September & October 2001
17th October, 2001
Well, its been a very long time since I've had time to work on the car. This is mainly due to business trips to Monza, Indianapolis and Suzuka. The traveling is still not over as in order to appease the family I'm off to sunny Zakynthos for a week's R & R.
So just a quick summary of the work done since the last update:-
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Fitted the rear fog and reversing lights. These are a little larger than I wanted but look good none the less.
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Fitted the four bolts that hold the prop shaft to the rear differential flange. For your information, these are M10x1x18mm. Ford part number:- P F6118344 182582 screw @ 76p each plus VAT.
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Fitted the relays for the fan and the air horns. Tested the air horns, very loud and very discordant. Not really sure that I like the sound they make.
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Fitted the correct sandwich plate for the remote oil filter take off. Filled the engine with oil and with the help of a 'flying lead' turned the engine over (having removed the spark plugs first). No clunking or squeaking just an eerie whirring. Eventually the pump primed (I assumed this to be so since a large quantity of oil has gone astray leading me to believe that it is now in the oil filter and associated pipework). Rather worryingly, I've noticed a small amount of oil has appeared from one of the exhaust ports on the o/s bank. I'm hoping that this is just a worn valve stem seal and not something rather more sinister.
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Finished off the coil wiring.
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Ordered a V8 flange and manifold kit from Custom Chrome along with two Megazone silencers. Sum total of this lot £500.00 delivered. Just remains for me to complete the 'Dummies guide to welding' prior to its delivery next week.......!
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Finished off the cooling installation barring the rad expansion hose and the top engine hose. I'm hoping that I can keep the existing LR thermostat housing as this allows me to use the inbuilt radiator fan switch. This make the top hose somewhat high and difficult to route around the distributor. It might also airlock. If I can get it to work, I think that it would be a much better solution than stuffing a capillary 'stat into the top hose.
Building the exhaust system will take time but once this is done and it is fitted, there is only the fitting of the EFI loom and refitting the plenum before I can attempt start the Rush for the first time.
October 30th, 2001
Having given it some further consideration, I decided that the Discovery thermostat cover will not work. It's sure to air lock badly. So I set about installing a capillary style fan thermostatic switch which, as luck would have it, I had left over from my Westie build (along with a small Pacet fan if anyone is interested!). I contacted Dax today to order their modified item and they said that I had to supply the original to mod!! I will do this and there has been no mention of any cost as yet.
So in order to finish the water system I have installed the radiator expansion hose to the header tank. Again, as was Tim's experience, the connection port on the rad is too short (too much fillet) and I won't know if I've got a reasonable connection until the engine is good and hot. I'd say it's 50/50 right now.
In order to start the engine it was time to refit the plenum an throttle actuator assembly. On the type I have the throttle linkage is mounted in a large mild steel frame which used to house the cruise control bellows. I don't need any of this but to do away with it would mean that I lose the throttle cable mounting point. The steel bracketry has to go as it fouls the bonnet and the new resting place for the hot-wire unit and its associated air hose to the plenum. The Dax V8 demonstrator has a custom made bracket for the throttle cable which it looks as if I will have to copy.
Still no sign of the exhaust system but I have asked one of our mechanical engineering dept. metal workshop guys to weld it up for me - there's a drink in it for him...'nuff said!!
Ordered a reversing light switch from Rimmers today and will order some loom tape and badges from Europa tomorrow. The loom tape is to tidy up the EFI loom once I have dispensed with the bits I think I no longer need. It is also to tidy up the dash loom wiring that I've begun to turn my attention to. To begin this part of the build I've installed the fuse box centrally at the top of the front face of the scuttle, just above the battery.
