Reliant Scimitar SS1
- Thread starter Pollymog
- Start date
Aye up chaps – been a while since I updated the thread so here are a few more installments 
!
I fitted the hard top late last year (2009) in order to free up some space in the garage but having it in place didn’t leave me with much room in which to fit the rollbar. The hardtop’s too big/heavy for one person to remove so I was stuck with it! I already had the passenger’s seat out of the car so decided to take the drivers seat out as well to give me more room – it would have had to come out soon enough anyway as I have some MX5 seats that I want to fit. The bar went in the car no problem & using some pointers I'd printed off the Scimweb forum (a mine of information) I started the job! The first mistake I made was that I didn't mark where the feet of the bar went when the carpet was in place. So once I'd fitted & bolted the bar in place without the carpet in the car I realised that it'd all have to come out again so that I could refit/mark/cut the carpet!! Did I feel a numpty? Yes I did!
I have a non-galvanised car so I wasn't sure whether the captive nuts - as fitted to some (all?) galvanised cars - for the roll bar feet bolts would be there or not. It turns out that they aren't fitted to my car so I had to drill some 10mm holes to accept the bolts that had been sent with the roll bar. Unfortunately these bolts weren't long enough so I had to make a quick trip to Screwfix (there's a branch close to our house) to get some long enough bolts & also some nyloc nuts. This is turning into a longwinded way of saying that the bar fits fine & feels reassuringly solid when it's all bolted up. It feels as if it should increase the strength of the car quite a lot even though it is only bolted in place. I'm told that welding it in position would be better but I'm not sure how I'd do this given that there's a layer of glass fibre between the rollover bar feet & the actual chassis & I'm not taking the car to bits any more than it is already! The bar is also held in place by three M8 bolts at the B-post so it’s held in position by 12 bolts (6 per side) in total. It feels totally solid & should increase the strength/rigidity of the car quite a bit. I have been told that the strength of the actual bar can be increased by welding a diagonal bar across it but I’m not sure this is really necessary.
Anyway here are a few pictures of the job – the last one shows the finished installation.
The first pic shows the roll bar foot & the three M10 bolts that hold it in position. I’ve used thick washers/spreader plates behind to secure them. Access was a complete pig & I had to remove the rear shock absorbers to give me more room – even then the rear suspension arms got in the way & I ended up using just about every extension I had in my socket set to reach the nuts. There’s no way I’m removing the roll bar now & I’m glad that fitting it is finished!!
This pic shows the roll bar in position - all holes drilled & partly bolted in. I then realised that it'd have to come out again so that I could fit/mark/cut the carpet.
This photo shows the clearance between the roll bar & inside of the hard top (it also shows that my hard top needs retrimming). Clearance with the hard top fitted is fine, so it should be ok with the soft top fitted, but I'll just have to wait & see. The soft top's pretty worn out & could really do with replacing so I'll probably end up using the car with the hard top fitted most of the time.
And here we have the finished installation - carpet fitted & cut, roll bar in position & all bolts tightened up. I like the way it looks & it feels proper, & I mean PROPER, solid & I'm chuffed with it. I'm not sure I'd want to do the job again anytime soon though!!
Opinions welcome as always.
I spent Saturday hack sawing, drilling, tapping, sweating, straining & swearing as I adapted the Reliant seat runners to fit a pair of MX5 seats I’d bought a few months ago. I'd already fitted the passenger’s seat once but removed it so that I could copy the adapters I'd made for the seat runners. I made the adapters out of some 10mm iron plate I had in stock – my idea being to bolt these plates to MX5 seat bases using the M8 holes already tapped into them, & then bolt the Reliant runners onto the plates into which I’d tapped another M8 hole. I didn't take any photo's of the adaptors I'm afraid (sorry about that) but they seem to do the job well enough. They were fiddly & time consuming to make though - the worst part being hack sawing through the 10mm plate! Both seats feel very secure & still move forwards & backwards (the drivers side a little reluctantly). The seats themselves are much comfier & more supportive than the originals (which were knackered) but also felt overstuffed, almost as if you were sitting on top of them rather than in them (if that makes any sense?). So I removed the seats & covers & attacked the seat foam with an electric carving knife (as you do!) to try & reduce the height of the seat cushion. Again it seems to have worked well & both seats (the drivers side especially) feel more “buckety” whilst still being comfortable. The main problem is that the seats sit a bit higher than the originals, this isn’t really a problem for me & Gillian as we’re both 5’7”ish but it probably will be a problem for anyone much taller than us. I can see me getting the seat rails lowered at some stage in the future which means doing a bit of cutting & welding & then getting the floor re-fibre glassed! It’s not a huge job (apparently), & plenty of people have already done it, but it’s not really something I want to start right now.
So that's the interior more or less sorted, next on the agenda is to try & get the engine running. I need to pull it out again so that I can fit a new clutch release bearing - I should have fitted one when the engine was out but, like a plonker, I forgot! The lack of a sump is still a problem but I’m hoping that it’ll be sorted soon! Then I'm probably going to have to leave the car for a bit until I can get the funds together for a fuel pump, carb(s)/manifold, megajolt ecu, starter motor, alternator mount & alternator, exhaust etc etc etc!
I'm getting married at the end of July, and then I’m off on honeymoon for 2 weeks, so it looks as if life will get in the way of the project for a while.
Anyway here are a couple of not very good pics of the seats installed.
Ta for all your support & I'll update the thread when I've got more to say.
!I fitted the hard top late last year (2009) in order to free up some space in the garage but having it in place didn’t leave me with much room in which to fit the rollbar. The hardtop’s too big/heavy for one person to remove so I was stuck with it! I already had the passenger’s seat out of the car so decided to take the drivers seat out as well to give me more room – it would have had to come out soon enough anyway as I have some MX5 seats that I want to fit. The bar went in the car no problem & using some pointers I'd printed off the Scimweb forum (a mine of information) I started the job! The first mistake I made was that I didn't mark where the feet of the bar went when the carpet was in place. So once I'd fitted & bolted the bar in place without the carpet in the car I realised that it'd all have to come out again so that I could refit/mark/cut the carpet!! Did I feel a numpty? Yes I did!
I have a non-galvanised car so I wasn't sure whether the captive nuts - as fitted to some (all?) galvanised cars - for the roll bar feet bolts would be there or not. It turns out that they aren't fitted to my car so I had to drill some 10mm holes to accept the bolts that had been sent with the roll bar. Unfortunately these bolts weren't long enough so I had to make a quick trip to Screwfix (there's a branch close to our house) to get some long enough bolts & also some nyloc nuts. This is turning into a longwinded way of saying that the bar fits fine & feels reassuringly solid when it's all bolted up. It feels as if it should increase the strength of the car quite a lot even though it is only bolted in place. I'm told that welding it in position would be better but I'm not sure how I'd do this given that there's a layer of glass fibre between the rollover bar feet & the actual chassis & I'm not taking the car to bits any more than it is already! The bar is also held in place by three M8 bolts at the B-post so it’s held in position by 12 bolts (6 per side) in total. It feels totally solid & should increase the strength/rigidity of the car quite a bit. I have been told that the strength of the actual bar can be increased by welding a diagonal bar across it but I’m not sure this is really necessary.
Anyway here are a few pictures of the job – the last one shows the finished installation.
The first pic shows the roll bar foot & the three M10 bolts that hold it in position. I’ve used thick washers/spreader plates behind to secure them. Access was a complete pig & I had to remove the rear shock absorbers to give me more room – even then the rear suspension arms got in the way & I ended up using just about every extension I had in my socket set to reach the nuts. There’s no way I’m removing the roll bar now & I’m glad that fitting it is finished!!
This pic shows the roll bar in position - all holes drilled & partly bolted in. I then realised that it'd have to come out again so that I could fit/mark/cut the carpet.
This photo shows the clearance between the roll bar & inside of the hard top (it also shows that my hard top needs retrimming). Clearance with the hard top fitted is fine, so it should be ok with the soft top fitted, but I'll just have to wait & see. The soft top's pretty worn out & could really do with replacing so I'll probably end up using the car with the hard top fitted most of the time.
And here we have the finished installation - carpet fitted & cut, roll bar in position & all bolts tightened up. I like the way it looks & it feels proper, & I mean PROPER, solid & I'm chuffed with it. I'm not sure I'd want to do the job again anytime soon though!!
Opinions welcome as always.
I spent Saturday hack sawing, drilling, tapping, sweating, straining & swearing as I adapted the Reliant seat runners to fit a pair of MX5 seats I’d bought a few months ago. I'd already fitted the passenger’s seat once but removed it so that I could copy the adapters I'd made for the seat runners. I made the adapters out of some 10mm iron plate I had in stock – my idea being to bolt these plates to MX5 seat bases using the M8 holes already tapped into them, & then bolt the Reliant runners onto the plates into which I’d tapped another M8 hole. I didn't take any photo's of the adaptors I'm afraid (sorry about that) but they seem to do the job well enough. They were fiddly & time consuming to make though - the worst part being hack sawing through the 10mm plate! Both seats feel very secure & still move forwards & backwards (the drivers side a little reluctantly). The seats themselves are much comfier & more supportive than the originals (which were knackered) but also felt overstuffed, almost as if you were sitting on top of them rather than in them (if that makes any sense?). So I removed the seats & covers & attacked the seat foam with an electric carving knife (as you do!) to try & reduce the height of the seat cushion. Again it seems to have worked well & both seats (the drivers side especially) feel more “buckety” whilst still being comfortable. The main problem is that the seats sit a bit higher than the originals, this isn’t really a problem for me & Gillian as we’re both 5’7”ish but it probably will be a problem for anyone much taller than us. I can see me getting the seat rails lowered at some stage in the future which means doing a bit of cutting & welding & then getting the floor re-fibre glassed! It’s not a huge job (apparently), & plenty of people have already done it, but it’s not really something I want to start right now.
So that's the interior more or less sorted, next on the agenda is to try & get the engine running. I need to pull it out again so that I can fit a new clutch release bearing - I should have fitted one when the engine was out but, like a plonker, I forgot! The lack of a sump is still a problem but I’m hoping that it’ll be sorted soon! Then I'm probably going to have to leave the car for a bit until I can get the funds together for a fuel pump, carb(s)/manifold, megajolt ecu, starter motor, alternator mount & alternator, exhaust etc etc etc!
I'm getting married at the end of July, and then I’m off on honeymoon for 2 weeks, so it looks as if life will get in the way of the project for a while.
Anyway here are a couple of not very good pics of the seats installed.
Ta for all your support & I'll update the thread when I've got more to say.
Another update - cooling system this time
The thermostat housing on the Zetec engine is situated at the back of the cylinder head – this is fine in a front wheel drive layout but not so good in a rear wheel drive layout. It means there’s a long length of pipe from the thermostat to the radiator & it means that changing the thermostat can be awkward due to the closeness of the bulkhead – although there is a recess under the windscreen on the SS1 which means that while it isn’t pressed up against the bulkhead it is buried under the base of the windscreen! As Zetec conversions/installations become more popular in things like Mk1/MK2 Escorts, Cortina’s, Capri’s etc parts are becoming available to make these conversions easier. One of these parts is the Raceline water rail which moves the thermostat housing from the rear of the engine to the side/front. This also reduces the length of pipe needed from the thermostat housing to the radiator - though it’s still quite a long run in the SS1 because the radiator's miles away from the engine & the inlet is on the far side of the radiator.
The upshot of all this is that to make my life easier (& my wallet much lighter) I’ve bought & fitted a Raceline water rail – it’s a thing of beauty, looks like it's part of the engine & fitted perfectly. Unfortunately it means that my very nice tubular exhaust manifold won’t fit so that’s more money to be spent later on & the pile of parts to list on Ebay grows ever larger!
As I say fitting the water rail has simplified the cooling system somewhat & I’ve started a trial layout of what bit of pipe goes where. I’m going to use blue silicone hose mated to metal (a combination of steel & alloy) coolant pipes. It should work well I think despite all the joints & jubilee clips (8).
I’ve also bought various other parts, which I've yet to fit, such as rear trailing arms, an electric fuel pump, twin choke Weber carb & manifold & finally a Megajolt ecu – this last item is essential & makes sure the sparks go where they’re supposed to go, at the time they’re supposed to go there! The biggest job out of all that lot will be fitting the rear trailing arms (though I’m not looking forward to wiring up the Megajolt either) & this means that I’ll finally have to bite the bullet & start stripping the rear of the car down. This is a pretty difficult job by all accounts & it’s not one that I’ve been looking forward to at all! Fitting it all should keep me busy for the rest of the year!
The water rail fitted.
Looking forward towards the radiator which shows the run of the pipe (as well as all the joints) – I’ve replaced the black rubber elbow with a blue silicone one since this photo was taken.
Looking down on the pipe run from above – the black metal pipe in the middle is part of the original SS1 cooling system & needs cleaning up (or replacing) & painting. You can get stainless steel coolant pipes for the SS1 but they're pretty expensive.
Thanks for reading
The thermostat housing on the Zetec engine is situated at the back of the cylinder head – this is fine in a front wheel drive layout but not so good in a rear wheel drive layout. It means there’s a long length of pipe from the thermostat to the radiator & it means that changing the thermostat can be awkward due to the closeness of the bulkhead – although there is a recess under the windscreen on the SS1 which means that while it isn’t pressed up against the bulkhead it is buried under the base of the windscreen! As Zetec conversions/installations become more popular in things like Mk1/MK2 Escorts, Cortina’s, Capri’s etc parts are becoming available to make these conversions easier. One of these parts is the Raceline water rail which moves the thermostat housing from the rear of the engine to the side/front. This also reduces the length of pipe needed from the thermostat housing to the radiator - though it’s still quite a long run in the SS1 because the radiator's miles away from the engine & the inlet is on the far side of the radiator.
The upshot of all this is that to make my life easier (& my wallet much lighter) I’ve bought & fitted a Raceline water rail – it’s a thing of beauty, looks like it's part of the engine & fitted perfectly. Unfortunately it means that my very nice tubular exhaust manifold won’t fit so that’s more money to be spent later on & the pile of parts to list on Ebay grows ever larger!
As I say fitting the water rail has simplified the cooling system somewhat & I’ve started a trial layout of what bit of pipe goes where. I’m going to use blue silicone hose mated to metal (a combination of steel & alloy) coolant pipes. It should work well I think despite all the joints & jubilee clips (8).
I’ve also bought various other parts, which I've yet to fit, such as rear trailing arms, an electric fuel pump, twin choke Weber carb & manifold & finally a Megajolt ecu – this last item is essential & makes sure the sparks go where they’re supposed to go, at the time they’re supposed to go there! The biggest job out of all that lot will be fitting the rear trailing arms (though I’m not looking forward to wiring up the Megajolt either) & this means that I’ll finally have to bite the bullet & start stripping the rear of the car down. This is a pretty difficult job by all accounts & it’s not one that I’ve been looking forward to at all
! Fitting it all should keep me busy for the rest of the year!The water rail fitted.
Looking forward towards the radiator which shows the run of the pipe (as well as all the joints) – I’ve replaced the black rubber elbow with a blue silicone one since this photo was taken.
Looking down on the pipe run from above – the black metal pipe in the middle is part of the original SS1 cooling system & needs cleaning up (or replacing) & painting. You can get stainless steel coolant pipes for the SS1 but they're pretty expensive.
Thanks for reading
Hi all – I’m back in good ol’ blighty so was thinking that a small update might be in order.
As you may have read earlier in the thread I was having trouble with the sump. A friend of mine had hacked/filed a great big hole in the front of the sump (so that it would clear the crossmember on the car) but finding someone who could weld said hole up was proving difficult. I even contacted an Aston Martin restorer (as they work with aluminium bodywork) but they weren't interested in doing it. Eventually though I managed to find a (very) local chap called Jamie (I can provide a contact number if you’re local to Leeds & need any aluminium - or any metal actually - welding) who was able to TIG weld a couple of plates onto the sump so covering the hole. Here's the sump after it's been TIG welded (very nicely) by Jamie. Unfortunately the pick-up pipe didn't fit so I had to hack another bit out of it & then get Jamie to weld a small bulge over it to close the resulting hole! I also had to modify the pick-up pipe to reduce the overall length/depth of it. Jamie also welded this for me & I’m happy to report that it fits fine & the sump is now bolted up into position.
This is the cut & shut pick-up pipe prior to welding:
Some time before my wedding (end of July) I'd ordered an inlet manifold from Usher Engineering – this has been developed for banger racing (where fuel injection isn’t allowed) & is designed to take a single twin choke 32/36 Weber carburettor. I was told that the manifold should arrive before I went on honeymoon but, unfortunately, it didn’t. When I got back there was a note from DHL saying that it had been left with a neighbour, so I trotted off & picked it up from them straightaway as they'd been holding onto it for the best part of two weeks. It wasn’t the cheapest thing in the world but I have to say that it’s beautifully made & fits a treat.
Anyway here are a few pics of the thing in position:
I have a suitable carb but haven’t fitted it yet as the engine has to come out so that I can change the clutch release bearing! Also I’ve no idea of the history of the carb so that could do with a stripdown & clean …… then I’ll have to try & make up some sort of throttle linkage. So there’s still a huge amount left to do on the car.
One of the pics above shows the alternator mount below the inlet manifold – this still needs welding up (Jamie again!) so I’ll probably try & get that done when the engine’s out of the car. I’m not sure when any of this will happen though!
As you may have read earlier in the thread I was having trouble with the sump. A friend of mine had hacked/filed a great big hole in the front of the sump (so that it would clear the crossmember on the car) but finding someone who could weld said hole up was proving difficult. I even contacted an Aston Martin restorer (as they work with aluminium bodywork) but they weren't interested in doing it. Eventually though I managed to find a (very) local chap called Jamie (I can provide a contact number if you’re local to Leeds & need any aluminium - or any metal actually - welding) who was able to TIG weld a couple of plates onto the sump so covering the hole. Here's the sump after it's been TIG welded (very nicely) by Jamie. Unfortunately the pick-up pipe didn't fit so I had to hack another bit out of it & then get Jamie to weld a small bulge over it to close the resulting hole! I also had to modify the pick-up pipe to reduce the overall length/depth of it. Jamie also welded this for me & I’m happy to report that it fits fine & the sump is now bolted up into position.
This is the cut & shut pick-up pipe prior to welding:
Some time before my wedding (end of July) I'd ordered an inlet manifold from Usher Engineering – this has been developed for banger racing (where fuel injection isn’t allowed) & is designed to take a single twin choke 32/36 Weber carburettor. I was told that the manifold should arrive before I went on honeymoon but, unfortunately, it didn’t. When I got back there was a note from DHL saying that it had been left with a neighbour, so I trotted off & picked it up from them straightaway as they'd been holding onto it for the best part of two weeks. It wasn’t the cheapest thing in the world but I have to say that it’s beautifully made & fits a treat.
Anyway here are a few pics of the thing in position:
I have a suitable carb but haven’t fitted it yet as the engine has to come out so that I can change the clutch release bearing! Also I’ve no idea of the history of the carb so that could do with a stripdown & clean …… then I’ll have to try & make up some sort of throttle linkage. So there’s still a huge amount left to do on the car.
One of the pics above shows the alternator mount below the inlet manifold – this still needs welding up (Jamie again!) so I’ll probably try & get that done when the engine’s out of the car. I’m not sure when any of this will happen though!
Can't remember if I posted a pic or not but the drivers side engine mount sits very close to where the oil filter fits to the engine, this means there's no room for the filter in its usual position. Obviously an oil filter of some sort is needed so I’ve fitted a remote oil filter housing to the inner wing & plumbed in the oil lines. I've also secured the top length of coolant pipe with some rubber lined p-clips (very nice) & fitted the drivers side alternator/engine mount - part of which I had to cut away to allow for the run of the drive belt.
Jobs to do:
fit an improved cooling fan - a VW Polo fans bolt straight on apparently or I could get one that mounts to the rad itself, the VW one is probably the cheapest option & they're much better than the Reliant original; secure the oil hoses with some p-clips; make/buy an alternator adjusting strap (the one I have is too short) & buy a suitable length drive belt; lengthen the alternator wiring (originally the alternator was on the passengers side of the car); try & fit the starter motor as I'm not sure if I have the right one; fit the carb & make up a throttle cable; fit & wire in an electric fuel pump – which means new fuel hoses from the rear of the car (where the tank is) to the front of the car; wire up the Megajolt ecu; get some sort of exhaust system made up for the car ............. I might be in a position to fire it up then!!! drool.gif
Pics:
This brings up to where the project is now - for the last couple of months I've done very little to the car due to other committments. These committments have now ended so I'm hoping to get something done on it this weekend (fuel pump maybe?)!
Opinions welcome - thanks for reading
Jobs to do:
fit an improved cooling fan - a VW Polo fans bolt straight on apparently or I could get one that mounts to the rad itself, the VW one is probably the cheapest option & they're much better than the Reliant original; secure the oil hoses with some p-clips; make/buy an alternator adjusting strap (the one I have is too short) & buy a suitable length drive belt; lengthen the alternator wiring (originally the alternator was on the passengers side of the car); try & fit the starter motor as I'm not sure if I have the right one; fit the carb & make up a throttle cable; fit & wire in an electric fuel pump – which means new fuel hoses from the rear of the car (where the tank is) to the front of the car; wire up the Megajolt ecu; get some sort of exhaust system made up for the car ............. I might be in a position to fire it up then!!! drool.gif
Pics:
This brings up to where the project is now - for the last couple of months I've done very little to the car due to other committments. These committments have now ended so I'm hoping to get something done on it this weekend (fuel pump maybe?)!
Opinions welcome - thanks for reading
Been reading this thread form start, looks a very interesting Project
As a ex banger racer can also recommend Usher engineering and Lee is very good with his metalwork
If you need any further parts drop me a message I run a race performance company and work a lot with Kitcars/racebuilds and general parts you wouldnt always be able to get hold of easily.
Pete
Rpp Racing
As a ex banger racer can also recommend Usher engineering and Lee is very good with his metalwork
If you need any further parts drop me a message I run a race performance company and work a lot with Kitcars/racebuilds and general parts you wouldnt always be able to get hold of easily.
Pete
Rpp Racing
mikey_scott
Member
hey bud nice determination and commitment hopefully ill get the 1985 ss1 im bidding for on e bay iv been to see it it needs new window frames and interior but looks a good'an its got a 1.6 for xr3 lump in it looks like im just about to start on the restoration road wish me luck cheers..
wish me luck cheers..Wahey matey best of luck go for it but be realistic about the project & don't try to do too much too soon. If I were you I'd tackle some of the easier smaller jobs first just to give you a bit of inspiration, & the good feeling you get when you've done something yourself, before tackling the big stuff which may see the car in bits for ages (like mine)! The weather's not been particularly kind to me recently (that's my excuse anyway) so I've not set spanner to mine for a couple of months now & it's getting a bit depressing seeing it sitting in the garage in bits with the tyres slowly going flat
Seriously though doing the smaller easier jobs first gives your mojo a boost for the bigger jobs ahead - I never set myself a time limit either, that way you're not disappointed/angry with yourself if the time limit comes & go's & the car's still not ready! Take your time & do the job to the best of your ability - apologies if you're an old hand at restoring/working on cars but the above advice worked well (& is still working well) for me. If you need any help give me a shout I'll be happy to help if I can
If you haven't done so already get yourself signed up on Scimitar web - http://www.scimitarweb.co.uk/ - loads of excellent advice & useful parts for sale. Well worth joining.
go for it but be realistic about the project & don't try to do too much too soon. If I were you I'd tackle some of the easier smaller jobs first just to give you a bit of inspiration, & the good feeling you get when you've done something yourself, before tackling the big stuff which may see the car in bits for ages (like mine)! The weather's not been particularly kind to me recently (that's my excuse anyway) so I've not set spanner to mine for a couple of months now & it's getting a bit depressing seeing it sitting in the garage in bits with the tyres slowly going flat Seriously though doing the smaller easier jobs first gives your mojo a boost for the bigger jobs ahead - I never set myself a time limit either, that way you're not disappointed/angry with yourself if the time limit comes & go's & the car's still not ready! Take your time & do the job to the best of your ability - apologies if you're an old hand at restoring/working on cars but the above advice worked well (& is still working well) for me. If you need any help give me a shout I'll be happy to help if I can
If you haven't done so already get yourself signed up on Scimitar web - http://www.scimitarweb.co.uk/ - loads of excellent advice & useful parts for sale. Well worth joining.
Hi again all – apologies for not updating this in ages but I haven't lost faith & am still tinkering away on it when time/life/finances allow. It's still not running but that's (probably) going to be the next job on the list. Anyway to get things a bit more up to date I bought a DGAV (from 2 litre Capri/Cortina/Sierra) carb to fit the inlet manifold & thought that I'd better try & get the old throttle cable working with it. The cable was attached to the old carb with a ball & socket joint. The cable still had the socket part on the end of it, but the new carb didn’t have the required “ball” on it – I therefore needed to find a way to fit the “ball” bit onto the new carb! Hunting through the bits box resulted in a bit of 20mm steel box section, two small bolts & the old carb was kind enough to donate the required “ball” bit.
So with a bit of hacking, drilling & tapping I ended with this: the box section is bolted to the carb, the “ball” bit is bolted to the other end of the box section & the cable then fits to that. It seems to work as it should which is a minor miracle in itself!
I’m hoping to fit a Weber plenum chamber (designed to fit the DGAV carb) to which I’ll fit some ducting & a remote conical air filter. This should keep things nice & low under the bonnet. I’ve checked a bit more closely & it looks like the brake master cylinder is the highest part under the bonnet – I’ve not modified this at all so the bonnet should fit over the new engine
I’m chuffed that I’ve got three pedals to play around with again & it’s given me a bit of a lift
The new carb linkage – looks naff but seems to work well
The Weber plenum chamber – not bought yet but may treat myself next month/year!
So with a bit of hacking, drilling & tapping I ended with this: the box section is bolted to the carb, the “ball” bit is bolted to the other end of the box section & the cable then fits to that. It seems to work as it should which is a minor miracle in itself!
I’m hoping to fit a Weber plenum chamber (designed to fit the DGAV carb) to which I’ll fit some ducting & a remote conical air filter. This should keep things nice & low under the bonnet. I’ve checked a bit more closely & it looks like the brake master cylinder is the highest part under the bonnet – I’ve not modified this at all so the bonnet should fit over the new engine
I’m chuffed that I’ve got three pedals to play around with again & it’s given me a bit of a lift
The new carb linkage – looks naff but seems to work well
The Weber plenum chamber – not bought yet but may treat myself next month/year!
After the success of the throttle cable I decided to tackle fitting the new fuel pipes. First thing to do was to try & mock up where I was going to run the new fuel pipe - I was intending to run it along the central tunnel but when it came to actually installing it I decided that it ran too close to the prop shaft. Also, without removing the prop, I couldn't get my right angle drill in to drill the holes for the p-clips. Time for Plan B - which meant running it along the outside of the central tunnel & behind the seat rails (hopefully you'll see what I mean from the pic), passing through the speedometer cable hole into the engine bay. Not sure what the MOT tester will make of it but most of it seems to be tucked up out of the way. I've fitted a fuel pressure regulator/filter in the engine bay & run the fuel pipe from this along the edge of the cam cover to the carb. I've run the fuel return pipe back to the tank along side the other pipe using two p-clips side by side to try & keep the installation neat & tidy.
The photo's aren't very good I'm afraid - & I hadn't fitted the fuel return pipe when I took the photo's (it's fitted now) - but hopefully you can see the run of the fuel pipe under the car - any observations/comments (positive or negative) gratefully received.
Fuel hose running under the car along central backbone/tunnel & through the gaps behind the seat rails. I've secured it with p-clips along its length, especially at the back of the chassis (not in the photo) where it passes close to the trailing arm as I don't want any moving parts to rub against it!
Here we can see where I've mounted the filter king & the new hose attached to it. I've put a dogleg in the filter king mounting plate to lower it. The old fuel pipes can be seen poking through the chassis at the top of the photo - these have now been removed.
New fuel hose attached to the carb - I've run it along the edge of the cam cover (using rubber lined stainless steel p-clips) as it looks neat & keeps everything out of the way. The p-clips are a bit too big for the fuel hose but I’m going to wrap a bit of rubber self-amalgamating tape round it to increase the diameter of the hose so the p-clip will hold it.
As I say opinions welcome – I was going to change the route the new hose while the car's up on stands & the underneath is accessible (up inside the central tunnel would be best/safest - which is where the original piping runs) but I just can't reach it without removing the propshaft - so it's going to stay where it is!
In some of the above pics you can see rust on the seat rail(s) & chassis - much as I'd love to take the body off & check/repair the chassis properly I just don't have the time, or the facilities, to attempt this so I've treated every bit of rust I can find with Jenolite rust remover & Kurust rust inhibitor. I haven't taken any photos of the treated rust (it's not much to look at to be honest) & it all still needs painting - hopefully it'll last a while before I have to do it all again as it's a pretty bloody awful awful job lying on your back with rust remover/inhibitor trickling down your arm!!
I haven't taken any pics but I've also fitted the vaccuum tube that runs from the carb & run it through the bulkhead to the megajolt ecu - which I've yet to mount & attempt to wire up.
After lying on my back under the car getting showered in rust particles & then rust inhibitior/paint I've decided that the next job, while the car's up on axle stands & I have reasonable access, will be to strip the back end down to fit the new trailing arms, brakes, brake pipes etc & to try & treat any rust. Much as I'd love to get cracking on getting the engine running this is more important I think.
The photo's aren't very good I'm afraid - & I hadn't fitted the fuel return pipe when I took the photo's (it's fitted now) - but hopefully you can see the run of the fuel pipe under the car - any observations/comments (positive or negative) gratefully received.
Fuel hose running under the car along central backbone/tunnel & through the gaps behind the seat rails. I've secured it with p-clips along its length, especially at the back of the chassis (not in the photo) where it passes close to the trailing arm as I don't want any moving parts to rub against it!
Here we can see where I've mounted the filter king & the new hose attached to it. I've put a dogleg in the filter king mounting plate to lower it. The old fuel pipes can be seen poking through the chassis at the top of the photo - these have now been removed.
New fuel hose attached to the carb - I've run it along the edge of the cam cover (using rubber lined stainless steel p-clips) as it looks neat & keeps everything out of the way. The p-clips are a bit too big for the fuel hose but I’m going to wrap a bit of rubber self-amalgamating tape round it to increase the diameter of the hose so the p-clip will hold it.
As I say opinions welcome – I was going to change the route the new hose while the car's up on stands & the underneath is accessible (up inside the central tunnel would be best/safest - which is where the original piping runs) but I just can't reach it without removing the propshaft - so it's going to stay where it is!
In some of the above pics you can see rust on the seat rail(s) & chassis - much as I'd love to take the body off & check/repair the chassis properly I just don't have the time, or the facilities, to attempt this so I've treated every bit of rust I can find with Jenolite rust remover & Kurust rust inhibitor. I haven't taken any photos of the treated rust (it's not much to look at to be honest) & it all still needs painting - hopefully it'll last a while before I have to do it all again as it's a pretty bloody awful awful job lying on your back with rust remover/inhibitor trickling down your arm!!
I haven't taken any pics but I've also fitted the vaccuum tube that runs from the carb & run it through the bulkhead to the megajolt ecu - which I've yet to mount & attempt to wire up.
After lying on my back under the car getting showered in rust particles & then rust inhibitior/paint I've decided that the next job, while the car's up on axle stands & I have reasonable access, will be to strip the back end down to fit the new trailing arms, brakes, brake pipes etc & to try & treat any rust. Much as I'd love to get cracking on getting the engine running this is more important I think.
I'd bought a pair of trailing arms through the Scimweb forum some time ago & finally got round to taking the rear end apart in order to fit them. I’ve slapped about 3 layers of paint on them so, hopefully, they'll last better than the originals (which are probably 25 years old so haven't really done that badly). I’m reconditioning the brakes as well with Goodridge braided hoses, new wheel cylinders (from a Sierra estate so slightly larger bore than the normal ones & will match the vented front brakes better I'm told) & new brake shoes (which I’ve yet to buy). The drums are a bit ridged inside but I’m hoping to get away with skimming them rather than buying new ones. The original backing plates have been attacked with a wire brush & have been reused. The handbrake cable had seized adjusters but I’ve managed to free these off & get them working again so that's a bit more expense/work/hassle saved.
Anyway here are some pics:
New trailing arm compared with the old one – as I say there are about 3 layers of paint on it.
New wheel cylinder & repainted backing plate.
Back end showing freshly painted drive shaft, new Spax shock & trailing arm. You can also see the new drop link I’ve had to make up for the anti-roll bar (not re-fitted that yet) - new drop links aren't available so I've cobbled something together using a variety of rose joints bought from Ebay - not sure I'm convinced they'll last but as the car isn't mobile (under its own steam) yet I don't suppose it matters too much.
Shot showing the new Goodridge braided brake hose - which are very nice indeed
Rear suspension etc all painted & back together No brakes & nothing tightened/torqued up yet but it's all new/replacement parts
Next immediate job is to get Christmas 2011 out of the way, get some dosh back in the bank, buy & fit some brake shoes, tighten all the bolts up, get the car back on 4 wheels & then tackle the wiring. I've got the fuel pump to wire in, an electric fan to buy & the alternator wiring to extend. I'm beginning to think that moving the alternator back to its original position on the passengers side of the engine might be simpler & also free up a bit of space on the drivers side of the engine. After that it'll be the megajolt installation - or so I keep telling myself!! - it's a good job I'm not in a rush
Opinions welcome as always
Anyway here are some pics:
New trailing arm compared with the old one – as I say there are about 3 layers of paint on it.
New wheel cylinder & repainted backing plate.
Back end showing freshly painted drive shaft, new Spax shock & trailing arm. You can also see the new drop link I’ve had to make up for the anti-roll bar (not re-fitted that yet) - new drop links aren't available so I've cobbled something together using a variety of rose joints bought from Ebay - not sure I'm convinced they'll last but as the car isn't mobile (under its own steam) yet I don't suppose it matters too much.
Shot showing the new Goodridge braided brake hose - which are very nice indeed
Rear suspension etc all painted & back together
No brakes & nothing tightened/torqued up yet but it's all new/replacement parts Next immediate job is to get Christmas 2011 out of the way, get some dosh back in the bank, buy & fit some brake shoes, tighten all the bolts up, get the car back on 4 wheels & then tackle the wiring. I've got the fuel pump to wire in, an electric fan to buy & the alternator wiring to extend. I'm beginning to think that moving the alternator back to its original position on the passengers side of the engine might be simpler & also free up a bit of space on the drivers side of the engine. After that it'll be the megajolt installation - or so I keep telling myself!! - it's a good job I'm not in a rush
Opinions welcome as always
Sorry chaps - massive delay in updating this thread mainly due to me selling my Astra & getting a diesel Alfa 156. Sorry about this! I loved the Astra but it was costing me too much per month in petrol - hence the Alfa which as economical as the Astra was thirsty & it's good to drive to - it'e also been reliable though the airbag light's on at the mo.
Anyway just to let you know that I got the SS1 back on the road at the end of May/beginning of June of this year. As expected it's noisy with all sorts of strange noises you don't hear in a modern car ...... I'm sure modern cars make similar noises you just don't hear them because they're so well insulated now!
Anyway the it's a hoot to drive & not slow (1800 Zetec) having said that it's not set up properly & isn't as quick as it could be. Hence I've booked it in for a rolling road session with a chap called Dennis Vessey who owns a place in Barnetby just outside Brigg/Hull - about 60 miles from where I live. I'll let you know how the car gets on if anyone's interested
- hence the Alfa which as economical as the Astra was thirsty & it's good to drive to - it'e also been reliable though the airbag light's on at the mo.Anyway just to let you know that I got the SS1 back on the road at the end of May/beginning of June of this year. As expected it's noisy with all sorts of strange noises you don't hear in a modern car ...... I'm sure modern cars make similar noises you just don't hear them because they're so well insulated now!
Anyway the it's a hoot to drive & not slow (1800 Zetec) having said that it's not set up properly & isn't as quick as it could be. Hence I've booked it in for a rolling road session with a chap called Dennis Vessey who owns a place in Barnetby just outside Brigg/Hull - about 60 miles from where I live. I'll let you know how the car gets on if anyone's interested
