Pedals

Another job complete.  This one was pretty easy to do because the instructions are on the GBS supplied DVD, but it was fiddly to get everything put together and working.  I think we were being a bit too careful and trying to get everything too perfect and ended up taking everthing apart three times!

The first problem we had was the tube which each pedal attaches to is too big for the bushes - they fit, but its very tight and means each pedal will not move independantly.  The first thought we had was to grind (!!) the tube down slightly to fit, we soon abandoned that idea as my new bench grinder is far too course.

Next thought was to sand it and after quickly realising that wasnt going to happen a trip to B+Q was in order and we came back with a bunch of random tools plus this beauty:

It took enough off the inside of each bush to ensure each pedal moves independantly, but doesnt rock.  The next decision was whether or not we should put washers between each pedal.  The GBS CD images dont have washers but various other blogs we looked at did.  After faffing on we decided to go with the washers and an hour later success:

Next onto the "fork end and pin" from GBS, its essentially a M8 bolt which is attached to a metal fork which is attached via a hole we had to drill into the brake pedal and secured with a pin.  The end of the bolt needs to be cut off and then rounded, instructions on the GBS DVD.  I've left the bolt as long as I can because I know it will need adjusting later down the line:

I am now fast running out of things to do before my next purchase.  I do have each of the bushes to fit to the wishbones, that'll be 64 in total and around 8 hours of work.  I'll get them done first (fun!) before deciding what to do next, but its very likely going to be rear diff, drive shafts, hubs and rear suspension.

Brake Pipe Routing Complete

Completed the brake pipes (almost - need some shielding on some of the bends where they touch the chassis,Ill do that at some point).  Nice and neat:

The rivets on the tunnel were an absolute nightmare to drill.  The angle means the drill slips all over, I tried everything.  Even ground down an old nail punch to make a metal punch, no difference but I dot there in the end and looks fine: 

I am not too sure on the back end, the brake pipe seems to hang down a bit (its pre cut to length) but I dont have the diff yet to fit.  I should be OK with the handbrake mechanism and cable, but I am not 100% sure that its in the right place and if the diff will fit in fine - I'll find that out later but I am expecting I may have to move it slightly:

On to the pedals...

Nuts and Bolts

Its becoming very apparent that there are no nuts and bolts included with this kit.  Yes, there is a bag of washers, nuts and bolts which look like they are for the pedals and the wishbones but thats it.  Yesterday it was clear we would need our own for everything else.

Thats fine, but again with no manual or guidence, which nuts to we need?  What sizes?  How many?  No idea!  Looking again at RHOC forum and other blogs I decided to purchase a selection of M6, M8 and M10 bolts and nylon lock nuts.  I think it may be overkill for all nylon nuts, a quick search for IVA rules mentions either using a spring washer or nylock nuts in certain places so I figure use them everywhere right?

I had to do some research on what type of bolts I needed.  I am not an engineer, I work in IT so this is new to me.  I see lots of debate about using either stainless steel or mild steel and it looks like both have different properties, stainless being weaker/snaps under load rather than mild steel which will bend rather than snap but its more expensive.

Theres lots of threads, blogs and discussions about the different ratings, from what I gather most if not all mild steel is rated as 8.8 minimum (assuming that's to do with host much lb's of force it can take) and the very expensive stuff is 10.9 (areplanes!).  I've seen lots of technical arguments before in the IT world about stuff that in the end doesnt really matter, I get that vibe with this debate.

In certain industrial environments I can understand that very complex calculations are required by some much cleverer people than me, but in perspective, this is a kit car and if it was *that* important it would be obvious.

It will also get picked up on IVA pre inspection by GBS.  I had already guessed that HT/mild would be needed for the important stuff and that stainless would be OK for the rest..  Good job I checked and decision made.

It seems that most stainless is rated at "A2 70" as the norm, that's also what screwfix supply so I have ordered them from there and will use the stainless for anything that doesn't require any real strength, i.e not for seat belt mounts.
 

Brake Master Cylinder + Brake Pipe initial routing

Went for it yesterday.  Started off with a trip to europarts, then halfords and eventually B+Q to get a pipe cutter - which I didnt even need in the end!  The kit I had direct from GBS had been cut, measured and already flared at the ends so no need to do anything myself which I am pleased about.

I have to say it is frustrating this kit doesnt come with any kind of manual.  I am not entirely sure why, there are a number of photos and PDFs on the supplied DVD but other than that theres nothing else.  Good job plenty of other people have written about their builds or we would be stuck....

Anyway, it goes just above the steering column in here:

Looking at other blogs the front outlet goes to the rear, middle goes to offside front and back underside goes to nearside front.  Looks like everyone runs the brake lines pretty much the same way so off we went. 

We had already been warned about moving the brake lines too much as they will harden so we have put them roughly where they should be and the next job is to tidy everything up and clip it down.   Two more panels needed putting on first, left and right hand front tunnels - these are the ones which are fixed on the opposite side of the chassis member to the next panel, so they require a bend in:

See the gap?  We bended each panel in using a precision tool specifically designed for the job, AKA a broom handle (worked perfectly).  I now know what the guys at GBS were showing me, it wasnt clear when we were there but now I see the two panels its obvious.

On to the brake lines, you can see where they have been routed:

Offside:

Nearside:

Rear T Piece, note the 4th outlet is for the brake switch - maybe there was a redesign or rethink because some people only seem to have 3 outlets and there seems to be a debate about whether to put the brake switch at the front of the car rather than the rear, but this came with the kit from GBS so I am going with rear:

How it looks now before we tidy everything up and fasten everything with P clips:

Driver + Passenger footwell panels plus back panel test

First time I have ever done this before...here goes.  Having not used a rivet gun for years and never worked with aluminium before I was a little too cautious, took much longer to fit the first panel as I was scared of bending it but once I got the trick it was easy.  Oh, need to remember not to press too hard and have a fully charged drill - snapped three of my four drill bits on the first panel alone!!  Hoping I can buy them cheap in bulk from e-bay as at nearly £5 for two they arent cheap.

 These clamps were the best, cheapo B&Q own brand but perfect for holding everything in place before drilling:

Once I was happy with the fit I took everything off and put a nice thick bead around the frame where it meets with the panel.  Not sure if its right or not but I used it pretty sparingly, enough to stick the panel fine with out too much mess.

Suprised at how easy the rivet gun was.  Maybe I have a different\better one than most but I had no problems at all, each rivet was easy to snap of.  Maybe the larger panels are harder but i cant see the advantage of an air gun yet:

Decided to run a bead round the inside to make sure its water tight.  I am guessing this isnt going to be visible\will be carpeted anyway but its neat enough:

 

Back panel clamped on.  I've drawn where I am going to put the rivets so I hit the chassis but dont have any time left to drill and glue it up so will be left like this for the next two weeks:

Picking Up Kit

The day finally came, after getting the call from GBS I booked the van for the next week.

The van was overkill but I guess its better to be safe than sorry.   After a stop at Maccy Ds we pulled up at the factory and started to load onto the van.

As I have previously read GBS were thorough making sure everything was correct and I had to sign off each item as it was loaded in the van:

Shame I didnt take more pictures of the van loading, you could tell the guys at GBS had done it before - all neat and secure.  The chassis wasnt too heavy, two of us lifted it into the van with ease.

Spent a lot of time talking to Ben and Lawrence about the build procedure and they went through lots of tips, where to start and what to look out for which I am sure will be help as we progress.

Back home we managed to fit everything into the garage, its a bit of a mess at the moment:

 After a nights rest and a few other things I got time to have a tidy up, got to look after the knees :)

 First job complete - steering column bush.  Ben said this was the very first thing I should put in, it was easier than I thought but I guess thats because I had plenty of room:

Note the unopened tool chest in the background.  Thats the next job, organise the tools and plan out what we do next....