Right, since my last post I've got a fair bit more done.

The metric fine taps arrived and I've now cut the correct threads into the rack extensions. They do start to wind onto the rack but the threads on the trackrods are quite badly rust damaged. I've ordered a die to recut them, but it's taking it's time getting to me as it's coming from China.

In the meantime I ordered some more bits from car builder solutions, brake unions and T-pieces, and a steering shaft with a universal joint in it. I'll use the new shaft to midofy my existing shaft so it fits properly and works without making contact with any other parts. (at the moment it fouls the chassis.)

I also re-assembled the rear axle, the diff and driveshafts are now back where they belong. My cable clamps arrived so I shortened the handbrake cables, and the handbrake now works!

As the bad weather finally broke, I started to dismantle the BMW 540 I have sitting on the driveway. Unfortunately the wheel bolts are stuck in fast, I only managed to get 1 wheel off it before my impact gun lunched 3 impact sockets then exploted in a cloud of smoke. It's been returned to machine mart under warrantee, hopefully I'll get it back soon. However I turned my attention to the engine bay and removed lots of useful parts, one of which was the auxiliary cooling fan. It was jammed solid but I've partially freed it but ran out of time. Hopefully I'll get it working again as it will save me about 100 quid ove rhaving to buy an kenlowe or pacet fan big enough to cool that brute of an engine.

Lucky me I've been put back on nightshift, hopefully I'll get some garage time in the afternoons, but not as much as i'd like, probably.

I picked up the steering rack extensions today, but unfortunately the guys didn't have a suitable tap to cut the metric fine thread on the rack end. I've ordered some taps, along with a die to clean up the threads on the rack. I'll get that finished just as soon as the tools arrive.


While I wait for the tools to arrive, I've gotten on with item 2 on the to do list, the rear axle. Today I removed all the studs I had to cut off to remove the driveshafts, cleaned up the diff casing with a rotory wire brush and gave it a coat of plasti-kote paint. The colour really isn't for show, it's just a protective coating that requires less prep than paint, and the red is what I had lying around.

I had removed the diff mounts, which I'll grit blast and paint tomorrow. I didn't grit blast the diff itself as getting grit into the diff mechanism would destroy it in use, not worth the risk.

Here's a couple of pics I should have posted earlier. Here's the wonderful moment I discovered that the instrument binnacle fitted perfectly.
And here's the view from the drivers seat (well, where the drivers seat will be?)

Here's what I've been up to today: item 2 on the to do list is to re-con the rear axle. So as it snowed heavily last night, I took the day off work and got on with it. I stripped down and rebuilt the handbrake drum brakes, installed the new cables and then fitted the handbrake handle itself.

In this picture you can clearly see the handbrake cables passing through the handle way too far, they need to be shortened. You can also see the reatainer brackets I welded onto the rear axle carrier to hold the ends of the cable conduits. Without these the cables really wouldn't work.

And here's the to-do list up on the wall of the garage, I'm waiting for some parts for the steering so I've moved on to the rear axle for he time being. However I now need a nice day or 2 so I can remove the rear calipers from the BMW outside.

Ok after spending a couple of hours nearly every day over my Christmas break in the garage and not really achieving much, i decided to get organised. The problem was that the entire project had no real planning or structure to it. What i needed was a "to do" list. So I spent an hour sitting on my little stool (right in front of both heaters) and planned and wrote it all out on a piece of scrap ally chequerplate left over from the floor.

I can't remember the whole thing off the top of my head, but I've split it into 13 mini projects and it looks whole lot more manageble now, in my head, at least. The first few things on the list are to get the running gear finished. So I'll finish the steering, finish recondiontioning the rear axle and then get the propshaft made. I'll post the full list up soon, along with the pictures i keep promising.

So, item 1 on the to-do list - finish steering. I had a go at extending the steering shaft from the wheel to the rack, and found that it fouls the chassis, great - plan B is TBA. However I did finally get round to removing the steering rack and cutting off the other BMW trackrod end. I've made some measurements and designed extension pieces. I went to the lathes shop at work to ask some advice from the proper machinists, and they offered to get an apprentice to knock them up for me as a training excercise - result! Item 1 on the list coming on well then.

Well not too much done today, I finally got my hands on my new rivnut tool and had a go. I marked up and drilled the holes in the chassis to bolt on the dash/scuttle assembly. Unfortunately, after applying the rivnuts, I found that they stood proud of the surface which pushed all the mounting brackets out of alignment. I sorted this by enlarging the holes in the brackets. Not ideal but it worked.

After this I had another go at the handbrakes, I eventually worked out that there was an piece of the old conduit stuck in the trailing arm. When I knocked this out, it was a relatively simple job to re-assemble the first drum brake, with a new cable. The cables themselves are about twice as long as they need to be, as the locost is only half the size of the original BMW. I'm not sure about the best method to shorten them yet, but I have asked the question on the haynes roadster forum and i'm sure somebody will come up with the answer very soon.

Yesterday I got another couple of hours in. I fabricated the other hoop for the dashboard/scuttle and also welded in a retainer for the instrument binnacle.

I also got the correct handbrake cables from the motor factors and found they are going to be quite a pain to change, and they are about twice as long as I need them to be. They are going to take some thinking about.