Getting things done doesn't always mean progress!

Hello bloggers :-)

It's been a funny week on the build - yes I've achieved some stuff, but it seems like I've taken more off the car than I've put on. Which leaves a perculiar perception of lack of progress, despite having put a lot of hours in!

I met up with one of the chaps from GKD who happend to be down in Devon for work purposes, and he very kindly agreed to bring the remaining aluminium panel with him. I told myself it would make sense to store it up at the workshop and drove there at the end of the evening, but really I just wanted the satisfaction of installing it right away!!

Lookin' Good

 

Next couple of evenings I begun to tackle a job I was putting off, as it seems to be something of a tricky endeavour - and most of the other blogs I'm following had similar issues at this point. I'm talking of course, of the little quarter circle trim pieces on each side of the chassis...

Such a seemingly insignificant panel ended up taking a shed load of time to get right!

 I started on the offside by bending over with a mallet. Unfortunately this made it wavier than the high seas

 So I made a small incision and continued dressing with the hammer

 Got it something like right..

 And then smeared on the "puddin" to cover up the sins (and sins there were!)

Not thinking of trying my hand at cake icing

Rubbed back and applied several more layers of filler...

 Until eventually I got something looking half decent

 I would then continue to take them off and finish them on the bench.

Meanwhile, next day - This happened:

Steering shaft in a centre lathe to check alignment

 I wasn't overly happy with the lower steering shaft, as it had gotten bent in the post (Thanks Parcelforce), and despite only actually rotating one and a half turns, it was so far out that it was causing the scuttle to flex, which I've seen other people get picked up on IVA for. I thought about making a lower lower bush and mounting it on the suspension turret, and beefing up the "upper lower" column mount, but I thought best to address the cause of the problem and not the symptom. So I took it into work and at lunchtime got one of the lads to bung it in the lathe and put a DTI clock on the end to check the run out. 

Being "old school" they informed me that it was 180thou out. Which is a fair bit! whichever language you speak! They were able to skilfully and deftly fashion it back into shape though, with a series of very careful and clever taps from a hammer, and I left with it at 10thou. A signifiance improvement, which should pay dividends at a later stage. Not bad for the cost of a packet of hobnobs.

I also picked up an Alternator in the week from a great shop in Plymouth, the starter motor and alternator shop (http://www.startermotor-alternator.co.uk/) I've used him for years and he's always got something on the shelf no matter what you drive! Slight exception this time as the one he had on the shelf for an E36 328 was massive, something ridiculous like 180A output. Just don't need it, weight and space are at a premium. So he swapped the back off another and made up a custom one for me that was a decent output and lightweight/small

Collection of components for Saturday - pictures off Steve Tullinge's and Dave's blog (thanks guys) on how the hoses go together, fixed steering, new alternator

Learning from experience, I set out to do the nearside quarter panel, and this time decided to make some crafty incisions from the off

Nurse - Scalpel

 And this time, it was a bit more effective. Skim of filler over that and nobody will know the horrors that lie beneath!

 End result, after much rubbing down - starting to look OK now. As I said, for something so small, so much effort!!

Ready for paint

 In between skims of filler and rubbing down, fitted the alternator and the top hose - which initially was tough to bend, but seems OK now

Alternator, top hose fitted. Usually they say electric and water shoudln't mix, oh well

 Then, on Sunday it was time to get the spray paint out again! As it was a nice day (very nice day in fact, best all year) and so as not to get overspray on the nice paintwork; I pushed it outside. Which, due to me taking the steering wheel off, was no easy task

There's a legend lurking...

 And perfect conditions for spray painting - usually you have to wait about 30mins for each coat to flash off, but it was taking about 2mins!

Very warm in the workshop... not really weather for wearing paper overalls and a breathing mask

 I was making the most of another "free" weekend as Emma was away at her friend's hen-do. So I was able to de-bur, rub down, tack rag, panel wipe, de-grease, prime (3 coats) and paint (4 coats) six in number panels and a few brackets.

Result of a couple of day's worth of effort

 In between coats of paint, and in an attempt to enjoy some of the sunshine, I started on a few little jobs on the car. I got the senders in the tank and run the copper fuel lines through the transmission tunnel. Then found some rubber hose and connected them up:

Copper fuel lines in and all connected

 So now the supply and return lines are in, when the loom does arrive at least the fuel system is (mechanically) complete. Just need to secure the loose hoses (any ideas? I was thinking cable tie bases stuck with glue to the top of the tank)

Fill hose doesn't quite line up and still not sure what to do with breather

 And so that's it for another week! Hopefully next week I can get stuck into putting back the painted bits, re-installing and checking the steering, and move onto the next thing. And hoping and praying the wiring loom turns up soon, as that will mean I should be able to think about starting the engine!

Thanks for reading.