Gerabox fitted

Managed with the help of my good mate Kev, to get the gearbox fitted.

To fit the twin clutch, I had to line up both clutch plates with the pilot bearing.
Easier said than done.
As I found out, there is a clutch alignment tool you can buy with splines. But not one that fits Chevy clutch to a ford pilot bearing. So I tried to make up my own. I found a bit of ally that was close in size, applied tape till it fit and lined up the splines by eye.Once aligned, the bell housing needs to be fitted and torqued up the same way it was when that was dialled in. Then slide the gearbox in.
We tried to fit the bearbox, all went in ok till it got to the pilot bearing. The clutch plates were a fraction out and you can't move them once the clutch is fitted as it is rated to 600bhp and must be partly disassembled to release the friction plates. This means taking the bell housing off again.

So plan b was to use the gearbox shaft for alignment. I had to make sure it was level and then lift the engine to the same height, make sure the engine was level too, and slide the gearbox in, mark and tighten the clutch, remove the gearbox and hope it didn't go off level.
(Can see the 2 offset dowels I was on about previously)We then refitted the bellhousing and tried again to fit the box, and it slid home with ease.
I then fitted a ratchet strap from the fork to the rear of the gearbox to disengage the clutch so it finds it own happy position as it could still be out slightly before turning over the engine.

One tip I would give, make sure you fit the clutch fork and throw out bearing inside the bell housing before fitting the gearbox and jumping about with joy that it finally fits, only to hear your mate say "what's this bit for?" LOL

Dials follow up

Just to follow up from the smudged dials I sent back.
When I was visiting the factory I mentioned them to GD and they were shocked that I hadn't had them back yet. They were sent off to the company that made them and were forgotten about.
GD got straight on the phone, gave a bit of verbal and were told they were being worked on. GD didn't forget as they instructed the company to fix them and send them to my address so they thought it was all sorted.
Anyway 10 days later they arrive. And a lot better finish.

The whole lot of 9 dials were re-done.
I'm sure it would have been done quicker had they been on my to need to fit list as I would have chased them sooner

Bell housing dialed in.

What a laborious job!
The process: Fit flywheel & bell housing, Torque up all the bolts, measure with dial gauge. Disassemble and adjust offset dowel pins, reassemble and re-torque. repeat till offset is less than 0.005" or 0.127mm tolerance.

I started off by checking the bell housing face was the same plane as the flywheel.

After my first attempt last week went ok till I took the bell housing off and refitted it as I wanted to see how much the bolts could effect it once re fitted as I wont be able to double check it once the clutch is on. Glad I did cos it went back on and was way out. This got me for a while as how to make sure it stays set cos you need to remove it to fit the clutch. After a closer look, I found the culprit. Old offset dowels, I remember Ken at EDA mentioning new ones to me now.
Went and got some new ones, about £15 for 7 thou offset. Checked where the high spot is and marked them as the slots are not to be used as a reference. These were a tighter better fit than the old ones, but this meant complete bell housing removal to move the offset as they now need to be punched out rotated then hammered back home.

So set about repeating the process all over again. Removing 2 flywheel bolts enables you to get the dial onto the inner edgeI tried to mark the housing but soon lost track, so made notes on paper.
I tried different methods, the arrow refers to where the high point of the dowel is in relation to the housing, I messed about with zeroing on 12 o'clock or zeroing on the high spot. I took about 6 attempts to get to number 3 when I noticed that I wasn't setting the dowels at exactly the same angles. 4 was looking better, then 5 came up trumps. The measurements are in 0.01mm so 0.12 would have been a safe tolerance, got it down to 0.05mm. I then had to test that it stayed the same when reassembled so I took it apart and back together, rechecked and all was as near enough spot on the same.
I Was well happy. A good day today!

Thankfully for those reading I wont go into working it all out as looking at the paper I have no idea how I did it, lol.
Andy's blog explains it better and shorted than I could ever hope to.

Visit to the factory.

I arranged a day with Andy for me to pop up as I wanted to see my chassis being fabricated and discuss some other things.
Was pleased to see it in the jig being welded.

Hard to see what is what.
This is the front

And the back.
There was a full Euro rolling kit order being preped for Spain.
Interesting where the pump and filter are mounted. hmm...


I also got to see how easy it was to mount the body.

So if all goes to plan, 4 weeks I'll be collecting it. :P

Now to get cracking and get the bell housing dialled in properly. It's been a bit tricky, setting it. You have to torque up the bolts, check with a gauge, remove it, adjust the offset dowels , refit it, re torque.... and keep repeating the lengthy process till its within 5 thou!
Back out there this week.

Bits I didnt know about.

As you may have read, I was trying to find what slave cylinder I needed.
Finding out that a chap close to me, Nick with a Dax, has a very similar setup. So i got in contact and popped over to stick my head in his bonnet for a good nose. He was hugely helpful and has even found a template he made for the slave bracket. I borrowed his engine lifting plate again, and also his modified stand to allow the fitting of the gearbox safely.... well.... you'll see.

I then found out what else I would need. I have spent the last few weeks finding out exactly what bits to get and where from. A pilot bearing is needed to fit the gearbox as this locates the gearbox shaft central to the engine crank, but as I have a Chevy Engine The standard pilot bearings take Chevy gearboxes. Mine is a ford gearbox, Tremec TKO600.
Speaking to a few companies here in the UK, not many were able to help as it wasn't the "norm".
Was getting rather fed up with the attitude that unless it was bought from them or I wanted to buy new, there was little they could help. The club was really helpful, I managed to speak to someone who asked me to take some measurements and then told me a part number that I'd need. For those in the same boat, Chevy to Ford Pilot Bearing = Lakewood 15975.

Edit: Here it is.
Now I needed to get bits together to make the clutch work. This needs a Clutch release bearing and one to fit my fork. As I have a McLeod Bell housing with a ford gear box, no one was able to give me any precise advice again...... yawn.... so it was a phone call to McLeod in the US. Once I had explained what I needed they gave me some item numbers. Woohoo. It turned out that a standard Ford TKO or T5 release bearing would work. As for the clutch fork, I ordered a new one as the one I have is a little damaged.

Edit: New ones arrived.

I will speak to GD when I pop up, as they might have something for the clutch slave issue.

Next I will need to find/borrow a Dial Gauge (DTI) to check the bell housing is 100% central to the crank shaft and in line with the flywheel.

Good job, I'm not waiting on fitting the engine.
Will put up some pics when the parts get here.

Twin clutch

Now that I have had it set up and shimmed by Real Steel I can get it ready to fit. When I picked it up, I was advised to give it a bit of a clean to clean off some of the rust. Taking note of where and how it had been shimmed, it was disassembled, cleaned and ready to fit.

The waiting game

Not much to report. Its been rather uneventful yet stressful at the same time. I managed to find a set of wheels off a Mercedes that I hope will fit while I'm still building. Cheap off ebay.
I couldn't find Ford Granada/Scorpio wheels anywhere and ideally they needed to be 16".
Also cleaned the garage floor that was coated in white rubbing compound and polish spray.

Next bit of fun is finding what kind of clutch slave cylinder I need to enable me to fit the gearbox to the engine ready to slip into the chassis. I have a rather unique set-up apparently, (McLeod Bellhousing, street twin clutch, Tremec TKO600 Gear box all fitted to a Chevy)
There isnt a slave designed to fit my bell housing that I could find apart from an internal one that's got a reputation for leaking. I have spent the last 4 weeks searching google, McLeod forums, speaking to UK V8 engine suppliers and posted loads on the cobra club. Lots of help from the club, but unfortunately the slave I was advised to use (Wilwood) is a pull type, opposite to what I need (Push type). This would mean a new clutch fork but these don't fit my bell housing meaning a new bellhousing and they aren't cheap..... So a bit of hair pulling. I had the twin clutch shimmed and checked by Realsteel as it was in a box with bits all mixed up.

I have just spoken to Andy at GD, and he informed me that my build is a bit behind due to steel supplier problems. I did tell them when I ordered that it was no real rush, so this little delay isn't a problem. I have waited 3 years so a few weeks aint gonna kill me. I'm going to pop up to see them next week and Andy said that I should bring my bellhousing with me. Hope he can help. I'm going to take a wheel as well just to check it'll fit ok.

Should really start to make room in the garage.

GULP!.... Gone n done it. Euro Chassis Ordered!

Couldnt hold off any longer. Emailed Andy at GD an order form for the Euro Chassis with cooling bits and exhaust. Basically I ordered all I need to get the engine in, running and the body on!
He kindly phoned me to discuss the new list that includes the wide exit exhaust system that I liked but wasn't on the list I had.
A good natter later the wheels are in motion now, 8-10 weeks..... Eeek :)

Need to source 4 ford scorpio wheels to roll it about on as I don't have enough for the Halibrands yet.
Only down side is that as I can't afford the AP brakes yet, I'll have to set up the geometry when I get them as this is normaly done by GD with the euro.

God I hope work doesn't dry up too much....Bit of a gamble as lots of jobs in my line of work are coming to an end...oh well. :P

Light at the end of the tunnel.

Finaly clawing my way back to being in a position of the next big order soon! :D

On hold.

I now have to put it on hold till my funds start flowing the right way again. I was holding out hope for July... but that don't look likely.
So for now, not much more can happen till I re-save what I nearly had in January.
Down 8k :( Tough times but must keep positive.

Hay ho.

Fuel pump & filter.

Little update snippet.
Just been mucking about last week working out the fitting and location of the pump and filter.
I made a bracket up and am just awaiting some fixings to come in the post before I assemble it.

Following the right angle fitting to the tank problem, I found a local Racing supply store. Great place with plenty of bits n bobs, and things hard to find even online. http://www.autocrossltd.com/
I took my hose and fitting into them, explained the problem and they found me a fitting. It was less than the speedflow site were asking! I will certainly be going back there!..... oh dear, lol
With the fitting solved I carried on with the pump and filter fitting. I had some sound proofing sheets from a previous project that I clad the ally bracket with to reduce any noise from the pump.Managed to hunt down some 60mm p-clips and a meter of 25mm fixing band that I cut to length and drilled to fix the filter. from CBS

Fuel system planing

As I have the pump and filter sitting in a box and the tank on the floor, I thought I'd make a start on planing out how to plumb it all in.

Nearly straight away, I ground to a halt.The tank needs to fit further in but the hose fitting is sticking out too far so I need to find an alternative. One of these should do. Ker-ching!

I need to speak to GD as I think I may also have a little issue with the filler angle.

GD at Stoneleigh & Headrest solution (2009)

Having spoken to Andy about the new exhaust setup over the phone, I was very intrigued.
(The original GD underslungs. At the GD track day)

So here we have it. (sorry about photo quality.)

It's the same setup to the centre balance box then splits off to the sides. They have to fit a main silencer widthways after the split to bring the noise down, but the cherry bombs also look great.
Interesting how the IVA rules contradict themselves! The exhaust mustn't protrude more than 60mm past the body, yet side pipes are OK!?!?! Go figure..

I rather like the look, Mind you the factory built car did look absolutely stunning in a Ferrari Met silver!
Now the IVA headrest issue.
Personally I'm not keen on the look of the seat mounted head rests. but there is a legal IVA solution.
GD have had a new seat made that is a bit higher on the back (they call it the MK4 seat), Which fits just under the rear edge return. To be able to use the roll bar head rests, they must be no more than 50mm (not 100% sure) above the seat back. and the correct Diameter. (120mm I believe, but could be wrong there also). The headrests could be droped to the lowest hole in the bracket to achive this.

GD standard seatsNew Mk4 seats

This will only pass if the seat is not adjustable and fixed in a set position.

One little issue, Andy has planted the idea of Heated seats into my brain! hehe. Like the idea, but for aprox £90 per seat... hmmm....food for thought, and plenty of time to think as they will probably be the last thing to order.

Stoneleigh kit car show

I managed to get there for 11am and it was already heaving with more people coming.
Met up with Cobracol, a chap from the club who was selling some bits, so I bought a pair of reflectors off him.
Met a couple more people at the club stand and it was a good turn out with about 200 cob's.Polished Ali Krikham...... now that's just pornography!Had a great day. Managed to meet up with Robert, and bend his ear a bit more about engine setup and bits in general. Big help.
Bought a few more bits n bobs that I can work with right now.

Bell housing

Yet a bit more cleaning.

As part of my engine purchase package was a steel shatter proof bell housing. With the flywheel spinning next to my legs, I was happy to take it. Not something that usually goes wrong but good to know you have it just in case.
I found a local metal platers to re plate my bell housing. 4 days later and only a tenner.

Not the best of before pics, but I keep forgetting sometimes to take a before photo. I took it to the platers to quote on it and then left it there for that price.