Also winter is a barbaric time to be in the garage messing on with lumps of cold steel covered in forty years of grease and grime, however progress has been made and the first part has been reinstalled back on the chassis, so the build has officially began.
The chassis when we last updated was sat awaiting a media blast. It is a good strong chassis with zero rot or rust, but forty years of road grime and oil etc.. so a good clean was needed. Round the corner from where I work is a fella who does a lot of media blasting and is very much a fellow petrol head. After a few chats with him in regards to the pros and cons of acid dipping against blasting I agreed that a blast and prime would be the best medication for my chassis. So for the grand sum of £180 he has blasted my chassis and covered it in a etch prime ready for the top coat to be applied.
The top coat finish has been in my thought process for some time now. After speaking to many people in the body shop trade and arguing the toss over epoxy vs 2k etc… I settled on a product called Gladiator that is actually designed for a pickup truck bed liner. It meets my desired criteria in regards to finish being satin as opposed to gloss and it is also easy to touch up or blend in with it having a texture finish. I did also want a texture finish as opposed to a smooth finish like the Por15 product that I finished my Cobra build parts with, keep in mind that the final car has the majority of the front suspension exposed and visible so it needs to look good and not slap dash finish. Attention to detail from the start! So with the chassis sat in the garage finished in the primer I was keen to get a protective top coat on ASAP. My garage is not at all damp or dingy but primer will absorb moisture from the atmosphere and whilst spring is in the air, summer weather is still far far away. This top coat product is also extremely durable and hard similar to a powder coating, and for what the car will be used for I can’t see it giving me any issues further down the line.
Next up I had already given the differential a good clean and covered in a 2k satin ready for fitting, and the theory for the diff is exactly the same as the Cobra build, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Whilst I’ll be doing a fluid change and checking the play I’m not going to spend anything on getting it rebuilt, it’s not that hard to change the diff for a replacement unit if needed later on down the line, however this unit is more than acceptable with its tolerance so a tart up and on it will go ready to rip up some tarmac…. Hopefully. 
After a few good hours to cure off a little I’m extremely happy with the quality of the finish and coverage of the product. I will need another litre later on so I can finish the rest of the suspension and running gear in the same finish along with the front anti roll bar mounts that will need changing on the chassis. The original units have split previously and been welded back so I’m intending to “beef” them up a touch for a tad more durability. They will need fabricating and welding onto the chassis later on when I get time.
Another reason why progress has been a tad slow is the funds side of things. I have had some savings I was willing to put towards the chassis however I have been making some investment purchases in terms of a 180amp gas mig welder which I traveled a couple of hours to Scarborough to pick up. This might not be a direct purchase for the project but it sure as hell will make things a tad easier when it comes to anything in the future needing welding. I have been long suffering with my arc welder for years now, so it’s time to learn how to really penetrate the weld and make something solid and that will last.
Once the chassis had cured off for a few hours it was safely put back in the garage and not swinging in the wind, held up by mig wire off a gazebo. Excitement got the better of me and I decided to fit the differential back onto the chassis. I’m sure that this will be removed again later to allow me to flip the chassis over when I fabricate the anti roll bar fixings, but if this doesn’t get you a tad giddy then you really shouldn’t be reading my blog or following my progress.
Next up on the lists will be to get the rear leaf spring refurbished and make a start on the rear end running gear and brake setup. Im creeping closer to ordering the body and bits from Mick but a couple of “need” expenses have set me back over my “want” expenses, but I’m 100% committed to this project and I will get it done before petrol has been outlawed.
The engine is just sat waiting now really. I still have to torque down the head and fit the rockers along with the oil pump and bypass but it’s nye on done and just a few odds and sods to get it finished. If you put your ear up against the screen here you will hear the whisper “twin webbers” which again should get you excited… if not then you’re really not going to enjoy reading the rest of these updates and should probably just go back to watching whatever dross you have on Netflix.
Another update soon hopefully….donations welcome in the form of cold hard cash!
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