31/10/04
First, the rear suspension. To start with, I made sure that the chassis was level - my garage floor isn't! The outer threaded part of the pivot shaft for the rear trailing arm fits in the hole arrowed on the right of this picture. The inner part goes through a bracket that is bolted to the other two arrowed mountings.
Checking the rear wheel alignment. To find the correct position for the inner bracket, I measured from the centre chassis rail to a straight edge clamped to the rear hub. This sets the rear tracking. Camber was checked by rotating the hub so that the straight edge was vertical, then using the spirit level on it.
The O/S/R trailing arm in place and correctly aligned. The bottom shock absorber mount fits into a bracket (supplied in the kit) bolted to the hole arrowed in the arm. The top mounting fits between the arrowed brackets at the top.
A close-up of the O/S inner bracket. I found that using one 10mm penny washer under this bracket gives a small amount of negative camber to the rear wheel. Three washers in front of it make the rear wheel run parallel to the centre line of the chassis. The hole and slot arrowed are for the handbrake cable. All used and/or plain nuts shown at this stage of the build will be replaced with new nylocs during final assembly. The brackets will be powder coated at the same time as the chassis and roll bar.
The whole process was then repeated for the N/S/R suspension. The required spacing was identical to the O/S. Although the end result is only 8 new holes in the chassis and inner brackets, it took nearly a whole morning to get these arms in place. The repeated spacing, clamping, measuring and adjustment was very time consuming, but I wanted the rear wheels to point in exactly the right direction.
07/11/04
I've bought a length of L section aluminium to join the front bulkheads and floor. First I clamped and drilled through the L section, floor panel and chassis...
...then fitted and drilled the front bulkheads. It has just dawned on me that it's not only the steering column that goes through these panels. The gear linkage also comes through the front bulkhead, so I've now got two holes to measure and cut...
Luckily, a copy of the latest build manual arrived just in time. This gives the dimensions and positions of these holes, saving me a lot of hassle.
The shock absorbers and springs arrived on the 3rd of November. Ordered from Onyx, made by Gaz and supplied direct from Dampertech, they have adjustable spring platforms and damping. At £310 including VAT and delivery, they seem very good value for money. Now I have them, I'm keen to get the car on four wheels (albeit only temporarily). I'll start at the front.
I'm still a bit sore and fragile after injuring my back again (I've torn a disc), so progress will be rather slow for some time. I can stand, walk, kneel and crouch, but sitting is painful and driving is impossible at the moment. My chiropractor says I should be "carefully active", so easy jobs in the garage are OK. The injury was not caused by careless lifting or over-exertion in the garage - I simply turned awkwardly in my sleep.
To make room for the springs, the hydrogas unit mountings have to be cut off. I used a cutting disc in my angle grinder which made light work of the job (and created lots of grey dust). I must confess, chopping bits off with an angle grinder is very satisfying!
The top suspension arms also need some attention, to allow the bottom of the shock absorber bodies to clear.
The top mounting brackets drilled.
The rear was very easy. First, the top brackets on the chassis were drilled. I then drilled the holes in the lower mounting bracket and bolted it to the trailing arm. The shock absorber was fitted without the spring at first, so I could check that everything moved fully and freely. The shock absorbers' adjustable lower platform makes removing and refitting the springs a piece of cake.
Whilst using the drill at the rear of the chassis, I've also drilled and bolted the top rear inner roll bar mountings.