July 14 - 18 2017
Build Time Today: 8 hours
Total Build Time: 331 hours
Back after a good break! I got back from my trip and started work on a
few pending items:
First was testing the fuel system - using a new pressure gauge I picked
up during my trip.. the pressure gauge was installed, and the wiring for
the LP and HP pump had to be re-installed (I am only using temp wiring,
actual wiring will be part of engine loom)... The laptop was connected
to the FOD and the LP and HP pumps turned on... the new pressure gauge
and the FOD display the same pressure now, so clearly my old gauge was
at fault... using the new gauge, I set the regulator to 58psi... I then
set the FOD to 58psi also, and the pump continued to run at full
speed... I then dropped the FOD to 45psi and the pump stopped! Pressure
slowly fell and once it hit 44.5, pump restarted for a few seconds to go
back up to 46 and stopped... so my FOD works!! I will do the final
regulator and FOD settings once the engine is in!
Second was to test the AC system - using the new AC manifold! The vaccum
pump was run for an hour to evacuate the system, and the pressure tested
over night - the system does not have any leaks as the vaccum only
dropped from 28 to 26 overnight - which is probably not a leak but just
the manifold valves...
Then I started work on getting the rear canopy aligned... Since I have
modified the chassis a little at the back, I wanted to be sure the
canopy was perfectly aligned before installing the engine/box... so the
canopy was put back on the chassis using the factory pre-fit setting,
but there seems to be some movement of the chassis (about 1mm) since the
canopy is not even on both sides... I loosened the rose joints in the
chassis and set about aligning the rear canopy as per the factory manual
instructions... It took some time, but I was able to get the canopy
aligned and then tightened the bolts away... I also installed the
Aerocatch striker pins, and adjusted them so the canopy fits and locks
perfectly...
Since the 'car' is currently on the ground, I also decided to test the
VRH with the body on and see how much lift I get... The front lifted
45mm and rear 40mm! This mod has worked out a treat!
Finally, I lifted the car onto jack stands and removed the wheels
July 19-22 2017
Build Time Today: 9 hours
Total Build Time: 340 hours
I will now focus on the dash/doors...
First job was to get my door mods ready - I picked up some JambTac door
connectors which will allow me to not have any wires running between the
door and body.. these JambTac work as connectors which are installed in
the body and door, and provide a connection when the door is closed...
First, I prepped the JambTac by soldering wires to each connector to aid
in easy connections...
Next, I had to start getting the doors ready - so the leather was
trimmed away for the door handle and the window supports... The brass
window supports were then installed by sliding the support in the door,
and drilling two holes in the door GRP - one to lock the support, and
the other to lock/unlock the window in the future... Once the supports
were installed, I filled the area with expanding foam to lock the
support in and prevent any future movement...
Next, I had to start prepping the dash... The dash was first installed
on the chassis to check for clearance of the steering wheel.. Once happy
with the steering wheel hole, I started to work on the holes needed in
the dash: First was to make place for the shift paddles... It took a
while to figure out where to place the holes, and what size they would
need to be in order to get a correct look with the steering wheel, but I
was able to get the hole positioned correctly...
The Dash was removed from the chassis, and the hole for the paddles was
made and trimmed... the paddle shifter now fits in the hole, but I will
need to recess the GRP a little to let them sit flush... I will do this
with the dash back on the chassis to get the position perfect before
drilling the bolt holes...
I then drilled the holes for the EVO switches, side mirror switch,
interior light switch, and AC vents... I also ended up re-epoxing the
GRP section back on that had been removed for the dash display - I was
planning to use the Dash2 Pro but that is no longer the plan.. so now I
don't need the dash hole that had been made to install the Dash2 Pro
holder...
July 23 2017
Build Time Today: 3 hours
Total Build Time: 343 hours
Goal of today was to prep the hole for the JambTac in the dash GRP... I
spent time figuring out where to install the 2 JambTac (on each side)..
Location was finalized by comparing the door face and dash face that
meet and finding the best 'open' spots... Then I had to drill and trim
two holes on each side to fit the JambTac... A simple job but took a
long time to get a great fit... The 'matching' holes on the door will be
marked when the dash/doors are installed (temporarily) later so that the
position will be exact...
July 25 2017
Build Time Today: 5 hours
Total Build Time: 348 hours
A long day in the workshop today...
I started with getting the doors ready - the door locks (with the
central locking motor attached) was installed inside the door, and then
the door handles were installed as well - the later took some time
because the expanding foam needed to be trimmed a little to let the
handle fit correctly...
Then I started work on the dash - holes for the tweeters were drilled...
I took careful measurements to ensure both sides tweeters would be
identically placed, and then drilled the 48mm holes... I then turned the
dash upside down and trimmed out the EVO switchgear holes to allow the
back ends of the buttons to fit flush against the inside of the GRP... I
also slotted the holes for the windshield to allow it move a little to
get a proper placement in the future, and I also drilled the holes along
the front edge that will drill into the chassis (over the front ally
panel)
The dash was then carefully installed on the chassis, and the factory
pre-fit marks checked for proper placement... The four inner bolts were
tighened to get the GRP 'installed' - I need to place it correctly in
order to carry out the door/dash works...
I then started work on the shifter paddles. First, the paddles were
opened and replaced with brand new Carbon Fibre paddles. Then the steering wheel was
installed and each shifter paddle was installed one by one... I had to
ensure both paddles were level with each other, and fit correctly behind
the steering wheel in the position I wanted... Once happy with the
position, I drilled the top holes for the paddles and installed rivnuts...
the paddles were temp installed and steering wheel put back on to see
the final look - and it looks great! I will also install rivnuts for the
lower paddle assembly holes later - I do not have the correct rivnut
size so first need to find those before installing them...
July 27 2017
Build Time Today: 3.5 hours
Total Build Time: 351.5 hours
Today's job was to get the doors on and to prefit the door side JambTacs...
The passenger door was first installed - the the door strut installed
inside the dash GRP and then the door bolted on to the 4 studs on the
hinge... The door was closed slowly and the alignment was checked... I
noticed the door would not close properly and I knew why - from the last
build, I realized that the central locking brackets moved the lock
mechanism a little bit and that would prevent the door hinge from
locking onto the door - so, I undid the door hinge bolt and repositioned
it to get a clean fit, and then tightened it back again.. The door now
closes perfectly, and the alignment is just right...
The JambTac area was marked from inside the dash, and then the door was
removed from the chassis... The JambTac slots were drilled and filed so
the JmabTac unit could barely fit in the door slot - I have purposely
kept it tight as I will need to move the JambTacs a little once the door
is reinstalled to get the correct position (can only get 90% accuracy
from inside the dash)... Once the slots were ready, the door was AGAIN
installed on the chassis, and the alignment and door closing was again
checked - it has maintained the position from before! The JambTacs were
installed on both the dash and the door, and the door slowly closed with
a flashlight in hand that illuminated the gap between the door and
dash... The positioning is spot on and all the contacts correctly line
up! The slots were barely enlarged and the Jambtac alignment checked one
more time, and I am happy with the results!
The same thing was then repeated on the driver side door... and thats it
for today!
July 28-31 2017
Build Time Today: 11.5 hours
Total Build Time: 363 hours
The last few days was spent working on the glass! Once the doors were
ready, I could now focus on the glass works to move the body work along
to the roof area...
So first the windscreen was installed - it was bolted from below in a
few places to hold it firm. Then I took the driver side window (large
full size) and placed in the chassis... drill holes (5mm) were marked
along the bottom and the plexi was drilled.. The glass was then used as
a template to drill holes in the door edge, and those holes were tapped
for an M6 screw, and the holes in the plexi were enlarged to 6mm... The
glass was secured to the door and then the edges were checked for
clearance.. It became apparent that part of the front edge had to be
trimmed to get a good fit... The glass was removed and the edge was
trimmed (placed back on chassis to check and trimmed again, until a good
fit achieved)... The front edge was also trimmed into a slant to allow
clearance while opening/closing the door... Once the glass was fitting
properly, all the trimmed edges were polished with wet and dry paper and
then a polishing compound...
The screen support was then placed in the door hole and the screen
placed against it... It became apparent that the support was not at the
correct angle, so I had to rethink the next part - I ended up removing
the door handle from inside, removing some of the expanding foam
previously applied, and then closing the door and positioning the
support correctly... once happy with the support position, I applied
marine epoxy from inside the door handle area to the support/door GRP
area and leaving everything to dry over night...
The next day I checked the support for any play, but there is none.. and
the support is rock solid in the door... I closed up the door handle,
and then proceeded to install the support in the door and the glass over
it on the door.. and they fit as they are supposed to and everything
lines up! I marked the edge of the support and the top of the door
leather, and then removed the glass and applied tape to the glass edges
and marked lines to prepare the black primer area...
The entire same process was then repeated on the passenger side door -
along with the need to epoxy the support in the door due to incorrect
support angle... TIP for others: do not install the support till the end
because the angle will change depending on the support location and
windscreen distance -even a change of 1mm will change the angle enough
to require a redo...
I then worked on the smaller side screens - the holes were drilled using
the larger screen as templates, and the passenger side side screen had
to be trimmed to make it fit - it is a little too large!
The headlight covers were also marked and taped for the primer, since I
will apply all the primer together...
The primer was applied to the side windows and headlight covers, and a
second coat was applied the next day... Primer was applied to the
support, and then the window was installed after applying sealant to the
support... the window was bolted on and the sealant left to cure for 2
days...
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