Читать книгу I'm Building a Car - Andrew Davies - Страница 6

Fiddly bits!

Now with the body sitting on the chassis it’s time to fix it permanently, my thoughts turn to stress, to fatigue and how I can best distribute the load or the ultimate flexibility that a car will experience on the road.

I have 9 major fixing points, supporting the body, plus other parts of the body will be supported from the wheel arches, more on that later. After a bit of research I decide to use Sikaflex a marine/auto adhesive, this allows flex and at the same time adhesion, lets hope. Mechanical fixing too at all 9 points so this car will be strong and the bodies now on and not coming off at any time.

Now begs the question, what if something needs to come off, so everything must be reviewed, can it be accessed easily now the body is on, can I get the water pump off, change radiator hoses, can the fuel tank be removed, everything considered, some changes, but most are OK.

Wiring can be daunting, but in reality it’s quite straight forward but you do need to plan, to test and record what you have done. A multi meter comes in handy too. I bought a USA wiring loom kit, generally built for hot rods, it had many unnecessary items, like radio, AC etc, but essentially provided me with a labelled loom that made the job a whole lot easier.

Quirky little issues like rear indicators and brake light being one in the same in US cars, so a few a few extra wires where needed.

Safety has always been high on my design list and with electrics it is no exception, I installed a primary power circuit that operates a 250amp relay which isolates all power to the car, this in turn is completed by an inertia switch and an oil pressure switch that powers the fuel pump, finally another relay was installed to isolate the alternator. In an accident the inertia switch will trip all power to the car, isolating the battery/alternator and fuel pump. But if you don’t have oil pressure you cant start the car as no fuel will be delivered?

I spent a fair bit of time on the instruments and switches, all are old period 60’s which I acquired from a Jaguar being canablized, very handy. In addition I needed a horn, indicator plus hazard switch so again these have been sourced as period and really do look the part,

Aston Martin built the DBR1 & 2 post war in Feltham and it was on the site of an old aerodrome, the original cars had aircraft switches on the dashboard giving the car real charm, I came across a 5 gang switch off a Lancaster bomber, it's bakelite and has a real period feel and look, plus it has embossed AM so needless to say it adorns my dash with some pride.

My goal is to make it look like an older replica, not a new replica, if I can create even a small amount of doubt in an observers mind I will be satisfied.

Between work, overseas travel and wiring the best part of 2013 has gone, so in the last quarter I turn my attention to the sheet metal or should I say sheet aluminum. Here I need to complete the interior, center console, front and rear inner wheel arches, plus engine bay and air channeling from the radiator. In addition try to minimize the heat from the engine coming into the cabin, this might be one HOT car!

Yes this is the hardest part so far, cardboard and aluminum don’t react the same, templates abound, but a guillotine, a bender, a roller and a sanding belt all come in mighty handy and are indispensible in this part of the build. Never did I consider my skills were anything but ordinary in sheet aluminum, I still think that, but to view the workmanship and the detail just makes the car, scratches abound but in my opinion that adds to the charm and creates a patina of old.

With 2014 now days away my plan is to bring the car to a road worthy position so I need to consider lighting, seats, seat belts, screen and general functionality in that everything must work as designed.

But I do still need an aluminum bonnet, to use the GRP bonnet will just let the car down so here I plan to -------

Gosh it's 2015 already, that was a quick year, but I have resolved many little issues plus made progress to a point where I've slowed down, 2014 saw the seat installation, seat belts, metal work finished, boot lid finished plus several runs to test the engine etc, really the time I've spent is possibly less than 10 days all year so not a lot happens at that rate.