Seat belt mounting threads

Another quick task which needs to be done is cleaning the seat belt threads of powder coat to allow for the seat belt anchors to screw through cleanly.

Using a 7/16 x 20 UNC tap sourced off ebay together with plenty of WD40 sprayed into each thread I gently turned the tap 1/4 turn clockwise 1/2 turn anticlockwise being fully aware not to cross thread the existing threads.

All eight anchorage points cleaned and the thread runs nice and true.

first task completed

Well, a week has passed since the collection from GBS, Christmas is fast approaching and I have been desperate to fit something to the chassis, nothing too onerous or challenging to start with and a spare couple of hours presented themselves this afternoon allowing me to make a start.

So....Steering column bush, looks relatively straightforward and a quick-ish job to do....

Simple task locate rubber grommet into the chassis steering column bracket and in turn insert a nylon collar followed by a further collar to provide a bush for the column to pass through into the engine bay and onto the steering shaft.

Reading other builds some grease/lubricant maybe needed to ease it all into position but it actually went together quite well, the nylon collar being teased into position with the help of a screwdriver easing the rubber grommet over it.

Test fitted the steering column and whilst the column goes into the bush it is not coming through cleanly on the other side which suggests to me the angle of the chassis bracket needs bending slightly towards the cockpit to allow the column to pass through, some reading on other blogs needed to confirm if that is the case.

25 January update - further research suggests the chassis bracket did need bending, duly bent with some brute force, steering column now comes through the bush absolutely fine

Getting sorted

So, having had some sleep it was time to get in the garage and sort out what had been deposited in there in a rush late afternoon yesterday.

As a point of reference I ordered the GBS Zero Ford based kit with lowered floor panel, powder coated chassis, fuel system, brake lines and main wiring loom in lieu of the GRP bodywork which I don't need until later in the build. My intention throughout this process is to be methodical and logical in the build acquiring bits relevant to the stage of build as I go along.

So, with that in mind I need to find homes for everything, having a double garage helps but I do need to recognize the left hand side of the garage is for Sue's MX5 the right hand side is for the Zero! - clear demarcation lines to observe

Conscious some of the panels are long (side panels), awkward and bulky (bonnet and rear panel) and downright fragile (top shroud) the roof of the garage came in handy to store these bits till required.

i went through the various boxes, labeling, identifying and safely storing for future needs.  

One thing that does stand out is the quality of finish on the powder-coat, really first class and I was conscious with the wishbones, hub carriers etc to place down gently for fear of damaging the coating.

I finally ripped off the protective film around the front of the chassis and wrapped bubble wrap around the exposed radiator brackets and rear rollbar supports (both to protect the powder coat but also me when brushing against the chassis!)

A long but rewarding morning and I am itching to get started, fit something, drill something, thinking all of this (and more) has to fit on the chassis at some point, exciting times ahead!

 

Collection day!

Well after what seems like an age since placing the order and having come back from holiday suitably refreshed the day finally arrived to collect the much anticipated kit.

Van collected the night before (thanks Enterprise rent a car, excellent service highly recommended, top tip book as far in advance as you can, great deals to be had) and a detour via my Brother in laws to drop off a large MDF board for Christmas (another story!), I started the trek across to GBS in Nottinghamshire breaking the journey up in Chesterfield with a night stop at my parents house.

Saturday dawned a crisp cold clear day and I took this opportunity to bring my father along for the ride as I know he was extremely keen on the project and afterall he was a catalyst to this project many years ago.

We arrived at GBS and were warmly greeted with coffee and mince pies, Steve spent loads of time with us, taking us into the workshop to point out aspects of the build I was unsure about but also aspects I had not considered, information overload but gratefully received at the same time

Then we moved onto the kit and spent the next hour/half going through the kit and loading onto the van. Any doubts I had about the van being too big were dispelled and I would recommend to anyone hiring a van for collection go for the long wheelbase and also another tip - take plenty of packing, rope, foam anything soft really to pack around the chassis and so forth (an old duvet and pillows proved useful here!)

So from arriving after 10:00AM we finally started the trek back to Cheshire via Chesterfield just after 12:00PM I needed to get the van back to the hirer by 5:00pm so a tight deadline beckoned!

After dropping my father off and a welcome bacon and egg butty the last stage of the journey to Cheshire was tiresome with Christmas shopping traffic but I made it back to home where my Brother in law ably assisted me in unloading everything into the garage, I'll worry about finding homes for everything tomorrow, need to get that van back!