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So, Jim got Simon (who makes the chassis) to weld up the gap that had been chopped out of my collector pipe to make it the right angle, and a spare 4 inch bit of exhaust was welded onto the end of it to make it the right length. I then took this back with me, along with an unmodified new collector to compare, to check that it definitely wouldn't fit.
One thing I did notice on the Super Six and Cat exhausts was that the downpipes going into the collector are perfectly straight and lined up, which is the total opposite of the Storm (and R6/B6) exhausts where the downpipes are bent all the way up to the collector, and in the case of the number three downpipe, actually in the collector. That would probably explain why no-one else seems to have had problems putting the downpipes into the collector...
I also picked up the silencer rubber mounts, a modified radiator (with the top hose and thermal switch moved to the top diagonal corners instead of the side to improve access at the front), the petrol tank brackets to support the lower mounts, the new bigger handbrake cable clamps, and a throttle cable and radiator fan thermal switch. Jim also said that he wouldn't be able to get the bodywork made until the end of January at the earliest, which is a shame.
3/12/2000
The morning was spent on the exhaust. The unmodified collector
definitely doesn't fit, and the way I'd originally had it on was the
correct way round - any other way and the rear end of the pipe would
either be too high/low, or even further out to the side of the
car. The modified collector seems to fit very well though, after
chopping the extension on the end down a bit. The only problem now is
that the silencer is a bit too high to get enough overlap onto the
rear section, but some shims under the silencer mounts should take
care of that. Its still a right bugger to get the four downpipes into
the collector and onto the head, but I've marked them all up now so it
shouldn't be too bad when they come to be fitted properly.
I then finished sealing up the trailing arm covers, checked the fit of the fuel tank brakets and cleaned up the welds so that they would fit a bit more flush onto the chassis, cut and soldered the ends of the handbrake cables, and then drilled and fitted the handbrake balance bar.
5/12/2000
The only place in the rear where there is enough space to fit the fuel
pump is on the back of the passenger seat. As the bolts for the fuel
pump are fairly large and would be visible behind the seat, I decided
to make an aluminium bracket to hold the pump, which would then be
rivetted onto the rear of the seat panel so that it wouldn't be
visible from inside on it is carpetted. The shape I ended up with was
a sort of V shape, with the top of it hanging straight down from the
seat panel, then bent inwards and attached at the bottom, so that the
pump could be mounted vertically with enough clearance behind for the
mounting bolts. This was cut and shaped from a spare offcut. There
will be a picture of it eventually, as its a bit hard to
describe...
6/12/2000
The fuel pump bracket was drilled and rivetted onto the back panel.
8/12/2000
Ordered a set of instruments from Greengauges - white dial, black
numbers, red pointer and ally half-round bezel. Speedo, tacho, oil
pressure, water temperature and fuel level, with appropriate
senders. Assuming they have enough bits in stock, I should get them
early next week.
9/12/2000
Went round a couple of breakers to pick up the last few bits I need to
get the engine running, including an alternator fan and pulley,
crankshaft pulley (as the one I got with the Tiger rebuilt engine had
a lump missing...), crankshaft bolt (as I didn't get one with the
engine), dipstick and pipe, radiator header tank (from a mk1 Polo), a
thermostat housing, and a clutch cable bracket off the pedal box. I
actually ended up removing two of these, but the first one had split
in half, and the second one had the start of a split in it, which was
helpfully welded up for free by someone just next to the
breakers. These bits were then cleaned.
10/12/2000
The new donor bits were degreased and painted.
A tiny bit was removed from the side of the pedal box chassis bracket to allow the new clutch cable bracket to fit. I still have no idea why we originally decided to chop the clutch bracket off the pedal box instead of just taking a little bit out of the chassis instead...
The inside of the inlet manifold was cleaned up, as even though most of the edges had been removed, there were still some rough patches on it. Don't know how much difference it would actually make, but I thought I might as well do it.
I also figured out how the adjusters in the rear brakes work, so the handbrake now stops the rear drumss from turning.
11/12/2000
Fitted the clutch cable bracket, and I'm now able to operate the
clutch. It doesn't seem to move very far, as the pedal travels quite a
way before the toothed adjuster thing locks in place and starts to
move the cable, so some spacers might need to be added somewhere, or
the side of the clutch pedal that hits the vertical tunnel chassis
rail could be trimmed a bit.
I also had a go of fitting the alternator, and it seems like I have the wrong type. I went for an LRA101, as half of the people on the list seemed to be using LRA100s and the other half were using the LRA101 - I didn't realise that there were differences in the casing of them, and it doesn't mention which type is needed anywhere in the build manual, which isn't very helpful. There also is hardly any clearance around the alternator near the exhaust pipe and to the top chassis rail, so instead of just going for an LRA100 I think I'll try and find something a bit more recent but a bit smaller as well. It might mean having to make some different brackets to support it, but there is less chance of it melting or hitting the chassis, which I don't really want to happen...
14/12/2000
The instruments arrived today. Look quite nice, though the fuel sender
is a bit big so I'll have to check the instructions to see how its
supposed to fit into the fuel tank, and check that the threads of the
oil pressure and water temperature senders are correct for the Pinto
block.
It looks like the water temperature sender will fit fine once the engine paint is removed from the threads, but the oil pressure sender is totally wrong - the hole in the engine is much bigger than the thread on the sender, so I'll have to get in touch with them to try and sort out getting an adapter that will fit.
17/12/2000
My brother has just recently got hold of a scanner, so the remaining
pictures were scanned in. Also, we played around with the picture of
the demo car on the track, and managed to change the bodywork to black
and stick my wheels on top, creating an image of the (hopefully) not
too distant future...
18/12/2000
Phoned up Greengauges to ask about the oil pressure sender - they are
going to look up what it should be, and sort out some sort of adapter
for it.
Filed the sharp edges off the throttle cable bracket that goes under the carbs, and then painted it to stop it getting any rustier.
Fitted a shiny aluminium mechanical fuel pump blanking plate, made by my dad, along with a new gasket to keep the oil in.
Tightened the crankshaft bolt until the engine started turning, and then put it at top dead centre to check that the timing belt had been put on correctly. The two timing marks on the cam and crank pulleys seem to line up, so it looks like it is on right, and not a tooth out which someone on the list said was a possibility a while ago.
19/12/2000
Cleaned up the inlet side of the head ready for the inlet manifold to
be attached, as the masking tape I'd used to cover up the ports had
stuck to the paint in some places. I tried to fully tighten up the
crankshaft bolt, but no matter what gear it was in the engine would
turn round, so I'll only be able to do this once the propshaft is in
and the brakes can be applied.
21/12/2000
Received a couple of thread adapters from Greengauges for the oil
pressure sender. Hopefully they will be the right size.
24/12/2000
The right hand side fuel tank was fitted, trying to keep it as far
forward and as low as possible to avoid any problems with it fouling
the bodywork. Had a look at fitting the left fuel tank, but the lower
support bracket is not big enough so I'll have to get a bigger one
from Tiger.
An extra support was rivetted to the fuel pump bracket, and the pump was fitted.
26/12/2000
The fuel regulator was fitted at the rear just after the pump, as
there won't be space in the engine bay for it, and a large disposable
filter was fitted before the pump. As there are no mounting brackets
for either of these, ally p-clips were made with inner tube liners to
hold the fuel lines against the seat backs.
27/12/2000
A section of fuel pipe was fitted between the filter and to the left
side fuel tank, being careful to keep it away from any suspension
parts. A second disposable filter was then fitted in the engine bay,
and the fuel lines to the carbs were routed.
The carb choke levers were removed, as they won't be used and should help to keep sharp things away from the fuel lines. The oil pressure and water temperature senders were fitted, using the adapter supplied by Greengauges. I hadn't noticed earlier, but both senders have tapered threads, so plenty of PTFE tape was used to ensure a good seal around them. The standard Sierra crankcase breather and oil filter were fitted, and a start was made on cleaning out the hole for the distributor, which like most things on the engine, was full of paint.
It turns out that a Nissan wheel stud is the right thread size for the vacuum takeoff on the inlet manifold, so as a temporary measure until a proper thing can be obtained that will allow it to be connected to the dizzy, this was ground down to block off the takeoff, making a smooth flow inside the manifold.
28/12/2000
Holes were drilled for the silencer rubber mounts, and I found out
that they are finer pitch than standard M8 thread, so I'll have to get
a set of nuts for them from Tiger. The balance pipe between the fuel
tanks was shaped and holes drilled for the p-clips, but I thought it
best to leave it off for the moment to avoid damaging the
piping. Mounting holes for the coil and ignition box were drilled,
with the coil mounted sideways on the large front vertical chassis
rail, and the black box next to it but on the side ally pannel that
the brake pipe passes through. A start was made on the connections to
the loom for the black box, coil and dizzy were cut and soldered.
29/12/2000
The loom connections were finished, and ally p-clips were made to hold
it in the engine bay, which were drilled and fitted. Also, after
having a look at the alternator, it was possible to unbolt the end of
it and turn it round to change it from an LRA101 to an LRA100, which
saves me having to get it replaced.
30/12/2000
Two of the side engine bay panels were attached, so that the front
brake flexis could be fitted. The brake master cylinder reservoir was
removed and cleaned, as it was a bit mucky inside.
31/12/2000
The brake fluid reservoir was refitted, and the brake system was
filled and bled with Dot 4 fluid. All of the brakes seem to work fine,
with only a leak at the rear axle flexi which wasn't fully tight
causing a problem. There was a small leak at the plunger side of the
master cylinder, but whether this will seal itself once there is fluid
everywhere or if it is a problem only time will tell - I'll just have
to keep an eye on it, and if it leaks any more then it might have to
be replaced. Also, the brake fluid level switch doesn't seem to work,
or at least the 2 connections on it are always open circuit no matter
what the float is doing inside it. Easy enough to replace the next
time I'm at a breakers.
A template was make for an ally bracket to support the bottom of the radiator, and the first one was made.
Total hours this month -
54.5
Total build hours -
351
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