Benn's on going build

[Benn]

I'll do a full update tonight with pics...

[Benn]

Updates.... Good and bad.

Monday.

Gear box looks like this... Pretty enough.



De masked, new drive shaft seals fitted Chrome clutch arm fitted.



With a jack under the engine i lower it to kinda point the engine down to make fitting easier i hoped. Gear box on other jack..



This is where i needed two hands, top and bottom to shuffle the box in to place...



As i got to this point, Dan and Petor turned up...

The box almost fell in to place, like amazingly easy.. Just pushed on and bolted up. Dan said we should buy a lotto ticket as we must of had good luck that day.....
Sadly that's where the luck stopped. Front mount was easy enough to fit. The rear mount? Oh no!
I had bought a new rubber bit as mine was knackered and painted the metal mount bit..



Bolt the mount to the box... Then it was miles off the floor holes... Fit it to the floor and its miles off the box... Over an hour later of pushing, pulling, giggling, swearing, adjusting it was finally bolted up.
I re fitted hub and shaft and arm and tie bar. The steering arms were fitted to get the tracking looking roughly right, to get the car out of the garage to be able to track it. gear linkage fitted and set up in 2 goes. Perfect change.
Then we messed about with my brake caliper, has they are spaced and i've never liked it, Dan thought i maybe had the brakes on the caliper on around the wrong way.. As they have offset holes. Strip down, re fit.. Doesn't fit the other way.. The holes are too offset. I'd like to know how others have done it. Refit it all. Very dirty arches there. I must clean them.



Get car out side, jack back up, start trying to set the tracking.. As Dan turned the steering there was a huge clonk... Turned a bit more.. Another big clonk. We 3 of us thought "oh"
Looking down at the rack where it enters the car, it looks like its all moved. Hhhmm odd.
Queue me getting very stressed, Rack has to be removed to see what's going on... Normally not to hard, but the pinion? Bi that connects rack to column has slide out. So i couldn't get it out of the bulkhead...
More anger! Finally got it all out, looks like either the circlip has either popped out for not being sat in the cut out. Or it was bent and popped it out as the rack was turned.
So i beat the pinion back in... Then beat my bench to de stress. Find circlip from old rack and refit it making sure it's seated.
Refit the rack getting more angry as i marked one of the steering arms and scratched the chrome too (luckily i found out after its on the bottom where it can't be seen)

Gave up there. Had had enough.

Tue after work, i need a hand to line the rack to column up so Dan gave me a hand again. Got that in easier with two people. Fit nice chromed rack mounts too...






Chromed Clutch bracket back in, and cable on.



Refit gear linkage and spend a few mins setting it up as this time it's an **** to set up nicely.
Rack ends back on and set up tracking.. Get it looking straight so i can test drive it.. Drop car on ground.. One wheel has a little toe out. Other is almost straight.
Test drive down road... Christ it's hard to drive and steer! As i tun around Dan is waving like mad at me.
Back story here.. When i put the car in the garage as it was right over to the left i took the mirror off so while jacking up it wouldn't be near the wall. While walking past the car i think while carrying a F28 a chest hight i knocked the pass mirror knocking the glass out... So i hadn't spotted Dan waving...
Pull back on to drive way Dan is videoing me by this point... The wheel that was toeing out a little? It now just turning to turn left... So much so the tyre is really under strain... Now i see why it was hard to drive EEK!
Adjust tracking again, Dan thought if we measure the threads either side and set them the same then it would be straight... But no. One side seems to need to be longer...



Both wheels looking straight, test drive again.



Reverse off drive, turn and drive away.. Feels much better. Notice my water temp gauge is sticking, flick dash and it pops up. As it does the oil prerssure drops off and the light comes on.. Funk! Switch off.
Turn using momentum, Where i have just driven is in a deep dip... Coast down. Have to push up other side... not easy. People on my road park like **** holes. (back ground info, all house have big drives, but people still park on the road, but people will only park outside their houses, no matter what the other cars are parked like.
Even a nova is hard to push up a steep hill. Nice man i think from next door helps.. As i notice i've left a line of oil all the way down the road....
Get car on drive, oil pouring from by oil filter... When i pulled off the drive i must of clipped the oil line with the tyre and pulled it off the cooler feeds. Ol everywhere!



Then noticed water leaking too, pipe ripped, turbo has hit and finished a fin in the rad off too! I guess from giggling the engine to get the rear mount on! GREAT.
Push car in garage. Need to get the wheel of and start cleaning oil off and work out a better oil line.

On a good note, these is the angle of my steering arm now. That is much much better than before with the hub mods to invert the track rod ends..




Think that's it... Sorry it's a long read. Huge huge thanks to Dan for all his help. And to Peter... For falling asleep on my drive... haha

[kevster]

Hope you get it all sorted Ben , I feel your pain , I've has nothing but grief with mine , box looks the nuts ,!!!

[Benn]

Me too. I'm thinking many chromed copper pipe work with just silicone joiners for the oil line. That way i can hang it better and if the tyre touches it should be a prob....

[House]

Unreal attention to detail mate, makes the difference!!

Are you not able to go with some AN fittings and some SS braided rubber hose for the cooler?? Would be flexible enough to clip it up out the way, you could even go up into the chasis leg with them on your way to the cooler??

[Benn]

I could, but i last run with braided cost me a lot for not alot of gain... So i've not gone back for the mo.

[Benn]

The video i spoke of, not as good as i had hoped tho. But you can see the wheels pointing the wrong way.

http://vidmg.photobucket.com/albums/...psuxtlrrwq.mp4

[House]

I could, but i last run with braided cost me a lot for not alot of gain... So i've not gone back for the mo.

I can understand that mate, I've probably spent near on £1000 on braided lines and various fittings and I'm still not happy with how it all looks!!

As for the vid, looks fine to me, bit of toe in, help it turn in!!!!!!

[Benn]

hahaha it was turning in so much the tyre was trying to pop off... and it was bloody hot for a 2min drive down and up the road.
See the hill we had to push the car up...

[House]

Pushing novas up hill is like character building!! Makes you hate it a bit more!!!