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26-28/3/99

Woo Hoo! It's arrived!

I got my Dax Rush kit Friday 26th :-) It was delivered by the ever-so-nice  Duncan Cowper (he with the fastest Rush in the world, holder of the current 0-100-0 speed record). The Dax pickup truck was brimming with bags and boxes and body panels, with the chassis perched on top and lashed to the cab roof.

Whilst the chassis looked small sitting on the floor of the Dax stand at the Stafford Kitcar show, it fills my single garage! All the (many, many) other bits covered the lounge floor in a sort of small boy's vision of automotive nirvana. Friend John and myself spent a while just opening boxes and spreading the shiny bits even further, to check things off against the invoice.

A few things missing (most known in advance):

Duncan realised that the wrong side panels were on the van and took them back, together with my steering column (to have the extension spline welded on). I'll collect these at next Friday's Dax open day.

John and I set to immediately, inverted the chassis on its 3-foot trestles and started fitting aluminium floor panels. By the end of the weekend we both had a bad case of rivetter's hand, but the chassis has seven nice ali panels fitted and both main brake pipes loosely in place. The ali panels inside the car, beside your shoulder, are a real pig to fit. Supplied flat, they needed lots of subtle folds and trimming to make them lie flush to the chassis rails in this complex area. The black, gungy Wurth adhesive/mastic supplied by Dax didn't help - it's the automotive equivalent of baby poo - once it's on something, it sticks to everything else in sight and never comes off!

I sat the various green fibreglass panels in place on the chassis to make it look more like a car and less like a low-rise climbing frame. Of course, at that point I had to clamber inside and sit in the driving position. I am, however, glad to report that I didn't make 'vroom vroom' noises ;-)

29/3/99

Phoned Europa Spares and ordered a parcel of assorted bits, mostly clips and pipes, but also some nice shoulder pads for the 4-point harnesses (when I get them).

Bent some more brake pipe to get a straighter run.

First dilemma: the couplings on the flexible aeroquip brake pipes don't match the diagram in the manual. Brake pipe fitting has been brought to a bit of a halt until I can find out whether to fit them according to the picture in the manual, or according to the labels on the pipes (and common sense).

30/3/99

Called Dax about the brake pipes. Common sense prevails - the manual pictures are wrong.

Spent most of the evening setting up this website. Painted three tiny brackets. Only went into the garage for a tin of paint :-)

31/3/99

Thinking of fitting the diff. Question: which bolts to use? I have a choice of dozens!

Trying to work out which bolts are which in the boxful supplied by Dax. The bags of bolts labelled 'Front Shocks' etc. are quite clear, but what the hell are 'Additions 1' and 'Additions 2'? and what's in the unlabelled bag full of big, meaty bolts?

Loosely assembled the rear wishbones, uprights and shocks to try to work out which bolts go where. Can't find the shims for adjusting the suspension set-up. Dunno what bolts hold the diff in. Ho hum. Another question for Dax on Friday at their open day.

Go on to April's progress.