'll be on the road with it. 100mpg is the attraction!! and the fact it's a 2 stroke. I love the ring ting ting....

Today I received a second hand water rail for the zetec and I've now got that on making it dead easy to fit the top hose to the radiator. The bottom one is a bit more difficult and I may have to buy a silicon reducing bend to attached to the water pump outlet that's a lot bigger (45mm I think) than the rest of the hoses.

While I was on a roll I have nearly finished the alternator bracket I started ages ago. It just needs taking off and welding up, a trip to Halfords for a belt and I should have it up and running soon.

Twice in the last month I've had to start the car to get it out of the garage and up the drive and I can report it starts first time and drive's quite good, even for the small push up the drive! The only thing that I'm not happy about is a small brake fluid leak from the reservoir connection. It only leaks after I've used the brakes but as its on the non-pressurised side of the system so I'm a bit miffed at that one.

2007-09-24T20:15:00.000Z

Well, it feels like a long time since I did anything to the car. I've had a week in Spain where it rained for 3 days for the first time since April. Doh!

I've been collecting things from the scrapyard the last couple weeks and have a load of coolant pipes to make up the system and a nearly brand new reservoir from a 07 reg Corsa that was absolutely smashed to bits.

I've also picked up some bits for my daily drive, a Rover 220D. I picked up a tow bar so I can get the MNR around on a trailer when I need too. Then the wiper motor seized and I had to go back for that! I've picked up some other little bits and bobs along the way always keeping an eye out for a 6 cylinder Volvo.... :-)

I got back from holiday on the 15th and did intend going to the Donnington kit car event. However, we were a bit delayed getting back and the drive down to the midlands was just a bridge too far. From the reports I've seen I didn't miss much so I'm not that fussed in in not going this year.

At the moment I'm trying work out how I can use the clocks from an Astra. They are electronic are very thin at 50mm front to back. They have all the clocks and lights I need for SVA so I'm having a bash at making them work for my kit!

2007-09-03T21:23:00.000Z

Hi, no major progress at the moment as I'm trying to resist an engine change. I'm quite taken with a Volvo engine. Its a 3L 6 cylinder job that is very compact and only 4 inches longer than a 4 pot engine and chucks out over 200bhp with a huge lump of torque. Some of them have single tubos attached and some have twin turbos attached. Heaven!

It looks really good as well.

I've spent the last couple weeks collecting bits and bobs along with a silencer and link pipe from MNR. I'm sorting out were the coolant pipes will run and rather than spend a fortune on silicon pipes I'm going to gather some OE pipes from the scrappy to make all the bends. Then I can get some ali pipe bent to take out some of the joins out before I spend any cash on the shiny bits.

I really need to resist the urge for another engine but I know it will simmer away and if one comes along at the right price soon I'll be a having it!

Engine/Alternator Mount.

2007-08-26T18:14:00.000Z

The new engine mount and alternator bracket are complete. They are coated in Hammerite and drying off as I write.

I've made a new alternator bracket based on a design that's for a zetec SE. The mounting hole centres were different but the overall design is the same. I made the bracket to fit the Focus alternator I bought at the scrappy. The original one that came with the engine was slightly larger and heavier so the Focus jobbie was used instead. I used two of the M10 threaded holes in the block while sharing the back one with the new engine mount which uses 3 M10 holes in the block, AKA original Ford Crossflow design, I believe!

When I took the original mount off I held the engine at the required position using a jack under the engine. This way I made the two plates, one on the engine and one on the rubber mount on the chassis, joining the two together with a bit of tube. I spent a couple of hours making a wooden mount to get the angles right then transfered the dimensions to the metal bits. The whole lot was then welded together.

Heres the new mount cooling off after welding. I'm surprised how rough the welds look as they look a lot better in the flesh! They are done with my 20 year old stick welder thats a bugger to get going but gives a nice smooth weld once its arced. I would really love a Tig, once I win the lottery!

In order to fit the rubber mount I need a hole in the side so I can tighten the M10 nut. I drilled a couple of 10mm holes before I welded it and I made the hole big enough to accept a socket with a milling bit in the electric drill.

With the hole enlarged so I can get the nut on the thread and a socket in to tighten it up, I trial assembled the bracket and mount. balancing the welding seems to have held any distortion at bay and it all went together perfectly!

With the jack out and every thing resting in place the alternator now has a home with a decent amount of room for adjustment. There is plenty of room above for the coolant pipework as well.

This is the alternator bracket, (sorry for the blurry picture, I really do need a new camera!)
I bought a metre of 30x30x3mm angle in B&Q to make it.
The two mounts for the alternator are perfect for belt alignment and there is a captive M8 thread for the adjuster arm at the front.
I don't have an adjuster arm but a trip to the scrappy should get me one off a Ford Fiasco that should do the job perfectly. While I'm there I'll try and get some wheel nuts as I only have 3 on each wheel. The original owner of the donor must have saved the locking nuts for something else :-)

I took it all off and gave it a nice black coat of smooth Hammerite. I'll give that a couple of days to dry and then I'll be moving on to the cooling side. In the meantime a bit more wiring to get the back lights and horn working.

Alternator

2007-08-21T19:24:00.000Z

I've been wanting to put my alternator under the carbs above the oil filter mounting. Most people move the thing there when installing in this kind of RWD vehicle.

However, the space is very tight with a chassis tube dissecting the area and the steering shaft that gave me so much trouble with the oil filter is in the way as well.

So, I'm going to take the nearside engine mount off and fabricate a bracket to hold the alternater just around the sump line under the water pump outlet. This is the original Ford mounting point but I cant use the original bracket as its HUGE, with a pas pump and idler roller.

There seems to be plenty of room down there and there are some more threaded holes further back on the block to move the mount back. As it is the fabricated mounts that came with the kit are not at the same position on the block with this one I intend to move a lot further forward.

Once I have the alternator bracket I will use its rear mounting as the front hole for a new engine mount that will only need to be moved back around 40mm or so.

The mount will go back onto other threaded holes in the block and give enough room for the alternator in front of it under the pump outlet.

The mount will still be a little further forward than the other side so I don't see any problems in the thinking.

On the plus side its now just a small run to the battery cable on the starter for connections.

Back end finished...

2007-08-19T17:56:00.000Z

Well, it's took all weekend to do but the arches are on as in my last post and now the lights are fitted. It wouldn't have took so long had it not being for Durham picking up their first bit of silverware (cricket) and MotoGp being on this morning.
Slow but sure progress at the moment. More cash required now....

Arches Update.

2007-08-18T17:13:00.000Z

After consultation from members on Locostbuilders I decided to take the arch off and put the correct ones on each side.

Not too much of a problem and the spare holes on the offside are covered by the arch anyway. A bit later I'll fill the holes with Tigerseal or something like that.

With the arches on however my standard Ford alloys don't fill the arches and look a little out of place. They are only 5.5" so I reckon some 7" wide ones will be better. Later though because I can't afford any new ones!!

Rear Arches

2007-08-17T19:26:00.000Z

Had a go at fitting the rear arches last. With all 4, front and back wrapped in bubble wrap I simply distinguished the front ones from the back and unwrapped one.

Only being able to work on the offside due to the other side being against the wall I offered it up and spent ages making sure it was central on the wheel.

Drilled a few holes, cut the rubber trim to fit and bolted it up. Checked it was all square and central, more holes and bolts, around 9 in total, drilled to avoid chassis rails. Well, some of them anyway :-)

Stood back to admire it then the doubts crept in... steep angle at the rear? Consulted some owners pictures on Locostbuilders and I could see I had put it on the wrong side.......

.

As you can see the steep slash is facing the rear when it should be in front of the wheel. I'm just pondering on leaving it as is only being a bit doubtful of what the lights will look like.

Wheels... and stuff....

2007-08-12T19:29:00.001Z

While I'm on a roll here's me crap Ford Alloys with a coat of Satin Black. They look totally different! No need for new wheels until I've spun the tyres off these!

All I did was mask the tyres off, rub them clean with some thinners then spray... Hey Presto!

Tonight I've upgraded the MegaJolt to V3.2.1 and I'm pleased with the ability to calibrate the TPS now without moving it. Simply hit one button when fully closed and another when fully open, calibrate, job done. 0% at fully closed and 100% fully open.

Bit of brake bleeding on the horizon next then rear arches and lights. Once I've got the brakes working I'll be able to adjust the handbrake properly and get enough pressure on the back drum to tighten the hub nut!

First Start Up!

2007-08-12T16:39:00.000Z

Over the last few days I've been checking torque settings and painting wheels. I looked at some nice wheels in Halfords and was severly tempted by them, however already having the original Ford aloys and resisting the temtation I bought a tin of satin black paint instead!

On the other front, I've been tiding up the wiring and getting everything ready for the big day. Time to start it up! First go produced nothing but I soon discovered I hadn't connected the Edis so with that verified and the camera rolling it ws time for her first performance. 5 litres of gas in teh tank, check. No leaks, check. Fuel pump working, NO!. No fuse, fuse inserted, fuel pump working, check. Fuel at the filter just under the carbs, yes. Ignition, GO. It started straight away and made one hell of a racket with only the manifold connected. The dog did one sharpish and it brought her indoors outside to see what the racket was!

Nearly there...

2007-08-06T18:56:00.000Z

Well, nearly got to the point of starting it! Filled the engine with oil tonight and pulled the plugs. It has been standing for over a year, (carbon offsetting?) and I put a little oil down the bores and turned it over with a socket.

Last evening saw the battery and cables connected and as I was able to spin the motor over on the starter I thought I'd give it ago!

I put 4L of oil in to get to the middle of the dipstick. Prior to this I connected an oil pressure gauge up. I wanted to see what was happening as the light doesn't work yet but doesn't tell you much anyway!

I intended to use the oil pressure gauge anyway but when I removed the oil switch from the side of the block it was a big thread, not having the necessary T piece, mine was way to small, I turned to the net to find the correct adapter. A quick Google search came up with a number of spots around the engine that are tapped 1/8npt and blanked off. There are two behind the coil pack but inaccessible because of it and I spotted another at the front of the head behind the inlet manifold. They have a little torx head tapered grub screw in them I had to remove a little metal from the inlet to clear but once that was done the 1/8 oil taper screwed straight in no dramas.

I think this location is better as the pressure will be 'in head' as opposed to half way up the block

With the oil in and plugs out I ran the starter for a couple of seconds, with not much happening on the gauge. I checked the oil again and it hadn't moved, suggesting to me it hadn't filled the filter or remote hoses yet. I ran the starter again and after another couple seconds the gauge shot up to 65 Ib\ft. Checked the oil and it had disappeared off the dipstick. Another half liter saw it up the marks and with the book recommending 4.3L with a filter that's about right.

I'm nearly finished with the electrics but will be leaving some till later. At the moment there is no dash, apart from an oil pressure gauge!. Also I've not got an alternator to fit yet so that requires attention soon.

At the moment the battery is in place and just needs securing. I'm thinking of a plastic or fibreglass shield to cover the whole lot in.

The plug you can see there is teh wire that goes to the ignition switch.

Getting Closer....

2007-08-04T21:34:00.000Z

Over the last week I'm getting closer to starting the engine. I've wired up the Megajolt and all the sensors, sorted out where I want to put the battery and sorted out all the engine harness.

I've mounted the remote oil filter and bolted it to the engine mount. This keeps the hoses quite short and its dead easy to get at the filter. I had to take the engine mount off as the hole for the M10 nut that goes on the rubber mounting thread wasn't big enough even for the nut never mind the socket. I took it off and ground the slot round enough to get a socket in so I could tighten it up.

I've done a far bit of work on the car and it doesn't look much better as its been mainly wiring with most of the lights confirmed now as working and it's getting me closer to starting it up. I've got a positive location for the battery down in the passenger footwell and have all the connections thought out. I predict its going to be very neat!! Fingers crossed!!

Ill be looking for some bulkhead gaskets from B&Q to run all the wires through the bulkhead soon. In the meantime I'll be drilling the holes to get them through so I can have a go at starting the engine. I'll be setting me old camcorder up to record the first start up.

I've had the car outside again today while I shifted two IBC's to the back of the garage and took some photos. The number plate is off the donor and I fitted it to get a decent place for the number plate light. I would like to keep it but doubt DLVA will let me keep it!
As you can see I'm sticking with the donor wheels. I've seen some nice spangly bling alloys in Halfords this morning on the offer but I am resisting!
Wasn't much fun pushing it up my steep drive, had to give it two goes when I ran out of steam the first time.... must get some kebab off me gut!

I'm up for working on the car and getting it started but I do want to keep it neat, so I'm not rushing it. So I'm thinking of the finishing touches as I make decisions on the configuration. (if that make sense!). I still want me best chance of passing SVA first time. FAT CHANCE!!!

Progress at last!

2007-08-02T13:59:00.000Z

Yesterday I paid a visit to MNR and picked up a fuel cap and hose along with a set of rear lights. I set too as soon as I got home finally getting round to fitting the tunnel cover. Starting with a piece of cardboard I mapped the chassis tubes to cut round and the correct length on both sides. They do differ slightly by about 5mm so it was measure, measure, measure CUT! No dramas and with the holes cut for the handbrake and gearstick its in place now.

With lights in hand its time to suss out my home made loom. Firstly its quite a while since I last looked at the wiring so it took a while to get my head round everything because I didn't label it up when I pulled it all together. Doh!

First thing to come on was the side lights which worked OK of the switch. Trying to get the headlights on was different all together. No main or high, and with the multimeter I can see voltage on both sides of the switch. I studied the Sierra diagrams over a couple cans of lager, (not a good idea by the way). Turns out in the Sierra the circuit is live and the switch earths it out to turn the lights on. Now, not being in possession of the Sierra stalk switch is a little difficult but for now just earthing the 'switch' wire gets the lights on. I've fitted and wired in the number plate lamp and also fitted the fuel cap and tank hose while round the back.

I've also fitted the new ZX9R carbs, finishing the manifold with a coat of Hammerite. All mounted on the engine now looking rather splendid.

There is plenty of room around the carbs and I wanted them on because I need to mount the alternator underneath. Now I know how much room I have to play with.

I'll be cracking on now getting electrical items online and working so I can move toward starting the thing up!

2007-07-31T17:31:00.001Z

Well, its been a busy month with no time for car building. However I secured a set of nice ZX9R carbs off ebay and comparing them with my ZZR1100 carbs all I can see is the outside two carbs being 3mm wider. Also the new carbs smell of petrol so have been used recently whereas I don't have clue the last time the ZZR carbs ran!

So I've moved the two outside manifold rubbers on my manifold out and the new carbs fit nicely. I decided to change the carbs because my ZZR carbs don't have a TPS but the ZX9 one do. That makes it all the simpler to wire the Megajolt. I thought it was easier to remove a bit metal and reposition the holes rather than engineer some mounting for a tps, made all the more difficult because I didn't have a TPS!

I've given the manifold a lick of paint and that will be ready to fit to the engine tomorrow.

I've fitted the handbrake cable today and with a bit of fiddling to take up the slack it now works ok with 3 clicks before its on solid. Although when tested the handbrake, pushing on the roll bar the wheels stay solid and slide across the floor! Needs some fuel in to weigh the backend down a bit. Oh, and me, to weigh it down a lot!

Next step is the petrol cap and filler hose, along with some of the lights for the back, and I am considering once again where, and how, to fit the battery. I'm still considering my choice of seats at the moment as I can't make my mind up what type I want to put in the car. Bling or comfy? Choices!!

Hopefully I can progress along a bit now and hope to be updating the blog a bit more often.

2007-06-27T21:54:00.000Z

Sorry about the lack of updates folks, but just at the moment nothing is happening with the car. I'm doing a lot of thinking, finishing it off in my head with loads of nice shiny bits, but I dont have any nice shiny bits so its all in me head!

I've got a set of headlamps on it now that I got as a shop soiled bargain. They look better on the car with the few scratches hardly showing. Aslo got some new track control arms for the front. There wasn't much wrong with the ones I had, they were just different on each side but now I have pair that match, and my new gaiters fit them both a bit better, I feel a lot happier :-) I'll be in a better position to get on with it next month as I'm off work for a week and should have some cash to play with.

I've got me eyes on a pair of Corbeau seats that i think will look OK in the car. Low back jobbies with headrests that will see the harness rest over the 'shoulder' of the seat instead of through slots in the high back Cobras and fibreglass seats.

I'll be asking the guys on Locostbuilders if they are any good before I take the plunge!

I seem to have accumulated a fair bit of junk just lately along with two 1000Litre IBC's. I'm going to have a go at getting them into the garden at the weekend and will take the opportunity to have a clear out and get some action going on the car front.

Stay tuned!

2007-06-03T21:02:00.000Z

Just a quick update in case anyone's wondering what's going on. The car is at a stage now where its on 4 wheels, brakes, steering, engine, box and transmission all in. The body is all fitted, with just the arches to fit. I'm leaving them as I dont want to dmage them during the rest of the build.

All that happened pretty quick but I've used up all the parts from the kit and donor and am now waiting until the holidays are over before I plough on with the credit card to progress.

Next steps are lights, dials and seats to purchase and that should see me really close to SVA.

Stay tuned!

2007-05-08T17:14:00.000Z

First of all, thank you to everyone who is coming along watching me build my car and giving me support. At the moment there's not much going on as I have used up everything that came with the kit and I need to spend a bit more cash to keep going. However what I need are the expensive items, such as seats and all the lights, dials etc. These things will have to wait until after the holiday period that's coming up.

I have at last took the plunge and bought a battery. Its a Red Top 25 in a box that I'm going to mount down in front of the passenger footwell. From there it is a short run to the starter and a easy run up to the fuse box. I considered over the diff at the back but it's going in the easiest place and I will be putting plenty of insulation in the box around the battery to keep the heat out.

In the meantime while the car building is slow I've turned over around 10sqM of the back lawn to vegetables, (thats ones you can eat, not from the local pub!) Once thats all set I can get back on with the car safe in the knowledge the money I will save on veg will offset the car!! We all need to do our bit?

Slow Progress

2007-04-22T13:45:00.000Z

Well, it's been very slow this last week or so. I simply don't have the time to devote at the moment. Gardening activities and work have left me little time to think about the car. I also suffer from a condition called psoriasis that is aggressive on my hands and feet. At the moment I am having a rather flaky attack on my palms as happens occasionally and it needs a few weeks to settle down. I need a couple of weeks in the sun and that generally makes it regress for a while. Roll on Magaluf!

It's close but it doesn't touch!

I received the remote oil filter kit I ordered from Merlin Motorsport Friday and it goes on OK. The steering shaft turns without touching the take off, JUST! It would seem to have a little bend in it as it moves away and then back as the shaft is rotated. It turns above the highest part of the take off blanking plate so isn't really as bad as the photo looks. I still have the option of a shorter steering shaft that will move the upper uj fulcrum down and the shaft away from the engine slightly. I'll see what happens when the engines running and moving on the mounts, it may not be necessary. I just need to decide where to put the remote filter and there is a handy bracket under the bits of wood I used to support the body where it looks to be OK.

As I mentioned its slow as I want to get on with the seats, so I can set the steering column and scuttle and then finish the electrics off. All this means another rather large cash payout that I don't have at the moment. I need seats, battery and lights but they will have to wait a little as holidays are looming. I have tickets with a couple of mates to go see Metallica at Wembley in July but as we've just found out it's on the same weekend as that ridiculous earth concert that's trying to save the planet. The need for some accommodation has just got a bit urgent as we don't want to leave it to the last minute and get caught out.

Originally i was using ZZR1100 carbs but an opportunity for some R1 carbs with a Blogg brothers manifold so I'm waiting for them before I start work on the engine.

12th April.

2007-04-12T20:04:00.000Z

Picked my tunnel cover up this morning and had a poke around the cars. Anyway lots of action at MNR this morning with Marc off to see about getting married so i was inspired, that, with marriage in mind he still had time to give me advise and solutions to some of my problems.
It seems I have a fairly unique build with the zetec and drum brakes so its time to get the thinking cap on and spend some time and cash getting my install to be well engineered to my own liking.
No progress this week due to being miles away on work commitments but I will be ordering oil remote filter stuff and getting stuck in trying to get the engine to run.
Just one small problem.. I've fitted the transmission dry, ie no fluids in the engine, box or diff and I cant get at the gearbox plug because of the bulkhead. Its over to Locostbuilders to see if I can fill it through the gearstick hole!

6th April.

2007-04-06T14:49:00.000Z

Nice sunny day today, 2 hours sunbathing this morning and time to crack on. Her indoors doesn't want to go out anywhere so I can get on with it.

I've sorted the rear brake hose problem by fitting little ali brackets to the inside and running the brake pipe in loop to meet it. That way I didn't need to alter the brake pipe length or have to reflare the end. The result is neat and looks quite good with the hose now well out of the way of the wheel and all the suspension bits and pieces.

I also attached the front hoses and torqued the wishbones up. In fact being quite inspired I've fitted the exhaust and carbs for a photo opportunity and its lifted me a fair bit.

One of the helpful guys on locostbuilders has had the same fitting problems as me with a zetec engine so I don't feel as all alone as I did before. He has some pictures that will help me get round the issues. The forum is really an outstanding source of knowledge and problem solving. When you can just go to the pc with problems and get instance responces and support it makes you feel like your not alone. I thank you all very much.

I bought a really small oil filter the other day and had a go this afternoon. Despite being only 55m tall it still touches the steering shaft. However, I'm not too down heartened as I think a remote filter will go in and I'd much rather have a full size filter anyway.

5th April.

2007-04-05T18:58:00.000Z

Lovely weather predicted for the next few days, even if I did scrape ice off the windscreen this morning! Still a bit soon for the tomatoes in the greenhouse!

Rattling on with the rear brakes, new cylinders that fit, just puzzling over how all the levers and springs go together. Its months since I took them to bits and chucked them in an old paint bucket! The manual gives a clue but is not clear and generally a bit confusing.

New cylinders, shoes, cable and fittings. All together I had to pull the handbrake cable slack to stop it jumping off the shoe and the drums were a real struggle to get on. Its hard to push the bloody thing now as well but I'm sure they will slacken up once bedded in.

I want to get the brakes full of fluid and bled before Saturday so I drilled a hole in the side panel were the brake pipe ends on the other side. Once I'd screwed the union on I could see the danger. The brake pipe runs far too close to the tyre and I'm sure it will touch in flight. I'm thinking of a 90deg adapter there or a bracket on the inside that will move the pipe away from the wheel completely.

I reckon once I get some Carlos Fandago boolers on they will defiantly clash. A certain failure point for Mr. SVA.

Hopefully I will see a lot happen over the next four days as I've tidied the wiring and attached the fusebox to the scuttle hoop. I need to order a battery! I keep telling myself but I'm resisting the cost!!

31st March.

2007-03-31T20:18:00.000Z

I have come across a considerable problem. Its not the car, its me... I've lost the drive and enthusiasm I had just two weeks ago and its slowing me down.

Example... I purchased new brake cylinders, shoes, clips, and a handbrake cable the other day but coming to fit them I found the cylinders to be the wrong ones. Well, being duped by the clocks going forward the bloody car shop was closed when I went back at 4:50..... the whole lot is contriving to piss me off with the car... big time.

On a positive note I purchased a box of Budweiser today in Tesco that might take me mind off it. I have also decided to abstain from my Thursday night ritual... a filthy donor kebab. The money saved will fund a digi dash.. maybe!

This week I have tidied the front wiring harness, connecting the rad fan. I've also installed the headlight bar and have been seeking a solution to my quest to mount the indicators under the headlights AKA Caterham style. A suitable solution has been suggested by a fellow enthusiast on the LocostBuilders forum. I will be purchasing my 100 foot length of waste pipe soon....

A few minutes ago I bolted the steering intermediate shaft in for the first time and put the lights out when I saw the link runs about 2" past the oil filter housing on me Zetec engine... Argghhhhh!!! A suitable solution will take a long time thinking....

Looks like a remote filter housing and, while I'm on, an oil cooler are on the cards. May as well do it now as I would need it for the turbo that is lurking on the horizon!

Me thinks its time to get the motor running, presuming it did before! My quest for some 2L cams has proved fruitless so far, and I may just see it through SVA the way it is. Might be a good thing as I plan the turbo conversion to have more PTW ratio than an R500 Caterham!

I tried to fit the front wheel arches as well today but the lack of suitable M12 bolts put paid to that one.

All was not lost however, as B&Q came up with with some healthy tomato plants in 3 variates that wil go in the greenhouse soon. At least we should have a nice crop of toms in September. Hope the car is ready then!!

27th Quick Update.

2007-03-27T16:11:00.000Z

Just a quick update. The steering arm and TRE that I wanted to use are too much work. The taper on the rod end is a different taper so it's not worth progressing any further with that one.
The weather seems to have warmed up a bit so I will be cracking on this weekend with the brakes and wiring. Watch this space!

24th March

2007-03-24T15:34:00.000Z

Absolutely no progress this week due to sub zero temperatures and snow. Wednesday saw -3 on the dash in me tin top that promptly refused to go. I've bought some new glow plugs but I hope thats the last of the winter weather for now. Who said global warming was a bad thing?

My new greenhouse arrived Friday so today I've broke my back putting some concrete footings in for it to stand on. I've buggered the settings on my camera and pictures are coming out with a blue tinge! Ive managed to get a decent picture of the car with the engine and transmission in. it's not touching anything now so I hope its not coming out any more. Fingers crossed!

I'm hoping to purchase a new battery when I get paid next week so I can finish the wiring off and get the body work fitted correctly.

I'm investigating changing the rack arms and extension as I have an arm and track rod end that are same length as the Sierra ones with the extension fitted. The thread were the arm fits into the rack is a M20 so I'm going to try and get it turned down to fit the smaller Sierra thread. Theres no advantage just will look better than having the three piece with the extension and I can get the track rod ends for free!

18th March

2007-03-18T22:47:00.000Z

4 weeks in now and I've been very busy this weekend. The garden is looking a lot better and my tomato plants are coming on. Just waiting for my new greenhouse to arrive....
On the car front I've spent a small amount of time since sorting the steering but have progressed really well. The engine and box are in after I ground the chassis rail away where it was touching the bellhousing. No dramas, the rail where I ground it down was a blank end with a cap welded on. I took around 10mm off rounding it, and it didn't break through into the tube.

Above is the offending bit of chassis . You can see where the
bellhousing was touching.

One thick bit of weld just to cap it off I must say. This is probably unique to my car as it will in no way affect a bike engined installation.

I moved the brake line up on the other side of the bulkhead and across to the cylinder. There is no way there will be anything contacting it now.

It looks a bit wonky due to being rerouted but nothing too bad and I've secured it with plenty of P clips.

I fitted the bracket and brake fluid cylinder to the front of the bulkhead while I was in that area with the drill.

I fitted the radiator with a bit of a fiddle. The top brackets supplied were no good on one side because of the way the chassis rails are welded so I fabricated some new straight ones out of ali. The bottom mounts were regulation, BUT, I wish I'd done it before fitting the body as drilling and riveting the brackets to the outside of the rail as intended is impossible with the body fitted. Fitting to the inside of the chassis rail and a certain precise bit of bending got them in place and the radiator bolted on. I used M6 bolts to mount the rad as it may need to come off later. I don't intend too, but, you never know!

I've got loads of bits to carry on with, notably more wiring and the brakes. I need to spend some cash to progress now and that will have to wait until pay day. As I've said before I'm skint!!

15th March.

2007-03-15T20:01:00.000Z

Tuesday saw me down to MNR to correct the rack problem. The problem seems to be there are two different lengths of ali extensions for different uprights and also different length Ford rack arms! Marc turned the extensions down and when I got home they fitted excellently.

Rest day Wednesday waiting for NEDL to come and change our electric meter. I opened the garage door and worked on the car while I waited and some how still managed to miss him! He must have sneaked past to put the leaflet through the letterbox!

A good day, I fitted the front shockers which I thought where too long but they settled down once I had them in. I ordered some P clips off ebay the other night but only needing 3 to hold the front wiring under the scuttle I made some out of a ali strip so I could crack on getting the engine in.

Before too long, around 30 minutes the engine, box and prop shaft where in place. Hmm, why doesn't the left hand engine mount fit? The left side engine extension is pulling the rubber mount towards the engine and not seating correctly. I soon found out the gearbox bellhousing is resting on one of the chassis tubes. Its the one that runs across the bottom of the footwell and is cutout on mine to get the gearbox in. It has been capped and all I can think is that the mounts were made before the chassis was finished off. Its got a big snot of weld on it so I'm thinking about the angle grinder fix at the moment. Problem is its all nicely powered coated and I don't want to spoil it. I'm thinking about it at the moment as I may be able to raise the gearbox mount to clear it.

I said before that I didn't want to keep lifting the engine in and out and it was to be a once only install? Well, its coming out again as the arc of the clutch arm is exactly where my rear brake pipe is and touching it. It will have to be rerouted. I really couldn't have lined it any better to touch if I'd tried!!

I pushed the car outside to configure the engine install and couldn't resist taking a picture.
1 hour after the above picture it had engine and transmission with the front shocks on as well.