Some of you will detect that now that the prospect of SVA is very real and near, the pace is hotting up and, each day, I need to feel that some progress is being made
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29th October |
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29th October 2007 and I have just collected the newly painted bonnet from Martin’s. He is an absolute perfectionist and the finish he has achieved is nothing short of amazing. The power bulge has been flowed in so well that it is, to my mind, indistinguishable from the original design and not an add-on. It is such a shame that I have to remove the bonnet from the car in order to remount all the bits. There is no way round this because I cannot physically reach inside to fit the backing nuts. This will be a tense time trying to avoid marking the new paint. I’ll have to don the kid gloves! |
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I had another chat with Byron today at Exeter SVA Test Station. I had a couple of concerns; one was the seat belts with the quick release buckle and the other, the immobilising device. I have fitted an FIA cut-off switch on the offside of the scuttle to suit racing regulations. It was good news that both the belts and the cut-off switch are acceptable so two items that I can cross off the list of worries. All I have had to do is to modify the cut-off switch key to have 2.5mm radii. |
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30th October |
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30th October 2007 Inspiration. Anchor nuts have come to my rescue and these will enable me to fit the radiator grille without needing access from both sides. I purchased these from LAS Aerospace Ltd. For those of you not familiar with anchor nuts they are nuts that may be riveted in place using the ears fixed to each side of the nut. The other grille and the lights are all accessible so the good news is that the bonnet will NOT have to come off. Apart from the repeaters that I had to cut off, the other lamps have either snap connectors or plugs and sockets so reassembly should not be too painful.
I have now fitted the air exit grille, the headlights and indicators to the bonnet just leaving the electrical connections for tomorrow.
31st October 2007 I’ve made good progress today with everything except the radiator grille reinstated. All the electrical bits including the lights, horns etc work so all in all, very pleasing.
I’m planning to work methodically from the front to the rear of the car, addressing the possible SVA fails as I see them. The main problem under the bonnet is the brake bias box. I know that the bias bar should be roll pinned but I cannot do this before I know if it is set up to the satisfaction of the tester. I’ve adjusted it to full front bias in the hope that it will be acceptable, drilled and tapped the locking nut and inserted an M3 grub screw. It won’t fool the tester into thinking it’s a roll pin but he might just accept it. Apart from that, I’m pretty happy with everything in the engine bay right down to the nicely engraved chassis plate that a friend kindly made for me. I’ve just got to modify a little bracket to prevent the throttle cable from rubbing against the coil and then it’s on to the cockpit area where there is plenty to do.
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1st November |
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1st November 2007 A bit of progress today. I modified the existing throttle cable bracket so that the cable is no longer in contact with the coil so that’s another job done. I have also removed the dashboard (for the umpteenth time) so that I can address the sharp edges of the gauges and rocker switches. I am intending to cover a piece of 6mm MDF, bored and shaped, with black leather-cloth and place it on top of the existing dashboard.
This should in effect make the gauge bezels and switches flush and hopefully satisfy Mr SVA man. We’ll see but it’s the best I can come up with at the moment. Progress always seems to be two forward and one back but at least it is progress. I’m working, in my head, on a design for a parcel shelf-which will have the correct 19mm radius and its lower edge. This will be incorporated with a cubbyhole just forward of the gear lever, which will be useful for keeping goggles or glasses etc. |
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I’ve just had some exciting news. The newly formed JPSCC (Jeremy Phillips Sportscar Club) is having a Stand at the Exeter Kit Car Show and I have been asked if my Phoenix could be used as the Club Stand exhibit. Naturally, I agreed with pleasure but it has put more pressure on getting everything finished two weeks before SVA.
2nd November 2007 I collected the side padding components from Stuart. The guy’s a star. He had a real tussle with what should have been a straightforward job because his adhesive reacted with the paint I’d applied as a rust prevention. He succeeded in the end but only after he had stripped off the foam and leather-cloth and clean away the paint. The finished job is absolutely magnificent and all that remains is for me to fit them. What could possibly go wrong??? |
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3rd November 2007 I’ve fitted the offside padding without too much trouble. It had stayed in shape during the covering and the only difficulty was fitting the M4 backing nuts which were placed at a very difficult angle. |
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4th November |
4th November 2007 Ditto the nearside and the overall result is very pleasing and, I think, an elegant solution to the raw fibreglass edge as well as offering considerable stiffening to the sides of the body. |
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© 2007 Bynxy Web Design |
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