I have put an alarming number of hours in to the car this last couple of months, many jobs are obvious, just as many are not and it's sometimes hard to see where all the time went.
I had to make some closure panels so hot air from the engine doesn't find it's way in the passenger cabin when I don't want it to. That took quite a bit of effort and nobody will ever see it. They won't see the Dynamat under the carpet either. It's not genuine Dynamat, it's some cheap Chinese copy that was quite a bargain. I didn't really know how much I was going to need and ended up with way too much. It comes in rectangles that are about 8 x 10 inches, I had bought 100 of them and have so far only used 60. They are a rubber pad with sticky stuff on one side and thick aluminium foil on the other, the rubber absorbs vibrations, the foil reflects heat. Heat from the engine and exhaust can ruin the enjoyment of a hot rod, my Robin Hood was unbearable in the summer even without a roof. I well remember getting stuck in traffic on the way back from the SVA test and getting heat stroke, it was really nasty. I was tempted to put air con in this but for the very small amount of use it would get I decided it wasn't worth it, the dynamat will help a lot, the electric windows and the blanking off of the 5 rear most windows will help a fair bit too. I have also allowed a fair bit of room between the exhausts and the floor, it compromises ground clearance a bit but not to the point where it will be a problem.
I got the number plate lights, they are ok, they comply with the IVA rules but they are LED and they flicker a bit. I should have got normal bulb ones, I might replace them. I did something really stupid and drilled the holes in the wrong place so when they were mounted the boot lid wouldn't open all the way - idiot. I repositioned them and still managed to get one in the wrong place, I considered sacking myself but then realised if I did that it would never get finished, I shall fill the holes today and nobody will ever know.
It did mean that at last I can say that every single piece of wiring is now done. Thank God, that's it now, nothing else to do on that side whatsoever. Yippee. Oh bollocks, I forgot about the rear view camera. Bugger.
I didn't like the feel of the handbrake so played about with that a bit until it felt better, just altering the angle at which it comes up really. It's very powerful, if you pull it up with one finger you can't turn the wheels by hand. It will then come up a further 3 clicks and with it on you can barely pull away without stalling the engine, it should pass easily, I will get it tested at a local MoT station before taking it to IVA. I will get them to check emissions and the headlight aim while I am at it. They can also test the brakes as far as MoT performance is concerned but they won't have the kit to do the full tests required by IVA. It should still give me a guide as to whether it is likely to pass or not, I can do some tests myself ie making sure the fronts lock up before the rears.
I remain concerned about the wipers, I need to go to an auto jumble and see what I can find, I ideally need a 10 or 12 inch blade with a very short arm to get the maximum sweep without hitting the screen surround.
Next jobs will be fitting the roof panel and then fitting the support bars for the two motors in the front doors, I can finish that job until I have the glass though. I will also need the seals and rubbers for the glass to run in.
Add comment
Comments