Low pressure fuel line

Connected up the low pressure fuel feed with a flexible hose, making sure the jubilee clips can be tightened from the access panel later on. Borrowed a bit of nylon fuel pipe for the diff breather:

I should be ok with that cable tie, the fuel tank doesn't sit tight to the round tubes.

I'm leaving the other flexible lines until I have a fixed point to connect them to.

Gearbox mount

Finally got around to fitting the gearbox mounting bracket. On this new chassis, the bracket on the chassis curves down, so the rubber bracket mounting bolts in from underneath.

I cut the sides off a while back: Gearbox mount fettle & was going to offer up the gearbox before fitting it, changed my mind today and using GBS advice mounted it centrally in the chassis bracket.

Faffed around a while back trying to mark it with the white pen, which broke, and only recently realised covering with masking tape would let me use a black one (doh!)

6mm pilot then opened up to 8mm holes:

Definitely easier to mount with at least one tunnel panel off, it allows room to swing the spanner:

Speed sensor bracket

Next in fitting the sensor bracket. I have the induction type sensor which needs lining up 2mm from the passing bolt heads on the diff. No magnet required.

The kit has a bracket: opened up the mounting holes to a slot for the sensor and widened the mounting holes to 9mm for rivnuts. It was a little wide too - so adjusted the length a little by tightening up the folds at each end.

Cardboard packing to give me a rough height above the diff flange, & my template for the end to drill through:

I bent the corners over, I suspect the loom will be resting somewhere here too so want to make sure there are no sharp corners. The bracket position is not critical since the sensor itself can be fitted vertically about +-2cm and slide in the slot fore/aft about the same.

The speed sensor roughly in position, it will be finalised when I fit the nearside tunnel panel & the bracket is rock solid. I have the induction type so it gets lined up 2mm above the prop shaft bolts & doesn't need a magnet.

At least I wont forget to fit it before enclosing the tunnel now!

Low pressure fuel lines to swirl pot

Quick job to connect the fuel lines to the swirl pot, cut to length just as they emerge from the tunnel & metal insert where the jubilee clip clamps. Only fiddle was the inserts liked to drop out (of the black line) so had to ensure the clip had everything clamped in a horizontal position first.

Aligned all jubilee clips so I can get to them when the sides are enclosed and engine in & gave all the joints a good tug to check everything is tightened.

Red incoming, black return to the tank.

These were re routed a little higher later when the engine was in place to miss the bell housing: Fuel line run tidy up

Low pressure Fuel Lines

With the brake lines in place the fuel lines can be tie wrapped to them. I generally put a tie each side of the P clip mounting point.

Along the tunnel

Emerging into the engine bay

Past the handbrake and through to the boot

There is a cable protector/wrap for this area, I didn't have any pictures from built cars but assume it is to avoid any chance of the hand brake cables chaffing the lines.

First try - 

I didn't want to cross my brake line so tried routing under and out the back, I wasn't really keen on this & couldn't get happy with where the lines emerged in the boot - so ended up adding another mount point and re routing.

I like the brake line route, it's tucked back out of the way and no chance of anything touching it.

I also moved the R clip to the underside of the handbrake crescent/spreader, so the pin is inserted from the top & gravity on its side if the R clip ever worked lose.

Final - position

A higher cable tie base which gives a straighter route & better exit into over the diff. It should be ok against the brake line since the base keeps the plastic wrap 5-6mm above the panel.

Hand brake on:

Hand brake off:
You can't see from this picture, but the brake mechanism doesn't touch anything at either end of its travel or in between.

Exit into the boot space

Under all the lines:

Before cutting the ends of the fuel lines, adding brass inserts & trimming the reusable cable ties I'm going to mock up where the loom will run. Many builds run it the same side as the brake/fuel lines - I'm going to see how it works along the other side of the tunnel. (works fine under the brake/fuel lines - its quite light & thin through the tunnel & doesn't warrant another run of P clips).

Secure the brake lines

I had the brake lines in place for a number of weeks, but did not want to secure them until I was sure the master cylinder was staying - i.e. I want each end of the run a fixed point before finalising anything. Now I have the brake reservoir these can be fixed in place.

P clips every 15cm or so.

I added fish tank tubing anywhere the lines run alongside a chassis member or round a corner, and upside down clips since I wanted to anchor to the panels rather than drilling the panels & chassis tubes:

I cant secure any further forward for a couple of reasons:

1. Theres not enough room for my drill, I need a 90 degree attachment
2. The exact location of the front ends of the brake lines are dictated by the holes in the side panels, which are not installed yet.

Rolling Chassis!

Big family effort to get the car down onto its wheels, my wife checking I wasn't doing something stupid (or dangerous) at each step & helping with ideas, steadying and moving trestles etc & my daughter helping out at the key step of removing the decorators steps when lowering the front end.

Resources

1. Engine hoist
2. Trolly jack
3. 2x Axle stands
4. Decorators steps
5. 2x Man power
6. 1x Teenager power

Process

First step was to take the weight on the engine hoist & remove the rear stand. During this I realised I would get stuck lowering to the floor - the rear wishbones would have hit the engine hoist legs.

Next the front end, my wife removed the stand and I lowered it part way onto decorators steps. I didn't want to try and man handle it to floor level at this point to save my back.

Now the puzzles, and a little thought.

1. The engine hoist could not lower the rear end to the floor due to the legs would foul the bottom wishbones, so we tried lowering the car onto axle stands and moving the hoist back. No luck though - the hoist legs would still hit the rear chassis member.
2. The decorators steps could not be removed while the rear was lower than the front - they would only slide forward which is where me & my wife would be standing to lower the car.

Spent some time trying different angles with the hoist, and axle stands in different positions - until I remembered the trolley jack. (The strap around the rear tube is not ideal - much preferred lifting around the chassis bracket at the rear of the diff)

So

We raised the rear end back up higher than the front so the steps could be removed, by my daughter, while me & my wife man handled the front to the ground. Then my wife (hands pictured) held the front to stop anything rolling away.

Then lowered the rear from the hoist onto the trolley jack & down to the ground:

Success

Finally the car is sitting on its wheels for the first time, no real chance of rolling away - there must be about 10 degrees toe in right now!

The whole process, including clearing/tidying took just under an hour & undoubtedly could be optimised if I had to do it again - i.e. rear end off the stand onto a trolly jack, front end man handled to the ground & then lower the rear.

When I sort out the front tracking a little, I can move the car out of the garage, turn it around as required and get the engine towards the bench end of the garage. It makes my limited working space much more flexible.

Planning the lift off the stands

We moved the car back to the other side of the garage - so I can get access to the nearside again. Rear then front, I took the weight & my wife slid the stands across.

The rear end is the limit of what I can lift now & the front not much better, the rear stand also looks to be at the limit of what it can hold - I need a plan to lift it down from the stands to the ground safely.

Constraints

• The crane is at the back of the chassis & I don't have space to move it to the front, or alongside the car part way through. 
• The stands are reasonably high 'saw horses'
• Both options are a two person job.

Thinking

    Obvious option

1. Crane take the weight of the rear end
2. Remove rear stand
3. Lower rear to the ground - stabilising the front, on its stand, by hand
4. Lower front to the ground by hand

I have this feeling the front will slide off, or push it's stand over, as the back end is lowered.

-or-

   Favoured option

1. Crane take the weight of the rear end
2. Remove rear stand
3. Lower rear part/half way (on to a trolley jack)
4. Lower front to the ground by hand
5. Lower rear to the ground (using the trolley jack)

With the rear held by the crane as the front is lowered it wont be able to move, drop or otherwise act unpredictably & the two stage lower should keep it roughly horizontal and avoid slipping or lateral movement.

-or-

   Possible option

1. Move the crane to one side and take the wieght at the chassis CofG
2. Remove both stands
3. Lower the entire chassis on the crane

Depends if the crane will fit & if the legs reach far enough under the chassis. I might end up with the crane stuck under the car.

Nearside Carpets

The nearside tunnel will not be completed until the mechanicals are in place & prop shaft connected & the front well panel has some components fitted on the reverse so carpet will wait.

I fitted the floor and crescent carpets though:

The bag on the tunnel contains the speed sensor bracket kit - I need it somewhere obvious so I don't forget to fit it before closing in the tunnel.

This virtually emptied my first can of glue; as I got near the bottom I noticed a creamy component - I should have stirred the glue before starting! It stuck fine everywhere, but perhaps that why it went straight to tack on the offside.

Offside Carpets

On to wheels (not quite)

She's ready to drop onto the wheels. I was waiting all this week for some dry weather so we can move all the boxes & bike out of the garage, put on the final rear nearside wheel and lower to rolling chassis, then re arrange all the stuff back in.

No luck - seems we are on the wrong side of the gulf stream this summer.

Carpets

In the meantime, while I can access the offside I decided to glue in the carpets. I have the full laser cut carpets from GBS; reasonably good fit with holes cut out for the seatbelt mounts already & cut to correctly fit the sides of the lowered floor pans.

I started with the small drivers side footwell carpet, and worked back to the larger ones; The adhesive GBS supplies (seems like Evostick, certainly smells like Evostick - memories of Dad's garage and building furniture smell) seems to be easiest applied by pouring on large areas but mostly with an old brush.

I Tried the first two carpets glueing both sides, then resorted to glueing the stainless panel only - the stuff seems to get to 'tack' stage in less than 30 seconds.

I glued the tunnel carpet in two steps, it has a natural datum on the rear panel and the chassis tube notch half way:

Use the carpet to avoid spoiling the floor already in place (hindsight, should have glued in the sides first): (see later comment re the glue should probably have been stirred/mixed)

Back end glued:

Then after 5 minutes glued in the front end - taking special care (paranoid maybe) that it is well stuck and cannot come adrift and foul the clutch pedal:

Result:

I'm leaving the top edges slightly proud, to tuck under the various trims later. It's Certainly easier to fit the carpets before the side panels are on; and easier while still on the chassis stands.

The seat back carpet will have to wait until the nearside tunnel panel is in.

Nearside carpets will either be next, or after its on the wheels - depending how much I decide to shift her about!

(Must not forget the speedo sensor bracket)