Carpets Part 1

Hi Folks,

The dashboard and door cards are off with the seats being trimmed at the moment. The factory kindly let me have the carpet early so I can get on with that part. The factory also supply the required glue. The order for fitting can be found in the build manual, the first part is also the largest and probably most awkward being the piece that covers the bulkhead behind the seats. The process I've followed is to first create a template using some old wallpaper, transfer the template onto the carpet (remember to make sure the template is the right way up), cut the carpet and test fit. Once ready to glue the carpet, rub down the back of the carpet with a light sandpaper to roughen up the surface and clean off with acetone as well as the area of the car to be carpeted. Apply the glue (make sure the area is well ventilated - wow that stuff is strong), let the glue go off and then fix in place. It's a strong contact adhesive and difficult to manage in large areas, a second pair of hands helps. 

Making Paper Template

Transfer Template onto Carpet

Fitting Carpet (masking Tape provides location marks)

 The next pieces are around the edge of the tub in the seating area, the top of this section has some of the bolts that secure the body to the chassis and these will show as a bump under the carpet, mostly they are out of site but I preferred to have a cleaner line, so I made up some spacers from 6mm MDF that fit around the edge so that the carpet can sit flat. The MDF is soaked in varnish to make it waterproof and easier for the glue to stick to.

Nose Vents and Front Splitter

Nose Vents: There are 3 rounded triangular vents in the bodywork just in front of the bonnet, each of which have an aluminium duct that directs the air, but mostly just adds to the 'bling'. I fixed the ducts with P38 around the edges and hand holding them in the correct position until set. A further layer of P38 is then added over the lip of the duct from under the body. I smoothed this off as best as I could (you can't see the underside and finished it off with black POR15 to match the rest of the inside of the bodywork. This also helps to reduce the ugly reflections that can be apparent in the chrome underneath. A thin bead of silicon sealant is added around the inside of the vents to finish the joint between duct and bodywork. Because the vents are aluminium regular metal polish is too course and can dull the metal. I found the best finish came with a very fine silver polish and cotton wool pads (lets see how long it stays like that!).

Nose Vents Fitted

Splitter in Place

Bracket Fixed in Place

Front Splitter: The front splitter is an IVA requirement as the aperture at the front is too large and needs to be reduced or in this case split in two. The splitter, provided by AK, comes as a stainless steel sheet with a rolled over edge to give the correct radius, two angle brackets sit inside the body work with a steel bar between the to support the splitter. There is adjustment on the width of the brackets that helps to make a tight fit to measure up the correct location. Every piece of work I do on the car at the moment leaves me nervous of damaging the new paintwork, hence you can see the foam protection around the nose of the car.

Another Job Done

Paintwork...

Time's flying past again, I know there hasn't been an update for a while, but with good reason. Another significant milestone is passed and the paintwork is finished. It took 4 weeks in total but the job was started earlier than planned when another job was delayed. The work was carried out by Option 1 Sportscars (I have no connection with them). Option 1 are specialists in fibreglass work and I think it shows in the results. Below are a few pictures during and after the work.

The colour I chose was OdysseyRed with silver stripes, it's quite subtle, but has a good variation of shade depending on the light, it emphasises the car's curves without too much bling (there's plenty of chrome work to add the bling). The varying shades reflect ambient light and weather conditions, the pearl metallic isn't too showy but up close in bright it has a deep sparkle. There's a few images below to give a flavour.

As you can see from the pictures I've also been refitting the brightwork, it's easier to put it back with no need for measuring and drilling, but a much more careful process knowing you have expensive paintwork to protect..

 

In the paintshop - 1st colour applied

 

Ready for Collection

In light Cloud

In Sunshine

Metallic Pearl Finish

Interior & Dashboard Part 1

Electrical Problems: It's 6 weeks since my last update, it feels like I've spent a lot of time on the car but with little to show for it. One the snags that has taken up time has been a problem with my electrics. I went through some testing to make sure all was OK, but found when I put the dipped beam on, only the O/S headlight would come on. The N/S headlamp came on dimly along with the N/S front indicator and repeater. Much time was spent checking over and testing all the wiring looking for a short etc. With a lot of help from friends in the Cobra forum I traced the problem to a poor earth connection inside the N/S wheel arch.

Testing the Electrics

Interior Panels: The factory supply fibreglass panels that fit around the door openings. These panels are eventually to be carpeted and are, in the main, hidden  by the seats but still an important part of the interior. The ones I had from the factory did not seem to fit well, pulling away from the body they left a gap around the front of the door opening. They also did not fit tidily around the door edge, although much of this would be covered by the door seal rubber I wasn't happy. I made up my own panels from 1.5mm aluminium, these give a better fit, a more solid finish and the door rubber will fit over the panel and the edge of the door surround giving a clean edge.

Large gap on the original panel

Poor fit around the edge of original panel

Newly made up panel with much closer fit

Dashboard Part 1: I'm trying to finalise the layout of my dashboard. Like a lot of people I've made up  some exact size replicas of the dials, switches and warning lights and with some blutack moving them around to get an aesthetically pleasing design, that is functional (can I reach everything, can I see everything - with gear lever in various positions) and meets IVA regulations. As with so many aspects of this build one of the difficulties is identifying the centre line. I've seen a few cars recently where the instruments have been placed carefully around the centre of the dashboard, only to see them offset from the centre of the car and when you have a stripe down the middle that can stand out. I've opted for a line taken from the centre line of the car at the top of the dashboard, down to the centre of the transmission tunnel, it's about 15mm from the vertical but the eye is fooled as it lines with the other centre lines. Here's what I think is the final look, but holding back for a few days before drilling those holes!

Gear Lever & Door Panels

A while since my last update - work pressures and 'man-flu'...

Gear Lever : I'd been struggling to find a gear lever that liked and was sensibly priced, so decided to make my own. I got some 14mm stainless steel bar from my local metal stockist, £10 for this and stainless steel sheet I needed. I cut a thread in one end of the bar for the gear knob and filed a flat onto the other end, drilling two holes to mate with the stub on the gear box. Using an old bit of aluminium I played around with different angles until I found the right position for me. I used a hydraulic press and pipe forming gauge to put the bend into the bar and finished with a polish and a gear knob I found on E-Bay. Overall I'm pleased with the result, it feels solid and look authentic. 

 

Interior Door Panel

Door Panels: Next job was to make the door panels and fix the door latches into place. The door panels are made up of 3 mm plywood. I fitted the door seal around the edge of the body work and made a paper template. The ply was cut to match the template plus a couple of mm. I clamped the door panel in place and trimmed it down so that it is just touching the door seal to form a watertight barrier. I also drilled out the holes for the door latch matching with the pre-cut holes in the door shell. i have put a slight bevel on the edge of the panel to help with the seal once the leather cover is applied.

Here you can see the door panel with the latch fitted, the large washers behind the latch are to simulate the leather covering that will finish the piece. The holes in the panel are for the clips that will fix the it to the door. I'll also varnish the panels to give them a level of waterproof. If you want detailed instructions on positioning and fixing the door locks there's a really good guide here on Mike's page.

Latch & Lock in Location

The next job is to position the lock that the door latch will mate with. This is held only by copious amounts of fiberglass and once positioned cannot be adjusted. The lock is fixed to a piece of steel that follows the curve of the panel. I used some steel tube as a spacer on one side and some washer to finish the spacing behind the nut. With the latch in the fully closed position and the door in its ideal alignment, smooth with the body of the car, I held the door in place with a quick grip. Once happy that everything was right, I made up some wooden blocks to loosely fit into the gaps and applied loads of P40 and left it alone for 24 hours.

Wooden Blocks & Filler Applied

Engine Side Vents: I've also fitted the O/S louvered vent on the engine bay. I fitted the steel vents to wooden batons that have been planed to give the correct spacing. With epoxy resin on the wooden batons I held the vent in place with a couple of quick grips to allow the resin to dry. The vents can then be unscrewed to remove for painting - this is easier said than done on the drivers side as the brake servo obstructs the access.

Holding the vents in place while resin dries

Washer Bottle, Gas Rams and Bonnet Locks

Windscreen Washer: I've fitted the washer bottle that I bought a while back. I managed to get an aluminium bottle that, with some grinding and polishing, looks quite good. It's simple enough to fit, I've mounted mine on the front of the passenger foot-well bulkhead. The washer pipe is routed along with the wiring loom through the bulkhead and behind the dashboard. A three way splitter is used to take the feed to each jet, with the pipe passing through the bulkhead just below each of the jets. I've used a couple of IVA friendly jets from CBS, placed equidistant from the centre line marked earlier

Washer Bottle in place

Washer Pipe to Jet

Washer Jets

Lower Gas Ram Bracket

Gas Rams: A job I've wanted to do for a while is to fit the gas rams, these are what will prevent the bonnet from falling when it's open and will allow me to do away with the broom handle prop I've been using up to now. First job is to fit a couple mounting brackets to the front of the engine bay (the exact location is detailed in the build manual). The angled brackets bolt through the inside of the wheel arches and are further supported by a bolt that goes through the inside rim of the water gulley around the engine bay, these are countersunk and will be filled and invisible once painted.

Upper Gas Ram Bracket

 The upper bracket is located on the inside of the bonnet. The exact location is found by marking 11 inches up the engine bay from the lower bracket and transferring the measure to the inside of the bonnet. The factory supplies a set of 4 brackets (for bonnet & boot) at first glance these seem to be all the same, but actually the bonnet brackets are a couple of mm wider. I fixed these with rivnuts and and a couple of M5 screws. With all the brackets fitted the gas rams themselves can be installed.

Fitting the gas rams first means allowing some of the gas to escape, they are delivered fully pressurised  and rock solid. The gas is released by means of a small valve at the top, there is no science to this, first stage is to let enough gas out that you can compress the ram by hand - just. You are also advised to do the bonnet first so if you let too much gas out you can use the ram in the boot (and this is advice worth following!). Fit each ram individually and allow more gas out until a single ram just fails to hold the bonnet open. This was my mistake, I left the bonnet fully open and the ram at maximum extension it seems this will hold the bonnet open whatever the pressure, it dawned on me that I needed to close the bonnet a little. At this point I had let too much gas out! fortunately not so much that I couldn't use it on the boot. Below is the finished job, the bonnet opens smoothly and doesn't foul anywhere. NOTE - fitting the rams causes the bonnet to move toward the rear of the car, so don't fit the bonnet locks until the rams are on.

Bonnet and Gas Rams

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Boot and Gas Rams

The boot rams are pretty much a repeat of the bonnet however the lower brackets are bonded to the inside of the boot, I've added a couple of M4 screws through the gulley around the boot to help support them.

Bonnet Locks: As mentioned above the gas rams cause the bonnet to move so I left the fitting of the bonnet locks until I'd finished that job. There are two bonnet locks each with a handle and a spindle that passes through the rim of the bonnet, this turns a locking plate that locates underneath the edge of the engine bay. The location of the locks is determined by the position of the rim of the bonnet, equidistant from the centre line and close enough bulkhead to allow the locking plate to engage, but not so close that it catches the rim when opening. Usual story, start with a small hole and open up until you can fit the lock through, this is secured with a couple of self tap screws. I made up a couple of stainless steel brackets that fix to the bulkhead and take the load from the locking plate (rather than the fiberglass body). Then just slide the locking plate onto the spindle, adjust as required to get a firm fit and tighten with the grub screw. Finally the excess length on the spindle can be removed.

Holes Marked and Cut

Lock Fitted

With the lock plate fitted

From the Inside

Boot Hinges, Locks etc

Next set of work has all been around the back of the car, so I decided to turn it round and reverse into the garage so the boot is near the work bench. This was my next big milestone, the car made it's first move under its own power. Once the engine was up to temperature I made some gentle little rolls back and forward, the clutch seemed fine and the power steering was working OK.With no nasty noises or oil dripping anywhere, I made my first, tentative, 3 point turn - it's surprising how nerve racking this was, heart rate hasn't been this high since I explained to my wife that the £5000 for the kit might not be the only cost..

Over the last few weekends I've tackled fitting the boot, hinges & lock. Another job that took much longer than I expected.The first task is to get the boot lid fitting properly into the body. This means a fair bit of filing of the lip around the edge of the boot as it's too high. Most of the area that I needed to reduce was along the back edge. You also need to take account of the rubber seal that will be used. All in all it's a lot of fitting, filing, checking, removing and do it all again until there's a nice even fit across the body and boot lid. Then you need a centre line to work from. To do this I ran a strip of masking tape roughly down the middle of the car from front to back. Using some thread I ran a line from the front nudge bar to the rear valence, centering the thread on: The midpoint between the headlights, the middle nose vent (I have triple nose vents at the front), the centre of the screen and a midpoint between the rear fog & reverse lights - these were already centered around the midpoint between the rear lights. With the center line marked the two hinges can be measured up and placed around 230mm either side. Fitting the hinges is simply 4 holes for each and a large penny washer behind. Note - the hinges are handed but it's obvious which way round they go as they only fit the body shape one way

Boot hinges

Boot Handle Hole

The boot lock was a little more troublesome. Using the same centre line, find the position for the middle of the handle aligning it with the recess inside the boot lid that will house the mechanism. Usual story, drill the hole, slowly opening it up to take the handle and the locking tabs. I drilled all the way through to allow the bar from the handle to pass all the way through the latch and inside the boot lid, this is handy while you're adjusting it up.

Cut a slot in the recess inside the boot just large enough to take the lock mechanism. I ended up with the mechanism slightly out of place leaving me with a larger slot inside the boot than I had planned ( I might slim this down with some filler later). There is very little space inside the boot for the mechanism and the latch to make contact, this means the lock mechanism needs to be as far forward in the recess as it will allow and the latch as far back as possible. I filed back some of the inside of the boot lip to get a smooth fit. I then adjusted the height of the latch to ensure when in the lock position it gives a slight pull down on the boot. Oh and don't forget some grease on the moving parts.

Lock installed as close to the front as possible

Latch Set as far to the rear as possible

With the lock operating smoothly, I put a couple of rivnuts into the boot to fix the handle, these are small enough to be covered by the plate on the handle and I think will be more secure than the suggested self tappers. The final piece of this job was to fix the rear number plate light, there is a recess in the outside of the boot lid for this. I needed to file a little out of this to allow the light to sit centrally and square on the body.

While working on the boot I also got around fitting the fuel filler pipe. I used the standard method of a single piece of rubber fuel hose from the tank, through the wheel arch and up to the filler cap. The breather pipe follows the same path. I need to edge the hole in the wheel arch to complete this.

New Year Update

Happy New Year All! Christmas saw little action on the Cobra, but the new year has brought a few days in the garage. And finally a weekend when the sun was shining and I could work on the drive again. Here's a few pictures of progress to date.

As you can see I still had not got round to fitting the O/S exhaust but I'm pleased to say that job's now been finished. I thought it was hard first time round but having the body on makes it that bit harder and quite a fight to remove as you have no clearance to help knock the pipes off.

Back in the garage I tackled a few of those little jobs that eat into the time and don't look like you've made much progress. I've decided that I'm not going to use the steering column lock so I removed the barrel, wiring and the steering lock parts.Removing the barrel is fiddly but if ever I have to do it again I reckon it would take less than half the time. The lock barrel has a small hole on the face of the lock, you need to rotate the lock with the key until you can slide a thin, slightly bent, piece of metal into the hole (I used an old Allen Key). The correct position is roughly in line with the casting mark on the case. Turning the Allen key eventually releases the latch that holds the lock barrel in place. I've blanked off the old hole with a blanking grommet.

Allen Key inserted and latch in the release position

Lock Barrel with Hole in removal position

Another job was to fit the throttle cable with a bracket and return spring. I need to do more work on this as I'm not sure I'm getting full throttle. I know the throttle pedal needs to find a hard stop on bulkhead and not the carburetor but I think the pedal is stopping too early - needs more work (and a sunny day again - so I can get more space along side the car)

Throttle Cable, Bracket & Return Spring