Exhaust fitted & Time to try the engine

Tuesday 26^th July

Exhaust arrived back from tiger today all welded up J so fitted it, I used exhaust paste for the 4 into 1 collectors, and I have an exhaust clamp to fit the silencer, I need to put a slit in the silencer front pipe so I can clamp it on. I then made an L shaped bracket to bolt under the chassis and run up the side of the car to bolt the silencer to.

Next I put water and oil in the engine then connected up the oil pressure gauge, removed all the spark plugs and cranked the engine over until I got an oil pressure reading, refitted all the plugs and rechecked the oil level, as it has now probably filled up the oil filter, topped up the oil.

Ok I got no more excuses now not to try and start the engine, done the last bit of wiring, which was to run a live off the ignition to the alpha webber throttle bodies loom, then connected up the electric fuel pump, I left this disconnected as I have been trying out the electrical system, switches / indicators etc, as you are not suppose to run the pump with no fuel in. I then put some fuel in the tank, ok so we are now all ready for a try. My neighbour come around with a fire extinguisher in hand just in case J. I turned on the ignition, heard the fuel pump pumping the fuel through to the carbs, let the alpha system run its setup process, once that was done I turned the key to crank it and nothing!!!!!!! What a let down L I got the meter out and checked the ignition wiring, I wasn’t getting any voltage to the crank wire, I checked it off the back of the ignition barrel nothing, I wiggled the barrel a bit and I got the required 12v so it looks like I got a dodgy ignition barrel, anyway got the problem solved for now so it was time to try again.

Turned the ignition on, fuel pressure built up (nervous as hell at this point) turned the key to crank and the engine started turning over, turned over approx 3 times then fired into life J the engine is running, it sounds nice and smooth and ticks over lovely, so really pleased J

Reversing light fixed

Monday 25^th July

Traced the reversing light fault, first thing I checked was the connections on the reversing light switch (on the gearbox) which means I had to take the top front part of the tunnel off, I had riveted this so I had to drill out all the rivets L I will fix this back in place with self tappers just in case I need access in the future. The wires on the switch were fine, so I checked the switch itself, I put it in reverse and checked for continuity which was working fine, put the wires back on and replaced the top tunnel cover. The tiger supplied loom comes with reversing light wires on both the left and right rear, in case you fit rear clusters with reversing lights already fitted in them, basically the wire runs to the right reverse light first, then another wire comes out of that and goes to the left reverse light, when I cut off the connector on the right side and made the wires safe, I didn’t join them together, so there was no feed getting to the left reversing light. So I took the spiral wrap and the tape off, soldered the two wires together, put heat shrink over them then tape and recovered with spiral wrap, job done the reversing light now works, well it would if I had a bulb for it, cant believe that new lights are supplied with no bulbs L.

I also fitted the rear body tub down, I used 2 M8 cap head bolts with large washers in each corner, I drilled through the plate coming off the rear chassis, then through the tub, it seems to hold the rear body down well, time will tell.

As with the reversing lights, the fog lights also have wires both left and right side, the ones on the left which are not used, I trimmed off, made safe and put into the spiral wrap out of sight, so it looks neat and tidy.

Rear Lights

Sunday 24^th July

Decided to fit the rear lights today, so laid them all out on the floor behind the car, connected the wires, connected the battery to ensure they all work prior to fitting, got the indicators / lights and fog light working but with a slight hitch, when the switches were on the off position the lights were on, and in the on position the lights were off. The wire loom for the switches come from tiger with plugs pre fitted, so it should have been just a simple case of plug them in. I looked over the wiring diagrams I had sourced from the net / tiger forums etc but to no avail, I also couldn’t just turn the plugs around 180 degrees as one of the wires in the plug was offset so wouldn’t match up, hmmm after about an hour of head scratching I decided to put the meter on the switches to ensure they wasn’t the problem, it was J I was getting continuity through the terminals on the back of the switch with it in the off position and nothing with it in the on position, it turns out the switches had been assembled the wrong way round, so it was an easy fix, now all the switches work correctly J  

Fitted the rear tail lights first, these come with GRP angle adjusters to get the lights vertical as required for the IVA. I drilled through the adjusters and then through the rear body and lined them up level within the height limits for the IVA.

I then fitted the rear fog, reversing light and the number plate light, the fog light is also supplied with a GRP angled adjuster as this also needs to be vertical for the IVA.

Couldn’t get the reverse light working though, not sure why, I will check it later as time to call it a night.

Cycle wings / bonnet again

Saturday 23^rd July

Fitted the cycle wings today, these are one of the worse jobs on the car (apart from the bloody bonnet) I needed to pack out the outside of the cycle wings to get them sit straight over the wheels, I am using the same dome headed cap screws to fit the cycle wings as I used on the nose cone, I will spray top of the black to match the cycle wings so they wont stick out so much.

Back to the bonnet, I got it fitting as best I can but there is still a gap under the bonnet at the bulkhead, also the gap is bigger on the drivers side than it is on the passengers, I phoned tiger to see what I was doing wrong, they told me I was trying to do it too good !! that there should be a gap there as that is the way the bonnet is designed, why?? It looks bloody awful, anyway I will have too see what type of trim I can get so I can at least cover the gap and make it look tidy. I am also going to order some aero catches, as the tiger supplied ones are not the best and im not sure if they will pass IVA.



Bonnet fitting (still)

Friday 22^nd July

Back onto the bonnet today, more cutting and filing, but still not happy with it.

Dash covering

Thursday 21^st July

I bought some 4 pronged M6 Tee Nuts to fit the dash, these you drill the dash and hammer then into the wood, once the dash is covered you will not see the fixings as I will use cap head bolts screwed from behind the dash.

Got some foam and vinyl and decided to give covering the dash a go, I used spray glue to fix the foam to the dash and trimmed it all around so there was no foam over the edges. Cut the vinyl material to suit, I used spray glue on top of the foam to stick the surface down and then carefully pulled the vinyl around the edges and stapled it on the back side of the dash. I then cut the vinyl out of the holes where the clocks sit and inserted the clocks, this was where the problem was L even though I put a lot of slits around the holes the clocks were still pulling the vinyl so much that is was distorting the foam around the clocks and didn’t look right. I wasn’t happy with it after a few hrs of trying different things so I took all the vinyl and foam off, I will see if I can get it professionally covered.

Bonnet / Dash radius

Wednesday 20^th July

Decided to fit the top of the nosecone with some small dome headed cap screws, you shouldnt be able see these too much as they will be behind the headlight anyway. Moved onto the bonnet, this is going to take some time to get it to fit flush and looking good. Started at the nosecone part, trying to get the curves and lines lined up, it’s a slow boring job, file it a bit then try again, file it some more then try again, always marking up where it needs filing. Anyway im still not finished, will post some pics once I am done.

With the dash, you need a 19mm radius along the bottom edge, I have some 20mm o.d. convoluted tubing for covering wires, so I decided to try and use this, it is quite stiff so I had to use some heat on it get it bend around the inside corners of the dash, I then used epoxy resin at certain points to hold it place, once that dried I then went around the to seal it all and keep it in place, will let you know how it turns out once it is dried.

Dashboard

Sunday 17^th July
Thought I would have a change from the body panels today, I only got the bonnet left to fit now J so I made a start on the dash. First I cut the fiberglass dash away leaving about 40mm around the edge to fix the new dash to. I have ordered some captive nuts, using this I will be able fix the dash in place without and visible fixings in the cockpit.

I then decided on the shape, I wanted it to come down to the transmission tunnel in the middle, this will give me more room for the dials and also I will be able to fix it to the top of tunnel so it will be more secure. I then spent a while deciding on how best to set the dials out, see pictures below, I now need to cover it with foam and vinyl and make sure I have a 19mm radius on the bottom for the dreaded IVA test.

cycle wing stays / Nosecone

Saturday 16^th July

Spent most of the day cutting and fitting the nosecone, it was the usual trim, try several times until I was happy with the fit. There are 3 liugs on the chassis to fix it to, two on the top rails either side and one in the centre at the bottom. The bottom one I drilled a hole and turned into a slot so a bolt can be fitted, as under there you can’t see it, however I need to find a way to fix to the top rails without the fixing being visible on the outside. Also fitted the cycle wing stays, these are a right pain in the **** I spaced them out from the hub with spacers to clear the tyres but when you put the cycle wings on they don’t line up with the wheel very well, it almost looks like the wing are warped, this is going to take some “adjusting” to get right.

Exhaust

Friday 15^th July

Cut down the exhaust today to fit the cat, so put it on, lined it all then marked so Tiger know where to weld it together, they are also going to weld a nut in for the lambda sensor, forgot to take a picture before I boxed and sent it off.

Fixed the body tub, riveted along the top and bottom rails, and across the bulkhead, not sure what to do at the rear yet as I have decided to fit the tub on top of the rear chassis for ease of removing in the future (same as tiger do with the factory built ones).

Took off the roll bar I fitted yesterday as I decided I would prefer 8 bolts to hold it down rather than 4 than come predrilled, drilled another for holes in the base plate, then holes in the chassis to match, then refitted it.

I eventually bought a grease gun, just so I could grease the prop shaft before fitting side tunnels, I then fitted all the remaining tunnel panels, so all the ally panels are now complete and in place.

Longer wheel studs / Rad fan and horn

Thursday 14^th July

Had a few deliveries today, the radiator fan mounting kit, (purchased from eBay) and Tiger sent me the missing horn and the longer wheel studs.

Fitted the fan and horn and wired them both up.

Moved onto the wheel studs, had to remove the front hubs to change these, so off with the brake calipers, then the hub. With the hub on the bench I then removed the discs and hit out the old studs with a hammer, they came out relatively easy, pushed the new longer studs into the holes as far as I could, then gave them a small tap with a hammer to locate them better, I then used my air rattle gun to seat them all the way home. I used an oversize nut as a spacer, then a washer, then a wheel nut and wizzed them home with rattle gun, only took about 10mins a corner from start to finish. You can see the difference in sizes below, the small ones are the old front studs, middle ones from the rear and the third is the new ones

With the rears I only had to remove the caliper and disc as I could get the new studs in without removing the drive shafts, however the rear studs were a bit a tighter to fit, even though I cleaned out the holes with a small bronze brush attachment on the drill, so the rear corners took about 30 mins each to disassemble and then refit using the same process as above.

I then put the body on, hopefully for the last time J

I trimmed the hole and fitted the down pipes, I now need to get a nut welded into the collectors so I can fit the lambda sensor.

Fitted the roll bar and also fitted the filler neck tube to the bottom of the filler cap, which was a fiddly job.

I then put the alpha loom through the bulkhead, fitted the alpha fuses where I had pre drilled the holes and put the ECU in.

Speedo sensor / Handbrake switch / Inertia switch

Wednesday 13^th July

Cut the hole bigger in the body tub to give the exhaust more clearance.

Fitted the speedo sensor, I fitted the magnet on the rear prop shaft flange, I drilled a 6mm hole approx 2mm deep, inserted the magnet then covered it with araldite to keep it in place. I then fitted the bracket I made earlier to the rear handbrake bolt, this lines the sensor up nicely over the prop flange. I then supplied power to the sensor and adjusted it until the led light came on so I knew it was picking up the signal.

Finally got 2 holes drilled in the handbrake leaver to take the warning light switch, the lower part of the lever is made of hardened steel so I couldn’t drill through it. My neighbour took it into his old works for me and the drilled it on a pillar drill with a carbide drill.

Drilled out the hole in the rear of the body tub to take the fuel cap.

Made a small bracket to attach the inertia switch to, the bracket I riveted to the box I made to hold the ECU which is under the dash, it is then at least accessible should it trip for any reason.

Fitted the front tunnel top then I spiral wrapped the rest of the loom as there was a couple I didn’t do previously as I had run out of spiral wrap so purchased more.

I fitted the carpets to tunnel fronts in the drivers and passengers bulkhead, it will be easier now than when the body is on.

 

Exhaust and body tub

Tuesday 12^th July

Trail fitted the exhaust downpipes and collector, it’s a bit fiddly to get all 4 into the collector but got there eventually. Put the body tub on and marked out where to cut the hole for the exhaust downpipes to pass through. This was quite a nervous moment as if you get this wrong then it looks crap or you need to get a new body tub. I used a hole saw for the larger top radius on the hole and a 10mm drill bit for the lower smaller radius, I could then get my air saw into the side to cut the hole out. Worked out pretty good, I just need to enlarge the hole at the rear side to give some clearance from the down pipes. Will add some pictures once it is finished.

Radiator / cooling system

Monday 11^th July

Tie wrap mounts arrived today so I tidied up all the engine wiring and riveted it in place. I also had to add wires to the tiger loom for the brake master cylinder, this to light the brake light in the cockpit if the brake fluid gets low, for some reason the tiger loom doesn’t have this already.

Fitted the radiator and all the hoses, so the cooling system is now complete.

Drilled, sealed and riveted the drivers and passengers outer tunnels.

Steering column dash cutout / Coolant expansion tank / rollbar

Sunday 10^th July

While the body tub was on I cut out the dash hole for the steering column wheel to come through. Had a few issues here with steering column, I adjusted the outer part of the column so I could get as much of the column into the cockpit as possible, but I could not get the indicator and wiper stalks to clear the dash, it was if I needed a longer column!! In the end I had to cut a larger hole than I wanted to as the stalks were half in and half out of the dash. I also cut off the hazard warning light switch from the stalk or the hole would have had to be even bigger. Had to cut away the lower right hand side for the ignition key. At least I will be able to cover any mistakes when I make a dash plate for it.

Cut the hole in the bulkhead for the alpha loom to go through. Fitted the coolant expansion tank. I had to modify the holder for the expansion tank, it is made to go over the chassis with a lug underneath, I cut off the lug so I could fit it flush to battery tray

Trial fitted the roll bar so I could mark out where the body tub needed cutting. Once the body was removed I then cut the holes for the roll bar.

While the body was on, when looking inside the drivers / passengers tunnel, you could see the chassis and the bodywork, this didn’t look good enough to me so I decided to ally panel both, I can then cover with some thin foam and vinyl to get a better finish. I couldn’t fit them though as I snapped my last 3.5mm drill bit (gone through 30 drill bits now!!) so will buy some more tomorrow.

Trail fitting of body tub

Saturday 9^th July

Fitted the alpha webber wiring harness today, this is a lot easier than the tiger loom as all the wires are clearly marked up as to where they go.

Trial fitted the body tub today so I could mark out on the battery tray where I could fit the fuses, battery and coolant expansion tank.

Fitted the fuses inside the bulkhead, also made a box to hold the ECU in and fitted it next to the fuses. I also marked out and drilled where the alpha fuses go, but cant fit these until the body tub is finally mounted as the loom passes through the bulkhead. Made a battery box to hold the battery in

Relocate fuel pump & spiral wrap wiring

Friday 8^th July

Had to relocate the fuel pump, as I had forgot to fit the fuel filter (should have read the alpha webber injection system instructions sooner)

Will have to make some sort of cover for the fuel pump, as in this position it is inside the wheel arch and will be open to the elements.

Spiral wrapped all the wiring today and routed and fixed the wiring at the rear of the car. Also spiral wrapped all the wiring down the tunnel and around the engine bay. I am waiting for some tie wrap mounts to be delivered I can then fix all the wiring around the engine bay.

More Wiring

Thursday 7^th July

More head scratching with the wiring today, spent many hours trying to sort out what I thought would be easy, the starter motor wiring but got there in the end. Still had a few wires around the engine bay I was not sure of, so a quick call to tiger I found out most were not used.

Fitted passenger side front side tunnel panel, I fixed this with screws so I can access the gearbox from the side if needed, I also used draft excluder around the edges of the panel to seal it.

Siliconed and final fitted the battery tray and then tidied up all the wiring in the front of tunnel



Top tunnel holes / engine fuel pipes / Battery tray

Sunday 3^rd July

Cut the holes in the top tunnel panels for the handbrake and the gearstick, they are both only roughly cut at the moment until I source gators for them, will then trim and cut to size.

Done another round of bleeding, pedal is a lot better now but still has some air in it, it gets better when pumped, will have to do another round.

Temporary fitted battery box panel, cut out the hole for the grommet / wires to pass through, for this I used a 43mm hole saw, I then found out that fuses will not pass through the hole L so had to take the loom back out, pass it through the hole then refit it all, once run back down the tunnel I roughly put the rear loom in place of where it needs to be fitted, I temporary cable tied it to chassis, will fix it in place properly once I am sure it is right.

Fitted the feed and return fuel lines to engine, including the pressure regulator.

Shortened throttle cables / wiring loom

Saturday 2^nd July

Shortened and final fitted the throttle cables, also removed one of the return springs off the throttle bodies to make the accelerator lighter.

Spent the rest of the day going through the wiring loom labeling up what was what. Sourced some wiring diagrams off the net and used the book, still a lot of head scratching though, got about 90% labeled up, but there is still a few im not sure of.

Brake bleeding / Handrake lever, cables

Friday 1^st July

Bled the brakes, took ages to get the fluid through to all the calipers. I was using a one man bleed system (one way valve in pipe). Got the fluid coming out of all caliper nipples, I then got the missus to do the pedal part while I went round and bled each caliper (and master cylinder) in turn. Got a half decent pedal, still spongy so will give it another bleed again at a later date.

Handbrake lever arrived in the post today, so fitted that, cut down the handbrake cables supplied with the kit and fitted those along with the bias bar that tiger supplied, had to drill 3 holes in the bias bar for the cables and to fit to the handbrake lever.

Also filled the diff with oil.

Engine lift plates

Thursday 30^th June

Cut / sprayed black and fitted the 6mm plates to below the engine mounts today. There is now a good gap between the starter motor and chassis.