Brake Pedal

Finally got round to making the brake pedal bracket. After much cardboard prototyping, the parts were cut from 3mm steel. These will be welded onto a base plate which will bolt onto the floor plan - the aim being to provide some adjustment for differing driver sizes. However, the current setup causes the master cylinder to hit the front chassis rail, meaning drivers taller than me won't fit! The cause appears to be a mis-interpretation of the plans causing an inside measurement to be built as an outside one! Doh! There are several ways to improve this however for now I am going with what I've got in the name of progress!
Next is the mount for the clutch pedal, which shouldn't take long, before moving on to the accelerator.

It's home!

I've spent the last few weeks moving the car into the garage at home. A neighbour was kind enough to help with the loan of his trailer although it was only just wide enough - he uses it for an old 1900and something Vauxhall which is very narrow. I've been gradually shipping the smaller parts as I find room to store them - it's amazing the amount of stuff you accumulate, I'll have to have a clearance sale/giveaway soon (anyone for some Metro uprights and driveshafts?).

Last week I took 2 days off, one for christmas shopping and one to work on the car. However, as expected really, the shoppng spilled into the second day! Today though I got home early and finally made a little progress. I made the bottom 2 radiator mounts. One is attached to the removable lower frame and the other bolts to a bracket on the side tube. For this one I was able to re-use a suspension bracket made years ago but never used. It was quite satisfying cutting through one of the welds on it and seeing positive evidence of their solidity!

Hopefully the next item to progress will be the handbrake mount - I am trying to work from back to front finishing the areas already started (centre tunnel, pedals) before turning to the battery box, fuel tank and expansion tank.

Fingers crossed......!

Standing on 4 wheels!!

Spent this afternoon preparing the car for its 'big' day - I spoke to my neighbour earlier today and have arranged use of his trailer to bring the car home on wednesday! That meant a small panic to ensure that all was ready. I assembled the front hubs fully and torqued them up, then fitted the shock absorbers. That meant drilling out the mounts on the lower wishbones as they were too small (I got the pre-made from e-bay) - I think that they are made from titanium as they were a *** to drill. Job done now though! Ended up lowering the car onto its own 2 wheels for the first time. My 'little helper' immediately leapt in and had the privilege of the first journey - albeit 3 yards pushed backwards! It feels like real progress, just to get it onto 4 wheels at last, and it felt great to sit in it at the 'proper' height! Well, now it is coming home, there should be a few more regular updates so keep looking!!!

Back again!

I see that it is very nearly 2 months since my last update. Yes, there really has been that little progress - a combination of a busy July/early august at work followed by kids sumer holidays! Anyway, took a day off today in an attempt to make some progress. Firstly I managed to get the springs onto the rear shocks. The compressors that I bought were really only suitable for normal macpherson struts - the hooks on the inside fouled on the shock body if I used them as intended. However, I managed to hook the bottom end around the mini strut body and compress the springs enough to get the top mounts on. I'm not convinced how safe this was and made sure that I kept away from the 'line of fire' in case it went wrong!! I then turned my attention to the bolt in frame that sits under the engine. Some time ago I got 2 of the brackets for this made and today I made the other 2. They now need welding up. This meant that I could tack the radiator mounts in place - the bottom one will go onto the bolt in frame. Finally, for a bit of morale, I cut a slice from the middle of the beetle engine cover that I plan to use as a nose template. As I was running out of time, I clamped this quickly to give a (very) rough impression of what the front will look like. I hope that it is not so long until I post again!

Quick update

In between work, over the last few days, I've managed to get a little bit done to the rear calipers. The one on the left has been lightly cleaned to remove mud whilst the other then had corrosion removed with a dremel-a-like and wet and dry paper, then acid etched, then sprayed. Don't know if I'll get much more done before going away this week.

More brakes and pedals

Over the last few weeks I've spent a few hours, on and off cleaning the VW rear calipers. My conclusion from this is that I might as well have brought the brand new version from GSF or Rally Designs - twice the cost and would have needed new pads but for the effort in cleaning the old ones, plus the cost of paint, worth the effort!! Today I finally finished the clutch pedal, with just the bracket to mount the master cylinder to make now. I also did a check of the mini master cylinder with the Fiat remote reservoir and was very pleased with the results. Regrettably I have to take a few weeks off now because of work commitments - hope to be back in the workshop in August!!!

Rear brakes

Bought some rear calipers from a crashed Passat this weekend. Spent fathers day in the garage cleaning one of them up - quite satisfying but time consuming. Used a little wire brush attachment for my cheap dremel copy which seemed to do the business, unlike the Halfords brake cleaner which certainly didn't do what it says on the tin! Photos to follow....

Clutch pedal progress

Today I made further progress with the clutch pedal. I began by welding some washers to the rough pedals that I made a few weeks ago - this was to make them fit the TR7 stub better - I have run out of 16g off cuts and awaiting more so I had to make do! I then drilled the holes in the sides before attaching them to the TR7 stub. The welds needed a little fettling to ensure that the return spring - the sole reason for using the TR7 stub - fitted properly. The last time I was in the workshop, a passer by offered some welding advice and suggested that I turned down the gas flow. The difference that this has made has been amazing! Anyway, I welded both sides to the stub, which needed further trimming. I also trimmed the bracket so that the pedal could be set at a reasonable angle. Once it was all assembled, I checked the action - I am slightly concerned that the travel might be a bit short, but I guess time will tell on that one!!!

I have also made a few decisions on the braking. A fellow Locostbuilder is sending me a Mini master cylinder. It is a 'type 3' which has a stepped bore, designed to limit rear braking on the Mini. I am going to reverse the plumbing in order to account for the lack of weight at the front of my car. I have also decided VW/Audi rear calipers are the best bet - they are readily available secondhand at reasonable prices and in good condition. This will avoid having to fork out for reconditioned Sierra calipers, including postage!!! We'll see if it works!

More pedals and brake woes

This week I made some progress with the clutch pedal. I had to revise my original plan - on closer inspection of the Ford clutch master cylinder, it became clear that a return spring would be necessary. A look at the Sylva Riot build manual confirmed this. In order to do this, I modified the TR7 throttle that I had lying about by cutting it and then incorporating the remaining stub into the pedal. I also began to look at the brake master cylinder carefully. I found that the reservoir fouled on the steering column. I have a Fiat remote reservoir lying around so looked to see if this could be used. I also found the 'brakemath' excel spreadsheet on the internet and used it to ascertain if I would need the pressure reducers used by the Fiesta. Finally, as a result of the results from this spreadsheet, I got round to seeing if the Rover Calipers would fit at the back of the car - unfortunately they don't. This leaves me with a few unanswered questions. Whether to persevere with the Fiesta master cylinder and modify it for a remote reservoir - bearing in mind that it has a bore of .87" and might result in a high pedal force, or whether to search for one from a suitable donor (any suggestions - remote reservoir, .7"ish bore). The final option is to go for a balance bar set up which would probably mean remaking the pedal. Finally I need rear calipers - Sierra are the obvious choice but something from the VW/SEAT/Audi range should fit!!!

Gearchange finally sorted...ish

Today I finally managed to get all the components of the gear change tacked into position. The action is generally fine although I was finding it difficult to get 2nd, 4th and reverse. Investigation revealed that the end of the shift rod was fouling on the joint at the bottom of the gear lever - a few seconds with a file soon sorted that. Once I had fettled that piece, the change was much better although going across the gat is a little sloppy -caused by a little twisting where the rod bolts into the old steering UJ and also by the joint that holds the gear lever rotating - that will be solved with a lock nut or some thread lock. I then resumed work on the pedals. I decided to try cutting down one of the original Rover pedals and using the stub from that to operate the master cylinders. All went well although I should perhaps have drilled a new hole for the clevis before tacking it together!! incidentally, the lightening holes drilled in the pedals are largely for visual effect - about 22p in change in your pocket would counteract any benefit!!!

Stoneleigh shopping

Went on the annual pilgrimage to the National Kit Car show at Stoneleigh over the bank holiday weekend (we REALLY will have something to take next year......). There wasn't a whole lot new there although a MR2 based car caught our eye. However, shopped well - bought some Robin Hood 'economy' cycle wings - not the greatest quality but at £40 for 4 I can cope with a bit of trimming and sanding. Also got some SVC headlamps and some mirrors from Tifosi. Really hope to have time to fit these all soon....

A little more...

Went and gave the springs a little more paint today. Also fitted the suspension spacers, shown here. Didn't take long!!! Been busy buying small things again - finally bought the threaded bushes to mount the upper seat belt mounts. I bought them from shorttrack motorsport - I can thoroughly recommend them. www.shorttrack.co.uk/

Progress - on E-Bay

Not much 'real' progress to report except for a few purchases! Firstly I was lucky and bagged an airflow meter for my Zetec SE engine - this was missing when I got the donor car so I had been keeping my eye on the 'bay for a while - got lucky and £1.99 well spent! I've also been keeping my eyes open for some springs for the rear struts. I went to the Newark autojumble a few weeks ago and just missed a chap selling loads of springs for pence each! Instead I got a pair from E bay that were the right size but the at the highest rate I wanted - £10 including postage. A bit of elbow grease (free) and some paint and they are looking better - they still need another coat though! I also bought the bearing for the gear change from McGill motorsports - £3.60 including postage! OK, you wouldn't want it in your suspension but for what I want, it's ideal! I also was quite hopeful when I saw a 'Smart' fuel tank on E-bay. The seller very kindly provided dimensions for me but it was 2cm too big to fit where I wanted! Oh well, back to plan A!!!

A little bit of CAD modeling......

Cardboard aided design that is!!! I spent a few mornings last week fiddling with various bits of the car. Firstly I trimmed the gearchange bracket that bolts onto the transmission - it was fouling the bolt in frame. I also added some 3/4 tube to strengthen it as it was flexing. Although this has improved things, I may well re-make it from thicker steel. I also fettled and welded the 2 tubes that hold the gear lever at the front. I haven't quite finished the gearchange though - the sideforces on the change rod were causing it to bind on the nylon block I was using. This will be replaced with a cheap rose joint. I then turned my mind to the pedals. I made a pedal box fro cardboard using the Chris Gibbs book as a pattern. I slightly altered some of the dimensions to suit my feet. However, as the pedals are going to be in full view, I want them to look good as well so I made a model from cardboard that I think looks OK. I then made one side of it from steel before running out of time. I have acquired an old TR7 pedal box and hope to use the fescalised(shiny!!!!) rod from that to mount the pedals on, and possibly salvage the bearings from the bottom of the pedals themselves. More to come soon. I hope!!

Changing gear, cooling and cardboard body!!!

Well, quite a lot of progress to report for once as John and I spent all day Friday and Saturday and Sunday mornings working on the Mistrale. The most significant thing was the final decision about the location of the radiator. Ideally I wanted this at the front of the car but wanted to avoid the situation that apparently occurs on cars like the MGF and Elise, where the extra volume of cold water in the system causes problems with shock cooling. Although this may be unique to the K series engine, when coupled with the limited space available in the centre tunnel, it made the front look less attractive. The possibly controversial decision to put the radiator behind the rear bulkhead was taken, although the rear bulkhead may have perforations to aid flow. The advantage of this location is chiefly that the Fiesta radiator, fan, thermostat etc. can all be used - a great benefit I feel. In order to mount the radiator, it was necessary to get on with the mounting of the removable lower frame that sits below the engine. After some swearing at the pillar drill, the rear mounts for this were made although a little needs to be trimmed off the gearghange mount before the front ones can be made. There was also progress on the gearchange and transmission tunnel, both of which are nearly finished - the photos should give you some idea of how it works! Finally, a scrap TR7 yielded what looks like a nice, compact handbrake which will be easier to incorporate than the Rover item, although a VW Camper van handle might be promising. At the end of the weekend, I mocked up the rear panel in cardboard - hope you like it!!

Slowly slowly....

At last a little progress! Spent a few hours this morning during which time I pressed the bearings in for both front wheels and had a play with the gear change. The linkage coming forward from the gearbox was too long and was fouling on the rear bulkhead so I removed this, shortened it and put it back. I also tried a new piece of nylon block for the rod to run in, which seemed to work well, if a little stiff. hopefully with the leverage of a gear stick, this will amount to nothing - time will tell I guess! i have this week off for the kids half term so I hope to get more done later in the week. The garage has been cleared in preparation of the big move.......