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| Date | Event | |
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01/06/2005 5Hrs Fuel Cap |
After the bank holiday break I returned to more rounding
and polishing the Monza filler cap. Satisfied with it, for the time being I
set about fitting the filler neck to the body. O spent some time fitting and
refitting gaskets between the cap and the filler neck to align the filler
neck symmetrically about the centre line of the body work and at the
same time positioning the filler cap fore and aft when it was done up tight.
There are two gaskets that are supplied with the filler cap and it is a
question of determining which one, all or none to fit. I eventually
arrives at the best compromise position with the cap pointing hinge first
along the centre line of the body. I then marked the position of the
holes for the securing screws on to the masking tape. I unscrewed the
Filler cap taking care not to disturb the filler neck, then drilled through
the holes and the bodywork to fit the screws. I now discovered that I
needed to shorten the pipe between the tank and the filler neck by about 5mm
because it interfered with fitting the securing nuts. The filler neck
has a cork gasket between it and the GRP. When this is fitted the filler
neck stands just about 5mm above the body work. to be on the safe side I
removed the filler neck again and radiused the edge to 2½mm. |
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03/06/2005 3hrs Fuel cap |
During the fitting of the Monza filler cap I
realised that securing the neck to the body was going to be a real pain.
Trying to fit a nyloc nut and washer to the securing screws, whilst reaching
over the tank, around the filler neck and between the tank and the body was
never going to be easy and almost impossible as a one man operation. I
decided to make a retaining plate, 93mm square, from 1mm aluminium
sheet. I cut a hole in the plate to accept the filler neck. Then used the
filler neck as a template to drill a matching pattern of securing holes in
the plate. I opened out the holes to accept M5 rivnuts and fitted
them. The securing plate was fitted inside the body and
over the tank filler neck rubber hose. The filer neck was fitted to the hose
and aligned with the holes in the body and the securing plate. The hole
assembly was secured with M6 countersunk stainless screws. Apart from
holding the plate from underneath against the body as I started the screws
the whole thing was accomplished very easily. The filler neck
and cap secured, I fixed the rubber hose in place with 2 x (50-70) Jubilee
clips. The M5 x 15mm countersunk screws supplied with the filler neck
are slightly short for securing the filler neck through GRP. I've ordered
some 20mm long screws and will fit them next week. |
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04/06/2005 4hrs Radiator |
A while ago I half fitted the radiator when I ran in to a
problem the top RHS radiator stay would not do up tight nor would it undo.
It was secure but for the sake of the future removal of the engine and
radiator there was nothing for it but to fix it. Today I cut the
head off the offending bolt and removed the radiator ( It's not possible to
remove the radiator with the bolt in place). Once the radiator was out
of the car and on the garage floor the reason was obvious the rivnut in the
radiator was turning with the bolt. I managed to grip the rivnut with
some mole grips and removed the bolt. With a combination of grinding
attachments and files I removed the head of the rivnut. Now the
problem was to remove the rivnut insert. I tried several combinations of
grinding wheel and file but could not remove it. I found I could move
it out of the way such that it was clear of the hole and trapped between
radiator core and the side mounting frame. The new M8 rivnut has a
smaller head so I decided to fit it with a washer under the head to give
more support. My rivnut insertion tool only goes up to size M6.
So I will have to wither make or borrow an insertion tool. The cause
of he original problem is not clear. It nay have been that the rivnut was
not fully pulled up and therefore slightly loose allowing it to turn when
the bolt was tightened up or that the bolt was slightly too long and
bottomed against the inner side frame of the radiator core and the rivnut
turned once the bolt could go no further. |
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05/06/2005 4hrs Boot Floor Headlamps |
Since I can't finish the radiator until I have a M8 rivnut insertion tool I decided to take a look at the fitting of the boot well. The first thing I needed to get was some 10 mm ply to make the floor of the boot. The local "Homebase" was it usual useless self so it was off to "B&Q". 10 mm plywood they have in abundance, except the none of it is wider than 2ft and I need a piece 27 inches wide. I'll try the local builders merchants tomorrow. determined to achieve something today I decided to make a start on the headlamps. First the headlamp spears, these are fitted at the high point of the headlamp housings. My garage floor (like most, slopes) to compensate for this I jacked up the RHS front of the car. checking it with a spirit level across the front chassis members. I double checked it was level by checking across the bumpers with another spirit level. To determine the high point of the headlamp housing I placed some masking tape in the approximate position on each housing, running from front towards the back of the housing. I then placed a 1m rule (as a straight edge) between the two housings. Holding the rule in place, starting with the LH housing, I inserted a 0.002" feeler gauge (outboard side) between the rule and the housing sliding it inboard until it just touched both. I marked its position on the masking tape. I transferred the feeler gauge to the inboard side of the housing and repeated the operation, sliding the feeler gauge outboard until it just touched the rule and the housing, again marking the position. The middle between the 2 marks is the high point. using the Mk 1 Eyeball I rechecked the position. It looked OK. I repeated the operation for the RH housing. The spears are fitted 0.125" back from the front of the housing I measure this with an adjustable try-square. To draw the axis line for the spears I extended the high point back to the centre point of the housing as it merges in to the bodywork using the steel rule . To help determine the centre point I used masking tape to define the edges of the housing, where the crossed at the rear was (according to he Mk1 Eyeball the centre of the housing. I drew a line along the masking tape with the steel to mark the axis of the spears. I placed the spears in position and secured them with masking tap, then stood back and looked at the alignment. It looked OK. I measured where the front mounting stud was in relation to the front of each spear and transferred this to on too the masking of their respected housing. I fitted both front and rear studs to the spears. Placing front stud of the spear on to the mark I had just made enabled me to mark the position of the rear mounting stud on the masking tape. I drilled 2 x 5mm mounting holes in the positions marked and fitted the spears. I unpacked the headlights and examined how they fitted
together and their position with respect to the housing. I made a
cardboard template of the flange of the headlamp assembly noting the
top and the position of the adjusting screws. I cut the template out and
fitted it to the back of the flange so that it was an exact and flush fit.
I fitted the template to the front of the housings ensuring the top was
correctly positioned under the high point of the housing and symmetrical
with the housing. I secured the template with masking tape. I drew
around the template to determine the size of the central aperture fro the
headlamp nests. I marked the position of the adjusting screws, I
removed the template and rechecked the alignment and symmetry.
Tomorrow it is cut the holes out day |
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06/06/2005 2hrs Fuel filler |
I collected the M5 x 20mm Countersunk stainless screws I
needed to complete the fitting of the filler neck and fitted them. I
also borrowed the M8 Rivnut insertion tool from Unimaster and fitted the new
M8 rivnut in the side of the radiator. The radiator was given a touch
up with black heat resistant paint to cover up where the Rivnut had been
replaced. Whilst I was out, I went to Jewson Builders Merchants and
got ½ sheet of 12mm ply board for the floor of the boot. Whilst
the paint on the radiator was drying I drilled some 5mm holes just inside
and around the circumference of the hole I had marked out for the headlamp
nests in the headlamp housings. Using a pad saw I cut through the holes to
remove the surplus material. I carefully smoothed out the
circumference with a sanding drum fitted to the Dremel. I checked the
fitting of the headlamp nests. The hole is still too small to fully accept
them. I will continue opening out the hole tomorrow. |
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07/06/2005 2hrs
Headlamps |
To ensure that I get the best fit fro the headlamp nests
I refitted the template and drew around it again. It just reinforced how
much a material and from where I needed to take off retaining the round
shape as best I could. Carefully working with the Dremel Sanding drum
and a large half round file I gradually opened out the hole, frequently
checking the shape and size by trial fitting the headlamps. Once the
hole was opened up far enough for the adjustment crews to touch the housing.
I checked the position and it was perfectly aligned with the marks I had
made with the template. I drilled 2 x 8mm holes in the position
marked, and fitted the headlamp assembly. I needed to make a couple of
tiny adjustments to the main hole in the housing and the headlamp assembly
fitted perfectly. With the headlamp assembly in place I marked the fixing
holes. I'll need to go t o Unimaster in the morning to get some fixing
screws because the ones supplied with the headlamps are not long enough.
I fitted the rubber gasket and trial fitted the chrome bezels to make sure
the headlamp assembly was symmetrical with the housing. |
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08/06/2005 7hrs Front Indicators |
I've had a good day working on the car today. I had decided I would fit the front indicators. The diagrams in the build manual are quite good apart from the usual mixture of inches and millimetres. This job is an exercise in geometry. The side lights are set at the high point of the wing and 9" back from the front of the headlight housing. I needed to establish the correct position of the sidelights because the front indicators are mounted in the same vertical plane as the side lights and 2¼" above the front bumper. I measured 9" back from the front of the headlamp housing and marked it on some masking tape on the headlamp housing. Using a long steel rule I established a line between the two marks and extended this on to some masking tape stuck in to the wings. I determined the high point of the wing using he same method as I had to find the high point of the headlamp housing. I marked the high point on to the masking tape in the wing. Where the line marking the highpoint and the line marking the 9" back from the headlamp housing intersect is where the front edge of the side lights is to be located. The build manual says the distance between these points on each wing is nominally 50.75". I measured the distance between the wings on my car and they were exactly that. The next bit was a bit more tricky and took me a little while to work out the best method. How to mark the position of the indicators in the same vertical plane of the side lights, when the side lights are on top and set back behind the front curvature of he wing? Because I had set the chassis level I decided to try and use a plumb line from the point marked on the wing for the side lights over the curve of the wing and hanging down from the front. I had laced masking tape in the approximate place down the front of the wing and in the region of the position of indicators. I had to take care when placing the plumb line that the line was not distorted by the curve and was running done the the high point of the wing both vertically and horizontally. I marked the position of the plumb line. I repeated the operation for the other wing. I marked a line 2¼" above the bumper on each wing. where the vertical and horizontal lines cross is the centre of the indicator. I measured between the centres and there was just 0.05" difference between it and the centre of the side lights as measured earlier. A definite result. I marked out the hole to accept the body of the indicator. Cut it undersize with a hole saw and opened out the hole to size with the Dremel and sanding drum accessory. I marked the securing holes and drilled them with a 3mm drill. I secured the body to the wing with 3 x No6 x ¾" self tapping screws. Fitted the bulb, glass and rim of the indicator. I repeated the operation for the other wing. With both indicators in place I returned to the headlights. I had got some M5 x 25mm screws and nyloc nuts from Unimaster this morning these will need shortening to appox 20mm . I drilled out the mounting holes I had marked earlier with a 5.5 mm drill. I fitted the headlight assembly securing it with 4 x M5 x20mm screws, plain washers and nyloc nuts. I fitted the chrome rim of the LHS headlight assembly. I will finish fitting the RHS one tomorrow.
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09/06/2005 3hrs Headlamps Side Lights |
I removed the RHS headlamp and shortened the
securing screws to 20 mm. I refitted the headlamp assembly securing it with
plain washers and nyloc nuts. I fitted the chrome rim. Next I
started on the side light housing. Having found the centre point of the
indicators and front of the side lights yesterday I had taped a steel tape
measure between these two points and extended the line to the rear to
establish the centre line of the side lights . I positioned the side light
housing on the front mark and the centre line and viewed it from the font
and rear. It looked perfectly aligned front to rear and immediate above the
indicator. I measured the distance from the front of the housing to
the centre of the front mounting stud (30 mm) and transferred this to the
masking tape on the body. I drilled a 5mm hole fro the stud and tested it's
position. With the housing in position I marked the position of the rear
stud and drilled another 5mm hole. The side light housing was a
little tight when fitted because the curvature of the wing and the housing
are not identical. I opened out the holes to 5.5mm. The housing
sits on a rubber base between it and the wing to even out the discrepancies
in contour. A trial fit of the housing and the rubber base looked OK.
I needed to work out where the cable for the light would pass through the
wing. I fitted the bulb holder and determined that at approx 3"
from the front of the housing would be the best place. To make sure of
this, I fitted the housing without the rubber base or bulb holder to the
wing and drew around it on to the masking tape. I measured 3" from the
front and marked this on the centre line. The position was satisfactory from
a space and distance point of view. I drilled a 10 mm hole in place.
I fitted the rubber base and marked where the hole fro the cable would come
and cut a corresponding hole in it. I assembled the bulb holder,
housing and rubber base together feeding the cable through the base and the
wing. I temporarily bolted the side light in place and chucked its
alignment. All this was repeated fro the other side light. I
couldn't finish the job for 2 reasons. I discovered I did not have any
side light bulbs and have asked Nostalgia for the type and wattage.
Secondly the lens and bulb holder assembly fits to the housing with a
keyway and is twisted to lock it in position and then secured with a
self tapping screw through the housing in to the bulb holder. The bulb
holder and the housing are pre-drilled to accept the screw. However with the
bulb holder twisted round to bring the two holes in to alignment I have a
fore and aft misalignment of approx 5mm. there doesn't seem to be
sufficient metal to re-drill the bulb holder and the housing cannot be
re-drilled for cosmetic reasons. I have appraised Nostalgia of the problem
and await an answer |
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12/6/2005 6hrs Side Lights
Radiator
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I got an answer from Nostalgia on Friday. It seems
the components to make up the side lights are sourced from different
suppliers and as such the pre drilled hole is not used, which is why
Nostalgia supply a self tapping screw. It is all that is available and
Nostalgia think there is sufficient to drill the bulb holder. I was
sceptical because there is absolutely no margin for error. The force of
cutting a self tapping thread looked certain to break out either the edge of
the predrilled hole or the edge of the slot in the bulb holder. I was
going to give it a go but before I did I went off for a chat with John
Hopkins to tap in to his experience. We chatted it over for a bit an came to
the conclusion that drilling a 3 mm hole for a self tapping screw was
definitely marginal. During our deliberations we settled on the idea that we
might be better off drilling the bulb holder and tapping the new hole to
4BA. Our problem then was, that we did not have a decent 4BA screw to
secure it with. Then we remembered that the face plate of light
fittings etc used to be secured with 4BA screw and they were nickel plated
with instrument heads and therefore acceptable. Rummaging through my
tool boxes I found several but they were modern ones and therefore metric.
M3? If they were we could abandon the 4BA idea and tap out the hole ot M3
size. Of course they are not they are about M3.5 but trying an 4BA nut
on them they are very close to 4BA size. We experimented with one and cut a
thread down the screw with a 4BA dye. It worked. We drilled and tapped the
bulb holder to 4BA. Since the bulb holder is curved it is preferable to work
out where the hole needs to be drilled to line up with the hole in the side
light housing. Remove the bulb holder from the housing, turn it over mark
and drill the hole. Because you are drilling on the inside of the
curve the drill is to some degree self centring and less likely to "run off"
I Cut 4BA threads down 2 bright nickel plated screws and secured the the
lens and bulb holder assembly to the side light housing. I cut the
securing screws shorter so that about 3mm protruded though the bulb
holder leaving plenty of clearance space for the bulb. I removed the
bulb holders to fit the bulbs. Nostalgia recommend 4watt bulbs but these
need to be of the slim BA7 variety, commonly catalogued as bulb No: 233. I
managed to get some 233LB's from Halfords. These are Halogen Laser
Blue types giving a higher light output for the same wattage, yet still
conforming to lighting regulations. Fitting them in to the bulb holder
is a little tricky but once in and the holder fitted in to he housing I
tested them on a spare battery to prove they were working. The size of
the lens is quite small but the increased light output is a worthwhile
safety investment. I fitted the side light housing back on to
the wings and tested the lights once again.
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13/06/2005 2hrs Radiator |
I fitted more masking tape to the under flange of the
bonnet and some more engineers blue on the radiator top front corners.
I refitted the bonnet and removed it again. The engineers blue had marked
the flange again. I drew around it opening out the "L" shaped cuts to give
more clearance. I cut the extra out with a Dremel cutting disc.
I refitted the bonnet but the radiator was still interfering with the
flange. I decided, to ensure that I had enough clearance and also
because the depth of the "L" cut-out was getting close to the underside of
the bonnet , to make the cut-outs rectangular. I remarked them and cut them
out again with the Dremel cutting disc. This time when the bonnet was
fitted there was no interference. I secured the bonnet hinges to the
bulkhead. |
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14/06/2005 2hrs Boot Well |
Today I started work on the boot well. I measured and
marked the dimensions of the floor on to a piece of 12mm plywood. I cut the
plywood to overall size. I have become a fan of cardboard templates
for accurately transferring the shape of something to another part. I worked
out the radius of the front corners of the boot well. Transferred this to a
template as a 90° arc and cut it out. I tried the template on the boot
well and was satisfied with the fit. Placing the template on the boot
floor I drew around it to radius the front corners. I cut floor with a
jig saw, and trial fitted the floor to the boot well It was a pretty good
fit and did not need any adjustment. I degreased the floor with White spirit
and left it overnight to dry. |
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15/06/2005 3hrs Boot Floor |
I decided to drill and temporarily fit the boot well floor now, mainly to ensure that he mounting holes were covered in preservative thus ensuring maximum life span. I temporarily fitted the floor board, centralized it and marked the width and position of the GRP flange on to the plywood. I found the centre of each side of the floor board and drilled and countersunk 5.5 mm holes. I refitted the floorboard and drilled the GRP flange correspondingly. I secured the floorboard with M5 x 25mm screws plain washers and nuts. Eventually I will replace the nuts with M5 Aluminium Rivnuts. I then worked out equidistant holes down each side making sure I had a screw hole at the apex of each corner securing the floor board again with M5 countersunk screws plain washers and nuts. Having done all that and satisfied with the fit I removed the floor board and painted it with a combined wood preserver, stain and varnish (Ronseal Wood Stain).
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16/06/2005 3hrs Boot box |
The next task was to fit the front top cover of the boot
box. I put masking tape along the back edge of he boot well so that I
could mark it and easily see where I needed to drill. The top cover
fits inside the boot well and there is a small lip moulded in to the boot
well to assist in locating it. It is not a precise fit so care must be taken
when fitting to ensure it is level and secured at frequent intervals to pull
the top cover and the boot well in to shape. It may be necessary to trim the
front edge of the top cover level to assist in levelling the top cove and
ensure the maximum overlap with the boot well. If it is necessary to trim it
make sure not ot take too much off. To obtain the best fit Nostalgia
recommend fitting the top cover with Rivnuts. I concur since the top
cover will need to be finally fitted once the boot well is in position and
Rivnuts will make the job easier. with the top cover in place I
measured the depth of overlap to find the middle so that securing bolts and
rivnuts would be centred. I found the centre of the width of the top cover
and drilled a small pilot hole. I checked both inside and outside to
ensure it was in the centre of the overlap. I removed the top
cover and drilled it to accept an M6 bolt. I drilled the corresponding
hole in the boot well to accept an M6 Rivnut. I refitted the top cover
and secured it with a a 25 mm x M6 bolt and penny washers. This is
only a temporary fixing, the final fixing will be with an M6 domed or
countersunk headed screws so that it does not show through when the boot
well is trimmed. Working from this central point out wards, I fitted
rivnuts and bolts equidistantly and alternately each side to pull the top
cover and boot well in to shape. I made that bolts and rivnuts were inserted
at the apex of each front corner (or where the maximum gap occurs) to pull
them together and get the best fit. Finally two bolts and rivnuts were
inserted (1 each side) at the point where top cover turns upwards to attach
the boot well closing panel. All of this is a laborious process involving
fitting and removing the top cover to drill the hoes and insert the Rivnuts.
It is necessary to refit the top cover after each bolt has been fitted and
tightened to determine where the next hole is to be drilled and ensure
correct alignment. If you don't do this methodically from the centre,
the chances are the hole in the top cover and boot well will not be aligned.
gave the floor board another coat of wood preserver and left it to dry. |
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20/06/2005 2hrs. Boot Slam Panel |
The boot slam panel fits to the chassis cross member to secure the boot lock
hasp and the lower boot seal. I attempted to fit it only to
discover that when it was in position it was slightly displaced to the
right and was in contact with the weld for the dumb iron brackets and the
inside of the LHS bodywork . To centralize it I cut ¼" from the LHS of
the slam panel and a small cut out from each side to fit around the welds.
The key position is that the boot slam panel when fitted must allow the boot
lid to close and seal it. I fitted the boot seal to the slam panel and
trimmed it to length. I fitted the slam panel and clamped it in to place. I
closed the boot lid and checked the fit and the seal. For and aft fitment is
fine and the seal is in place but the slam panel is not parallel with the
bottom of the boot lid. I'm not sure why. It cold be the shape and /or
the position of the boot lid; the shape or position of the rear body.
I will need to do some investigation and consult Nostalgia on how much
reshaping or contouring of the rear body is normal, or possible.
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21/06/2005 3hrs Rear Body |
I had a long conversation with Nostalgia regarding the
alignment of the rear body and the discrepancy in shape of of the left and
right sides where the dumb irons and the boot lid fits. The
misalignment of the boot lid is not critical providing the boot closes with
h3e slam panel and seal in place. The main thing is that the body looks
square with the chassis when viewed from behind. I had repositioned mine
some time ago and all the evidence I can see and measure suggests that it is
square. A slope on the garage floor and hate difference in shape of
the body form side to side make it difficult to be sure. I know the
rear dumb irons are in exactly the same position with respect to the chassis
but the RHS is much closer to the bodywork than the LHS. We cam to the
conclusion that Nostalgia would be able to fettle any differences at
finishing and trimming time. |
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28/06/2005 7hrs Front Wing Stays |
I've been waiting for Unimaster to get me some M5 Rivnuts
to secure the boot floor. Whilst I was waiting I decided to have a go at the
front wing stays. There is no diagram in the build manual but then
they are simple strips of metal that go between a 50mm x 50 mm plates
welded to the chassis and the front wing. Well it isn't quite a simple
as that and it has taken some time to manufacture the stays. It is not
difficult but it would have been easier to drill the chassis plates
before the body was fitted. I would suggest to anyone, at chassis
build up time and before the engine is fitted, cover the plates in
masking tape, draw a diagonal from each corner, to find the centre of the
plate, and drill a ¼" hole. Repeat for the other side. I made wing stays out
of 25mm x 4mm flat steel (because that is what I had n stock) approx 18"
long. I rounded the ends to a radius of 12.5mm. At the end which
will be attached to the wing drill an M6 hole centred about 10mm from the
end. At the chassis end drill and slot the wing stay to accept a ¼" UNF
bolt. Centre the slot 25mm from the end and approx 1" long. The
chassis plate and the bottom of the wing are not at the same level. To avoid
putting any strain on the body once the wing stay is in place, the wing stay
must be bent. At a point 2½" from the chassis end of the wing
stay bend the wing stay down about 4.25 °. At the wing end of the wing stay,
bend the stay in he opposite direction (up). Bend it at a point approx 2"
from the end. I found it necessary to trial fit he wing stays
and adjust the bends until I was satisfied with the angles as being the best
that could be achieved. Because the bottom of the wing is curved is
curved it is necessary to chamfer the end of the wing stay to achieve the
best fit. likewise it may be necessary to increase or reduce the bend so
that the wing stay is as close to the inside of the bottom of the wing as
possible with the maximum amount of overlap and hence material in which to
drill an M6 hole. The wing stay is secured with a ¼" UNF set screw, penny
washer plain washer and Nyloc nut to the chassis plate. Secure but do not
fully tighten. Make sure the wing stay is at 90° to the chassis. At the
other end the wing stay is secured inside and to the bottom of the wing,
with an M6 set screw plain washer. penny washer and nyloc nut. Drill a 6mm
hole through the bottom of the wing return in line with with the wing
stay, "Nip" up the fastening and adjust the position of the wing
so that it follows the line of the front of the doors. Tighten when
the correct alignment is achieved. Repeat for the other side. |
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28/06/2005 3hrs Front Wing Stays |
It seems my optimism with the front wing stays was
misplaced. I was suspicious of the fitting of the right hand wing stay from
some trial work I had done earlier. I had made the right hand wing
stay to the same dimensions as the LH side. when I came to fit it this
morning their seemed to be insufficient return on the underside of the
wing to bolt the wing stay to. It did not seem so bad from the inside
but there was definitely a problem. I tried playing around with the
angles of the ends to get a better fit. with more overlap but to get the
improvement require the outboard angle became to steep meaning the bolt hole
would be visible in the side of the wing. Eventually I could see the
problem. The wing moulding was not curved sufficiently to provide horizontal
area to accommodate the bolt. I spoke to Simon at Nostalgia and
we agreed to get the best fit possible, as near to the bottom inner edge as
possible and to pull the bottom of the wing under. Nostalgia will make
any final adjustments when the car is in for finishing. I trial fitted
the wing stays and removed them again for painting. For the rest of the day,
while the brackets were drying, I pottered about locating and sorting out
the radiator hose connections |
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Total hours this Month = 61hrs |
Total hours to date = 1130 hrs |
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