One year into the project

Fri.16.03.07. It is exactly one year to the day since we started the project. Neither of us would have believed that it would still be in progress. Mistakes have been made, predominantly with suppliers, but also regrettably in certain aspects of construction, However, the real cause for the delay has been the numerous improvements coupled with the modifications that have transformed the Burlington from a mere kit car into a genuinely well engineered vehicle. All the effort has been worthwhile, one final push should see the project concluded by early summer.

Meanwhile Chris has been positioning the ‘new’ handbrake mechanism: I have continued designing the dash.   

Thurs.22.03.07. The body tub has been placed onto the chassis followed later by the fitting of the rear wings. This again is an essential dry build to assess the extent of the alterations that will have to be made to both the chassis and the cockpit area. The tub has never previously been lifted onto the rolling chassis since the complete assembly of the drive train, particularly given that the engine had been mounted a further two inches back from the original position. Immediately, this has revealed a further but necessary number of alterations to permit this wide-ranging modification. The gearbox tunnel area needs to be widened to accommodate the slave cylinder as does the access aperture to the rear spring. The rear supporting chassis members require extra packing as they are now one inch further back from the rear panel. Mercifully, the exhaust silencers have been fitted with adjustable brackets allowing for forward, backward as well as vertical movement. So too, the rear bumper can also be located to trim and tidy the back end. Slotted lozenge shaped holes will be cut into the rear wings to facilitate sufficient subtle adjustments when the final assembly takes place. 

In the meantime, I have continued to work on the design and construction of the internal cockpit areas, the dashboard, the rear boot box, the gearbox, handbrake covers and the false door panels. Chris plans to fit the handbrake mechanism, assemble the pedal box and mount the master cylinders.