Bulkhead

Whilst trying to finish off the remaining bodywork issues before the engine and chassis arrive, I thought it was time to tackle the horrible joint line between the top of the body and the engine bulkhead.

Got to work with some Isopon P38 body filler (not used this since I had to repair my rusty old Vauxhall Viva in 1985) and filled the crack in and then rubbed down with some coarse grade wet n dry paper.

LH Bulkhead (Before Filling)

RH Bulkhead (Before Filling)

Bulkhead (Filled, pre-sanding)

Didn't look too bad but there were some indentations that needed re-filling and where the bulkhead became the inner wing it needed re-filling and shaping to match the body lines. So mixed up some more P38, filled and sanded.

Bulkhead (Fill, part sanded)

Pedal Box

Made a start on fitting the pedal box.

Made a template to match the pedal box bracket and transferred the hole positions to the bulkhead.

Bit of a bind making the holes for the brake and clutch cylinders as I didn't have a hole saw the correct size. Ended up using the nearest I had and opening up with the Dremel.

Having followed the GD fitting instructions, I'm a little disappointed with the final result. The pedals appear to be way too high off the floor pan :( Not quite sure what to do with this yet - do I make a new panel for the bulkhead and reposition or should I make a false floor? Will leave this decision for another day I think

Frustration & Lack of Progress

Friday 9th March 2012

Well I've just looked and its been nearly two months since I last updated this blog...

It isn't that I haven't been doing any work on the car but it feels like I've been making absolutely no progress .

And now, after the excitement of ordering the engine and chassis, and being disappointed that they wont be ready until the end of April, Im now wondering if i will be ready for them then!!

Here is a summary of whats's been going on (more detailed posts will be added for each area):-

Garage

I've been having some problems with the new garage leaking every time it rained. This was a pain cos the garage floor was soaking all the time and everything kept getting damp.

The contractors have been back and sorted the problem and once they finished I decided to ply line the walls - from floor to a height of 8'. Ive also put loft insulation between the ply and the steel walls.

End result - the garage is now dry and much warmer (in time for Spring/Summer!) and I can fix tools and the like to the walls.

Well worth the effort in the end!


Doors
All the body metal work was sent away for powder coating and has been returned looking nice and shiny. So I decided to tackle the doors. The rough gel coat edges were removed and I set to rubbing down and applying fresh gelcoat.

After a week or so the damn stuff still hadn't gone hard so I rubbed it all off and repeated the process and guess what... it still didn't cure!!

So a further rub down and prep has been completed and Im waiting to pluck up the courage to try gel coating again

Bonnet and Boot Lid
With the frustration surrounding the doors, I tried a different approach with the Bonnet and Boot. This time i rubbed the edges down first with a file and then used Isopon P38 body filler to fill in the holes which were quite severe in places. I then rubbed back down and these items are both awaiting gel coat finishing.

Pedal Box
For a bit of a change of focus, I decided to tackle the pedal box. Still not quite sure how I have done with this so far. Followed the build notes but it seems like the pedals are sitting too high off the floor!

Didnt bother fitting the brake and clutch pipes at this stage until I get a pipe bender.

Heater
Temporarily fitted heater matrix in place but need to decide on style of heater hoses before final fix.

Fitted windscreen escutcheons and connected heater ducting pipes.

Engine Bay
Whilst on the subject of body repairs, I thought it was time to tackle the horrible joint line between the top of the body and the engine bulk head.
Have used Isopon P38 filler and rubbed down wiht 180 grade wet n dry paper. First impressions are very good. Just dreading the gel coating now!!