Gearlever

Different solutions for one problem... This mod is often made to the gearlever to put it further away from the dashboard. The lever is simply cut and then welded with an angle piece.

As shown earlier, a gearlever extension is now available. There is no need for an angled gearlever anymore.

The original complete gearlever is quite expensive, but the upper part is available separately. After some drilling and threading, it's done. The final assembly and adaptation will be made directly in the car.
Cheers.

Substitute

To cut out a chassis rail is one thing, to replace it is something else. The photo shows the replacement not too far away from the original location. All in all, the chassis will keep it's initial strength.

This pic is for memory only and to show the mechanical odometer drive. Once all the panels in place, it will be hidden. As speed will be measured electronically, the mechanical drive will not be connected (note shiny new paint after grinding and welding!).

Latest order placed at Burton (GB), the new Pace DSP5 competition oil pump for wet sump. With a 20% higher volume and integrated sandwich plate, it's a piece of clever engineering to replace the setup currently used. I'm even tempted to try it out without the oil cooler to save weight. The higher volume might suffice to keep the oil temperature low.
Cheers.

Back in

One hour work with Max and Pit and the engine together with the gearbox is back in the chassis (... and always amazing how much crap lying around I discover when checking the pics :-).

This is the original place for the gearlever. To put it further back in a Seven (thus avoiding the gearlever to touch the dashboard in first, third and fifth gear), you can throw in a gear lever extension. In this case and with a X-flow engine coupled to a T9 gearbox, one of the chassis rails is in the way.

Two cuts later and the rail is out of the way. Later I will weld a similar rail at a different place to ensure stability of the frame. In this case, the place is not crucial.

The extension put in place for trial fit.

And one more for today showing the oil-fill-in of the gearbox, once for memory and once for other web users. This is an often asked question how to check the level and refill. It's the square drive screw and when the inner panels are mounted, it will not be accessible anymore. As we spilled some oil when manipulating the gearbox, we have to fill to the required level before putting the panel in place. I may add a trap in this place to allow access later on.

Cheers.

Floored

Sicaflex is applied both for strength and sealing before the aluminium panels get fixed to the frame. Sicaflex is sticky and stains like shit, but apparently is one of the best adhesives available.

This time it's for good. The cleaned panels get fixed with 4mm aluminium rivets. You can see the riveter minutes before it was flying with lots of air time through the workshop. After only 32 rivets (yes I counted them out of deception) it broke down. The biggest annoyance is the loss of time when such a tool conks out, but ...

... it's replacement is such an über-riveter that I quickly forgot about it's five times higher price. Twenty minutes for panel #1 using the basic riveter, five minutes for panel #2 with the Ironside riveter. And one more very capable tool in the workshop! Stopping work and driving to the hardware store took me more than half an hour. Time easily saved during all the panel mounting that has to be done. I even found black rivets in that shop. They come handy to fix the inner (black!) panels.

Cheers.

Riv'it

Some panels have to be redone, the old ones serve as model and help to try out the riveting tool.

The floor panels look really filthy and have to be cleaned from road dirt and oil. Dry with paper, then with white spirit, once more with paper and finally with Scotchbrite. The remaining Sicaflex must be grinded, I found no other way to get rid of it.

The chassis turned upside down and the cleaned floor panels put in place to check the fit. Sicaflex ready!
Next steps: applying the Sicaflex and fixing the panels per rivets.
Cheers.

Put the pedal to the metal

Amazingly enough how time flies... Those brake pipes take a lot of time to be bent. Although not completely happy with my work, it is a start. Once it is clear which flare has to be pressed, it's a matter of buying the right connectors and go on. This is only the front circuit with both brake master cylinders mounted provisorily. I'll decide later about a second try to make it look better, for now it's ok to locate all the different components of the brake circuit.

With the pedal box on the floor, the throttle activation must be re-engineered. After preparing the pedal mechanism to receive the clevis, an additional bracket performs as end stop for the Bowden cable. The cable arrives from the top and is pulled down by the pedal.

The nipple at the end of the Bowden cable is held by the clevis fixed to the pedal. All this has to move freely to evitate blocking or uneven pedal movement. That's why a lot of effort has been spent into designing this particular piece of kit.

Midday I will hop over to the braking workshop and buy some more stuff (connectors, half-nuts, a.s.o.) to continue work next weekend.

Cheers.

Brake pipe flaring

To achieve a perfect sealing of brake pipes, the ends have to be flared. Different standards are used and therefore, the aforementioned kit offers the possibility to manufacture different flares. First step is to cut the pipe to the desired length.

Even a well done cut should be deburred to avoid chips entering the pipe and block the fluid.

Then choose the right inserts by comparing with the pipe you want to reproduce. In this case, the pipe is 4.75mm and the flare is DIN.

The tool is assembled with everything needed to compress the copper/nickel pipe at it's end(s).

Pipe from the left stuck in the matrix, hydraulic screw with chosen punch, handle to turn, above grip to hold the tool by hand. There exist other flaring tools to be placed in a vice, this one has the advantage to be taken to the car. First try:

On the left compared to the old flare, on the right a different flare (double bubble) for trial.

Although this is no rocket science, I really have to warn everybody not owning the right skills or tools to let this work be done by professionals. I'm doing it on my own for the love of tools and the feeling to have achieved something by myself. If you're not sure, leave it to a specialized workshop.

Cheers.

The LOFI principle

... or, why you have to put first into the chassis what you last took out. Clear? LOFI stands for: last out first in. Some of the brake lines mount easier with the engine out, so after a little attention with Scotchbrite, the first part of the brake system went in (T and RH brake line).

 

Where possible, I will re-use the old brake lines. For those not fitting in the new installation or in bad shape, I will replace them with new ones. To do this, you need a flaring tool kit and some special spanners (flare nut crowfoot wrench), new brake line and... keep those old lines, they are precious templates.

 

Mounting the pedalbox took me almost all the Saturday afternoon. The accelerator pedal mechanism is now ready to receive the clevis linking the bowden cable to the throttle.

 

This meant grinding and drilling to assure the clevis to move freely when activating the throttle pedal... which I hope doing a lot !!! After the mod I repainted the machined end with chassis paint.

Cheers.