BUILD ~ MARCH 2004

01 to 05/03/2004

Wednesday: Spent this evening making a second infill panel for the area behind the dashboard.  This time for the space to the left of the drivers leg.  Repeated the previous method of cardboard templates, which was worthwhile as the shape seems to be a little more complicated by the handbrake lever and choke cable.  By the end had it made and covered with foam.

Friday: Some more work on the infill panels.  I have been steadily gluing the vinyl on over successive evenings.  But this evening I started working out the template for the final ali panel, which is the most complicated of all.  Still the principle is there.  I also glued another piece of carpet into the pond liner.

06 & 07/03/2004

Saturday: The final infill panel!  Well it turned into two panels to do the same job the shape was just to complicated.  Although I did the cutting and bending, with it all as one piece there was not enough give to allow it all to fit in.  So a quick cut later and its two pieces.  Quite unbelievable that this took four hours.

Sunday: First job was fitting the two final pieces of carpet into the pond liner.  This completes the carpeting - thank goodness.  The picture includes the props hold it in place whilst the glue sets.

Then moved onto fitting the blue trimmed lower edge to the dashboard.  It required a bit of gentle persuasion, next time I will allow larger tolerances to allow for the vinyl.  Anyway, the finished effect is well worth the struggle.  Also fitted the second of my infill panels to hide the instruments and wiring.    

After lunch and F1 in Melbourne I went back to the exhaust wrap.  Access from above was impossible due to the coolant pipe work.  Therefore, I shifted the Dax over the pit and worked from below.  A few bleeding knuckles later and this was also complete.  I was a little shocked by the amount the wrap smokes the first time you start up.  

I also put some nut and bolt covers on various obvious nuts (still more to do) and  then in an attempt to stop the leak from the rear brake circuit from leaking I replaced the washers at the master cylinder banjo.  If it doesn't seal this time can I use instant gasket to give it a helping hand.  When Dad gets back from holiday tomorrow we can re-bleed the system before the MOT.  

08 to 12/03/2004

Monday: This evening I found I still had a leak from the brake banjo, so tightened a little further, cleaned up the leak and will wait to see tomorrow.  I also had a general tidy up of the car and polished the main stainless tube of the exhaust systems.

Tuesday: The day of the MOT, but first a few jobs.  Ride height was increased at the rear, only slightly but to account for driver weight, with this done the grub screw was tightened to prevent any slippage.  We also adjusted the firm/soft as per the build manual (midway on rear, near soft on front).  Then bled the rear brakes due to the work over previous evenings.  With that ready for the MOT.

Sort of on route to the test station I happened to go up and down the road bedding in the brakes and doing the initial brake balance.  I have Sierra brakes with 253mm discs on the rear and 278mm discs on the front.  The master cylinders are per Peter's recommendation, 0.625 on the rear circuit and 0.750 for the front.  With the balance bar fully towards the rear, the rears lock first, this definitely felt wrong.  After a couple of goes, two turns of the bar had made the fronts lock first.  Sorted - and much easier than I thought it would be.

So bonnet on and off we go the MOT.  This was the chance of a first shake down drive today, after nearly 18 months in the garage I finally get a drive. Even the sun came out for a few minutes just to make it better. Superb, just so much torque and that glorious V8 soundtrack. 

MOT picked up a few things; 

~ headlight aim which was adjusted then and there. 

~ handbrake needed some taking up 

~ two bolts not appearing through nylocs enough 

~ slight fuel seepage around fuel pump outlet 

The last three of these were simple enough to fix at home, before the hardship of another drive to the local town. After which it passed. They were a little un-happy issuing MOT certificate but did in the end, with 'not displayed' in the registration number box. Still a few jobs to do before next weeks attempt at the SVA. But, after doing 20 miles today, I am more confident for next weeks 50 mile drive to Bristol. Roll on summer.

Still got quite a list before SVA and only a couple of evenings available for the work.

Wednesday: With the car jacked up I filed the white plastic adjuster on the handbrake cable until it fitted into the chassis bracket.  This will prevent the scenario where it is all adjusted but when you give the handbrake an extra tug it pulls into the bracket and therefore slackens the cable.  Next I fitted the penultimate infill panel behind the dashboard, this goes over the passengers legs and bolts to rivnuts in the chassis and a piece of angle on the tunnel top.  This puts all the under scuttle items away from the SVA inspectors hands.  That's it for this week as I am off sailing for a long weekend.

13 & 14/03/2004

Sunday: Home early from sailing as very windy and wet today.  Whilst I have been away Dad has cut a new cork gasket for the between air filter and carb, this raises the air filter so it does not sit on the bonnet.  He has also made rubber covers for the upper front suspension mounts which cover up a potential SVA sharp edge.

First up was to give The Beast its first wash before it gets to dark.  After this we fitted the final infill panel beneath the dashboard and vacuumed the cockpit.  Disabled the brake balance bar with roll pins, having broken a couple of drills in the process.  The velcro for the bonnet for the bonnet catch covers was then cut to size and fitted.

15 to 19/03/2004

Monday: The propshaft has three grease nipples, but I could only get the gun on one of these as the nozzle is to large.  We also filled the car with fuel from jerry cans.  Took a bit of time as not certain of how much it would take.  The wing mirrors seem a little awkward to adjust so a quick tool was made up from 3mm flat ali plate, this means it is possible to adjust the large nut and therefore the mirror's arm.

The smell of fuel was getting worse, and crawling under the car revealed a drip from under the fuel tank.  What appears to have happened is by overfilling to the point where the level can be seen it leaked either round the fillers vent pipe or the sender hole.  Anyway running the car for a few minutes seems to have consumed enough fuel to stop the problem.  We also found that the fuel gauge does not like coming up, the sender is sticking.  This happened before the MOT as well, but driving along provoked it up.  It is almost as if there is not quite enough buoyancy in the float arm.  I will need to resolve this to have confidence not to stop at virtually every petrol station.

Then just about every tool you can imagine was loaded into Dad's Passat estate, just in case we fail on something that can be fixed with relative ease.  Then it was a case of pulling together all potentially relevant paperwork before calling it a night.

Just before bed, remembered I meant to grease the upper steering column support.  So back to the garage and treated it to some Teflon spray.  

Tuesday: The day of SVA, up at 05:30 and out of the house by 06:15 on route to the test centre.  The roads were wet but it wasn't really raining.  Some of this drive was by motorway and fast dual carriageways, which weren't the most pleasant.  However, once we reached Monmouth it turned into a damp but pleasant drive down the Wye valley before crossing the Severn bridge back into England.  Filled up with fuel and headed for the test centre.  

Upon arrival we took the bonnet off and mopped up the slight seepage from the leaky banjo on the brake master cylinder.  Sadly a gust of wind blew and the bonnet fell over, Murphy's law dictates it would land on the gel coat side.  So after all this work, I will probably have to purchase a new bonnet.  Anyway its now 8 'clock and time for the test, so scratched bonnet on and bonnet catch covers on.  

With that we were called in.  The first check was engine age to establish the emission test and the Land Rover certificate along with engine spec confirming the re-bore was accepted without question.  She sailed through the emissions, with only a passing comment that she is a little rich.  A rolling road session will sort that.  

It was then projections etc. All the special tools did come out but were used quite sparingly, basically only if the hand thought there might be a problem.  Most of the attention was on the bonnet catch covers, which clearly were not liked, but nothing could be said.  

The car was then moved onto the ramps, and I was lifted into the air and had to sit there waggling steering, pressing brakes and so on.  Nothing appeared wrong from were I was sitting, but Dad spotted the oil leak has got worse, so looks like I will have to change the sump gasket rather soon.  

When back down to earth the lights were all checked and passed before moving onto mirrors and the field of view.  This time the inspector drove the car, he was a snug fit and I found it very difficult to allow anybody to drive my car, especially with such large work boots.  He then proceeded to do all the weighing, followed by front and rear brake tests.  The brakes received a staggering 103% efficiency, apparently you only need 60%!!

We then had to strap the car down to some rollers, why the speedo was tested.  This was surprisingly accurate, in fact at fifty it is spot on.  Whilst in this zone the car was also measured for a range of statistics which combined with the weights and brake tests get fed into a computer to analyse the expected handling under braking.  This sounds heavy, but I was hopefully it would turn out well.

Having done a circuit round the bays of the workshop, it was out into the car park for the noise test which came in at 97.5 decibels.  The tester then drove a figure of eight circuit, not sure if this isn't just for their personal fun.  After that he disappeared for twenty minutes to play with the numbers and the computer.  

When he re-appeared there was my MAC certificate in his hand, all that took was 2½ hours.  I still find it hard to believe that we achieved a first time pass.  Well chuffed would be an understatement.

As if to further improve matters the damp roads have all dried out and the sun is shining.  It feels like summer.  So we topped up the oil as a precaution and headed off for a sandwich before the drive home.

The drive home was fantastic fun, sun shining, grin on face, flowing A roads.  Also some traffic lights meant Dad got ahead, so some overtaking moves were necessary to catch up.  The V8 just has so much power.  The car now has over 100 miles on the clock.  Came home to find champagne and a chocolate car waiting, did not let the car have any though, it drinks enough super plus.

Just registration to go, have spoken with Peter regarding the forms and will get these filled in over the weekend.

22 to 26/03/2004

Monday: DVLA hassles begin proper today as all the forms and paperwork was sorted last night.  You cannot even ring the local office to arrange and inspection.  First you have to ring Wales, in the end they contacted Worcester and asked them to call me.  Then they won't book and inspection date/time, until they have the paperwork.  So I took the afternoon off work and went and queue, once they had my paperwork they then book the inspection and deal with the paperwork then.  After a quick phone call to work, booked an inspection for tomorrow morning.

Tuesday: With a slight break in the rain clouds Dad and I set off for Worcester, with Dad having his first drive.  It was cold and with regular rain showers and even hail stones as we went over the Malverns.  Anyway we arrived with time to spare and booked in.  All they inspected was the chassis number and now checked the paperwork, for one moment she tried to give me a Q plate, until I pointed out their rule of two components from a donor.  So she had to go and speak to the manager, half and hour later, I received back my originals plus a tax disc and authority to have plates made for F190AAB.  Sorted!

Then on to Halfords to have them made and a spirited drive home, trying to outrun the big black rain cloud.

This evening we fitted both number plates and tax disc holder.  Also changed to the chrome rear view mirror and peeled the Velcro from the bonnet catches.  So with the car road legal it was then time to return her to axle stands, I really need to fit some front mud flaps, the country lanes where we live have so much grit I will have no rear arches left unless I do something.  More on that later in the week.

Wednesday: No build tonight as helping Tom lift his Westfield Megablade down.  A very very high quality build, spotlessly clean.

Thursday: Cut the front mud flaps today from 2mm Diaprene, like they use on rally cars.  The first of which has been stuck on using Wurth.  They may not be the most aesthetic solution but essential in the gritty country lanes round here.  Should sit less than 1" off the tarmac, but as flexible won't get troubled if they catch on sleeping policeman.

Friday: First mud flap seems very secure so stuck on second one.  After this we decided to try and fix the slight oil leak from the sump, by changing the gasket, so whilst the car is on axle stands the sump was dropped.  Found this easiest by having a flat board on the trolley jack, so when bolts released it can be lowered down and lifted out of the way.  We then cleaned up both surfaces before using a new cork gasket and RTV sealant on both sides, before refitting and torque'ing up the bolts.

27 & 28/03/2004

Saturday: Slightly tightened the sump bolts before moving onto the hood frame brackets.  As the build manual says these were positioned as far forward and outboard as possible.  So much so the forward hole needed to be drilled with the Dremel flexi shaft.  The hood frame will actually sit outside these brackets.  Before refitting the pond liner a little of the wing piping was cut away to make room for the brackets.

I have had a slightly sticky fuel sender, so with the pond liner out we had a quick look.  Its pivot seems free enough even on the slight angle of the tank.  However, Dad pointed out that with the floatation device pointing aft the twist might be wrong.  So we swapped it round to stick forward, which also means it is more submerged for the same amount of fuel.

I also swapped the ali'  washers on the rear master cylinder for copper ones in the hope of stopping the small leak.  Only time will tell.

It was then a case of putting her back together before a wash and polish of Dax and Rover.

Sunday: Today I really just enjoyed the car, fetching paper, driving to Cheltenham and calling in on friends.  However, the throttle pedal stuck on a few times.  So on arrival back home I quickly made an additional bracket and added an extra return spring.  Then why testing the pedal it still stuck.  In the end it was the nut on the pedal pivot had become tight.  I have a M8 bolt through the pedal box support rail, immediately bolted tight on the inside, that is followed by a washer, the pedal, another washer and then a nyloc nut.  All I can think of is that when the pedal is pressed, any (can only be slight) twist on the pedal

Also washed the car (again!) and filled up with fuel from the jerry cans.   This time the fuel gauge reacted so the adjustments to the float seem to have worked.  You can just see in the picture, the beast is sporting her new number plate.

29 to 31/03/2004

Monday: The good news is the Dax just gets over the rather severe speed humps in the work car park.  Bad news, the pedal stuck again on the way to work, not as much as before but a nervous moment.  So after the regular Monday morning meeting I borrowed a tube of thread lock from R&D and a spanner.  Took the nyloc off, filled its threads with the green fluid and put it back on, leaving a little slack in the pedal.  A test bolt revealed that by mid afternoon, I needed to clamp it in the vice in order to undo the nut.  The drive home was great and still the same amount of slack in the pedal.  Although I think I will check it regularly for the next few weeks and not prod the throttle too much.

THE END

Well D1DAX is now built and I am very pleased with the result.  Some bits have been stressful but overall the experience has been well worth it.  In total I have put in 633 hours, and Dad has probably has been with me helping for at least 300 of these.  The final cost (what with the rather special engine, new gearbox and Quaife diff) has been a bit of a shock, to the extent I am not even going to mention the final numbers.

All that is is really left is to enjoy using the car.  There will be the inevitable fettling and any comments on these can be found in the 'Living With' section, along with links to any events or major outings we attend.  The first is the Dax 2004 open day, she is hardly run in and now we are heading across the country for the day.

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Last Updated 29/03/2004