June 2005

 

I had a little holiday from everything and went to Wintersun for a dose of cars and rock and roll. I still put in a few days on the 37 so it has progressed a little.

 

I had a lot of trouble lining up the bonnet. The problem stems from the gas struts working the hinges at an abnormal angle. When the bonnet gaps were set correctly, the side curtains would not line up. That was due to the mounting bracket is incorporated into the hinge. The solution was to make them independent. I cut the original bracket off and made a new one and mounted it in the correct position. That required a lot of working out. I can now adjust both without affecting each other.

I finally got hold of some stone guard and sprayed the underside of the guards. Second picture is a brace I made to stiffen up the guards. The original brace could not be used as the radiator now blocks the holes.  Behind the radiator is the perfect position as there is no obstructions. I ran a die and cut threads on a scrap piece of rod. I then bent it to the correct angles at each end. There are nuts on each side so I can adjust the gaps to line up the guards, inner guards and grill.

This is the resting place for all front sheet metal after I rubbed them back with 220, then 600 wet and dry. When I was confident that all minor imperfection were gone, I took them out into the sun. That was like placing them under a microscope. It was amazing how faults showed up. I guess if I had younger eyes I wouldn't need to do this, but alas, that's life. I spent another day or two double, triple checking. Once all was thumbs up, I prepsoled and wrapped them in bubble wrap. When painting time comes, all that will be required is a wipe down again with prepsol and they will be ready.

While we were at Wintersun, Marg spotted a billet mag wheel that she wanted on the 37. I was not going to go the billet wheel again but I got to agree she picked out a nice style. I will show the make and style when I get them, but don't expect that to happen for a couple of months. In the mean time, I thought I should measure how much room a had to play with under the rear. I wanted 8" rims but needed to work out how much back space to specify when I ordered them. Without the diff in place was no problem. I measured the diff width, which is 59" and cut a piece of tube the same width. After I was sure it was positioned evenly on both sides, I made a primitive plumb bob out of a big nut and a piece of string. I calculated the tyre diameter at  around 27".  I then used masking tape to hold the string  near 13" above the pipe onto the inner guard. I then measured  the distance where the string intersects the pipe. That worked out to be 6".

 

I then performed the same operation as above, except now the string is attached to the inside of the rear guard. I them measured the distance from the pipe. That worked out to be 4".  In theory, I could jam 10" of rubber under there, but in reality, you have to take into account body roll, suspension travel and tyre distortion. Also, the larger the tyre profile the more "ballooning" and distortion. If I wanted the maximum rubber, I could fit 9" rims with 70 series tyres. That would mean 5 1/2" back space, which leaves a 1/2" clearance each side. That is a bit to tight in my opinion but since I am going 8" rims, then I can afford 1" on each side. So, I need to order 8" rims with 5" back space.

Whenever I take measurements, I scribble them into a book that I keep handy. That way, I can refer back when my memory fades, as it does many times. I hade previously measured the diff, so I referred back to it and added the new measurements for the wheel back spacing.. Next pic is all the smaller parts that are being stored as I take them off. There are individual plastic bags for each set of items with their mounting bolts and such. That way I should not need to go searching when assembly time comes.

I spent some time straightening up the cooling fins on the radiator. After the whole lot was cleaned, I gave it a coat of gloss black. Now it will be stored with the rest of the parts. Next pic is the engine and box removed and ready to be pushed under the house until I am ready for assembly.
 

It looks lonely in the engine bay now.                                                                     All parts patiently waiting for their turn

This pic was taken way back in July last year. It shows the brake pedal access hole with the removable cover. The problem is that the pedal was working at an angle. Hence the diagonal slot for the pedal. While I was in the disassembly mode, I took the opportunity to fix things like this. I worked out where the pedal was twisted and heated it up with the oxy and straightened it. I then welded in a patch piece and made a new slot. That looks a lot better and will be easier to seal with a rubber strip.
I may have been a bit premature here. I started to weld in some temporary bracing for when the body is lifted up so I can work under it. I thought about it later and I came up with a few jobs that still need to done inside the cabin area. Luckily I'm still skinny enough to slide in between the braces. You will notice I still have the doors in place. I deliberately left them on to assist in the bracing. I also left the seat cradle in to stiffen up the floor as well. I think  there will be enough support to prevent any flexing. I guess I'll find out next weekend. when it is lifted. I will see if I can open the doors when its under load.  Apart from what you see here, I have also done a lot of "finishing off" small things. That took a fair bit of time. Like pulling the steering column apart again to fix the shift gate. It was virtually not working. You could slide the shift lever without the gate preventing it. I modified the gate and it works like a charm. I also gave it another coat of paint and it will be stored soon. I also painted many smaller pieces and stored them.

 

                      HOME            Wanna see July 2005,  click    HERE