Results from the weekend

I managed to get some jobs done over the weekend, although the extra hour in bed did help. It does mean that there are no more light evenings, and it just gets colder from now on.

Still, jobs done. The first thing was to tidy up the hubs and uprights. They took a bit of a beating when I took them apart, in parts the metal was exposed. So back with the hammerite and black primer. It wasn't a major job, but it had to be done before things could go back together. 

The next job with those uprights was to work out the lengths of the brake flexi hoses. I had to basically build the suspension front and back on one side. That was an interesting experience, I'd forgotten how they'd gone together!! Still, after a few trials I got everything lined up and ready to measure. I had to get my shiny calipers out of storage too, the first time they'd felt fresh air since I reconditioned them and bagged them up.

I used the remnants of an extension lead to figure out the length. The wire was fed through the chassis brackets with the plug holding the end. The wire could then be routed to the caliper, keeping things smooth and not too tight. The fronts weren't too bad, just needed a bit of slack to cope with the steering and suspension movements. The rears needed a bit more thinking though.

The main issue is that the chassis brackets as suggested feed the flexi hoses straight out the side of the car. It's then a bit of a mission to get them back to the caliper without getting close to the wheel itself. This was especially relevant because my rear suspension setup had the caliper on the back of the disc rather than the front. This means both the hose and the handbrake would be heading towards the back of the car initially. 

After a few minutes trying to find a solution I decided to abandon the standard position. The plan is to have the flexi hose feed down from the caliper to the lower arm. Then pinned to the lower arm until it gets to the chassis. The chassis bracket will then be mounted at a suitable place, along the diff cage metalwork. 

I'll have to cut off the brackets and reposition them, not a biggie. At least it meant I could get the flexis ordered though, which is the first battle. I got them from Furore, they do custom flexis in a range of ends and colours for £20-£30 a corner (depending on length). I'm staying with the standard MX5 fittings, so it's a 10mm banjo on the caliper, going to an M10x1.0 female at the bracket. They come with a circlip and the copper washers so they should just bolt straight on. £102 for a full set, I was probably a bit over-cautious on the length but as they say, better to be too long rather than too short. 

Oh yeah, the handbrake. Separate post methinks...