While at my last trip to the shed, I have been looking at the car and mainly the front end and the ground clearance.
It was hard to see, but both the top and bottom rails ran up to the front axle and made the car so it looked like it was sagging in the middle from the side. The car had 2 1/2 in clearance but this was a pain more so at my garage as we had to lift the front end to get the car into and out of the MOT bay which has a very small ramp.
So I asked Steve to order up some more CDS for this weekend and make up a set of new top rails.
We put the car into the shed and about 1/2 hour later the engine and box were out and all the side and top panels removed. We set out the chassis on the floor with a new ride height of 3" and with the front wheels sitting on the floor (They were off a inch before I cut the tube) and cut out the old top rail. I did this by cutting each side of all the uprights, down the sloping join at the rear (Drilling out the rosette welds) and cutting halfway alongside where the tank sits.
While I trimmed off all the uprights Steve machined 6" connectors for the front. We bent up the new tubes and fitted them into the rear tubes. We marked them at the front and cut them to size. The hardest thing was to get the inner tube in the right place, I did this by marking the centre and then drilled little dimples along one side, I pushed the tubes into the front part then using a screwdriver slid them into place through the rosette holes.
When we were happy with the fit and looks (It is now dead straight from the front bend to the front axle.) Steve tacked it all up, we took the front axle off and turning it on each side Steve then fully welded it.
The Cunning Coupe
The Cunning Coupe
The Cunning Coupe
The Cunning Coupe
Steve suggested I made a couple of plates to go each side of the fuel tank, so I found some plate and knocked these up
The Cunning Coupe
I then measured up and cut out the engine side alloy plates and dressed one over the chassis (I have made both, but ran out of time to finish the other one) I have to fit another dzus fixing each side of the chassis and they can be drilled and fitted.
The Cunning Coupe
Also while this was going on, I slotted the holes in the top tin for the front body mounts so I don't have to take these off every time I need to work inside the cockpit. (Still trying to find a way to undo the back dzus fasteners without taking the wheels off, I have got a idea, but will have to see if it works first.)
Anyway, after it was all welded, I cleaned off all the new chassis and around the other parts and sprayed it with black etch primer ready for the (Wet) trip home. When dry, we refitted the engine/box and bolted it all back up (Except the prop) and it was ready to be loaded back onto the trailer.
There is very little to do on the car, I recon only one more trip to Steve & Lesley's will do it, the most important is the put back in the top four link rear fixings, the dash panel and the chute pull, then it will be taken apart at my garage and painted (Less body) ready hopefully for the Nos Nats.
I have a big event and a holiday coming up so its going to be a few weeks before any more updates.
