April 2001
Carrying on regardless after shearing the cable clamp on the carb linkage. Finishing up the last of the dashboard wiring (which just seems to go on and on). Added a fog light warning lamp, the wiring for the oil temperature gauge and the brake fluid warning light. The loom has the brake fluid warning lamp wired directly to the handbrake only, but that's only used as a test switch for the fluid warning. So it now lights when fluid is low too - simple job, run two wires from brake fluid reservoir cap (the outer two of the three connections) into the dash wiring. One side goes to ground, the other goes to the white/black side of the brake warning lamp. Oh, I also discovered during a test fit that some wires aren't long enough to reach the gauges, lights and switches. So they've been lengthened to suit, and I think it's now pretty much ready to go. Went to the kit car show at Detling over the weekend and picked up a stack of bits I needed. Mostly lights and electrical bits, and little details like a tax disk holder.
A lot of this week has been spent organising Tiger list fleeces, which are now about ready for orders. I've got samples from the suppliers and agreed prices with them. There will be quantity and hopefully some delivery discounts, but I can't work them out until I've got all the orders in, and I need money at that point. Any cash left over will be refunded when the fleeces are sent out.
Continued work on tidying things up ready for the off. Quick visit to the scrapyard for a few odd connectors I had missing. So wired up the brake level warning, fitted the handbrake switch which was absent from my lever and wired the LT onto the coil.
Also picked up some lengths of cooling hoses from a local hose specialist. Remarkably, none of the local
motor factors could supply hose off the reel, only shaped pieces which were no use for the long runs around the engine
bay of the Six. Put the cooling system together:
Over the Easter weekend, Neil Wain and Ian Martin popped over to witness the big event. We checked the timing, put some LRP in (for now), added some oil and loosely attached the silencer so as not to completely irritate the neighbours..... I'd got a new battery, a Bosch Silver Plus, for the occasion as it had a big capacity and stacks of cranking current. Just as well really, because it wouldn't go. She turned well, and kinda tried to go but just wouldn't catch. We checked all the basics: sparks & fuel, and tweaked carb settings and timing but to no avail. After a few hours of head scratching we put it down to the carb jetting and gave up for the day... :-(
On bank holiday Monday, I went and took a look at Neil's timing to check we were doing it right. And lo and behold, we had been confused by the Bosch hall-effect dizzy with its four-pointed star and been setting it about 20 degrees off. No wonder it didn't go. So I went back, twiddled the timing to where it should have been, turned the key and the engine roared into life on the first turn. It's shockingly loud, mostly from the carbs. The exhaust noise isn't that bad at all, just as well they test on that at the SVA.... I couldn't run it for long, as I haven't got the expansion tank fitted yet.
Some help saw me with a repaired carb linkage, with a 10mm cable clamp stud which certainly won't be shearing. Fitted it and it works beautifully. Lovely smooth action.... ;-) I've done the obligatory starting-it-up-for-any-mate-who-happens-to-drop-by ritual this week, including once in the garage. Unfortunately the petrol fumes made their way through the walls/ceiling into the house and the whole place smells now. Was I popular? What do you think.....
Finalised fleece orders and put them into the people who are making them up. They'll be ready in time for the Stoneleigh show on 6th/7th May. Final orders made it up to 53.
Bought a tent for Stoneleigh, we'll be camping out there the whole weekend. I'll be bringing along a gallon or so of wine to make the evenings even more enjoyable...
Attached the expansion tank bracket briefly, then painted it and reattached it properly. Only problem is the panel it's attached to flexes rather a lot. Looks like I'm going to have to make up some bracing for it. I think I realised this before, but was hoping I'd get away without any....
Approved fleece logo and gave the go-ahead to get them all made up.