New Zealand Exocet build number 1

[nzexo]

Hi all,
Firstly an introduction - my name is Tom Carpenter, and I have the license to manufacture the Exocet here in New Zealand. Actually, a deal was struck with Stuart almost a year ago, and I've been busy putting the company together and building and marketing the first Exocet in this part of the world (all in my spare time).
You could say I have a bit of a back-log of posts to put in here, but better late than never!
I'm an Englishman expat, living here in Papakura, Auckland for 2 years, after a 5 year spell in Melbourne. I've followed the UK kit car scene for many years, and it has been a long-seated dream to build my own kit car.

First off - I bought most of an MX5 from a guy in Taupo. The parts were destined to be an MG TF replica but it never happened.
This was a 1989 1600 import, with power steering and LSD. 149,000km on the clock.
The font and rear subframes were complete and there were about 4 boxes of other filthy miscellaneous parts. Obvious omissions were the radiator, seat belts and power-plant frame bar.

They just about fitted in my trailer for the journey home
.

This was April 2011 and I had not yet bought the license and kit - so I had some time to fill. I stripped the donor right down and either powder coated everything or cleaned it up, overhauled it and painted it.
Actually, the condition of the parts was excellent - I had none of the issues many people seem to have with seized bolts and corroded parts.


The best disassembly tip I had (thanks Kev) is for ball joints - I had broken one puller and a splitter I had didn't fit - the solution - to put a bit of gentle downward force on the arm with the ball joint on the end (in this case the tie-rod end) and then give the outer housing of the hub carrier/upright a whack with a hammer. The shock seems to free it better than ever trying (and mullering) to hit the ball joint itself.

I kept everything together as I dismantled, putting bolts into labelled zip-lock bags and assemblies into the same bin.

Back from the powder coaters


To clean the parts I first used a de-greaser, then had a wire brush on the drill and the angle grinder. Undercoat and then an epoxy top-coat made the parts look a lot tidier

I had a local engineering shop press out the bushes for me - I ordered a full car set of energy suspension from 949 racing.
That lubricating grease is seriously sticky stuff!

The first set of front upper wish-bones had the ball joints pushed out in error, and after asking around, I decided to scrap them and bought new ones from a scrap yard. These ones just had the rubber boot removed after powder coating to allow for new grease and a new boot to be installed. I've since seen the after market replacement ball joints, but replacement arms was the quicker and easier fix. Apart from the first pair of boots I split using the wrong sized socket to press them on. Back onto the net to import another couple from the UK!

Front and rear callipers had an overhaul

As did the clutch master cylinder (not painted in this photo)

And the CVs

I took apart, rust cured and painted the pedal assemblies

I also replaced the tie-rod ends and the lower ball joints up front.

The wheels my donor parts came with are actually modern mini wheels and no good for the Exocet. One of the differences from the UK is that we are not allowed 32 mm spacers. My research indicated that the maximum size permitted is 20 mm. I've since discovered that in fact bolt-on adapters can be 27 mm. Anyway - I was going to base the wing mounts on a 25+ offset (from the stock 45+) so builders could retain the MX5 wheels with 20 mm spacers. I decided to avoid spacers myself, I'd buy a new set of wheels with 25+ offset. They're from Tire Rack, Fedex'd over. The Kumho Ecsta XS tyres have a great reputation over here (well, Melbourne is where I have a friend with a set) and they cost a fortune. Importing wheels from Tire Rack, with tyres fitted and balanced worked out to be very cost effective.

I also bought new grippy brake pads too

One of the biggest missions was to get the old differential bushes out - to the extent that I would recommend you leave well alone. The approach suggested includes heating the rubber up to brake the bond with the arm. Trouble is, there's not a lot to push against with a press - as the bush has a flange that sits on the edge of the arm. I got there in the end and the new ones went in without dramas


One of my favourite photos - proving that all a car is, is nuts and bolts

And then assembled


same deal with the front end



Finally, after a long time (mostly of in-action, with such a long deadline) I had the donor parts back together. I picked up a few parts that I didn't have from a couple of breakers, mx5mart in Hamilton and Cascade breakers in Auckland. Those mini wheels look all wrong!

[red5]

Welcome in Tom

Nice bit of detailing on your now gleaming subframes - looking forward to some more updates

[h5ngs]

Awesome, love the detail in the build, what is your colour scheme?

[nzexo]

Thanks for the welcome!
I have gone for a darkish green - to match the Tein lowering springs. It's kind of got the same tone as British Racing Green, but lighter. If that makes sense!

[flyingbrick]

Hi Tom.

Nathan here, I've been e-mailing you about the exocet over the past few days.

Great work on the build! You have much more patience than me with all the cleaning and painting. The parts look great all assembled!

Those wheels should suit the car well and I'm happy that you have gone with wheels of the correct offset rather than using spacers. There is probably nothing wrong with using them but its certainly preferable and more professional (in this case) to just get the right wheels to begin with.

I see your donor had power steering- are you going to retain the power assistance or do without? Are the power racks of a quicker ratio than the manual option?

Is there any reason in particular why you went with rubber bushes rather than nolithane?

Thanks & post an update!!!

-Nathan :-)

[300tt]

I used those same wheels. They are nice and light for the price. I don't know if you saw any of my old pictures, but here is a link to some of them to give you an idea of what they look like on an Exocet (sorry the pics aren't a little better).

www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=25534

[seakiwi]

Tom great to see the thread start and looking forward to aiming at being NZ #2 or 3. Be great to include a purchase reference list for NZ residents with idea of costs

[bauer]

gday Tom

Thats awesome stuff. I have been keeping an eye on you from across the ditch since I found your site.

Good luck with it

Stu

[nzexo]

In October 2011, the kit had arrived and cleared customs. With all the different duties paid, I was able to pick it up from the freight company.



I stopped at A.B. Marine on the way home and Tony gave me a hand opening the box. I left the moulds and body panels with him and took the rest home.


Here is the chassis sitting in the garage next to the donor all ready to go.


For a variety of boring reasons, it took until the new year to have the jig made - here it is in its early stages


I took delivery of my first NZ built chassis at the end of February this year. A week later is was media blasted and powder coated


I picked the chassis up on the Friday - but I had got wind of a car-show of sorts, called Wings and Wheels , at a local aerodrome and was very keen to get the Exocet to that show.
The Saturday was a very long day - I installed the floors, brake and fuel feed and return lines to the chassis and then dropped the chassis onto the donor.
That done, I was able to install the steering column, clutch master cylinder, and both pedal boxes. I quick trip to borrow a friends trailer and I was ready for the show!
Here is the car on the Sunday, with the panels mocked up


There was a lot of interest - and to my surprise, I even picked up the "Best Engineering" award. That one should really go to Stuart!

Going backwards in time a day - here is the floor going on. I extended the arm of my pop riveter to give more leverage and make it easier to install the masses of rivets.


I subsequently took the pedal boxes and cylinders out and re-aligned them a bit better and with the right amount of spacers got them in a good position. I also cut out a hole for the speedo and throttle cables.


One of the differences in NZ is that we are not allowed copper brake pipes - they have to be steel. It's not quite as easy to work, but still OK, and actually looks better on the straight runs I reckon.
I also installed new steel fuel lines down the length of the car and used the same flare tool to make the ends up.


You can see too that the handbrake cable is in - the handbrake itself is bolted to the tunnel using rivnuts.

I installed the fuel filter with a small bracket, to the front right fuel tank mount. I elected to tack the bolt to the underside of the bracket to aid removal of the nut holding the filter.


One minor issue that arose with my donor (a very early '89 1600 import) was on the rear hub carriers. Mine didn't have the tab in the casting, onto which the rear guard mounts are bolted. Apparently this only affects a very small number of early cars. A local breaker was able to assist with a replacement pair:

[nzexo]

The certifier that will be signing off on my Exocet came to have a look over to help pre-empt any areas that would prevent a pass. There were a couple of modifications that arose.

1. In NZ we require a 360° hoop around the prop-shaft near the drive end. You hear stories of shafts failing. That's a whole lot of energy spinning near the thingypit - they can either rip their way into the car and/or drop onto the ground and catapult the car off the road.
The next chassis will have this partly built into the tunnel



2. Bolting seats to the RHS chassis rail requires that the rail has crush-tubes welded in. They stop the tube from deforming, which could result in a loosened bolt.




3. Steering racks that have been de-powered require “locking up”. The hydraulics in the power rack rely on a small amount of differential movement between inner and outer splined shafts to sense the fact that the wheel has been turned. Without the fluid in the system this becomes slack in the rack. While it may be tiny and for the most-part unnoticed, it is considered that under certain conditions it could result in excessive wheel wobble. Welding the shaft is a big no-no too due to fears that it could lead to cracking. Loss of steering would be a serious downer. Solution – a new splined bottom shaft professionally made up and press-fitted by a hydraulics guru.

[bauer]

Interesting read Tom. I think we all knew it would be tougher to get an Exocet on the road down this end of the world. I look forward to reading of the road blocks you overcome in NZ. I should then be able to double or triple that for issues over in Aus.

[nzexo]

Next up was a trip to see my new green body panels being made.
I’m offering the NZ market a free choice of colours for the gelcoat (with the proviso that if a particularly expensive mix is chosen it’ll cost a little more – very rare).
My aim was to match the green of my aftermarket springs – so I took a spring to the gelcoat suppliers and with their help we selected an exact match from swatches of previously mixed formulas.
They can also make up a whole new colour if needed – as demonstrated by matching a car colour for me for the latest set to be made, after I gave them a sample pot of paint (as you'll see on Seakiwi's posts, they look great!).

Here is a quick mock-up at the fibreglasser’s. I’m really pleased with how it looks.

[christof]

ooo that looks good. i have a new desktop background!

[nzexo]

Thanks Christof. I'll get some good shots of it on its own wheels soon - not on the trailer looking like it might have broken down!!!