After building the car for 9 years i've taken a week off to get as much done as possible......

How far will i get in a week???

(bear in mind i've already lost the last w/e to go to a football match / see parents / brother / celebrate birthday & agreed to go to notting hill carnival + local national trust house next weekend to keep g/f happy / me sane)

plan is to ....
strip the chassis,
check i've missed no welds,
finish any little bits of welding (radiator mounts, fuel tank mounts, seat belts etc)
rebuild the car with the 'final' engine, box, diff etc,
add fluids,
add brake lines, fuel lines,
make fuel tank
order drive shafts
weld in roll bar
make / weld in front roll bar mounting points just in case i ever fit a cage
order missing bits
100 other jobs.

didn't take a picture before I started but so far i've ....
made two waterproof shelters to store stuff,
messed up making a seat (ran out of foam),
cleared lots of rubbish off the car,
had a chat with the neighbour who tried not to laugh that i was on year 9!!!!


Bets on how far i get please and photos / updates will occur as i get miffed with something or come in to eat (having lunch now).

I'd go as far as to say, if you actually get into the garage, you'll make more progress than you've made all year.

Unfortunately, the neighbours come over just when you haven't got anything for them to do except slow you down. I appreciate the interest, but the weekends are short!!!

Can you get a knowledgable person to come and help make some real progress? Surely there are ways of paying them without writing a big cheque: beer, help on their house renovations etc.

You can only do so much on your own. I have never taken a full week off to do the car, so it's always one day here and there and a few nights a week. But with someone who knows what they're doing along, a few hours replaces a few days!

[Edited on 24/8/09 by RK]

hmmm, with all the other stuff you need to do, it doesn't leave much time in the garage,

strip the chassis,
check i've missed no welds,
finish any little bits of welding
order drive shafts
^ you could do that in a day

rebuild the car with the 'final' engine, box, diff etc
^theres another day i'd guess

add fluids,
add brake lines, fuel lines
possibly - make fuel tank
for day 3

of of that is if you REALLY put yourself into it. not like me who has just been thinking about doing mine all day.

[Edited on 24/8/09 by blakep82]

if you have the engine and box in already i would plan your fuel and brake lines now and then fit them when the engine and box are out of the car, well at least the tunnel section as trying to rivet in a p-clip in with the gearbox and prop in please can be a right bi*ch!

mike im free wednesday evening, thursday after 3pm and all day friday if you need some help.

Given your record so far I'd say halfway through stripping the chassis

Seriously, you should get half that lot done if you stick at it.

adrian

ps. What are you doing reading this? Get on with it!

[Edited on 24/8/09 by adithorp]

Get up early to do your thing. Work at least 12 hours a day. Lock the door for unwanted visitors. Don't accept any jobs from the girl. Put your cell phone on silent mode. Then you should be able to complete the list.

If I were you, make a list of all the welds to be made, and do them all at one go. Then you do not have to rotate the chassis so often, thus saving time.

PS: order driveshafts in the boss' time!

Write a detailed action list, with what you need to do not a vaugue title, that waythwre will be less head scratching and you wil work in a sensible order. With no list I can waste 50% of my time thinking about what to do.

Make sure you have all the bits and prices in that you need too.

^ he's right. it definitely helps

heres mine
http://locostbuilders.co.uk/upload/pickup jobs.JPG

its help put things into perspective

I have a terribly short attention span. Almost invisible for that matter. For example I stopped writing an email to a very important client to write this email. I then got bored of this and finished that off. I just have no focus (or so the missus claims)

This is a problem that I constantly struggle with. When doing boring tasks that are routine I have solved the problem. That solution is AUDIO BOOKS. When I am clearing the garden/at the gym/stripping a chassis or as I did recently build a shed, I listen to a damn good audio book. I have managed 12 hour days with only stopping for food and toilet without being distracted onto other jobs before. It really helps me and if the book is good enough I actually WANT to go out and paint the back fence etc.

Just my thoughts on the subject

I've found that having a mate who preferably is building/has built/wants build to come round and work with me helps a great deal.

you push each other along and decisions get made quicker.

As said, a decen list helps, break it down a long way for instance instead of "paint wing" put:

Remove wing
rub down wing
prime wing
gloss
wing
flat
polish
refit


Makes for a longer list, but you check more items off in a day, instead of doing half an item on two things.

I also work better with someone else to bounce ideas off and some craic. This doesnt happen ofted due to location but its a godsend when it does

quote:

---

Originally posted by mookaloid

you push each other along and decisions get made quicker.

---

Mike, I am back on the building scene as of sat.
I can come round and give you a hand as well if you want.
Brooky.

mike, fuel tank for sale could be one job off your list

http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=120171

quote:

---

Originally posted by mookaloid
I've found that having a mate who preferably is building/has built/wants build to come round and work with me helps a great deal.

you push each other along and decisions get made quicker.

---

I've written a couple of todo lists (all in the bosses time) had a cunning plan to review them whilst waiting for the seat to 'form' around me. except i forgot them and ended up sat there thinking "bugger"

In the house now for a drink and a curse after lending out my trolley jack, getting it back and now finding its semi bust! Getting pee'd off with lending stuff out and it not coming back / coming back bust / missing bits.

anyway, car almost stripped just got to get rear drive shafts out and front suspension off - thats the next 'lump' of work and hopefully it will be around the time the g/f turns up with dinner. (i am being hopeful, i know i've got to go round to hers).

If i am lucky by the end of today the car will be in the air and ready for tomorrows 'final' welding session. Tonight i'll be ordering some stuff from big red / brakes int that i should have ordered last week.

Tomorrow will also involve planning ...... at some point. Definitely agree with the list thing (hence the lists made during meetings).

Was intending fitting lines when car is in the air - already added strips that are pre drilled for the lines to clip into so should be easy (ish).

Fuel tank - got my own design to fit my caterham inspired rear end with integrated swirl pot feed.

Some photos will be loaded later. Garden has bits in it, drive has bits under temporary covers, kitchen has bits in, dog bowl is currently a spanner holder its great living on your own at times

Offers of help may be 'accepted'. If peeps want to come round and generally disturb me you're more than welcome but you may end up holding something and i will keep faffing with the car.

Brooky - good to see you're still with us

where's these photos then?!

ok, woke up early, didn't have an alarm, fell back to sleep. Bit of a disaster last night, wasted a couple of hours making pivots to rotate the chassis - it won't work as simply as i wanted so today i'll just man handle it onto its side etc. Not as easy but far quicker. Boy the chassis isn't light either !

(then again i'd fogotten how heavy the de-dion or front wheels set ups are).

Just about to head out but to keep blake happy ....

pics are all here
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/photos.php?action=gal&user=MikeR&folder=1Week

ok, bored now. Sick of lifting, moving, putting down, welding, lifting, moving etc

head is starting to hurt as well from the welding fumes - haven't got much left to go before i start on the final additions like seat belt mounts / side curved bits.

Have a drink and stick some music on for ten mins while the workspace clears and then get back to it or you'll procrastinate until dinner and then not go back out.

did that, also organised for g/f to cook me dinner again

(she is good, only issue is its fat club food so i'm eating healthy tasty food and losing weight!)

Just packed in for a bit as i realised i was welding next to a plastic fuel tank ....... ooops.

The week is over, so how far did you get?

yeah come on, i've been waiting all week for this

Well ...........

I had all these plans.......

Dreams ...........

(which if you're bored of reading already = not as far as I wanted).

What I wanted to do was get everything fully welded apart from the roll bar which i'd do later. swap over to the 'final' engine and assemble the car with brake lines, steering, suspension maybe fuel lines and jury rigged electrics to start it.


I have got everything welded - except i thought it would take a max of 2 days ...... it took a LOT longer.

So that ate into time to do other things. I've ended up with a fully welded car (found a few welds I'd missed when i made the car years ago as well!!!). Made mountings for the feet top panels so they're removable / allow easy access - trying to make sure everything is easily maintainable once made. Mounted the nose + grill, added seat belt mounts, mounted arches (temporarily), made radiator mounts, made front cage hoop bolt in mounts (although messed on up slightly so it needs a spacer to allow it to bolt up due to welding too close to a chassis tube - grrr), towing points.

What I need to do now is make the brake lines - started those and stopped when I got annoyed yesterday. Decided to completely pack in and surprise g/f by being early and dressing nice. Unfortunately tidying up took more than the two hours i'd guessed .....over 5 hours later and one VERY understanding girlfriend had one very annoyed b/f turn up at 9:30pm for dinner.

(today I walked her dog, made her breakfast in bed, went shopping with her and took some nice photos of her - i was trying to earn some brownie points).

So ....... the todo list did get a little shorter and some stuff got added. Got to change the gearbox mount (miffed as its on the second iteration now and I fully welded it !!!) Going to make it fully removable to make fitting the engine and box easier - turned into an arse of a job late last night).

Need to figure out how i'm going to do the fuel lines - i can't see a way to fit them - hopefully remaking the gearbox mount will give a little more space at tunnel top therefore allowing them to run easier down the trans tunnel.

Need to mount the coil - i'm mounting everything on separate plates / bolts welded to the chassis so that I have no holes in it. Its a silly thing but i don't want holes in the chassis to let (risk) water in.

Need to make a battery mount - should be dead easy - got it mentally planned for the passenger footwell.

Need to fit the scuttle.

Need (maybe move the steering wheel back an inch - this will be an arse of a job as i fully welded the whole column years ago and don't want to have to cut it - depends on the seat).

Need to weld on tab for brake flexi to de-dion axle.

Need to make / buy fuel tank (special one off construction to fit my special rear end).

make fuel tank mounts.

Need to paint / panel / make bonnet.

Need to order seat foam / new drive shafts / ali panels.

Also need to buy a new protective jacket - didn't do anything to the other one, its just a padded / thermal jacket and I had to keep stopping due to sweat dripping from me!!!!


(there is a much longer todo list but i'm keeping that secret )

If you're interested let me know and I'll post a picture or two

i don't know, dinner at your girlfriends, breakfast at hers the next morning, sounds alright to me