Sat.22.09.07. During the morning using the pillar drill together with the new, but cheap, hole cutting set, the smaller 40mm apertures for the gauges and switches proved not to be the problem but the 86mm ‘tacho’ cavity turned out to be unusually difficult. The wood scorched, the blade badly blunted but one hour later the hole had been cut. The larger 102mm spaces for the ‘speedo’ and the ‘3 way’ clock would be impossible for the inferior blades to penetrate the dense grain of the maple so a different approach was necessary. A jig saw was applied to fashion a slightly smaller cavity which was subsequently followed by a straight edged router bit to mirror the absolute 102mm to create the perfect circle. By the end of the day the blank dash had been drilled plus, provisionally outlined. The peripheral edges need to be tidied and the shoulders profiled but up to now the dash is looking good. This goes to prove that I am capable of sound craftsmanship, but even so, I shall still need to absolve any responsibility for this breathtaking outcome stating that “Hasn’t Richie done a wonderful job of making the dash”. This has been a very rewarding fruitful day; almost as good as the day when Liverpool won the European cup in 2005, Jose Mourinho was sacked as the manager of Chelsea even though he was still prepared to buy his own eggs and Gemma told Jo and me that she was pregnant.
Mon.24.09.07.The Maple cap which will be the final dashboard facia was accurately clamped to the 4mm plywood template with the shoulders of the instrument holes contoured using the rounded profiled bit attached to the router. The top, bottom and side edges were also similarly shaped to complete the model. An initial sanding using 120’s revealed more of the grain which when sealed should produce a stunning flamed effect: just like a ’59 Les Paul. Because the switch section has been raised slightly it has created a much larger blank space below which now requires a re-think regarding the undertrim. I suspect that a modified design will be necessary to return harmony to both units.
Later in the afternoon I gathered all the lining patterns of the engine compartment, that Chris had worked tirelessly upon, delivering them swiftly to ‘Catterall and Wood’ of Chorley. The pieces will be fabricated in 2mm aluminium becoming the entire interior skin of the engine bay. Chris Catterall is quite painstaking in his approach, if the side panels that he made last year are any indication of the quality of his work, these additional sections should comprehensively enhance this aspect of the car. Their workshop is situated in central Chorley amongst other similar complimentary engineering units.
Boasting an extremely well equipped generous space, that houses substantial machinery able to bend, shape, weld, fold and form any variety of weight, as well as fabricating assorted types of metal. It has a prosperous order, managed by the two second generation brothers, Chris and Alan. Before the job was accepted great care was taken to check our measurements as well as a thorough understanding of exactly what was required. In the bigger scheme of things ours was a puny insignificant intrusion into their normal working day but I sensed a genuine professional attention to detail together with old fashioned, inherited personal pride. I have no doubt that they would return only the best quality: which, thankfully, does make a pleasant change.
Close by to the engineering workshop is a wood yard, ‘ACS timber supplies’; knowing that I wouldn’t be subjected to a selection of ‘Meatloaf’s’ greatest hit I decided to purchase the necessary undertrim material from their store. To my surprise I was allowed to wade through the scrap box to find the timber that I needed. I left carrying 3 pieces, all free, with not one ‘Meat’ song to be heard. Result.
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