TheGecko
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| posted on 25/6/14 at 01:43 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by beebo82
Really enjoyed reading this whole thread, can't wait for the next update!
Thanks beebo - I was starting to wonder if anyone was actually reading my updates 
Now that the car's back in my own workshop, I've hardly touched it  Should be some updates in the next fortnight or so - the engine
cover is the main remaining piece of panel work so it's next.
D
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rick q
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| posted on 25/6/14 at 04:09 AM |
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quote:
I was starting to wonder if anyone was actually reading my updates
Hmm - I've been watching .......... and quietly judging 
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Looking great Dom - I'm sure there's plenty of us waiting for the next installment
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WanchaiWarrior
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| posted on 25/6/14 at 09:22 AM |
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I also am interested in your updates. Always a good read. And being quite close as well.
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TheGecko
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| posted on 2/9/14 at 12:02 PM |
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Wow, 3 months without posting an update  I must have got heaps done, right? Errrrr, not so much  Lots of reasons, some good (to me at
least), some not so good...
Anyway, here's a small update. While I've had the car back in my workshop, the motor/gearbox was still at Paul's workshop while he
did some simplifying of the serpentine belt arrangement for me. Here's the before from when I first bought the motor, with PS pump at the back,
and alternator plus air-con compressor down low at the front.
After, things are a little simpler
Alternator at back and nothing else belt driven. The water pump is gutted enough that leaving it in place without any drive isn't an issue -
I've got a Davies-Craig EWP to replace it.
Not much else visible to show just yet although there's been some furious measuring and sketching going on around the engine bay More
soon.......
Dominic
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beebo82
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| posted on 3/9/14 at 04:06 PM |
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Good news! Thought we'd lost you!  Keep the updates coming.
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TheGecko
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| posted on 16/2/16 at 12:07 PM |
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I'm not dead!
Yes, it's been a little while since the last update - I'll bung a bunch of things in together here with some indicative dates....
21 Jan 2015:
These arrived today:
Not that the SVC lights I have/had are bad but these are nicer
Also did some (a very little) workshop cleanup that day and remembered this quote from a Hot Rod forum, talking about messy vs clean workshops:
quote:
I've seen some places that are like an operating room, others are so fucked up that if a tornado went thru there, the tornado would
actually put some shyt away.
I'm still waiting for a helpful tornado 
March 2015:
Started digging into the engine loom - this is maybe a bit under half of it
November 2015:
Among the many (many!) things that stop me making much progress on the car is the fact that the workshop is a shyt storm of heroic proportions
Can't work on a car if you can barely get to it. So, today started the great cleanup. Stage 1 was stick a new timber rack up on the wall and
setup dedicated sheet material storage under that. Recovered a startling amount of floor space already!
February 2016:
Little bits are still going on even if it's hard to measure how slowly First stab at some grille bars in ali - definitely NOT the final
version, which will be:
- more evenly matched to the opening width for all bars
- more evenly adjusted front to back to better align with the cross bar
- cut away somewhat at the back to make them lighter
- painted satin black (because a good coat of black hides so much evil)
These are just "hanging" in the opening too so they're more than a bit askew....
Much more significant update coming next....
P.S. There's some "creative" spelling of one word that appears twice in this post. The forum censors it otherwise (which makes me
sound like a 6 year old) but, amusingly, not the "other" word
[Edited on 16/2/2016 by TheGecko]
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beebo82
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| posted on 16/2/16 at 12:11 PM |
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Glad you're back! Keep the updates coming.
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TheGecko
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| posted on 16/2/16 at 12:30 PM |
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Long, long ago, when I started this project, I bought a "Silvertop" 20-valve Corolla drive train (this is a JDM only motor but common in
Australia as an import for modifiers). All of the initial construction was done around that, including using Corolla uprights and (modified) struts in
the rear suspension. For that matter, the whole layout of the rear end assumes Corolla track dimensions.
However, building an ICV (Individually Constructed Vehicle) in Australia is not a simple task. One of the big bugbears is emissions compliance, and
the 20-valve is NOT compliant to the ADR's (Australian Design Rules). It can be made compliant (to ADR37/01) but that requires some
serious money i.e. nearly as much as I paid for the motor/box originally . Then, for extra amusement, the local registration authorities started
making noises about requiring ADR79 compliance for ICVs (this was in 2007). So, I took what looked like a reasonable step and bought a much newer,
Australian delivered motor, from a 2006 Lancer.
That introduces a collection of issues of its own The track and CVs are both different to the Corolla, necessitating custom axles - achievable by
spending enough money. The much bigger issue is the deeply integrated electronics. ABS, anti-theft, cruise control, instruments, all intimately
interlinked by CANBUS network. Dealing with this has been a problem to say the least. Given that the authorities then fell back to ADR37/01 compliance
after all just makes it all the more unpleasant.
Now I could "just" use an alternative ECU. That, however, would still need to be bought, wired, tuned and, at the end of the day, hidden
from the approving engineer (who will be expecting a factory ECU to prove compliance).
A little lateral thinking, plus recent discussion on the OzClubbies forum about 7A-FE motors threw up another possibility. The 7A-FE is a 1.8 litre
DOHC (with the narrow angle "economy" twincam head design) that was offered in various Australian delivered Corolla's from the early
'90s all the way into 2001 when they switched to the ZZ motor family. ADR37/01 compliance starts from new models in '97 and all models
from '99.
I set up a ""saved search" on Gumtree which emailed my its finds each morning. And on Saturday, I drove home this for a few hundred
dollars:
That's a 1999 Corolla with 7A-FE (as per the nice compliance plate)
This is a 37/01 compliant motor, gearbox, all electronics, ready to drop into the existing suspension without custom axles. No anti-theft, no CANBUS
Biggest part of it will be making new engine mounts, which is relatively straightforward.
Plus, my helpful friends on the OzClubbies forum are all champing at the bit to come for a working bee and pull the motor ASAP.
Hopefully I'm now moving forward again
More updates soon I expect.
Dominic
[Edited on 16/2/2016 by TheGecko]
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TheGecko
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| posted on 17/3/16 at 12:52 PM |
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So, the day for "Gutting the Corolla" was Saturday and here's a few pictures of what went on, courtesy of my wife and her camera.
Special mention to for allowing me to pull a car apart in our driveway, with a gang of mates, on our wedding anniversary
Probably more clubbies than our sleepy cul-de-sac is used to (there were two more but Leanne only grabbed this shot)
Mechanical geniuses discuss options:
You can never have too many people standing and watching
Well don't all just stand there! Drink something!
The slightly reluctant captive is released from it's boring prison
More updates soon.
D
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TheGecko
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| posted on 13/11/16 at 01:16 PM |
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After a long period of inactivity (2016 has been a royal arsehole of a year!) I'm finally back doing things
For quite a while, I've been toying with options for front indicators. The motorcycle style stalks that many use aren't ADR compliant of
course. I toyed with making my own stalks but then, after looking at what approved indicators are available, I found some nice strip style ones.
Thinking a bit more about how to mount them got me to here.
From left to right that's a clamp block, a hammerform, a pattern, an ali blank, and a final part.
After annealing and some bashing around the form, we get to this stage:
A quick trim on the bandsaw to get the angle right and here it is taped to the nose for a look.
As always, when you need two of something, you end up making three because the first one shows you all of the mistakes
The next two will go pretty quickly (I hope).
Progress is progress.....
[
[Edited on 13/11/2016 by TheGecko]
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TheGecko
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| posted on 14/8/17 at 04:52 AM |
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I posted this elsewhere the other day and supposed I should repeat it here to reassure everyone I'm still alive:
After not doing much meaningful work on the car for ages, I sold some surplus parts a week or so back. In the process, I had to clean up the workshop
enough to get the parts out . Decided to stick the wheels and loose panels back on to remind me what I'm trying to do.
The same day also marked one year since my Dad died - I think I owe it to him to finish the project he always asked about. #findingmotivation
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Angel Acevedo
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| posted on 14/8/17 at 06:51 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by TheGecko
I'm not dead!
Yes, it's been a little while since the last update - I'll bung a bunch of things in together here with some indicative dates....
21 Jan 2015:
These arrived today:
Not that the SVC lights I have/had are bad but these are nicer
...
[Edited on 16/2/2016 by TheGecko]
Taking advantage that you are alive and kicking.
Would you tell where you got these? and how much...?
I promise won´t tell SWMBO...
Thanks in advance
Beware of what you wish.. for it may come true....
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TheGecko
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| posted on 14/8/17 at 08:58 PM |
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Angel,
Someone asked the same question on the Australian forum I'm on so I can cut-and-paste my reply from there
They're Perei ZZ-series lights, sold in Australia by Whitevision (http://whitevision.com.au/products/). They're mix-and-match components
with the 95mm stop-tail ring and the 55mm indicator or reverse. There's also a larger 122mm outer ring in the Perei range but I don't
think Whitevision carry them. Too big for clubbies anyway I'd think. They're not screamingly cheap but are sealed LED units so should be
good for the life of the car - stop/tail about $31 ea; indicators about $29; reverse (for some reason) $51 each!
I'm sure there are distributors of Perei products in your part of the world.
D
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mcerd1
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| posted on 14/8/17 at 09:18 PM |
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^^
they look more or less the same as these ones too:
http://www.s-v-c.co.uk/category/mix-match-lights/
-
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kitman
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| posted on 4/12/17 at 09:37 AM |
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Very interesting build and skills, is it still going on?
If there are more post on an other site, please can you post a link?
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TheGecko
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| posted on 4/12/17 at 11:25 AM |
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Kitman,
I do post updates on other sites but I try to keep them all in sync. You might find a little more up to date activity on OzClubbies which is my
"primary" home - http://www.ozclubbies.com.au/topic/396-the-gecko-mid-engined-clubman/.
The sad reality is that I've done very little work on the car in the last 12 months
Thanks for your interest,
Dominic
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TheGecko
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| posted on 11/1/20 at 10:31 AM |
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So, last post August 2017!
I'm not dead Life has been.... interesting ... since then
No big update for tonight but I will just drop a few teaser pics here to provoke comment
See you all again in a while - not 2.5 years, I promise.
D
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