Yeah I figure its best to stay on the 'if not sure then over build' side of the fence with the mounts. Only downside was a little extra time and a few grams of extra weight.
So many little jobs that add up to suck time. But its a fun time to be at and there's no point in rushing it.
The rear seat base was next up because I needed to work out where I could run the engine loom through. I tried the base in place, got an idea of how its steel rod framework needed to be adjusted and set to it.
As you might spot in the above pic I also gave myself a decent cut from something sharp in there.
Seat base now fits in neatly although it wont be a luxurious softly sprung seat for a middle passenger when 5 up. Highly unlikely scenario that is an Imp though.
Megasquirt and associated fuses/relays etc are tucked away under the seat.
I made some mounts for the exhaust box..
Welded the mounts in place and I was then able to tack, then weld the secondaries to their flanges.
I painted the crossmember after having added some handbrake cable guides. Then it and the rear suspension was all bolted up in place. The new driveshafts fitted and hubs pulled on, wheels bolted up and it was rolling again. So it got rolled out the back to join green imp so I could use the hoist to do a customers van job.
As soon as the van was fixed and out of the shop I put Impy back up on the hoist. I then worked out the final section of pipework for the clutch's concentric slave cylinder (CSC). I wanted the bleed nipple to be easier to access and not have any spillage running down into the bellhousing. I made some pipework and fittings to suit.
Bench was covered in brake fitting stuff and I pieced together a system.
I made one setup, tested the clutch and while it worked fine I wasn't happy with the pipes sticking up in the way so I changed a it again leading to the final iteration..
The csc itself was a unit I'd scored from a Ford Mundano engine and gearbox I had well over 6 years ago. Intended to fit the duratec into my Viva wagon. Sold the engine and kept the release bearing just because I thought it might be handy. So six years I've had it laying about and before that it was residing in a wreckers yard. It must surely be a bit cruddy inside?
They are not designed to be serviceable but they are also stupidly priced here in NZ - like triple what they cost in the UK. So I decided it was going to be serviceable and I took it apart. Sure enough it had some mild corrosion marks on luckily what is a stainless guide tube but otherwise actually pretty good.
It cleaned up well in the lathe..
Its a very nicely made thing and quite simple but has to be mounted correctly. This guide tube seals on the mounting plate with a thin square section seal.
I made a new bigger mount to support the base because the original machined support I'd made wasn't broad enough. I was then able to add two more bolts to sandwich the lot together so that square seal remains squished evenly at all times, as it would in a OEM situation.
We trial fitted it all with the new base plate and pipework. I was not sure whether my stock Imp 5/8" bore master cylinder was going to move enough fluid to get the release bearing travel I needed and I was prepared that I might have had to fit a 3/4" M/C. However it all seems fine with a light pedal and the bite point is about midway. Very smooth motion too!
While this lot was being done Hannah finished prepping the rear valance for paint. Luckily the weather here in Tasman, NZ has been just amazing for what is now officially winter here. 18-19 degrees recently and generally clear skies (in fact its a bit too dry) So on a nice warm morning I set up the paint frame outside and sprayed some blue about..
I did my best not to paint the cat blue..
It turned out fine..
Another little fun job was cleaning up the gearstick shaft in the lathe..
...and discovering that universal steering rack boots make for neat gearstick boots...
I'd bought some muffler packing sheet and then played with scissors...
I then painted it with stove paint and sat it on the burner to help it harden. It looks much better in black. I've used silicone to seal the lid. Ran some beads, let them set for a couple of hours till at the point where it squishes flat without smearing. Stainless bolts carefully pulled up evenly. Seems all good but only time will tell on how the seal lasts. Like a few things on this build its a bit experimental.
Gaskets for the inlets and tailpipes are copper. I have quite a bit of decent thick walled copper pipe from the Imp racecar cooling system. Chopped some bits, flattened out, heated and quenched with the oxycet and now nice and soft.
Exhaust all mounted and engine now ready to go in for the final time (he says..)
I just had to get a few more pics of this stage because its a point I've been looking forward to
Positioning the power plant under the car..
Yep. Getting very close now!!!