18th September 2010 - Fuel Tank

After last week's events, this week was slightly lower key.  The first things to do were to re-fit the gear lever after putting some grease on the rather dry-looking selector and to torque up the rear wishbone bolts (some of which will be inaccessible when the fuel tanks on).  The tank itself was fairly straightforward, requiring the fitting of the outlets using PTFE tape on the threads before putting foam tape everywhere it'll touch and fastening it down with aluminium straps.


Fuel tank in place

Next on the list was adding some rubber fuel pipes - one for the breather from the top of the tank to the top of the chassis, the second from the return (copper) fuel pipe to the tank.  Then it was time to prepare the fuel pump and filter, including changing the loom (spade) connections for round ones.  That done, it was time to fit them;  except where the instructions say they should be fitted would require drilling right though the chassis box section, but if we did there would be no suitable bolt.  Another one for Westfield I think - they need chasing about the transducer bracket anyway!  Frustrated at another time-wasting setback, we tried the scuttle in place to see how it looks:

Looks even more like a car with the scuttle on

As a final task we started fitting up the radiator and fan, but didn't put the assembly on the car as the radiator looks so fragile.  One for just before the nose goes on I think.

11th September 2010 - Engine & Lower Steering Column

After a break for summer activities, today was a big day - engine installation.  We started by lowering the car off its trestles so that it stood on the ground for the first time; We attached the engine crane to the rear of the chassis, lifted it to remove the rear trestle, then slowly lowered it whilst making sure the front trestle didn't fall over.  To our surprise it was possible to lower the rear almost to the ground before (manually) lifting the front and pulling out the front trestle.  Wow, you forget just how low to the ground these cars are!  We then decided to turn the car around to fit the engine, which required the second and third momentous occasions of the day - the first time the car rolled, and its first trip outside!



Rolling chassis ventures outside!

  Then came the first engine fitting - "first" because we knew from a preparatory measurement/comparison of mounting hole vs. gearbox mounting and a subsequent conversation with Westfield that we'd need to drill new mounting points once we knew where they go from the first trial fitting.
The installation itself went more smoothly than expected;  we removed the gear lever to make it easier, but then with a slow, repeating "back a bit, down a bit" routine everything lined up perfectly with no squashed pipes or cables in the process.  Getting the propshaft splines lined up with the gearbox took a bit of wiggling, but by then we were on a roll.



Engine in place!

  Still plenty of time left so we moved onto the lower steering column: We'd previously identified that the bracket didn't fit, but Westfield just advised us to "put it in the most suitable place and shorten the mounting plate to fit"!  This turned out to be just behind the engine mount, needing a new hole to be made in the bracket and two in the chassis.  Once done though, the column went together easily and cleared the engine by at least 10mm.  Engine and steering on one day - result!
Still more time available though, so we couldn't resist putting in the driver's seat for that "it really will be a car" feeling.  Although there are pre-drilled holes in the pre-fitted lowered floor pan, they were in the wrong place for our upgrade "Sport Turbo" seats (The name coming from the model they were designed for, not the Halfords boy racer pretensions the name might suggest).  We made the new holes for maximum adjustability, with the result that the seat will go far enough forward for Matthew to reach the pedals.


Matthew trying out the driving position

 A lot done in one day then.  We even had time left to tidy up the garage.

6th August 2010 - Bits & Pieces & Issues

We're getting close to the engine installation now, but there are a few bits and pieces to complete first:  We put the flexible rear brake hoses and washer bottle on as well as finishing off the attachment of the wiring loom.  We also bolted on the seatbelts and the cover for them behind the rear bulkhead.  All fairly straightforward except we may re-do the rear part of the loom to locate it so there's no slack around where the gearbox will be.

Rear view showing flexible pipes and inertia reel cover

We also (finally and with help) tightened all of the balljoints and track rod ends and did some improvised wheel alignment.  Result!

Then came the problems:
1.  The mounting for the speedommeter transducer appears to be absent (could be a big problem!)

(Incorrect) Steering column bracket

2.  The bracket supplied to locate the lower steering column appears to be the wrong one as it cannot be fitted at the point on the chassis rail where its holes would suggest

3.  There's no obvious way of fitting the handbrake warning switch
4.  The bolts to attach the propshaft to the diff are waaaaay too long

Several calls to the Westfield technical helpline were met with a "we're busy" answerphone message, so we called the Sales number - to be told that "He's on holiday this week"!  That's alright then, we'll just put the build on hold until Westfield bother to staff up their helpline properly shall we?

Hopefully, that'll happen next week and we'll have some answers to probably the toughest questions we've had so far.  If we do, that'll leave the fuel tank, pump and filter to do before "E-day" (Engine fitting) - One of the events Matthew's been looking forward to the most.

17th July - Handbrake, Steering Column & More!

A "bits & bobs" day today:  First job was to torque up and "thread lock" all 24 driveshaft bolts with the aid of an old broom handle wedged between the hub studs to stop it turning. 
Attention then moved to fastening the fuse boxes down - there didn't seem to be any suitable fasteners supplied with the kit so we purchased some nuts, bolts & washers for 78p from Wilko - job done!  We then had to thread all the dashboard-related wiring through the other hole in the bulkhead top panel.  Simple enough, although a tip here is to pass the injection relays through first as they won't fit once the rest of the loom's through.

Fuse boxes and upper steering column

Handbrake next:  It turned out that (contrary to the manual) the handle mounting holes were already in the chassis.  It was then a matter of routing the cable, attaching it to the chassis mounting points then to the rear brakes, paying attention to the routing.  Still not convinced that it won't be affected by suspension movement, but I guess (hope) they must know what they're talking about.  N.B. The cable ties still need applying in this picture:

RHS Handbrake cable routing

Then it was just a matter of adding the clevis pin and adjusting the cable to what seems like it might be the right tension.  Looks like progress!  The instructions say to connect the handbrake warning switch cable at this point..... except there is no switch!  Found something in the bag of bolts which looks like it could be the switch, but its not apparent how to attach this to the handbrake - one for the technical helpline I think.

Handbrake with cable attached

Still some daylight left, so onto the upper steering column.  No hole in the bulkhead for this and loads of comments on the owners club forum about wrongly positioned holes, so we carefully held the trusty old broom handle against the mounting points, ensuring the aluminium spacer was in place too.  We then marked the place for the hole and chain-drilled a smallish hole.  Measured again and it still lined up, so we enlarged the hole gradually (trial fitting several times along the way) until the perfect result was achieved.  Phew!  Couldn't resist ending the day by fitting the steering wheel!

Upper steerng column

27th June 2010 - Differential & Driveshafts

The first job today was to fit the wiring loom to the rear chassis.  To do this we unplugged all the fusebox connectors and fed the wires through the hole in the bulkhead top panel then reconnected them.  Couldn't find any suitable fasteners for the fuseboxes so left them dangling.  Having already labelled all the connectors using the wiring diagram it was easy to find the part of the loom which goes along the inside top edge of the transmission tunnel and out past the rear brake union.  We put a piece of split convoluted tubing over the section on the exit to the tunnel to protect it (see photo below).  It was then a matter of following the already-attached saddles out the the right corner then doubling back to the left.  All the connectors seem to be in the right places - we'll see later!

 The aim of getting the rear wiring on was to be able to move onto the milestone of fitting the differential.  As suggested in the manual, this required the removal of the rhs brake pipes from the union to allow easy socket access then placing the studs through the right-hand bushes (see photo) prior to lifting the diff in.  They were then relatively easy to push through the diff with a bit of help from Matthew.  After fitting and torquing up the mounting nuts the next job was the stabiliser bar at the back of the diff - another easy job..... at least it would be if there wasn't a 7/16 nut missing!  We'll have to come back to that one.  One of the trickiest (and messiest) jobs was getting te diff oil in - the tube's just slightly too short to reach from the chassis rail.  Got there eventually, but I hate the smell of gear oil - it reminds me of a Triumph Spitfire I had when I was a student which lost a litre of oil from the gearbox every 100 miles!

Time for a break then to watch England vs. Germany in the World Cup - wish we hadn't bothered!

We needed cheering up after the match, so decided to get the driveshafts at least in place before we headed home.  This is where we're starting to get the hang of Westfield build manual-speak;  When it says something "may" need doing (in this case undoing the top mountings of the hub carriers) it means "will"!  That done, the drivesharfts went on easily and make it look like things are coming together - even though they're not fully bolted up yet.  A job for next time.

Earlier in the day Matthew had wanted to start on the dashboard although it won't be needed for several months ... so he did:

12th June 2010 - Rear Suspension & Fuel Pipes

Having laid out all the remaining rear suspension and brake parts last time, Matthew completed the remaining corner in no time, with only limited need for the "persuading stick" (rubber mallet)!

Next job was the fuel pipes: Having made a complete hash of putting in the bulkhead bend (twice) I ordered some more from Westfield on the proviso that they put the bend in for us. This they did (and still delivered next day), leaving us to put in a lesser bend to tuck round the edge of the lowered floorpan (driver's side) and run along the inner edge of that panel, just below the brake pipe, before exiting under where the diff will be with opposite 45 degree bends. Had to be careful about where to rivet the double p-clips under the pedals so that the rivet didn't interfere with them. I also think we were supposed to use the standard rivets (as per the panelling), but these were a bit too short to hold the doubled-up clips safely so we used some longer/ large headed ones. I think these were intended for the inertia reel belt cover amongst other things - whatever - they did the job brilliantly and if we have to get 6 more rivets it was definitely worth it for peace of mind.

Another job completed today was the mounting of the loom saddles: With the help of the now-labelled loom laid out over the back of the car, the routing suddenly became obvious. This was aided by the confidence provided by discussing the problem with a Westfield mechanic who was at their "Westfield Experience" last weekend. In his words "it doesn't matter too much where you mount it (the loom) as long as it's secure and doesn't touch any moving parts". He also gave me a tip on how to get the ball joints tightened which I'll try out next time.
Wiring loom next time, which will get us back in sequence with the manual. Here's a picture of how it looks now (couldn't resist putting the wheels on!)

2nd June 2010 - More Progress at last: Side Panels

Due to the lack of available weekends plan B has come into operation: Grab a couple of hours on the way home from work! Even though its a 20 mile detour it meant that the side panels went on, thanks to 170 pop rivets (85 each side) and a whole load of messy silicone sealant. I had been holding off doing these in case the chassis needed turning over, but realised that now the suspension's on it can't be turned over anyway; fingers crossed that the fuel pipes and wiring loom can be fitted from underneath! I may attempt my first call to the Westfield helpline to see if they have a template for the bulkhead hole for the upper steering column - there's no mention in either manual of the need to cut one!