Mark (smokey mow) Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 Not much of an update tonight, now the temperature outside has dropped I'm struggling to get the motivation to work on the car, but still a couple of small jobs done. Firstly I fitted the female unions to the end of the brake lines. I'd ordered the wrong ones originally so had to get some new ones delivered I then decided to fit the front flexi hoses. Next up the seat back panel was rivetted in place And final job of the day was to fit rivet nuts to the tunnel for the side panel, not the most fun as there's 18 that needed fitting . I'd decided to do this so the prop flange would be a little more accessible should I ever need to gain access. The job for tomorrow will be to fit the panel with some allen button head screws, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Doing great there sir, and under challenging weather conditions too, keep it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KugaWestie Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 How many days you got off there smokey? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 How many days you got off there smokey? Errr five :d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KugaWestie Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 very nice too! Cover arrived today safe and sound - thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted February 2, 2012 Author Share Posted February 2, 2012 very nice too! Cover arrived today safe and sound - thanks! I've gotta use it or I loose it it's been too busy at work for me to take holiday when the weather was better, but now it's cooled down the site work side of my job has slowed with it so it's finally giving me a break Glad to hear the cover got there safely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XTR2Turbo Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Invest in one of those infrared heaters from B&Q. Really good because they heat you but not the garage so cheap to run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 Well it's been a bit warmer today, either that or I've been working harder but plenty achieved either way Firstly the access panel to the tunnel was finished. I fitted foam tape to the edge to create a seal and keep out the worst of what may be thrown up from the road. The hole punch came in useful to punch the holes through the foam for the screws. Then it could be fitted to the tunnel. With the small jobs out of the way the next task was a little larger.... Fitting the engine and box Now I'm pretty confident about my own design and measuring skills but there was still that slight element of doubt in my mind as to whether it would fit in the modified tunnel fingers crossed! Phew it fits Well almost Those that have built a mazda SDV will be very familar with this. The MX5 has fitted what mazda describe as the PPF which is a frame that connects the diff to the gearbox to keep the whole drivetrain rigid. The problem with this when fitting the MX5 box in a westfield is the large casting on the side of the gearbox which runs very close to the bottom chassis rail. Well just my luck I couldn't quite get the gearbox in the position I wanted Option 1 is to raise the nose of the gearbox so it clears the chassis rail or Option 2 is to completely remove the problem. You guessed it, engine lifted back out again and it was out with the grinder. Think of the weight saving :laugh: First cut removed the largest part of the casting but leaving an allowance, then it was reduced further and shaped. I finsihed with a twisted wire brush in the grinder to smooth off the sharp edeges. Interesting to see there was some porosity in the casting. Much better Tomorrow I need to start thinking about the engine mounts. I've got a pair of Mazda SDV ones which I found on eBay but the near side sits slightly too wide of the chassis. I'm hoping it'll be possible to just redrill the hole for the rubber mount slightly further in to bring in the pedestal further. But before I do that I also need to trial fit the bonnet and nose to make sure there's no issues there. At the mock up stage I had a slight clash between the throttle body and the bonnet, but hopefully the engine is now set far enough over for that to now clear. It's starting to look like a car again now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KugaWestie Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Good work Mark I had a slight issue with my thottle body cable mounting and the nose cone, which meant trimming a bit away from the bonnet mounting flange on the back of the nose and also on the front of the bonnet. Neither are seen when they are all on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIG Brother Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Got to love Mazdas casting!! Welded up Gary's sump today, and i have to say it was possibly one of the worst cast sumps I have welded in a long time. Very very dirty sand casting in this case. Just luckily it's not bad news just meant it too a lot longer in preparation trying to get the sand residue out from inside the cast ally. Turned out ok in the end you will be pleased to know Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted February 3, 2012 Share Posted February 3, 2012 Fab stuff mate, this thread always impresses me and makes me smile. Well, apart from those front wheels, I think you'll need to reconsider those tiny diameters... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted February 3, 2012 Author Share Posted February 3, 2012 Fab stuff mate, this thread always impresses me and makes me smile. Well, apart from those front wheels, I think you'll need to reconsider those tiny diameters... They're low profile don't you know it's an Essex thing Steering lock is excellent though. I'd love to get the front suspension mounted but if I fitted it there wouldn't then be enough width in the garage for the two cars, so I'm having to leave it off until the point I've got the engine running and I can drive it out and park it in the garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted February 4, 2012 Author Share Posted February 4, 2012 A couple of garage pics for the Captain to start todays preceedings just to show how tight things are with the 2 cars squeezed in together. Luckily the more stuff I bolt on the Narrow, the more floor space I create in the process from the boxes and crates that are stacked up storing all the parts. Excuse the image quality, I used my gopro for the pics as it has the wide angle lens, but it was struggling a bit with the low light first thing this morning. So onto the main job for today and checking the engine-bonnet clearance. As it was a brand new nose cone I firstly I had to fit the Dzus fasteners to mount it to the chassis, and then I could unpack the bonnet from it's crate and offer it into place. luckily the engine appears to be sitting in just about the right place as it fitted quite nicely. A quick look inside and everything clears, but there's a couple of areas where it's a bit tighter than I'd like and potential for a clash if the engine moves on it's mounts when running. Firstly the oil cap and secondly the bracket for the throttle cable. Thankfully both should easily be over come with some shallower engine mounts to drop the engine slightly. The one pictured belowon the left are those currently fitted and that came with the engine mounts off eBay, that on the right is the Westfield mount as fitted to my Wideboded car and is 10mm lower. I think 10mm more clearance should be enough to avoid any potential issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KugaWestie Posted February 4, 2012 Share Posted February 4, 2012 Yes it all looks a bit tight - garage space and bonnet clearance! As you say, 10mm lower should give you some comfort that any engine flex will not rattle the bonnet. Coming alone nicely now Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted February 5, 2012 Author Share Posted February 5, 2012 Yes it all looks a bit tight - garage space and bonnet clearance! As you say, 10mm lower should give you some comfort that any engine flex will not rattle the bonnet. Coming alone nicely now Mark Thanks Gary I did sone digging last night and it turns out the larger mounts were fitted to the Escort RS2000, Mexico and Capri's whereas the lower ones are Cortina Mk3-5 and the poverty spec Mk1&2 Escorts. The good news is I can get a pair of £10 off eBay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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