Build Diary
June 2008


Now the car is nice and close I have made good steady progress.  Very encouraging.

Sorted out the brakelines.  
I had decided that using flexible brakelines throughout wouldn't add any expense (as flaring tools cost £30 and are not needed with flexible hoses).  Also one big cost of the hoses is all the couplings.  This can be reduced with an all flexible set-up.

This sort of works and sort of doesn't.  The complication with flexible is that you need to connect the flexible where it needs to be flexible to the chassis where it shouldn't be flexible.  If you just hae a p-clip there is lots of localised stress, not ideal, and a worry.  So, I ended up splitting my flexible front hoses a bit of added expense, but I am pleased that I can be 100% confident of the front brakes.  The back ones are a not so important, and as those wheels have fewer degrees of motion I can pig-tail the hose to avoid any problems.

For the hose I used Euroquip braided hose.  I covered this with transparent heat shrink.  Further in regions where rubbing might occur with a second thickness of heat shrink.
I decided to clip the hoses to the chassis with "knock-on" hose clips.  Personally I think these are more elegant than the alternative P-clips, but others argue that larger holes in the chassis (5mm or so) weaken it more than small (2.5mm) holes for rivets.  It my hobby so....


Sorted out a brake switch.  Bought for a few beans from e-bay.  Although lots of people choose to use switches that are activated by fluid pressure (one benefit being that you can have this in the rear T-piece, which further simplifies wiring), I have heard bad reports of these switches (in-sensitive, and fail).  Anyway, they are not used on commercially produced cars, so I guess they aren't the best idea.  Photo below, slightly worried that it might be near my heel, but its good and solid, and I think (read hope) it will not be a problem.

Finally I put in some fuel hose.  This is 8mm o.d. copper tube (from B&Q) which was expecting to supply gas insomeones house.  It will have a more interesting life in my car.  I didn't enjoy fitting this, basically you get one chance to bend it, then it work hardens.  It might be possible to bend with a tool, but barehanded it gets damned tough.  I didn't do a very good job, but I decided to stick with my second effort.  This also clips into the same clips as the brakehose.

I had decided that I would not change the differential oil seals, but once I started putting things together I decided that it would be an easy job now, and a tough one later.  Easy part to order (early 1.6 and 1.8 Sierra, are different, possibly when the driveshafts were extra skinny, later Cosworth ones are different, abut all others are equal).  www.bearingkits.co.uk (friendly, helpful and knowledgable).  Removing the old seals on the output shafts was not easy.  My Haynes says "lever out with a screwdriver", well Mr Haynes after 15years under an old Sierra this doesn't work.  Best method was; wallop the top with a wood-chisel, this damages the seal, and also knocks the top in.  Once it is not square you can lever it out with the claw end of a claw-hammer.  You do need to take care not to damage the alloy, but actually there is no pressure in there, and the oil level is low (not exactly sure where, but I suspect the level is below these holes).

So, with the diff sorted I bolted up the rear end.  Adjusting the camber at the rear is lovely and easy (although I didn't know what to adjust to).  Adjusting the toe-in at the rear is a bit more fiddly (this isn't possible on all Phoenix, but mine has balljoints at the front of the rear wishbones), and is 10x more fiddly now that I have installed rubber boot covers (raceparts.co.uk who are local and dead friendly, if a little pricey).  Bit like childbirth in that it is a tight squeeze, and a bit of a pain.  Actually I still have one to do (ball-joint, not childbirth).

Sorted out the gear lever.  My original design didn't fit in the tunnel, which is narrow in the first place, and is only narrower as I have put the handbrake inside the tunnel (for neatness).
I managed to get a couple of m8 ball joints (one LHT) and threaded a aluminium rod to suit.  The rod runs close to a few things, but doesn't touch (at the moment anyway).  I'm pretty pleased with it.  Sorted out the handbrake cable (Fiat coupe), and fastened down the handbrake cable at the rear with rubber hose to cover where it could rub.


So, after all this stuff, I decided that I couldn't prevaricate any longer.  Time to panel the chassis.

I am half-way through, and have worked out the basic system.

1) jigsaw with a fine metal blade cuts through (knife through butter), but annoys the neighbours because it is loud. (cordless is fine)
2) snips (cheap B&Q ones) are alright, but leave serations on the panel, which can be removed with a file
3) files are dead quick and with accurate marking can be used for getting things nice and straight (snips are not great for this)

Essential tools:
1) Clecos, skin pins, or equivalent
2) a drill that allows you to get into the corners (I have a £9 90deg attachment).  I have a cordless, but use my beefier corded
3) quite a few drill bits, or a means to sharpen them
4) a bit of 3in1 to speed up the drilling process
5) loads of clamps (padded to avoid scratching the panels)
6) 400 grade sandpaper and electric sander (for when 5 goes wrong), also aluminium polish
7) straight edge, masking tape and pencil
8) THIS IS A GOOD ONE.  A bar that has holes at the required spacing (see brass rod in image above).  Basically, instead of measuring, marking and centrepunching every hole, f you make a strip like this (steel would have been better than brass) then you can clamp it on and drill through as fast as you like.  By leaving a drill bit in the end hole you can pivot it around guaranteeing perfectly straight and perfectly spaced holes.  (Gordon Griffin, from the Sylva chat group needs thanking for this tip, he has others that I will test and report on).

All in all it is a nice job to do.  The only problems come with the fact that the chassis is a bit random.  I have chosen not to destroy the powdercoat, and some of the welds are more generous than would be ideal which means the panels have to accomodate.  The rear bulkhead isn't symmetrical, well nothing is symmetrical, although from the panels you might think that it is.  ,


So, with the exception of the side panels, which were a reasonable fit I would have been better off with a sheet of alloy to start from (actually that is what I am going to do as I need to fab the tunnel side panels, as they weren't the right shape and the fold was in the wrong place).

So, I have cut and drilled both side panels (except for where the rear wheel is in the way).  Also I have cut and drilled the two rear panels including holes for the suspension bolts (I got some nice 32mm blanking grommets so these look nice.  I do need to trim the inner edges of these panels and make the middle panel the right size (plan here is to hinge the centre panel as a hatch to the "boot" space.  I need to crack on with the panelling before my enthusiasm for it wears off.  Especially those dreaded tunnel sides!


Brake fluid reservoir.
I got the standard 4 outlet SAAB item, but it is a bit rubbish (1 outlet too many and brackets even its designer couldn't love), so I bought a new one PB000191 (raceparts.co.uk in Wallingford).  This is 2 outlet, so I can use the original bike for the clutch (which is a good thing), and is a tidier design (IMO).  I just need to make up a bracket, but may wait for when the bulkhead is installed.  The reservoir is a standard part but the wallingford guys do a good price (actually they are good on price for lots of stuff, not as good as RD, but better than Europa and Merlin).

15th June
Ordered a sheet of aluminium NS4 (5251 in new money) 1.6mm thick (standard size sheet is about 8x4ft, so I'd better put the roofrack on).




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