jps
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| posted on 15/2/18 at 12:33 PM |
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Johns Roadster
I've actually been chipping away at this build for a long time, and very sporadically updating
my blog but am now going to try to get it complete before the proposed
IVA emissions changes come in. Given I will actually be working quite a lot on it and hence will actually have regular updates - i thought it worth
posting a build diary on here. (I do have a build thread on http://www.roadster-builders.co.uk/ but I think there's no-one using that now and
likewise the Haynes forum is rather quiet)
I've used LCB extensively for info, both by endless searching but also posting plenty of questions (thankyou to all of you for the replies) so
thought I'd postup onto here.
Here's some major steps picked out just to set the scene of where i've come from, and got to, with the project:
July 2012 - I bought a 'part done' project from a chap up in Norfolk. Not sure how long he'd had it, but he'd decided
to sell up. I was told the chassis and wishbones/uprights were from Talon Motor Fabricationbut
sadly had no paperwork to confirm. But the welding and measurements looked good. Although it rolled about there was still some fabrication to do.
You can see pics from collection here: A good
start
A week later I went out to a little garage tucked away just off the A1 near Wyboston in Bedfordshire and picked up a 1.6 Ford Sierra aiming for a) as
much stuff from one donor as possible and b) an age related reg plate.
Pics of the sale here: A willing donor
I then mostly got my workspace setup and pottered about wondering what the hell to do.
January 2013 I collected a full set of GRP bodywork from Equinox in Kent, bought mainly because it was
a good price at the time. See: Bodywork collection
Then I faffed around quite a lot more, doing quite a bit of 'prototyping' - i.e. knocking things up that I knew I would not use - just to
practice all the cutting and measuring and things. Probably worth it for practice but probably a bit of a waste of time too.
September 2013 I borrowed a MIG set and got help to get most of the chassis fabricating done (I thought!):
1st 'final' fabricating'
May-June 2014 I finally bought a MIG myself and then did more fabricating (but now I know not final!) before painting:
2nd 'final'
fabricating
July/August 2014 The chassis got a coat of paint: Painting
the chassis
October 2016 I shifted my project from my in-laws to my own house. A house I didn't own when I started the project and which, when I
moved into it, a year into the project, had no garage and was half the size. A family home for me, my wife and my two small boys, who were not born
when I made that trip to Norfolk in July 2012(see where the time went??!!).
October 2017I rivetted and bonded the internal panelling:
Transmission tunnel side and bulkhead and then a
few weeks later the floor panel. This really represented a big step. I think (hope?) I will never turn the chassis over again now!
February 2018 I'm currently working hard on getting the GRP bodywork fully prepared for fitting. I am nearly there, but have identified
some MORE fabricating I need to do - to relocate the diagonal roll bar stays - but am really focussed now on getting this step complete. Wanting
absolutely perfect panel gaps and alignment is not conducive to speed with this job, but it's something I won't compromise on.
Fibreglass cutting ongoing
Of course, in and amongst these 'big steps' there has been lots of graft which takes time but doesn't give visible progress. But
i've also gone at things very cautiously and probably made myself more work in doing so. I have also done plenty of random small jobs, and LOTS
of putting things into the car and then back out again to position things, to make sure clearances are OK, etc, etc. I am hoping siome of this will
pay off now as I put a big effort in to pushing on.
[Edited on 15/2/18 by jps]
[Edited on 15/2/18 by jps]
[Edited on 15/2/18 by jps]
[Edited on 15/2/18 by jps]
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jps
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| posted on 29/3/18 at 02:54 PM |
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Well, all the snow and some seasonal 'flu hasn't helped progress loads but I have got a few things done. Most satisfying is actually
completing something (so many of the jobs keep going on and on!!), i've made a seat subframe from scratch and, today, got the drivers seat
mounted. Just need to get the column and pedals in to fine tune the position but I only need to drill a pair of 8mm holes to change the mounting
position!
There are a few photos on my blog
Other work has been ongoing but progress is all a bit random (I have to group together all the 'noisy' tasks for each Sunday morning
because I am doing most work on the car starting at 4am before I go to work...) I'll post up the other things as i actually get jobs completed -
I expect there's only so many "I cut another bit of fibreglass" updates people can tolerate when all they want to see is a picture
of something actually looking done!!!
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jps
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| posted on 15/5/18 at 08:54 PM |
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Another (minor) milestone passed, i've stripped, cleaned
up and painted my engine and gearbox . Tomorrow morning i'm getting an order finalised with Burton Power and once the gaskets
arrive i'll be able to do the, rather more important, mechanical stuff!
[Edited on 15/5/18 by jps]
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jps
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| posted on 24/8/18 at 02:58 PM |
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I've found myself running out of space in the garage. This is partly because I have the wishbones, driveshafts, hubs, etc all laid out on a
pallet on the floor. So, given the engine is nicely painted up and I have still been agonising over whether I have the 'E-max' engine or
not (which determines if I can happily buy a 2.0ltr cambelt or not), I decided to finish off refurbing the back end running gear.
A few photos on my blog here...
LCB was, as always, great for advice on how to get the old bearing races out of the hub carriers (40 mins @ 200deg in a fan oven worked wonders),
whether or not Hammerite was any good (I saw enough comments on here saying 'yes' to be convinced) and how to correct the hamfisted
scoring I put into the hub carriers when I punched out the old races with a screwdriver... It was also on here that I saw a tip-off to get an electric
impact driver from Lidl which has worked OK so far, and found someone with a better set of keywords to use to find the 'banana' washers I
need for my CV joints. Hopefully i'll get the back end bolted up next week....
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jps
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| posted on 16/12/18 at 07:48 PM |
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A bit late in the write-up, I did finish off my rear hubs and get the diff & driveshafts all bolted up, in early Sept - and then get the whole car
onto 4 wheels for the first time since 2012! It has cheered me up immensely about the whole job now it looks a bit more like a car!
A few pictures on my blog here
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jps
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| posted on 16/12/18 at 09:08 PM |
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Some slightly more recent work, i've done a few bits to get the engine and gearbox into a slightly better state than it was when it came from my
donor and then fitted it into the chassis, so I can start positioning things more confident that they won't foul stuff...
A few pics
on my 'blog here
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jps
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| posted on 3/3/19 at 02:49 PM |
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Another step closer, my calipers are now all refurbed and ready for a final fit.
A few pictures on my blog here
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James
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| posted on 3/3/19 at 10:33 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by jps
but am now going to try to get it complete before the proposed IVA emissions changes come in.
Glad to see you're cracking on apace.
I've been away for a while and hadn't heard this- sounds like bad news!
In brief, what are they changing?
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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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jps
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| posted on 4/3/19 at 09:40 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by James
quote:
Originally posted by jps
but am now going to try to get it complete before the proposed IVA emissions changes come in.
Glad to see you're cracking on apace.
I've been away for a while and hadn't heard this- sounds like bad news!
In brief, what are they changing?
Short answer is "nothing". There were proposed changes which would have basically meant that older engines (like the Pinto i'm
using) would have been judged against much more modern standards at IVA. Thankfully there was so much feedback to the consultation which opposed this
that the proposal was dropped.
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James
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| posted on 4/3/19 at 11:35 AM |
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Good- thanks for that! 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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jps
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| posted on 8/3/19 at 06:14 PM |
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Today i've put the repainted timing sprockets back on and (possibly!) refitted the timing belt. Some pictures
on my blog here
Some sprockets had got moved about a bit since i'd taken the timing belt off - and (see here:
https://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=212359) I am fairly sure that the old belt it was not set up exactly correctly when I removed it
anyway.
So - as I have a completely standard engine - putting my trust in the TDC mark on the crank pulley and the advice about the keyways lining up
vertically - I turned Number 1 piston to TDC and turned the cam sprocket to the TDC marker with both the inlet and exhaust valves closed. Then I made
sure that the distributor arm was pointing at the Number 1 cylinder contact.
I *think* this is correct, my understanding being when number 1 piston is at the top of it's compression stroke both valves will be closed and
the spark will be sparking (and the rest of the cylinders will synchronise accordingly)- but very happy to be corrected now if i've got this
wrong!
[Edited on 8/3/19 by jps]
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jps
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| posted on 5/6/19 at 09:33 PM |
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The end of March saw me using up what was left on the years annual leave, and making a bit more progress with the car...
Clutch pedal/cable (hopefully!) done: Clutch part 1 and
Clutch part 2
Coilovers specced, ordered, and partly fitted (with all the necessary final cuts to the bodywork identified and marked out!):
Shocks
Front bulkhead cut to fit and (despite the lack of photo evidence) fully drilled, deburred and cleco'd in place:
Bulkhead
I've also been grappling with the seat position/harnesses and the final lengths of tubing for the rear roll hoop. Pics, etc to follow!
[Edited on 5/6/19 by jps]
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Elmof1
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| posted on 12/6/19 at 12:49 PM |
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Build is progressing well. good work
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Abe
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| posted on 12/6/19 at 09:19 PM |
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Good blog Enjoyed looking through that, keep up the good work mate.
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jps
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| posted on 10/2/20 at 12:21 PM |
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Well, the remainder of 2019 didn't work out the way it was supposed to. Unfortunately my mum passed away in the autumn after a rough few months.
That coupled with a job change kept me out of the garage quite a bit, although I did occasionally chip away and make a bit more progress. However I am
resolved to crack on so Dad can see the finished car whilst he is still about!
I am sure that everyone is the same in that, if doing a second car, the learning first time round would make things much quicker! I have found this
most clearly with the fibreglass side panels on my roadster, specifically the cutouts to allow the front suspension to pass through. Finally though, I
feel that i'm there, and barring any final tweaks once the steering rack position is corrected for bumpsteer, I am happy to now get the sides
bonded on.
Blog post, with a few pictures, here.
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big_wasa
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| posted on 10/2/20 at 12:35 PM |
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Trust me, second or third build life just happens and gets in the way.
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40inches
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| posted on 10/2/20 at 04:59 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by big_wasa
Trust me, second or third build life just happens and gets in the way.
Perhaps a bit extreme, but my first was 18 months, the second 13 years 
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jps
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| posted on 29/3/20 at 04:46 PM |
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As mentioned earlier - I have gradually worked away at the
seats , making the subframes, mounting and positioning the seats, then cutting out the harness slots, all inter-linked with
making up the rear rollhoop stays and cross bar
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And i've also bolted up the steering column in
it's 'final' position.
I'm now a bit stuck on several fronts, as I want the welding on the rollhoop finished before I bond on the side panels (because I want the
rollhoop doing insitu and the heat would probably cause problems given the proximity to the fibreglass), and much of what I want to do next is reliant
on the side panels being finalised, to give definite reference points to the scuttle, nosecone, etc.
Hence I moved onto the braking system, and found out today that the front
flexi-brackets are not going to work as is so will need to be remade...
[Edited on 29/3/20 by jps]
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mtt mark
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| posted on 30/3/20 at 06:47 AM |
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Time goes by
quote:
Originally posted by 40inches
quote:
Originally posted by big_wasa
Trust me, second or third build life just happens and gets in the way.
Perhaps a bit extreme, but my first was 18 months, the second 13 years
Ha that's nothing, my brother bought a Westfield kit in 1999, and I built a gp4 escort rally car. Escort has done 20 years rallying, Westfield
is almost finished.
It will fit,.….…...smack, told you so
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jps
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| posted on 12/4/20 at 02:40 PM |
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Hopefully this will prove to be the final installment on the pedals/pedalbox. All welding finished, stripped back to bare metal and repainted.
Blog post, with a few pictures, here.
A handbrake cable arrived from Classimo 2 days after ordering, and i'm just waiting on the arrival of a Fiat/Lanica brake proportioning valve
(as commonly mentioned on here), which I am optimistic will prove OK at the IVA, before I start trying to finalise the brake system!
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jps
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| posted on 7/6/20 at 10:34 AM |
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On the whole this lockdown hasn't helped with progress, trying to fit in home-schooling and child entertainment as well as getting as much of my
work done hasn't left much energy or free time.
But - I have finally settled on the rear upright orientation, driven mostly by the routing of the handbrake cable.
Blog post, with a few pictures, here.
For some variety I spent a bit of time making a bit more progress on the interior panels. I'm not happy with one of the pilot holes I have
drilled in the main tunnel panel - so will be looking into how one 'moves' a hole a couple of mm to one side once the pilot hole is
already drilled....
Blog post here, CAD process clearly documented!
Then, with a view that i'll be focussing on getting the braking system done next, I spent some time mocking up where the rear flexi lines will
run. The brackets I originally welded in place are no good, but rather than weld new ones i'll using aluminium angle and rivet/bond them on.
It's surprising how few pictures I could find showing how others have routed their flexi's with a disc brake rear end
so here are mine!.
Most recently I have been trying to work out where to place the Fiat/Lancia/Lada brake proportioning valve. It's getting surprisingly busy in
the right handside of the engine bay given the elongated clutch cable, and I have a plate with the VIN on it welded to the bulkhead immediately above
the pedal box, so I think it'll have to mount it a bit higher up than I had hoped...
Pics here
[Edited on 7/6/20 by jps]
[Edited on 7/6/20 by jps]
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jps
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| posted on 28/6/20 at 04:11 PM |
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Brake proportioning valve bracket...
Made a bracket for my brake proportioning valve, decided my first effort was rubbish, now halfway through mk2...
Blog post, with pics, here.
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jps
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| posted on 19/7/20 at 05:22 PM |
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After a bit more welding/grinding out/re-welding, i've got a bracket for my brake proportioning valve that i'm reasonably happy with, and
which fits neatly into the space to the offside of the steering column. Still needs a coat of paint, but then i'm on to running some hard brake
lines. Feels like a big step forward, given it shouldn't be that far from here, to having a working brake pedal. Eek!
Blog post, with pics, here.
I've also decided that I need to bite the bullet and just pay someone else to weld up my rollhoop, and modify my exhaust manifold, rather than
kid myself i'll be welding at the standard i'd be happy with for those jobs in the foreseeable future...
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jps
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| posted on 31/7/20 at 05:33 PM |
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Inspired by Voucht on here/the Haynes forum, i'm going to remote mount the brake reservoir from my Sierra donor, using the same sort of
bracket/mount folded from alu sheet. Blog post, with pics,
here.
Getting pretty close to the point of plumbing a brake system now, can't put it off for much longer!
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jps
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| posted on 26/8/20 at 08:35 PM |
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Over the last couple of weeks I finally sorted out for a local fabricator to weld up the rollhoop. Cue some frantic evenings of doing the final bits
of prep as best I could (grinding out some old welds - not *all* my work! - that really didn't look good enough), and getting the car stripped
down as much as I could - to avoid any risk of things getting damaged whilst it was being worked on...
Blog post, with pics, here.
In other "two steps forward/one step back" news, I decided to cut off the front flexi brackets and grind everything back to flush, so I
can re-position them. mk2 flexi brackets will be aluminium angle riveted/bonded in place - after some searching on here demonstrated plenty of other
people have gone about things this way....
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