Build Photos
Home Up

 

Home
Background
Build Diary
Links
Specification
Hints & Tips
Driving
Gallery

Here are my build photos. Enjoy!

Me posing with the just-collected V8:

V8 on engine stand. I pose.

Sierra XR4x4 rear subframe delivered and awaiting refurbishment:

XR4x4 rear subframe as delivered

Half of a Cortina front subframe awaits a strip-down and clean-up:

 Cortina subframe oxy-acetylened in two

The engine block and sump get a coat of nice red paint:

Shiny red engine!

My chassis at the Stafford Kitcar show:

My chassis at the Stafford show

Trestles built, garage awaits delivery of the kit.

trestles.jpg (26947 bytes)

Delivery day!

delivery.jpg (23940 bytes)

All these bits will one day be a car ...

stuff.jpg (26521 bytes)

Friend John works on fitting a floor panel.

floor.jpg (25216 bytes)

So where do all these go?

bolts.jpg (25225 bytes)

Floor panels fitted.

panels.jpg (31952 bytes)

Diff and gearbox await fitting.

diffout.jpg (22544 bytes)

Engine and gearbox get craned into place.

crane.jpg (21203 bytes)

I try the cockpit for size.

trialfit.jpg (24883 bytes)

Diff and shafts in place.

shafts.jpg (19255 bytes)

Some visitors to my 'Open Day', 17/4/99. Friend Simon (L) and William Turner (R).

openday.jpg (25707 bytes)

Fuel pump and filter attached to aluminium bracket (upside down).

pump.jpg (6172 bytes)

The pump fits in snugly between the differential and the fuel tank:

pump2.jpg (14641 bytes)

Inlet manifold and carburettor on.

carb.jpg (23216 bytes)

Cardboard template used in making shoulder panels MkII:

cardbrd.jpg (20101 bytes)

New left-hand shoulder panel in place:

newpanel.jpg (24310 bytes)

Fuel tank in place:

tank.jpg (33618 bytes)

Backrest riveted in:

backrest.jpg (26180 bytes)

New seats, still in plastic wrappings:

seats.jpg (27524 bytes)

Pedal box, panelled and with brake pipes in place:

pedalbox.jpg (30092 bytes)

Mountney steering wheel attached to column:

mountney.jpg (24744 bytes)

Oil pipes run to remote filter head (just visible behind diagonal chassis brace tube):

oilpipes.jpg (34676 bytes)

The propshaft, before it got sealed into the tunnel:

prop.jpg (29232 bytes)

The half-way point (?):

halfway.jpg (36988 bytes)

Hot-air trough gets stuck to the underside of the scuttle:

trough.jpg (27607 bytes)

The battery shelf is fitted:

shelf.jpg (22344 bytes)

Left-hand exhaust headers and pipe are trial-fitted:

exhaust.jpg (23116 bytes)

Lashed-up ignition system, just to make the engine run:

ignition.jpg (20843 bytes)

Hey look William, I've got a picture just like yours!

baredash.jpg (19143 bytes)

Wiper motor, rack and wheelboxes in place under the scuttle:

wiper.jpg (19375 bytes)

Coolant expansion bottle robbed off'n an old Cavalier:

bottle.jpg (5353 bytes)

John welds the bottom coolant hose T-piece:

welding.jpg (24102 bytes)

Nice aluminium bracket supporting brake fluid reservoir and washer bottle:

bracket.jpg (16973 bytes)

Radiator fixed in place:

radiator.jpg (34634 bytes)

An aluminium sandwich plate under the driver's seat spreads the load from the under-floor exhaust-mounting bracket:

exhmount.jpg (21495 bytes)

Cutting out the aluminium for the new heater box:

heater1.jpg (28860 bytes)

The finished heater unit:

heater2.jpg (14445 bytes)

I attach the forward part of the rear body tub with big-head rivets. Is that a bald spot?

drilltub.jpg (24479 bytes)

Jim marks out the contents of the rear panel, using his car's own number plate as a template:

jimplate.jpg (24596 bytes)

A ring of holes is stitch-drilled for the fuel filler cap. Masking tape protects the gel-coat, which shows a nice reflection of my MR2:

drillcap.jpg (20099 bytes)

Left-hand side panel in place, showing two oval cut-outs for the exhaust pipes. No, the side panels aren't going to be lime-green, that's the protective plastic:

sidepanl.jpg (20047 bytes)

'Seven' art, entitled 'Nose Cone in the Rain'. I need to mow my lawn:

wetnose.jpg (43014 bytes)

Radiator fan & horns:

fan.jpg (29062 bytes)

Heater in place under the scuttle next to the wiper motor. Flexible tubes join it to the hot air trough:

heaterin.jpg (23370 bytes)

Bonnet and nose cone trial fitted, together with part of the front left suspension:

noseon.jpg (29032 bytes)

The battery shelf fully populated:

shelf2.jpg (23703 bytes)

Bonnet and clips are fitted:

bonnet.jpg (23426 bytes)

Holes are cut in the bare GRP dash moulding:

dasholes.jpg (14858 bytes)

The dash blank is padded with foam and covered with vinyl:

dash.jpg (11641 bytes)

Not on the road yet and look what it's doing to Rob already!

robfear.jpg (26029 bytes)

Passenger-side mirror screwed to the windscreen support:

mirror.jpg (17244 bytes)

Lifting the Dax down. An engine crane holds the roll bar while 6 blokes lift the front and Jessica (lower right) pulls the trestle out:

lifting.jpg (25611 bytes)

Rollout onto the drive:

rollouta.jpg (31991 bytes)

John hops in and we go for an inaugural spin (the light was failing, hence the bad picture):

drive.jpg (15699 bytes)

"I dub thee ... and all who sail in her ... "

beer.jpg (15675 bytes)

Vital carpeting tool - the bent screwdriver:

cpttool.jpg (17303 bytes)

A cat on a Cat. Chris & I visit William's Tiger Cat E1 build:

catncat.jpg (18837 bytes)

Bracket to hold the rear of the console steady:

consbrkt.jpg (21220 bytes)

The front wings are stuck on with BD. The air-filter is in place:

frwing.jpg (26814 bytes)

Rear wings and lamps:

rearlamp.jpg (19589 bytes)

Mudflaps. Before (right) and after (left):

mudflap1.jpg (5441 bytes)

... and fitted to the front wings:

mudflap2.jpg (24973 bytes)

Rear boot tub, carpet, harnesses, badges and reflectors in place:

badges.jpg (24610 bytes)

The finished article, ready for SVA!

finished.jpg (31021 bytes)

Waiting for the SVA test to start. The sunshine was a good omen:

presva.jpg (16465 bytes)

Mr. Tester & Mr. Grainger examine the inside of the Dax:

sva1.jpg (16649 bytes)

Adjusting the headlamp aim during the test:

sva2.jpg (27661 bytes)

Mr. T tests the speedo calibration:

sva3.jpg (27883 bytes)

The pass is announced:

svapass.jpg (40757 bytes)

Minister's Approval Certificate

mac1.jpg (30260 bytes)

Go on to the post-build photos.