August 27th 2012 - Demist Vents

I decided that the fitting out of the scuttle could be postponed no longer, so off it came after first detaching the windscreen, making the build look like its going backwards.  After the now-traditional masking of the working area, I chain-drilled and filed the moulded windscreen demist slots in the scuttle top.  The manual says it should be 4mm wide, but since my narrowest file is 5mm, that's what they are.

demist slots cut in scuttle-top

Next came the moulded hot air funnel (can't remember the official name) which directs air from the heater to the demist vents.  This fits "naturally" on the inside of the scuttle and the manual says it should be attached with glass-fibre "or similar".  Not wanting to get messy with resin, I decided to try some two-pack epoxy I found in the end-of-line bargain bucket at work.  This is really strong stuff and waterproof and seems to have done the job really effectively.  When its fully cured, I'll run some silicone around the edges to seal it.

Demist "funnel" attached inside the scuttle

Epoxy glue used to attach the funnel - seems really good

August 18th 2012 - Exhaust mounting bracket

Easing back from hols with some simple jobs, I enlarged the passenger seat mounting holes to allow it to move inward a fraction.  It still seems a very tight fit if it is to move backwards and forwards without fouling on the tunnel or the bodywork.
While the seat was out I drilled through the threaded hole in the chassis to which the exhaust bracket is attached using a 4mm drill bit to avoid damaging the threads.  It was then a relatively simple matter of enlarging the hole from the outside to accept the tube which goes around the bolt.  The hardest part was finding all the right bits and assembling them in the right order.  Due to the number of parts, the end result looks a bit of a botch up, but at least it'll be hidden behind the exhaust:

5 separate parts (plus bolts) to mount an exhaust silencer!

Although tempting, I decided not to fit the exhaust yet, as it could get in the way whilst fitting the dash etc.

July 2012 - Holiday

No progress on the car in late July/early Aug due to travels in France and Belgium, one of the highlights of which was a trip to the Spa-Francorchamps circuit with its awe-inspiring Eau-Rouge/Radion corners.  The steepness of the climb has to be seen to be appreciated!  This is mentioned here, as Matthew and I have decided that we'll be taking the Westfield around the circuit when its finished.

Eau Rouge/ Radion is steeper than it looks in photos or on TV

July 16th 2012 - Finally shifted the gearbox filler plug!

Finally, after many attempts and the purchase of some allen driver bits, the gearbox filler plug budged.  I've mentioned earlier that I've made a hole in the passenger footwell to fill the gearbox without the need to access it from underneath, now with the help of a metal tube on the end of the socket bar it gave in.  Filling the 'box was then really easy, as the standard bottle neck was just long enough:

Filling the gearbox via the passenger footwell

There's some debate on line as to which oil to use in a Ford Type 9 gearbox, but the majority seem to agree that it should be the automatic gearbox oil that Westfield supplied with the kit.

Whilst on a roll, and with about 30 mins left, I decided to fit the number plate light:  20 minutes deciding where to mount it, 10 to drill the three holes and attach it.  The location was chosen to allow either a rectangular or square plate to be fitted.  Haven't wired it in yet as the cable needs shortening and a plug attaching.

Number plate light fitted with the aid of an old plate