Fin & Luke's Exocet Build Log

[Fin]

Thanks for the support. What I can't understand is why it cannot be made to fit at manufacture?? Will try again as it's on its side but it will not go over the bulkhead petrol tank mounts without force.

[ian360]

Definitely need to cut out around suspension as miket says. The tank mounts I also used to bolt cover to so needs to sit flush on the rail. You get used to how it fits, twisting and tilting and worse with tank on place. Plenty of on and off getting the fit - don't secure too well without thinking about light electrics, good securing on cover inside.

[Fin]

Abject fail at Plan B fibre-glassing the seats to the frames. About as easy as painting a sheep with nail varnish.  Back to Plan A and some significant coach bolts.

[gwnwar]

And some large/wide washers under the heads.. might have to shape the washers to fit flush to the seat bottom.

[Fin]

I wasn't keen on drilling and bolting the seats, not least because the base of the seat sits on the horizontal mounting bar at an angle, so there is minimal contact, and an unsupported angled bolt through the GRP!



I used Milliput (a strong and mouldable binary epoxy putty/adhesive) in a 45 degree-ish wedge shape to bed the seat base to the cross bars front & rear. I drilled the bars at a rearward facing angle, and planned to set smooth headed M8 coach bolts through the seats. Two at the front first, maybe followed by the two at the rear, if called for. The smooth coach bolts have a square neck to stop the bolt spinning, so I may need to square up the holes in the GRP for a flush fit, but then plan to tighten them by holding the tip in a molegrip, rather than risk spinning the square neck. I may also need to fashion an angled spacer for under the seat so the nut can tighten at the required angle.



Cross-bar bedded in with Milliput, and rear supports with Tiger Seal.


Would you use rubber washers, like 3/4" tap washers, or ordinary penny ones??

[gwnwar]

Are you going to be covering and padding the seats or ride on the hard GRP seats. Wife will not be happy that way.. Covers even just
the centers should cover all hardware bottom and back.. I would not us rubber washers but maybe 40mm metal..you can bend them to contour of seat.. A 90deg bracket bolted to the front of the seat bottom and the upright bracket should work. You want the seats held firmly in place not just glued in place.. A slot cut in the stem end of the bolts will help when torquing and won't be seen..
Literally it is your a$$ in the seat keep it in place..

[Fin]

Thanks. M8 in the rails M12 on the belts and a bit of glass on the seats did seem a weak point, to say the least. Given it is my a$$, I was surprised that was $$tuart's suggestion

[Fin]

Well, 5 weeks off with hospitalisation and recuperation means I am miles behind.  Today was the first day fit enough to work on the car again, and we made good progress fitting the battery loom along the PPF and making sure everything was torqued correctly. Still can't get the hang of applying glass-fibre on the seat mounts.  Swapped the "fibre" for smooth matting, but still didn't fully mould and stick.  Maybe more hardener and wet the matting more?  Whipped off the chassis, and marked up the boot ready for cutting Monday, but it's annoying to have to spoil it by cutting so little out to accommodate the oversized suspension mounts.

Finally, on checking the PPF, we can across this plate, washer and bolt.  The centres of the plate matches the two PPF bolts front and rear, but I honestly cannot see (or remember) where it inserts.  Enthusiast's Manual gave no clues, so any advice appreciated.

[gwnwar]

No photo showing so guessing that the plate goes on top front of the PPF were it bolts to the trans. The plate should slide some
forward and back so you can adjust the height of the trans and angle of drive shaft to the diff.. At the PPF front is another bent bracket that bolts on bottom of the PPF and trans.. Rear top of PPF just has the 2 round nuts pressed into it for the 2 long bolts.
Take your time with trimming the boot.. Start with small opening then adjust a little at a time.. Think about each cut a few times..

[Fin]

damn, just as I was about to say my Photobucket was working fine!

We have the sliding bracket on the front PPF bolts, and the vertical triangular bracket, but this is a 90 x 50 rectangle with the corners "drilled" off so they have concave scallop effect like so   ____(

[gwnwar]

email me a pic of it [e-mail]

[Stiggy]

Jul 8, 2017 19:07:00 GMT Fin said:

Well, 5 weeks off with hospitalisation and recuperation means I am miles behind. 

Good to have you back Fin, so sorry to hear you have been hospitalised, good job you are tough.

[Fin]

Jul 9, 2017 16:31:36 GMT Stiggy said:

Jul 8, 2017 19:07:00 GMT Fin said:

Well, 5 weeks off with hospitalisation and recuperation means I am miles behind. 

Good to have you back Fin, so sorry to hear you have been hospitalised, good job you are tough.

Thanks Stuart. Not out-of the woods yet, but still moving forwards

[Fin]

Have secured the donor seatbelts for the IVA, and will switch to 4 point harness later. Mounted them with M12's and Nylocks, but the old spacer washers which allowed to mountings to swivel are 7/16 so mine are static. One the floor mount, I've mounted the bolt from under the floor with a washer, then an M12 washer, the triangular mount, another washer then the nut. Is that OK, as I didn't fancy the length of bolt hanging down under the floor.

Also, does anyone know if the fuel supply system on a 2002 Mk2.5 is the same as earlier models? Have seen some talk of only one pipe fulfilling both send & return functions.

[gwnwar]

Yes the MK2.5 uses a 1 tube supply and return. Early models have 2 tubes engine to tank.