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Post by miket on Aug 31, 2017 21:02:43 GMT
Last job on the fuel filler was to fit the neck to the tank cover ... ... next, on to the rear lights.
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Post by gwnwar on Aug 31, 2017 22:48:51 GMT
You are still using the tires that came on the donor right..If so looks like rear one are the same tread. swap the 2 rear wheel/tire side to side so the 2 grooves running around the tire are on the outer side of the tread..
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Post by miket on Sept 10, 2017 16:54:56 GMT
... thanks for checking George - I'll sort 'em out before driving anywhere. I'm probably the last person still building an old Exo kit with rear tube lights!? They do of course need to be on outriggers to get them to IVA distance inboard and on the LHS my fuel filler setup comprises the available mounting space. I had some spare tubing the same size (from some old speaker stands) so I'm going to mount the reflectors in tubes too for consistency. This ally tubing is way lighter than the MEV steel ones - wish I had more of it and I'd use it for them all. Downside is that I need another pair of tube caps ... so if you never used yours perhaps I could come to an arrangement? After hours of measuring & planning Plan A, I scrapped Plan A and moved to Plan B ... which is pretty much the same as everyone else's Plan A. So today the LHS rack got fabbed up with M10 hollow threaded for the wires:- ... lenses not in the final sequence. I think I'll have to go brake, indicator, reflector, fog/reversing to get the distance between brake and fog. Brake highest is probably best ... until someone runs in to me in the fog. I'll put some black silicone tubing around the bolts/nuts to finish them off. Need to find a way of shaping the silicone tube ends concave to better fit the curve of the tubes ... hmmm - that'll be tonight's thinking to fall asleep to.
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Post by gwnwar on Sept 10, 2017 19:22:32 GMT
Instead of nuts on the body of the tube to hold wire stud. How about PVC tubing cut to right length and filed to the curve of the lamp tube, painted, rubber washer under body end and clamped in place with nut and washer under rear cover. It would be cleaner looking.. Home supply stores should have the plugs. Plastic or metal.. Also check electric box and tube section of store they are used in electric work too..
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Post by miket on Sept 11, 2017 10:36:38 GMT
Thanks George - good idea, pvc tubing will be much easier to shape. I might go with the current set up to fine tune to IVA distances and then move to tubing once the lengths are known.
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Post by Stiggy on Sept 11, 2017 11:54:53 GMT
I will send a couple of end caps F.O.C if you need them, just email your name and address to info@mevltd.co.uk
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Post by miket on Sept 13, 2017 9:05:16 GMT
... great support from George & MEV HQ - thanks. Experimented with George’s suggestion of using PVC pipe for the rear light tube stand-off. In the UK “overflow pipe” (21.5mm) provides a good strong support with a wide enough base for stability. This pipe can be forced over the M10 nuts or works well on its own between the tube and the grp panel. Nuts could be used to centre the pipe around the bolt, but without the nuts works. To make the pipe ends concave to fit snug to the lights’ tubes involved one of my favourite bits of Heath Robinson work to-date… found a hole-saw the same size as the light tubes, fixed sandpaper around it with double-sided tape, put it in the pillar drill and used the drill’s vise to centre the pipe on to the sander. Then cut to length with a mitre saw:- .. gives a snug join, and will be even better when the burr’s removed:-
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Post by miket on Oct 19, 2017 12:42:28 GMT
Got rear lights mounted on the tank cover at last, after getting some grommets to insert in the threaded tube ends to protect cables. I appreciate that it's "tube heavy" in appearance but this approach provided the reflectors with a home consistent with the lights. Managed to keep the lenses the right way up. I'm now pondering on fixing the lowest tube to the adjacent chassis rail and making that part of the means of securing the tank cover to the chassis, as well as supporting the double-tube.
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Post by miket on Oct 31, 2017 13:40:08 GMT
More progress on the rear lights – installed spreader plate and threaded the wiring:- Decided to try and make a basic mould to create a connector block of spades to mate with the loom’s connectors. Made the mould out of builder’s damp-proof-course-plastic lined with grease-proof paper, pushed the spades through appropriately spaced slots cut in the end of the mould, taped the mould up and filled it with Sikaflex – we’ll see how it turns out. Hopefully makes removing the tank cover a bit easier when needed... just hope I got the right spades through the right slots! While the moulded connector cures made up some rounded ends for the chassis tubes at the rear. Used a hole saw to cut out circles from leftover Foamex and mounted them on a bolt between large washers, span them in the pillar drill and used a Permagrit to curve them to size. Hole edges also blunted a la IVA requirements.
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Post by miket on Nov 1, 2017 15:05:02 GMT
The prototype home made rear lights connector is taking a while to cure, so I got distracted in to seeing how some proof-of-concept aesthetic additions to the chassis tubes at the nose might look. For me it eases the transition from bonnet to nose so I might go with it.
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Post by mikeeyboy on Nov 1, 2017 15:29:45 GMT
That looks smart with the chassis tied into the nose cone!
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Post by miket on Nov 4, 2017 15:28:33 GMT
Well the home moulded connector could be neater but it does the job and it's easier than handling separate spades... ... tho' it turns out Sikaflex even sticks to grease-proof paper (as well as making your camera focus iffy)
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Post by oldmanmick on Nov 5, 2017 18:01:41 GMT
Hi there, I've just been reading your build pages and see that you used the original plastic clips for your lines. I am building a car based on MX5 running gear and would like to go the same route but only have 2 clips off the donor car. Can you tell me where you got your extra clips from as I've looked all over but cannot find any. Thanks for any info you can supply.
Cheers
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Post by miket on Nov 6, 2017 6:08:49 GMT
... all my clips were from my NA donor.
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Post by oldmanmick on Nov 6, 2017 9:55:44 GMT
OK thanks for the reply.
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