Beardmore Bros New Project Update 24th September 2003

Update 24th September 2003

If you wish to view previous work then links to updates are above. Work before this date was organised in sections (chassis, engine, bodywork etc) you can see this work by going to "New Project Title Page" above.

A comment I often get when people view my car is "You must have lots of money, especially as you only work two days a week". My answer is usually along the following lines. I have enough money to build my car because I have focused my life to enable me to build it and spend money by making sacrifices. I have not been on holiday for years, I do not go out drinking many nights a week (in fact I have now quit drinking, so I always have a clear head), I do not have a mobile phone or satellite TV, I wear my clothes and shoes until they wear out, I do not buy unnecessarily items that I have no real requirement for, my money is invested wisely, I drive a 20 year old car that cost me £200 3 years ago (best value for money I have ever spent!) etc etc. I also say that the car has cost me less per week than most people will spend on going out and I will have something to show for it.

A lot of people also express a desire to build their own car. I point out that to do something to the level of my car it is a way of life. I dedicate nearly all my waking hours to completing the car. I am thinking about it most of the time. A normal day is up at 6.30am and in the garage before 8am and work until 8pm with an hour off for lunch. Its the only way to get it done. Recently I have also started getting very agitated if I can not work on the car when I want to. I think this is known as an obsession!

Work has progressed well on the car. The engine is in and plumbed. The front scuttle and panel work (inner wings, A panels, ducting) is fitted. The suspension is on and aligned. Robin is working well on the rear bodywork. All the oil pipes are on for the engine and the water pipes will be fitted very shortly. If I fit the exhaust in theory I could start the engine! If I fit a diff and drive shafts and bleed the clutch in theory I could drive it !!!!!!!!!

New Project Update 24th September 2003

Home	New project (title page)	Update 3rd November 2002

	Update 1st December 2002	Update 25th September 2002

	Update 1st January 2003	Update 9th January 2003

	Update 19th February 2003	Update 20th March 2003

	Update 12th May 2003	Update 20th June 2003

	Update 10th July 2003	Update 11th August 2003

	Update 31st August 2003

Update 24th September 2003 If you wish to view previous work then links to updates are above. Work before this date was organised in sections (chassis, engine, bodywork etc) you can see this work by going to "New Project Title Page" above. A comment I often get when people view my car is "You must have lots of money, especially as you only work two days a week". My answer is usually along the following lines. I have enough money to build my car because I have focused my life to enable me to build it and spend money by making sacrifices. I have not been on holiday for years, I do not go out drinking many nights a week (in fact I have now quit drinking, so I always have a clear head), I do not have a mobile phone or satellite TV, I wear my clothes and shoes until they wear out, I do not buy unnecessarily items that I have no real requirement for, my money is invested wisely, I drive a 20 year old car that cost me £200 3 years ago (best value for money I have ever spent!) etc etc. I also say that the car has cost me less per week than most people will spend on going out and I will have something to show for it. A lot of people also express a desire to build their own car. I point out that to do something to the level of my car it is a way of life. I dedicate nearly all my waking hours to completing the car. I am thinking about it most of the time. A normal day is up at 6.30am and in the garage before 8am and work until 8pm with an hour off for lunch. Its the only way to get it done. Recently I have also started getting very agitated if I can not work on the car when I want to. I think this is known as an obsession! Work has progressed well on the car. The engine is in and plumbed. The front scuttle and panel work (inner wings, A panels, ducting) is fitted. The suspension is on and aligned. Robin is working well on the rear bodywork. All the oil pipes are on for the engine and the water pipes will be fitted very shortly. If I fit the exhaust in theory I could start the engine! If I fit a diff and drive shafts and bleed the clutch in theory I could drive it !!!!!!!!!
There are 21 pictures on this page, posted 24th September 2003
The fuel tank is insulated around the sides and on top. The idea is to try and keep the fuel cool. The washer bottle is made from an alloy drink bottle bought cheap from an outdoor shop. It is mounted to the chassis on an alloy bracket with cable ties. Here the bottle is stood by the mount. The fuel pipes are insulated and the fuel filter is mounted low on a curved bracket held on with worm drive hose clips. I did not use cable ties as I was worried they may be effected by heat. The fuel filter will also be insulated. Robin added a bit of filler to the front scuttle to get it super smooth. The rear in etch primer at Robin`s. The box section stand helps support the bodywork. To align the suspension I made bolt on frames (one at the front and one at the rear) so I could construct a string rectangle around the car. A string is also run down the centre of the car as this is the reference. I have centre marks on the chassis (the white mark by the square). Down each edge of the car I put string (actually fishing line and a washer on each end keeps it tight). The bolt has a groove in which the string sits. By winding the bolt in and out I can get the string exactly the same distance from the centre line on each corner, so constructing an accurate parallelogram around the car. The car has been leveled before this takes place. To check the toe settings it is a simple task to measure from the rim of the wheel to the fishing line. Doing it this way means the rear wheels are correctly aligned to the fronts and the car will not crab. Once the front wheels are set straight I can check and adjust the caster. I made a fixture so I could measure it straight off the upright with my level. I am not too concerned with the exact value of the caster to 0.5 degree as long as both sides are the same. I set the wheels straight ahead, but I know how much I have to turn the steering arm to give me a certain amount either toe in or toe out. I also marked the direction to turn the steering arm to keep it simple! The same principle is applied to the rear camber. I have set the wheels 0.5 degree negative, but I know exactly how much to turn my adjuster to give me for example 1 degree negative. Again the direction is marked. This all means that I can adjust the suspension by turns at an event or during testing without having to level the car, set up my strings etc. I know I have shown this before but I am proud of this trick. The alloy piece below the uj is a bolt on item which is marked and allows me to centre the steering rack very quickly and easily. This is important for suspension alignment. The alloy piece also allows the UJ to slide onto the splines to the exact position so the bolt will slide straight through. This is the rear anti roll bar. It is made from a Minor torsion bar (turned down to make it softer). The right hand short arm is held in place with a chemical bearing retainer, the left end is the original Minor splines. Other items are drop links, clamps and arms. These are the master cylinders. The reservoirs are at the rear of the car and the feed lines go down the chassis rail through the alloy plate with grommets. This is the front brake. 280mm dia. x 25mm wide disc on an alloy mounting bell (I made)> they are bolted together with very high strength NAS series bolts. The extra set of holes in the mounting bell is so if the original holes elongate or crack I can use the second set. The caliper is a 4 pot with 4 x 1.25" pistons. I wanted to mount the engine and gearbox as low as possible. The lowest point is actually part of the gearbox and this sticks down below the chassis rails so I have to recess the floor. To do this I set the height stop on the drill and drilled hundreds of holes. The triangular area is where I could not reach with the pillar drill! Once all the holes were drilled I removed the rest of the alloy with an angle grinder and die grinder. To get the engine in I had to make a special hoist to clear the windscreen frame. This is because the engine sits under the windscreen. The engine goes in through the roof. Nothing is simple with this car! The clutch is actually a Ford item. The splines on the Fiat and Ford are the same. The paddle may be a bit on / off but I should be able to cope. I use part of an old Fiat gearbox to align the clutch. These are the inner wings made from 0.5" box section and alloy sheet. They bolt in. The inner wings are not a simple shape. They are made to clear the tyre on full lock and bump. They have a lip on the rear edge onto which an inner panel will be attached with quarter turn fasteners. The front bodywork is sprayed and fitted. The A panels are siliconed and rivetted in place. It looks very neat and is totally sealed. I can also still get draught excluder on the door pillar.
Home