Rear brakes

One of the disadvantages of using the VW rear calliper is that the port for the flexi-hose points rearwards.As this would clash with the driveshaft, and leave a convoluted path for the brake lines to follow, I set about solving this today. Eventually the solution was quite simple, inspired by the cortina brake bracket! I made a small aluminium bracket from some parts salvaged from a scrap bin.

This is attached to the calliper using one of the screws already present. I then made a section of solid pipe from the calliper to the bracket. The flex bolts to the other side and then runs forward along the suspension arm. Simples! All I need now is a small pipe bender to make the job a bit neater!

The final lap

How did so much time pass between posts? The answer is that whilst progress has been made, it's been a little bit here and there. At the time it didn't seem enough to report, but looking back now, progress has been significant! So, starting at the front! I have made brackets for the brake pipes, the nose cone and number plate. Installed hinges and a catch on the petrol compartment. I expended a lot of effort trying to extend my indicators in order to meet the IVA requirement for distance from the edge of the car, not helped by the fact that the rear track is slightly greater than the front. In the end, I had to conclude that indicators mounted on the top of the wings is the only way ahead. IVA was causing me some concerns regarding the handbrake - having copied the Ariel Atom location on the outside chassis rail, it became vulnerable to the exterior projections test!! I have now installed a rail to prevent the dreaded sphere getting too close!!! I have also re made the brackets that hold the lower support frame in place - they were never neat enough or strong enough! Finally, I have been dabbling with bodywork. I had long made some small parts from sheet aluminium that gave shape to the car - single curvature panels, not hand beaten!!! These would always be considered lethal by the man from the ministry so I planned to reproduce them in fibreglass. I chanced upon an Internet posting where casting tape was used as a lo cost alternative to fibreglass. A quick search on e bay landed me 20 rolls for about £20! Initial attempts were less than successful, but I discovered that if, after the initial water based set, I coated the parts in fibreglass resin, the results were quite good. However, a fair amount of filling and sanding was needed to get a decent finish. Then, in a Wal Mart in the US, I found some woven fibreglass cloth. Much less messy than CSM and a smoother top finish. As a trial, I coated one of the aluminium parts in resin and then laid the cloth up on it. The results were very pleasing with a near perfect finish! The next step was to mould the bike screen that I bought ages ago. Getting a clean release was going to be a problem as I thought it likely that the resin would bond well to the polycarbonate. As a result, I coated the inside with brown packing tape as a release agent. The results were fantastic - some high build primer and a bit of sanding will be needed to finish it, but that is all!!

Finally, I have been dabbling with bodywork. I had long made some small parts from sheet aluminium that gave shape to the car - single curvature panels, not hand beaten!!! These would always be considered lethal by the man from the ministry so I planned to reproduce them in fibreglass. I chanced upon an Internet posting where casting tape was used as a lo cost alternative to fibreglass. A quick search on e bay landed me 20 rolls for about £20! Initial attempts were less than successful, but I discovered that if, after the initial water based set, I coated the parts in fibreglass resin, the results were quite good. However, a fair amount of filling and sanding was needed to get a decent finish. Then, in a Wal Mart in the US, I found some woven fibreglass cloth. Much less messy than CSM and a smoother top finish. As a trial, I coated one of the aluminium parts in resin and then laid the cloth up on it. The results were very pleasing with a near perfect finish! The next step was to mould the bike screen that I bought ages ago. Getting a clean release was going to be a problem as I thought it likely that the resin would bond well to the polycarbonate. As a result, I coated the inside with brown packing tape as a release agent. The results were fantastic - some high build primer and a bit of sanding will be needed to finish it, but that is all!! So, now the chassis has been stripped. I will soon start to tidy up any unsightly welds, fully weld any tacked on brackets before cleaning the chassis ready to paint. Not quite the final straight, but certainly the final lap is in sight!!!