As it turns out, sitting on the couch knowing I could be in the garage was a big incentive for me to go do stuff! Admittedly it wasn't all successful but it was still progress.
First was the seatbelt mounting cover, I had printed them in the week but not taken any photos;
I think they work really well, all radiused edges and the same thickness as a washer. Whether they'll hold up to abuse is another question, but once the hole is drilled and the seatbelt is bolted in place I'll be able to see more. I still don't know whether to have it solidly bolted or with a collar so it turns freely, but I can try both.
Next small job was testing the edge trim;
The curve I decided on for aesthetics also appears to be within the bend range of the trim. In addition, with it being metal with a consistent width, it went on far better. I'm tempted to go with a few drops of glue particularly on the ends, just for added security, but I'm happy with that.
I guess that leads me on to the arches. As mentioned the GRP was not happy having to bend 180 degrees, so the plan was to use some reinforced filler to make a better angle. It actually worked really well in my opinion, bonding well to both surfaces and creating a nice base for the GRP.
It needs a quick sand before the GRP can go on top, but this on it's own has made the arches feel really solid so I'm definitely on to a winner here. The rears were similar, although that's only a 90 degree bend to deal with. All four corners are now waiting for the last step.
And then the final task was to get the rear calipers fitted. The arches needed the wheels removed for access so while they were off I put the calipers on. This was certainly the most eventful part of the day. Turns out the handbrake cables go almost directly vertical which was unexpected. Considering I needed to change the routing of the cables anyway this isn't really an issue, but it does change my plans for the fixings. So that's another task added to the snag list.
The far more pressing issue was the brake line itself;
The flexi hose also goes vertical, and as can be seen on the picture it gets friendly with the wheel before it heads to the car!! I have a feeling the original MX5 may have used right angled connectors for this very reason. Still, there was a pretty easy fix, just point it down instead;
This works well and keeps the flexi away from everything important. Ignore the caliper end, it looks like it's rubbing on the caliper but it's only because the bolt isn't fully tightened. The flexi is stiff enough to respond well to bolt angles so won't be difficult to fix.
And now on to the bad news of the weekend, the loss of the front handbrake cable. I started as I had planned, to create a U shape with a ferrule. It looked like it was going to be very strong and secure, until I tried applying the handbrake. Then even after clamping the ferrule the cable still wanted to pull out. A quick check on locostbuilders suggested a blob of weld. Unfortunately while I got a blob of weld on the wire, it make the wire so brittle that the whole thing just snapped off.
So I've ordered a replacement cable (three times more expensive this time round) and some solderless cable nipples. More specifically a length on internally threaded rod that will have a hole drilled in the side, the cable pushed through and a pair of M6 bolts clamping it in place. That should be a strong enough fixing for a handbrake. I need to make the hole every so slightly large (10mm instead of 9.5mm) but that should contribute to the strength and security of the cable. I could even double up on the fixing if I want to follow my standard 'belt and braces' approach.
Overall a mixed weekend, but considering I wasn't planning on doing anything it was pretty productive. On to more fibreglassing now, then that's the arches all done and ready for paint and trim.
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