Steering column surround

I've not got the leather trim yet to finish this area but I decided to make a start by cutting the aluminium column surround in preparation. This part comes pre-formed from GD but you have to cut the clearance holes for the column stalks and ignition barrel. Not too difficult, just take your time measuring using the stainless face plate and column controls as a reference points and cut out the bits you don't need.



Eventually, the aluminium part you can see will be wrapped in leather.





UPDATE: Looking at a few pictures others have posted, there looks to be another section I have to remove to provide clearance for the bottom part of the steering lock mechanism, not got time to do any more today but I'll post some more at a later date.

Securing the body / engine connections

I needed to find a way of securing the connectors which join the body looms to the engine/chassis looms. The standard GD arrangement is for two connectors in this area but because I'm adding a few additional circuits namely; provision to power the reverse lock out solenoid on the gearbox and a low oil level warning, I have three. It was all a bit busy in this are so I decided to use some P clips to tidy them up and hold them down securely. I started by drilling and then tapping a M5 hole to thread a button head boot through from underneath in the footwell area.



Because the bolt was held securely, this made it a lot easier to work with as I didn't have to worry about holding it in place while I fitted some P clips around the cylindrical connectors. I used two at the bottom and a third separated by a short length of steel tube at the top. The bolt is a little longer than needed so I may swap it for a shorter one when I come to fit the nyloc.



Not the best pictures in the world but you can just make out the three p-clips and the short length of steel tube. I've used a stainless M5 repair washer underneath to spread the load. Another reason for fitting the bolt from the inside up rather than outside down is that I didn't want to take a risk with the end of the bolt protruding into the footwell area and posing a potential hazard to the occupant. Because of where it is I'm not sure whether it would be an an IVA issue but either way, better safe than sorry.

Improvements already...

Ever since I fitted the main engine loom through the dash I'd never been entirely comfortable that the only thing holding it central was the rubber gasket I'd used to to close the hole. Seeing what Martin, another builder had done, inspired me to make some improvements. Firstly I mocked something up in paper which was formed along similar lines to the original stainless ring I had in place but rather than cut the centre out, I planned to make a partial cut and bend the centre forward making a tab to secure the wiring to. Once I was happy, I bought a small sheet of stainless and transferred the dimensions onto some masking tape stuck on the back.



I started by drilling all the holes before making the cuts with a metal blade in my jigsaw. Taking it nice a slowly I gradually cut along all the lines before bending the centre "tab" forwards, putting a small curve into it and tidying up all the edges.



Then it was just a case of removing the original backing ring behind the bulkhead and replacing it with the new one. The oval holes I cut into the tab allows a ziptie to be passed through and secure the loom nice and tight. The gap at the top of the new ring allows it to be placed around the loom rather than having to pass the loom through it.



Worked perfectly, whilst there are no sharp edges I will probably go back at some point and spend a bit of time really rounding them off just in case.

Bonnet locks & scoop bolts

Finished today by refitting the bonnet locks and the stainless button heads which hold the hood scoop on. The number of bolts is obviously just for show and replicates the rivet pattern found on the aluminium panels of the original cars from the sixties.

Number plate light

As with most things now, this has been previously fitted and then removed for safe keeping. I did need to make some small adjustments as it sat a little high. All it needed was a few holes elongating.



I also completed the wiring inside the boot. I'd previously feed a length of wire through the boot skin for the light which exits through the left hand side hinge arm. To make it easy to remove the boot in future I joined the boot wiring to the loom with a connector which I held in place with a p-clip bent to shape.



Just the rear lights, indicators and fog/reverse lights to connect inside the boot and the rear of the car is complete.

Tank sender wiring

Completed the fuel tank today by wiring the fuel sender. I'd previously cut down the plastic which surrounds the terminals so they could be bent over for additional clearance. It was just a case of cutting the wire to length and fitting a couple of female spade terminals and a short length of heat shrink to tidy it up.



The 11/16 written on the top of the tank is to remind me what size spanner fits the top fuel fitting just down the side. I've made marks like this in a few places and found it saves time hunting through different sizes spanners/sockets etc. until you find the one you need, especially when the fitting is partly obscured and not easy to see.

Front Under Tray

The other job for today was fitting the front under tray. This bolts into the bottom of the nose area, tying the inner wings together. This is also used in some builds to mount the oil cooler but with the engine I'm using this is something that's not deemed necessary as the aluminium block dissipates heat quite nicely on it's own. Gotta say an oil cooler does look "cool" if you'll pardon the pun. I'm lead to believe the under tray also brings some aerodynamic benefits too !



Simply a case of drilling and then bolting this in. The rear of the tray slips between the radiator and it's bottom mount which helps keep it all held firm.