Heads, shoulders, knees and rears...!?

Frankly, the last few days have been very productive. I spent Friday, some of Saturday and some of Sunday working on the car. On Friday, I set about trying to finish the rear suspension - starting with loading the driveshafts. I wasted a long time trying to re-sit one of the metal bands that keeps the rubber boots on the driveshaft - I got it eventually...

Before I got to fit them, I had my wife help me load the roll cage onto the car. It's a big, heavy frame and needed both of us to get it in position. Sadly, I managed to scratch one of the rear-most posts but these things happen - it's a racecar but I'm still a bit disappointed.




So I could be getting on with the rear, I attached the flexible brake hose, and started on the ends of the De-Dion tube. Pretty simple stuff and no problems putting it together. You have to properly attach part of the roll cage in order to get the rear spring/damper units in. A major point to note is that the bolts needed to attach the top of the spring damper unit comes from the Rear Suspension fastener pack (the Assembly Guide suggests they're from the Rear Axle pack). The bottom bolts are important to get right and resulted in my only major swearing from the weekend. Despite the advice in the Assembly Guide to remove the rear bolt from the A-Frame, I ploughed on and started to cross thread the lower bolt. As it's an imperial bolt, my metric thread restorer struggled but an M12 x 1.25 was just big enough to take the edge off the damage and the bolt went in OK. MAKE SURE YOU REMOVE THE REAR A-FRAME BOLT BEFORE TRYING TO FIT THE REAR SPRING?DAMPER UNITS!!!

While I was here, I fitted the nylon washers to the rear A-Frame bolt which I found in the Rear Axle box (they're in a small plastic bag with the big washers used under the hub nuts).


The knee panels were next and these have proven to be the most difficult parts to fit. At first glace they don't fit but to cut a long story short, I slid them in behind the rubber beading and re-drilled the holes in the inner black panel. This put new holes in the knee panel and I was able to put the screws in - but I missed the furthest forward hole as there isn't enough screws!


So just the rear brake pipes to bend and attach to the calipers before finishing the rear suspension (I've also got to attach and set the handbrake cable - after the transmission tunnel trim is in). Next is to finish the rubber beading and riveting on the inside panels before getting on with the gearbox, bell-housing and engine.


Just a footnote to say I got to take a look at one of 2009's cars as John Whittaker lives 20 mins from me. From the trip I found the speed sensor is now fitted to a rear Anti Roll Bar bracket (the speed sensor bracket doesn't seem to exits), and the knee panels look different. Thanks to John for this - it was a great help.