That broke it...

 Well, that was a fun morning! I suspected that the dollies I was moving my car on were right on the limit, particularly on the front. And today I found that limit, as one of the wheels broke off! Thankfully I managed to get it in the garage, but the car isn't going anywhere for a while. 

In the meantime, todays jobs were all 'behind the scenes' so to speak. So all the upper braces for the bodywork have had a layer of rubber added, now the body doesn't have that 'sag' when you lean on the outside edges. I've also riveted the two infill panels that live just under the body inside the car. And staying with riveting, the firewall panel is now fixed in place. I had been debating when to do this as there were a few things to be fixed to the panel, but I didn't see a significant advantage to keeping it loose. I'm sure I'll regret it for something!

I also did one portion of the edge trim, just to see how it looks. And I'm quite happy with it;

I need to continue the trim to the front and back, but first I need to convert the front panel to rivnuts. 

Back to the immobile car... the trolley came from Aldi for about a tenner, so in theory I could just buy another one... but as it's Aldi, they're not in stock. Not in Lidl either for their equivalent. The most logical option now is to just get the front wheels on and have them stay reasonably straight. I'd need to add the wishbones and suspension, as well as the steering from top to bottom. Most bolts don't need tightening up (well, apart from the wheel bolts themselves!). The challenge will be the overall width, putting the wheels on adds at least 8 inches. 

I suppose at least I'll find out the true ride height of the car!

Wing mirrors

 Another small job...

If I was being over critical I'd say they're a bit small, but hopefully they're ok for IVA. They look nice though. The base is smaller than the cutout that was on the body, so I'll need to add that to the 'holes to be smoothed' list. Ooh, fibreglass resin, I might be able to get some at a decent price at the show. 

(Edit 03/06/24). Well, I was obviously a bit too enthusiastic with this success!! While the mirrors are big enough to satisfy the 80 x 40mm IVA requirements, there is also a requirement for a centre mirror that I completely missed. It used to be that you only needed two mirrors, that has now changed so the only time you don't need a centre mirror is if it would be absolutely useless to have one. So for example a transit van.

So I need to find a decent looking centre mirror to add to the mix. Not only that, but the fixing for that centre mirror will likely interfere with my gauge fitting. :( Thankfully I had hit a roadblock with that one anyway (see other blog post...)

Instruments

 Another side task, mounting the instruments. As mentioned before I'm reusing the speedo, rev counter, oil pressure gauge and temperature gauge. These used to be in a nice self contained unit, but as always I want to make things a bit more awkward for myself!!

They do split up quite nicely, I just needed some way of mounting them on the dashboard. First step was to fix them to a back panel, similar to how they're done on the MX5. In may case I just wanted a flat panel, preferably plastic as I don't want wood anywhere and metal would be conductive. So I managed to find a chopping board that worked out quite nicely!!

I'll trim it down a bit, but at least this is the four gauges fixed together in the positions they are going to be on the car. Next step will be to cut corresponding holes in the dashboard, trim them with the 3D printed bezels that I had designed a few weeks back, then put some clear plastic in front. Then with the aid of some aluminium brackets, this panel will be mounted directly behind the openings, then wired up.

As a precursor experiment, I also 3D printed some round sleeves to go round the dials. I wanted to know the minimum thickness of plastic that would be rigid enough. I printed three sleeves between 1mm and 3mm wall thickness. 1mm is too flimsy, it'll just distort and fail. 3mm is really solid and possibly overkill for this. 2mm is good though, sufficiently rigid without being excessive. I'll build a suitable sleeve to go from the bezel to the gauge. 

I also need to mount some illumination for the gauges. At several points there are openings for filament bulbs to sit and light up the gauges. The MX5 cluster had them in the right places, I just need to replicate the process then power them along with the side lights. Or at least I think it's the side lights, it might be the headlights. Basically those dash lights will be the lights-on 'telltale' required by IVA. 

I also need to make some stand offs. To give the speedo enough room, the other dials are raised by 11mm. In most cases this is covered by the standard mounting hardware, but the rev counter doesn't have anything comparable so I need to make some small sleeves to go round the bolts. I suspect more 3D printed options will be fine. 

The other indicators (fog, hazard and main beam) will just be individual panel mounted lights, I'll see what's for sale at the kit car show for those. 

Oh yes, the kit car show, a little over two weeks now. I need to get my shopping list sorted. 

(Update). As with the wheel arches entry I've decided to continue adding to existing posts rather than jump back and forth, it might be easier to read. 

The board is now cut with everything in the correct position;

I also 3D printed the bezels that will sit behind the glass and body;

To box it in behind the dashboard I have some old aluminium that is big enough;

That will be cut and folded to box in the instruments. In the above picture you can see some X's on the board, that's the bulb positioning. The MX5 use this type of bulb;

But they twist into a panel and connect to the conductive sheet that is on the back of an MX5 dash. My panel is thicker and doesn't have the circuit behind it, so I've ordered some rubber equivalents that do the same job but just push fit into the panel. They also have flyleads which will make it easier. Hopefully with the dials boxed and bezelled I can add a decent amount of illumination and it won't leak through anywhere it's not supposed to. I might even add a few extras to make it a bit brighter. 

Next bit will be the glass face and the decorative edge on the bezel. Perspex for the former, 3D printing for the latter. Then Tigerseal/rivnut into place, and job done. 

(Edit 03/06/24). Well, things are never straightforward are they?! Silly me forgot that I'd braced the bodywork with a steel bar, just inside the edge of the dashboard. As the gauges and the brace can't occupy the same space, it means that I need to rethink the mounting. I still want it to be boxed in, but it now needs to be slightly lower. And because it's slightly lower, the two smaller gauges no longer fit. I'd have one poking out the bottom of the dash.

However, the dash illumination thingies have come;

I think they're going to be perfect. They're cheap and nasty, and have a really weird internal structure, but when the bulb is inserted they do exactly what I need them to do. I have ten leads total, but only six bulbs for now. I intend to fit them all to the back board, hopefully they will look decently bright. As they will be enclosed, the light will only come out through the gauges themselves. 

Back to the gauges. I have an extra board to mount things on, or I could go for two separate enclosures. I have all the material required, it would just be not as tidy as having them all as one. 

I've also remembered something else about the dashboard, the two switches I need. Again the kit car show failed to provide, only one vendor selling parts so I ended up not getting any switches. I'll have to see what I can find online. 

Lights and electrics

 

Doesn't it look pretty? Despite the hole cutting being extremely nerve-wracking, the headlights went on well. I've left the chrome finishing rings off for now, partly because I couldn't quite get them fitted and partly because I don't need them on at the moment. I need to get the headlights powered and then the alignment sorted. 

This picture also demonstrates how the grille will split into three, with the centre portion exposed and the two sides being rounded metal 'half of a lampshade'. 

So, on the subject of power... now that everything is in place, including cable bases, I need to get started on the wiring. The best place to start is probably the grounds. I'm thinking the following;

1. Headlamp earths joined together.
2. One ground to the left hand indicator/side, and a second to the right hand indicator/side. 
3. Same on the back, two separate earths for each side of the car. 

I can get all that terminated on each connection, then run back to a screw fixing. I had planned on getting the earths put through the multiplug connector, but I am wondering whether a chassis connection would be safer. 

(Later that night...) It did occur to me that yet again I'm forgetting the side indicators. I probably would have noticed them when I got started, but the earths need to start from there and work their way round to the front. And I also need to get some terminators for the screw fixing, I'm not convinced I've got anything to hand.

Wheel arches

 I've known for a while that I have to add wheel arches for this car to pass IVA and be usable on British roads. But it's taken a while to get to a point where I know what size arches are required. And by the looks of it, they need to be quite sizable;

This pic shows 100mm sticking out from under the arches. Given the tyres are only 185mm wide that's about half the wheel sticking out. It's clear from the photo too, the rule comes down to the centre tread block. 

Now, I'm not worried about suspension geometry or issues around track width, basically because the Haynes roadster chassis was built to spec. But I still need to make up arches.

This is the MK HSR;

The arches are basically huge, but I think I'll need to recreate them. This is a long term task though, I don't know how to make them, what to use, etc. Retasked water butts was one of my first ideas, then maybe aluminium arches. Both come with pros and cons. I did also think about ready made arches, for example of the old Mini. But having done the measurements it's clear that there are no off the shelf options. Well, there are JDM drift options, but they're more than I've paid for the car! 

(later edit)

I came across this Youtube video;

Where they build up some wide body arches using a wireframe. I thought wireframes were what IT people used, turns out they are a real thing. However it gives an excellent process for creating a base shape ready for fibreglass. Using wire shapes with layers of tape on top, they were able to create quite substantial profiles that are very close to the end product. I think I'll give it a go for the arches I need to create. 

I'm going to create them the same for left and right, possibly the same for front and back but I'm not sure yet. They need to meet IVA requirements which are;

1. The wheel guard must extend 30 degrees to the front.
2. The wheel guard must extend 50 degrees to the rear.
3. The wheel guard must cover the full breadth of the tyre between those dimensions.
4. The rear of the wheel guard must not terminate above a horizontal plane of 150mm. (I think this one is redundant on my car, as the 50 degree angle is below 150mm).
5. The distance between the lower edge of the wheel guards and the axis passing through the centre must not exceed 2 * tyre radius (again, a bit redundant, that would be a point higher than the car itself!).

Had item 4 been a thing, I could have tapered the guard but in reality it needs to be full wheel width for the whole distance. I also need to flatten the face so I'm not having to deal with any sharp edges. 

And just to have a different viewpoint, I found the other example of the HSR, the orange and black one;

Unlike the white one, I have no idea whether this was ever completed. These pictures are from a for sale ad back in 2012, and that's all I know of it. But it does give an alternative view of the wheel arches. As with the white one, the fronts reach all the way down to the floor line both ends, and the rears slightly taper inwards again very low to the floor. As mentioned before this wide arch approach never appealed to me, so I'm hoping I can get away with smaller arches. 

I'll start with an inner edge fixed to the car somehow, and an outer edge that matches the wheel curve. Once they're fixed in place I'll tape up between them, then aluminium tape to stop the fibreglass sticking (I'll need to make four of them after all), then sand and fit. I do need to figure out how much mat I need, i have a patch repair kit but I think I'm going to be quite short with only that. I do still have some fibreglass sheet so in theory I would only need some more resin. But it didn't seem that much cheaper on it's own so I might just buy another of the repair packs again, and get some free cloth!

Gap fill finished and wiring fixings done

 First job for today was left over from yesterday. I did run out of Tigerseal, and that led me to a fairly normal horrible experience with Euro Car Parts. First shop doesn't do counter service on weekends, but you only find out because of the paper sign on the door! The next nearest shop obviously got their foot traffic because the queue was out the door. And as for the state of their sales equipment, you have to laugh because no other company could stay in business with that sort of comical display!

Anyhow, now I had Tigerseal I was able to fix the wiring bases. The regs say 300mm gap so I spaced them at 250mm;

For the most part I positioned them as high as possible, particularly round the wheel arches. But along the side of the car I simply couldn't reach high enough, so the last photo shows where the clips are. That position from the bottom of the car is coincidentally how far I can reach!! 

Anyway, the Tigerseal will not be letting these go in a hurry, regardless of temperature or vibration. I'll let them cure overnight, then I can start wiring the lights in.

Next job was the gap panel. After a lot of fettling, it worked really well. First it slots in on the passenger side, then it can be slotted in to the drivers side before centering;

A bit more work to cut it round the roll bar;

And then some holes drilled for fixing. I also wanted to see how the bending had impacted the surface, so I took the wrapping off this one;

I think it looks really good, and the surface is pretty decent. I do need to sort the middle gap, maybe smooth down the welds so it fits flatter. 

I also did wonder about wrapping this part in leather. The back edge on Healey's, Cobra's etc tend to have a padded section for comfort and aesthetics. So I could do the same here. Not sure yet though, so I'm going to leave it there. I do need to slightly enlarge the screw holes though, the rivnuts have gone off centre as they usually do and only the centre one actually screws in! 

And of course I had to drag the car out into the sunshine;

It still looks a bit weird without wheels. Oh, the wheels... 

Gap fill panel folded

 

Well, the other fold worked a bit better, and it fits quite well. Now I need to profile the two ends to fit round the existing panels and chassis. Unfortunately using the multi tool and powerfile is quite noisy, so I need to think about other jobs to do. 

The lights are ordered so marking a cut line is needed for the headlamp assembly. I suspect a paper template will be appropriate to find the centre, but I can't cut the final shape until the bowls arrive. I can also screw the lights into place. 

One job I could do is glue the cable bases into the bonnet. Tiger Seal is great stuff, but it needs to be warm and a new nozzle is required each time. I'll do the same round the back too. I did have a plan of using small pieces of fibreglass and resin, but I think the Tiger Seal will be just as good and easier to apply. 

I do need to decide how much wiring will be attached to the body though. The front is easy, it makes sense to put the wiring connector near to the hinge. The rear has plenty of options though. I could put the connector in the boot and keep the wiring short, or I could put it near the front and fix most of the wire to the body. I think having the connector up front might be better to be honest. Either way the wiring will be coming down the drivers side between inner and outer panels. 

I also need to finish the riveting of the side panels, but that's also a bit noisy. While I am gluing the wiring bases I can cut the rubber for the bonnet support. But I also need to add the rivnuts before the rubber goes on. Hmm, looks like tomorrow is going to be lots of little jobs. 

Gap filling / shoulder workout

 I made a start on the rear panel yesterday, I'm not sure whether the panel or my body got more of a beating! A metal brake would have taken a few seconds and got it spot on, but for the length of the panel the cost would have been silly. So out came the blocks of wood, numerous clamps and the mallet!

I've done one fold, the most visible one, and it looks pretty decent. Time will tell whether it looks ok when I remove the protective film (plenty of scope for creases and dents), but one thing I did realise was how much stronger folded aluminium is. Even with one crease it's gone from being so flexible that it's unmanageable, all the way to a remarkably sturdy object. Once the second fold is in I can see it being very effective as the top edge, it should make the back part of the body super strong. 

I may have also tracked down the headlamp fixing kits, although there are still some outstanding questions. I've got two options. The first is a fixing kit from uklandroverspares. This is a metal bowl and a 'normal' screw based fixing kit for the headlamp itself. £38 but it doesn't include the chrome ring trims.

Alternatively there is a kit from Tudor for £60, that includes the chrome ring trims but is a plastic bowl and a 'clip-in' approach for the headlamp itself. Given that the chrome ring trims are £30 on their own, it means either £60 for plastic clips or £68 for metal screws. For the sake of £8 am I going to leave myself with an inferior fit? 

All of that was going to be completely redundant because I was waiting for the kit car show to see them in person, but I'm now not as convinced. Given that Europa was one of the main sellers at the last show, their prices are slightly higher. I guess I'd be paying for the privilege of seeing the item before I buy it, but given the amount of research I've put into it I'm fairly happy with buying them online.

Gap filling part 2

 The first step for this was to 'put a piece of wood in there' and work from that. Fortunately the piece of wood got me 95% of the way;

A section of standard sized CLS actually got very close to the required height. It also made it very clear that a right angle will work so much better than a curve, it'll fit better in the corners.

To prove that theory, I got some thinner timber to replicate the top service, and profiled it round the roll bar and the bodywork;

Now I have a pattern for the aluminium. I'll need to add curves to the corners but I expected to do that anyway. And I need to trim the transition corners too, here's some rough marks I added;

Because the fill gap was very close to the size of the timber, it also means I can use the same timber to shape the panel. It'll need two long folds at the top and bottom. The bottom will be about an inch deep and will form the chassis fixing. The top is maybe three inches deep and will be shaped round the roll bar, then I'll use rivnuts to fix to the body lip.

The only thing I need to consider is the gap filling in the corner. As you can see from the above close ups, there is a gap that needs to be taken up by the front face. But I only have about 5mm to play with. What I will need to do is get one side in first, push it further in that needed, then get the other side in and shuffle it to the right position. It will literally be just a 'tuck but it'll be enough to hide the corner. It doesn't need strength, the side panel is rivetted and glued to the chassis frame that is just under the body. 

Oh, that frame... I found an issue last night. The screws I used on the underside of the body edge has actually lifted the body slightly, such that it's no longer sitting on the frame. It's particularly noticeable on the passenger side dash panel, if you put your hand on it the bodywork visibly bows. If an unsuspecting passenger were to use that location to balance against, it's not going to be a good outcome.

It shouldn't be too much of an issue to fix though, I just need to add some rubber to the relevant sections to tighten it up. To be fair it would have been a good idea anyway to stop any squeaks or movement in the body. 

So tonight I can start cutting a suitable length of aluminium and forming it to shape.