Ok, so today didn't go so well. I thought I'd better post up they odd day when I'm not so productive, you know those frustrating days when it all just goes wrong - just to have some balance to this build record, honestly!

Today I attempted to mount the steering rack - and failed. After taking lots of measurements, and doing several sets of workings out on scrap paper with marker pens I finally had the dimensions for mounting brackets, that would hold the rack in the right place relative to the steering arms on the front hubs.

Having cut a couple on the saw, I proceeded to drill the mountng holes in the drill press, but they had vanished into thin air! I knew I hadn't moved from that spot, and they were gone! So I proceeded to make another set, at which point the first set magically re-appeared. Grrrrrr.

Having finally got all the brackets made, I had very little time left before work but decided to weld the first section in place, just so i could say I achieved something. I fired up the welder and made a very neat and tidy weld. I stood back to admire my handiwork, and realised it was the wrong piece of bracket! Dammit!

At this point I just gave up, I'll cut it off tomorrow and have another go.

The only other thing I have done since is dismantle the acclereator pedal and mask it up ready for grit blasting and painting. it will be painted black to match the other 2 pedals.

I was a little bored at the end of my garage session today and found a bottle of engine cleaner and had a little go at the drivers side head cover. I think it came up ok for 5 minutes work.

Compare that with the other head, with no cleaning:

Ok here's how I made my accelerator pedal. Blogger for some reason put all the pics backwards on the page so go to the bottom of this post and work your way up.

Here's the completed pedal, with the link bar attached via the clevis, pin and clip.


This is the link bar - made from a length of M10 threaded bar, welded to a flat plate with a 10mm hole to pick up the cable, screwed into a suitable clevis from the donor. The threaded bar gives me an extra degree of adjustment in the throttle cable. A locknut will be added on final fitment.

Here's the pedal all welded up.

I made a pedal pad from 1.5mm plate, and welded a smaller piece of 3mm plate to the back of it to add strength.

The first step was to weld an 8" length of 3mm flat bar to a crank that was part of the brake force transfer rod in the donor BMW

Ok picture time again!

Here you can see the installation of the master cylinders, the brake one mounted on a large flat steel plate and the clutch on a smaller bracket, welded to the other.


Here you can see more clearly, the brake master cylinder mounting.



And a better picture from above.

Ok here's the pics and updatey stuff!

I have done a little more work today. I have about 75% completed the back half of the pedal box and mounted the master cylinders. So the pedals are now functional.

Next job on the list is to fabricate the accelerator pedal. I've taken some pics and will post them up soon.

Gotta go now as the wife is huffing and puffing as she want's the laptop back.

Woo hoo I got a mention in Complete Kit Car magazine!!!

I wrote a quick email to Ian Stent after the track day I went to recently to thank them all for the experience and inspiration it gave me. He apparently liked it so much that it got printed in the readers letters section - he even included my plug for this blog!

Hopefully the next might be a feature on the finished car! If I ever get it done.

Ok since posting the pics up this morning, i grabbed a quick hour or so in the garage before work and fabricated the other 4 exhaust headers required for the other side. The exhaust is now as far as it can go without me spending more money on it (I need 8x 90 degree bends to complete the manifolds) so i will go back to the pedal box, fabricate an accelerator pedal and mount the master cylinders.

That will probably take me a few more sessions, by which time I will have been paid and can order the exhaust parts. Failing that, i have the steering rack to do. Failing that, the brakes need starting, as does the fuel tank, painting the rear of the chassis, overhauling the rear brakes, differential ect ect the list is endless.