Dommo Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Following on from my donor killing/bodging/chopping/defeating thread, I picked up the intro/starter kit today. Basically everything I need to make a rolling chassis but not the bodywork. When I phoned the factory to check all was ok yesterday, they said it was. Naturally, it wasn't and one hour later they phoned back saying the chassis wasn't powdercoated properly and would have to be redone. I'd already got the van booked and the day off work, so missing the collection date (particularly with hours to go) wouldn't have gone down well. Luckily the powder coaters commited to having it redone by lunch time. I got a phone call this morning to say all was ok, so we headed down for 1pm. True to their word, all was ok and after a quick cup of tea loading began. We checked through the bits (not well enough it seems) and loaded it onto the van. Soon after, Jon progressed to playing with crayons When we got home, we discovered that despite having LHD replaced with RHD on the panel set, it was indeed for a LHD car. There were no pedal cut outs in the drivers bulkhead panel. Also, the exterior panels were missing. So far that seems about it, so not a bad effort I thought. Anyway, got to at least get something fitted today, it's the law. The passenger side tunnel panel was chosen so it was clamped in place. A bit of fettling was required but nothing major. Holes were then drilled with a 4.2mm drill bit. I couldn't find any 4.1mm bits in ScrewFix! Unfortunately the holes at the front were slightly too far in. No problem, drilled new ones after this photo! Remove the panel, silicone sealant the chassis (black, naturally), refit the panel then, get someone else to rivet it on! I'll probably invest in an air riveter to be honest, but not whilst I have a willing volunteer There's not really too much I can do aside from the odd panels at the moment. I don't think Westfield included the P-clips for the fuel/brake lines either. Hopefully it'll all be sorted before the end of the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingbanana Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 Nice one- Must be good to start creating after all that dismantling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleggy the Spyder Man Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dombanks Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 have fun... i dont envy you doing the riviting. too many memories of getting sikaflex on my hands that didnt come off for weeks getting my fingers trapped in the hand riviter i used .... happy days! with regards to the exterior panels, if you mean the ones that go down the outside of the chassis... they are an extra so dont come with the standard panel set. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dommo Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 Yup, those are the ones. Got the invoice for them, just not the panels themselves. Doh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanoecosse Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 an air powered rivet gun will be the best buy you can make during your build. So much quicker than a manual riveter and takes no effort. It makes the tedious task of fitting panels a lot more bearable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I get my drillls from these .......... UK Drills Great quality and service and the price is right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dommo Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 I get my drillls from these .......... UK Drills Great quality and service and the price is right Thanks, good prices but I can't find any 4.1/4.2mm drill bits. 4mm makes it harder to push the rivets in apparently. Found some here though which I'll probably go for, after a quick browse of the site to see if there's anything else I fancy! Kit Car Consumables Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 I got mine from RS, if you happen to have access, not necessarily the cheapest but damned convenient at times! A few 4.1's here! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dommo Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 Day 2 in the garage, and I've hit the riveting wall. Two panels I managed before the garage door nearly got a rivet gun shaped dent in it... Started off ok, managed to pick up some more drill bits from a local fasteners place. Of course, I think this ensures that the one I have will magically never snap nor go blunt! The first panel was the passenger bulkhead panel. It went on easy enough, though I'll have to silicone up all the gaps soon before I forget. And whilst they're accessible. Next up, drivers side tunnel, remembering of course not to do the back 4 holes yet. I had to drill some new ones because some didn't quite line up but this was par for the course. And that's it! That took about one and a half hours including messing about. By then, I didn't want to squeeze that gun another time. I'm now devising a scheme to steal my brother's air compressor and go out and buy an air powered rivet gun. Rather than the hands and swearing one I've got now. Finally, a few general shots. The garage seems to be getting tidier as I go, which is distinctly the opposite of before... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spire Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Great job, love reading build threads. One thing I did when building mind in a standard (small) garage was to put the build stands on wheels. It makes a big difference when you can give yourself more room to work. Also you can wheel it outside when the sun shines. Keep up the good work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dombanks Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 Great job, love reading build threads. One thing I did when building mind in a standard (small) garage was to put the build stands on wheels. It makes a big difference when you can give yourself more room to work. Also you can wheel it outside when the sun shines. Keep up the good work. yeah good idea, i made a stand on wheels it was sooo useful. i used just some standard ones from machine mart. best things ever, they have been used for sll sorts of stuff since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dommo Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 Yup, they're on wheels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooch Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Good luck with the build, Dommo, Looking at the photos it might be a bit late now, but if I had my time over again, I'd have drilled through the chassis uprights where the 2 front mounting bolts for the handbrake go before rivetting the tunnel side panels. It's a rotten job once the panels are on. I bought a 90 degree drill attachment but still didn't have enough room, so had to calculate and drill through from the other side - I remember that this was a nervous moment as there was potential for a dangler up. The book says these holes are pre drilled, but they aren't. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooch Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Oh....and one more thing, re rivet tools - I found that a 'lazy tong' rivet tool was cheap and really effective (£16.54 from Tool Station) without the expense of a compressed air tool and compressor. Got to most places throughout the build, leaving just one or two awkward ones to do with the hand gun. As a result, I still have use of my hands....those hand tools are hard work on the old pinkies.. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.