Jackal

Next up was putting a fender on for the cuts needed to the exhaust. A couple of shots with the fender on and the wheel half mounted. Of course, only half the holes in the fenders line up, and there will be a little drilling needed to get the fender properly mounted. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/6537b0a3.jpg http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/b2c736e5.jpg The angle I'm looking for from the exhaust tip. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/7a89f558.jpg The look I'm going for with a scrap bit of metal in the shop. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/47558951.jpg

Couple small projects in the works, but one big headache off my mind. One thing I took from the meeting last weekend is that there will be a need for rescue and service tools on the road for the first year. The rear tub off the Birkin has some weird angles and spaces in it and just laying the jack in the tub spells certain disaster. I decided to make a foam insert that I will carve out spaces for the tools and jack to rest in. I use 6lb foam found at hobby shops, and have found this to be plenty strong enough for these purposes. It is important to find a good medium that the foam will not stick to, and keep in mind this has to be the stickiest stuff you'll ever use. I like to use Petroleum jelly to keep foam from sticking. The tub jellied.... http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/0c716e71.jpg The first pour of foam..... http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/34053d80.jpg Double checking that the parts are still removable.... http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/15354fce.jpg Eventually there will be across the whole bottom of the tub, and I'll carve out the spots for the jack, and tools.

Great to meet you all in person yesterday. It was exciting to see a Se7en out in the snow as well. Duane

Running a little late, just leaving cranston now.

I do miss my old WRX for that reason. Matrix + Every drive = :ack:

Done and done. Too bad the weather is as it is. I was hoping to drool over some Se7ens Saturday as well.

I like to use rare earth magnets. They show me the clearances, and allow me to attach lengths of metal to simulate the depth of the gauges. Thanks, I sure will.

For my tastes, I think I'll stick with the cycle fenders. I like the Idea of seeing the suspension at work.

Little more work last night. finished installing the pedal extensions on the pedal box, and tentatively mounted the pedal box. I want to do a test fit with Kitty and see how she fits in the car. I am able to have the seat all the way back and access the pedals comfortably. Kitty should only need the seat half way forward. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/9895cb49.jpg Just to give a reference as to how small this car is, here is a shot of my feet wearing semi chunky hicking shoes. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/caa9fec5.jpg Second revision of the dash is printed and pasted in. I need to start drilling the holes, but I have a lot of tension over it. I don't want to be a mm off drilling into the new carbon fiber. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/25e1993e.jpg .....and just a pic of where the car sits right now. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/a553bd87.jpg

I am cancelling my dentist appointment now so I can go. Weather should be OK, will any Se7en's be coming out to play?

Darren, I appreciate your response. I do tend to assosiate one with the other, but realize that the registration process is mostly weither my horn works, and not if the brake lines are kinked. I still like the idea of someone familiar with these cars having the last look, and the fact that he is a contributing member here helps. I will be having a car builder look at the car, and do the first crank on the motor for me. I have never taken on a project like this, and feel more comfortable with an experienced builder, ensure the first turn over is done correctly. They will actually be installing the ECU and doing the tune for me as well. While there, I'll have them do a quick once over to see if there is anything I should be revisiting.

He should be able to spot stuff that others may miss was my hope. Of course I hope he spots no issues though.

Very much so. Kitty and I hope to make a dry run trip to Vancouver this year and hit the Vancouver Island Sevens for 2012. I also have a date with a GTR this year at the ASA regionals.

Terry had helped me out before when I was looking into the purchase with tonnes of info and time. I figured since he's so familiar with the cars, and helped me so much, I would head that direction.

I am so envious right now. Looks like fun.

Due to the weekends activities, and friends visiting, I did not get all the time I would have liked out in the garage. Unfortunately I only got over there for a short time yesterday to look at a couple odd little jobs while I continue to wait for the Painless wiring kit. First of the odd jobs was the pedal extensions. I have been waiting to do these until I got closer to the fire up date, and since I have some time now, I thought I would get on it. These should allow me to have the seat all the way back when I drive, and Kitty will only need to have the seat moved half way forward. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/b3e088f4.jpg Another little annoyance has been that the snaps for the top have not been getting attached firmly enough for my liking. The snaps all had some play in them, and could cause rattles, or break off due to the flex. I had only put a few on before stopping to investigate the challenge, but like many of the little fiddly bits, I left it until now to get back to. I found the problem was that the rivet gun was not fitting inside the snap fully, and left a bit of a gap between the rivet and the tip of the riveter. I ground down the tip of the riveter and replaced the few snaps already in place with ones much more firmly attached. Now I will put a little dab of paint on all the rivets to ensure they are blacked out. I know they won't be seen, but I'll know they stick out like a sore thumb. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/9497da9b.jpg I also had another attempt at the dash layout. I layed the pattern out in Visio, and lined it all up based on measurements that I have taken. The small grouping of gauges is still about 1/8 inch too far from the speedo, and I'll line up another template today. I plan on taping it all down, then drilling the pilot hole first. Luckly I was able to find hole saws that are exactly the diameter's I need for the gauges, and shouldn't have to bodge the holes to the right sizes. (3-1/16, 2-1/8) http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/79aa0b1e.jpg

Hi there, I am interested in the luggage rack, depending if you're willing to ship, and the cost. Thanks. Duane

I'm in the same boat. Feverishly working to get her built then to Red Deer for inspection and registration plate.

I am very happy to hear the only thing injured was your ego. It sounds like the car is rebuildable, and it would seem you have a good attitude about it.

I like it. I have been thinking about how to get around with all the stuff I want to tour with. I have a tent big enough to fit the car into the vesitbule, but no way to get the tent where the car is. I had a look on the Costco site, and didn't see it. Which Costco did you get it from?

Thanks. It's not perfect yet, but I'll spend more time on it tonight. I got them from http://www.periheliondesign.com/switchguards.htm but I just noticed that Cbsonline.co.uk has them too. On a side note, they are a little bit of work to lay out and get lined up correctly. Lots of holes have to be lined up, or they will be noticably off. I had pre-existing holes to work around, and the switch box is not even remotely square.

Finished the paint on the switch box. I got the switches mounted, but a couple of the guards are a little crooked. I left a little wiggle room to level them out, but I'm beat, and will sort out the guards tomorrow. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/bc5150e2.jpg

Managed to get a good few hours in the garage today. First the old wiring had to come out to make way for the new Painless harness. Seems a shame to do this all again, but with the wires cracking and bnot terminating because of corroded insulation, it's the best way to go. This will set me back a little, but I consider it good time to catch up on the other little things that need doing. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/IMG_8280.jpg Then I figured I needed a better way to access the fuse panel, and relays was to build a drop down shelf. I started by getting rid of the old fuse tray and the heater inlet, then used a piano hinge on some aluminum plate to make the tray. I riveted the piano hinge to the frame rail at the front of the foot box. I will say that getting under this dash is a huge challenge, and I hope this is the last time I have to lay in the contorted positions I had to, to drill the holes. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/IMG_8297.jpg Once the tray was in, I figured I wanted to use bolts to hold the tray upright. I do not want the tray to drop during spirited driving and causing an electrical problem, or worse yet injuring my passenger. I lined up the tray, and then riveted an L bracket to the fram under the dash. In this L bracket I used a couple Riv-nuts to allow the bolts to get a solid hold of the bracket. I have to get some 1/4" bolts for the tray, and I am considering butterfly bolts. Now I have plenty of room to mount the fuse panel, and will make another tray for the drivers side. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/IMG_8288.jpg http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/IMG_8290.jpg

Ordered thePainless wiring kit today. I was tired of dealing with hacked up, crumbly, mislabeled and generally just crap wiring. Kitty was tired of having me come home frustrated and pulling my hair out from working on it. Kitty was kind enough to get me the Painless wiring kit, and I have to say; I am so lucky to have a girl who tolerates, and understands me. With that order in, I have a little time to do some of the little projects needed to finish off the build. I have been wondering how to deal with the switches for the things like the lights, hazards, heated windscreen, heater (if I install it), and any other I may want to wire in. The new carbon fiber dash was not going to get the numerous holes I had planned for the switch layout. The kit came with a little carbon fiber part for behind the gear shift that normally held the vent flaps for the heater, the fan switch, and a couple spots for other switches (?). I decided to adapt it the way I want it. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/27869d29.jpg I started by sanding it all down and getting it nice and smooth. I filled the large hole with some chicken wire filler and fiber glass. Then bondo'd up the the holes to make it smooth. I drilled out the holes that were currently there, and decided to use five holes for the panel. I figure a couple free switches will be ok for the balance of the look. Since the holes were there, and the piece was not square to begin with, I started the long process of guestimating the exact ??? location for the other two holes to be drilled. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/77b0c373.jpg I then added holes for the rest of the look. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/6b4b4943.jpg Just have to open the bottom hole up a bit for the start button, and then break out the Plasi dip. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/0884821c.jpg

Just playing around, I wanted to see what the tires looked like side by next. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l294/nivaguy/7bf15544.jpg