Radiator on

The radiator mounting brackets have been tidied up and fixed onto the chassis with some 5mm rivets. The radiator and fan bolt onto these brackets using some short M6 bolts.

Radiator starting to go on

I've nearly finished the brackets which mount the radiator. These are just some 30mm wide strips of stainless steel which are bent and drilled to bolt the rad on. I kept the nose cone close by to check for internal clearance. I intend to finish these brackets tomorrow.



An inlet manifold has been ordered from Bogg Brothers. I need to mount this before I can make the brackets for the alternator and I need to mount the alternator to check how much room is available for the steering mod.

Cable tie bases

Something I should have done before putting the differential in is rivet some cable tie bases above the diff to support the cable for the rear lights. I took the diff out (again) in order to drill the holes and rivet the bases on. I damaged a CV boot in the process so this has been replaced and the back end re-assembled.


I shouldn't have the remove the diff again so I've also fixed the fuel tank down and connected up the hose to the fuel filter and return pipe

New toy!

The Clarke 160TM Mig welder arrived this week and I collected a bottle of 95/5% Argon/CO2 mix gas from IBweld in North Walsham along with a 5kg spool of 0.8mm wire and some spare tips and shrouds. They offer a pretty good deal on the gas as there is no rental fee but instead a one-off deposit for the bottle + extra for the gas itself. I also purchased an auto-darkening visor to replace my old flip-down visor.


This afternoon, I've set up the wire feed speed to achieve a smooth bead of weld as best I can, results below.

The next job will be to cut some box section to mock up the steering mod bracket. I'm still yet to purchase the rose joint and extra UJ so this will be done this week hopefully.

Also today, I've installed two 5ft flourescent tubes in the garage to replace the two standard bulbs as the light these gave off was pretty awful!

The work done on the car this week is to bolt on a large P-clip to support the clutch cable. I've fitted a spacer I had made up to fit the 6 groove pulley to the daihatsu alternator. I've started fettling the nose cone so that it clears the lower wishbones. Now I can start seeing how much room there is for the radiator in relation to the nose cone.

Thinking far ahead of this, I'm planning to order an inlet manifold for the GSXR600 throttle bodies from Bogg Bros. I can then link this up to the accelerator pedal and start thinking about putting the side panels back on.

Engine out again

The engine came out again today so I could finish off the fuel and brake lines. The brake line is now routed over the top of the gearbox mount and covered with some split conduit.


The fuel lines finish just below where the battery tray will sit. I'll probably solder an olive onto the end of both pipes when it comes to attaching the fuel hose.

I also bought another silvertop zetec engine for £70 this weekend and collected it yesterday. My first engine came pretty much bare, just head and block whereas the new one has all ancillaries, wiring and the 6 groove pulley I need for the alternator. It probably works out cheaper to buy the complete lump rather than buying individal bits plus, if the first engine goes bang then I have a spare! The engine number starts with a VC which makes it a 1997 whereas the zetec I'm putting in the car was made in october 1994 which means I don't need a catalytic converter to get through the emissions part of the IVA test.

Also purchased this week is a Clarke 160TM mig welder which has yet to arrive. I've bought this in order to weld a bracket to the chassis for the steering modification to clear the oil filter. I've picked up some off cuts of box section and some 2mm & 3mm plate to make the bracket and I'll need to source a rose joint and a second UJ.

I started looking at the nose cone this week and found that it will need some dremel action to fit round the lower wishbone brackets at the front. I've seen images on locostbuilders where nosecones have been attached with hinges on the bottom edge which is a good idea so I'll do the same.


I've bought a piece of 90 degree silocone hose to fit to the bottom of the polo radiator which will help me see how much room is needed between the rad and the chassis with the hose in place. I can then finalise the positions of the brackets to mount the rad plus fan.

Rad Fan

It was raining most of the weekend so I couldn't remove the engine in order to finish off the fuel and brake lines. However, I did get round to mounting the fan onto the radiator.



I've also been giving some thought to how I'm going to get round the oil filter / steering issue. The solution I prefer most involves cutting the link and rejoining it with another universal joint. The UJ will need to be supported with a bracket, in such a position that the link passes above the filter and this bracket will need to be welded to the chassis. I therefore spent some time on the sunday reading up on mig welders, I don't know anyone I can borrow one from so I'm now looking to buy. I've convinced myself its a worthy purchase as I'll need to make brackets for the alternator at some point and no doubt other items as required in the future. I've been looking at the Clarke range as they appear to get good reviews and just about suits my budget. A Machine Mart vat free day invite would be very welcome right now!