Geoff's Exocet build - Basingstoke

[geoff]

Hey, 

I will try an document my build here, it will be a long one, as I do not plan to break any records, I will be enjoying the process probably more than the drive at the end, so will not be racing to competition.

I received a 60k miles rotten 2003 this week, a very smooth running engine and only had 2 previous owners. I took the plunge and bought it sight unseen and it was delivered on Monday. A 1.8l 5 gear, no air con, and very clean throughout. The wheels have been refurbed, the brake disks have no wear lip and the callipers have either been painted or replaced. So for £800 I am happy with the purchase.

[geoff]

Hi.

Cleared everything out from the boot, my thinking being start from the back and work forward. All very easy and accessible, no issues at all, spent an hour or so doing this. Couldn't resist removing the seats to make a dramatic step...

[geoff]

This was the result after roof removal, again all very straight forward, just removed every bolt and screw holding it to the body and it all came away very easily. This was probably 45mins early on Thursday, I have an hour or so every morning to work on the car during the week and 4-6 hours at the weekend. Next step will be dash removal.

[geoff]

So Saturday morning I thought it was going to be the time to remove the dash, but had to remove everything in the way first, and could not resist to take the doors off too. So centre console first, then the radio and heater fascia, glove box, binnacle, and all the trim around the windscreen. 

I am doing all this outside a single garage, I am very limited with space, so at the end of every step, I load all the removed bits back into the car and push into the garage. I will be moving all the big bits to another location to free up some more space.

I started labelling the wires that I had freed up so far, using masking tape, and quickly came to the decision that this will not last the months of sitting around so ordered a cheap Dymo label printer.

[geoff]

Dash is out!  

So I removed the main bolts, side, middle and top, unclipped the heater controls and unscrewed the fuse board. Removed the four bolts securing the steering column and removed any attached wiring....a few wires on the drivers side went to immobiliser and relays, that were all on a single metal bracket, so rather than unplugging each one took the entire bracket off and left them connected.

Looking around deciding that next step will be coolant drain, brake fluid drain, and heater removal and probably radiator removal. Then I can start removing ancillaries surrounding the engine and then remove the harness....all moving along very quickly.

[Stewart]

That’s great going in a short space of time. Make sure you label every plug when you remove it - even the plugs which aren’t connected to anything, and try to put nuts and bolts back in the parts they come out of (noting the direction!)

[geoff]

Not a lot of time this morning, walked round to the front to plan the coolant drain and removal of heater, and just ended up looking and thinking, why am I trying to work in a tight space, when it will all need removing at some point.....so front bumper off, crash bar off, wing (fender) liners removed, drivers wing removed. Had two stubborn bolts, one of the bonnet bolts and one of the passenger wing bolts, so got the cut off wheel out and zipped them both off....I waited until mid morning so as not to upset the neighbours at 7am this morning!

So Bonnet is now off and both wings (fenders)...Pics to follow tomorrow, but lots more room now, and thinking that I may not need to push it in and out of the small garage for a while with the extra room.

[geoff]

Moving along nicely, here are the images with the wings, bumper, and bonnet off, today I drained the coolant, removed the heater and heater fan matrix, removed the carpet in one piece, and started labelling up harness and slowly unplugging everything, this may take a few days. I am using a Dymo label printer to make sure I can read the labels on the wires when I piece it all together.

Also just been advised that the current Exocet kit does give enough clearance on the bonnet to fit a MK2 1.8...phew! It is a relief that I do not have to worry about using spacers or to have to cut a hole in the bonnet.

[geoff]

Not too much to share, I had two days not touching it......ran out of labels for the label printer...Doh...Amazon to the rescue, or as Derek says on VGG that jungle website, and today went about clearing all the wires from the boot, and passed them all through to the cabin, and started freeing up the main loom behind the dash. 

Got the Dremel out for the first time on this build, cut a couple of grooves in the two bolts securing the plate covering the ECU, thankfully they are not done up tight so not a massive groove required to get a screwdriver onto them.

Also started removing those white plastic nuts holding the covering on the firewall, but stopped when I got to the drivers side when I realised the pedals have to come out first.

So still motoring on, and looking forward to some serious time on it this weekend, the Mrs is busy with hairdressers on Saturday, and entertaining on Sunday, so leaves me the weekend to play!

[geoff]

Good progress this morning, Wiring loom now completely out, there are three paths from the cabin to the engine, just starting unplugging from the front and worked my way back, labelling everything. The one leading to the battery you disconnect from the main loom and pass through the body to under the car, I secured it there. I have started to clear the engine bay, removed the radiator, power steering reservoir, that had a seized bolt I had to remove it with a 3" cutting wheel. Washer fluid bottle also removed, and gear stick gator. Then the handbrake, detached the handle and got underneath to unhook the two cables coming from the rear from the bracket that connects it to the one going to the handle.

So next step will be steering column out, brake fluid drain, pedals out, brake booster out, abs out, then fuel lines last before I start squirting some freedom oil onto the bolts that hold the body to the PPF.

I cannot believe how quickly you can get to this stage...starting to think about where to source an Engine lift already.

[geoff]

A quick update for this mornings work so far, removed the clutch pedal and left the reservoir laying across the engine and freed up the connection where the line clips to the body...done....drained as much brake fluid as I could, the bleed nipple on the OSF was stubborn, hammered a socket onto it and that made if come out much easier, it was completely clogged up, no chance of passing any fluid though it, so new bleed valves all round, should be a cheap job at some point. Removed the lines from the brake manifold, removed the manifold, disconnected the pedal and all out with no dramas....and throttle cable freed and pulled through to the engine bay. I decided to keep the steering column attached, I have to pull it in out of a small garage to work on it, and figure the steering has to be the last thing to come off, before the body does, to make this possible.

So will probably set about freeing up each corner from the brake lines this afternoon, and if time permits start on freeing up the fuel lines, draining the tank and trying not to cover myself in fuel.

I am thinking a lot about how I will separate the body from the PPF, I though briefly about chopping up the body in three segments to make easy to remove and dispose of, but thinking this will be very time consuming and noisy for the neighbours. So engine crane is the answer, local hire shops are only £29 for a weekend, so now thinking about chains, and straps to support and steady it...note to self...don't get the crane and spend Saturday running around trying to find chains etc, get prepared!!!

I hope these posts are of interest to people, for me it is a good way to look back at my progress, and also remind myself what needs to be done.

And a cheeky ask....anyone have an Engine Crane in the Basingstoke area that I can borrow?

[geoff]

Hey everyone, lots of progress, in small steps, just about everything disconnected from the body, I even tried to unable the fuel tank, but there is one bolt that you just cannot get to, so that will now come off with the body. The steering column is still in place until the day of separation, so I can still manoever it. Next step is to cut 4 x 200mm of 2x2 to chock the suspension and stop everything falling to the floor. 

The separation day is set...Tuesday 4th...may the fourth be with you....engine crane being delivered at some point in the morning for a 24 hour hire, the plan is to lift it off and straight onto a trailer and off to the scrap yard. I will do some test jack lifts of the body before the big day to make sure everything comes apart and that I have not forgotten anything. 

More pics will be posted on Star Wars day.

When I undo the middle nut on each of the shocks do I also undo the two other nuts holding on the top plate, or do I leave them? I have researched this and you leave the other two bolts attached, so the top plate stays with the body and the spring uncompresses itself as you lift the body.

[tommoes]

Hi Geoff,
I'm partway through my build and noticed you're not far away (I work in Farnborough). It'd be good to have a buddy to bounce ideas off/view build progress if you're interested?
I'm currently rebuilding the powertrain chassis with all my nicely refurbed front & rear subframes & suspension wishbones.
Feel free to message me if you want/need to?
Ed.
07930 480518

[tommoes]

Hi again Geoff,
just noticed your question...
"When I undo the middle nut on each of the shocks do I also undo the two other nuts holding on the top plate, or do I leave them? I have researched this and you leave the other two bolts attached, so the top plate stays with the body and the spring uncompresses itself as you lift the body."
I left the centre nut alone leaving the shock/spring assembly together. In fact it's best to undo the 2 nuts at the top, the monocoque chassis will then just lift off leaving the 4 shock assemblies on the power train chassis, I'll try to find a pic to clarify....

[tommoes]

Apr 28, 2021 10:13:39 GMT geoff said:

When I undo the middle nut on each of the shocks do I also undo the two other nuts holding on the top plate, or do I leave them? I have researched this and you leave the other two bolts attached, so the top plate stays with the body and the spring uncompresses itself as you lift the body.