Brockie's exhaust

Fri.09.11.07. Disappointingly, Nigel has not yet started to paint either the front or rear wings, which Chris was so desperate to get his hands on. I have asked him to complete all the panels for next week so that they will be dry enough for delivery on Monday the 19^th he has vowed to keep to the deadline but I fear it is another one of those ‘we shall see’ situations. The reaction from Chris when given the bad news was expected yet uncharacteristically brief, “You can’t friggin’ trust anybody these days, it’s the same old friggin’ story, have we employed anyone who has worked on this project that has been reliable, responsible, delivered quality on time?” I kept my thoughts to myself.

Brockie had arrived with the modifications to the 4 branch manifold exhaust. Rather than cutting the chassis where the exhaust is extremely tight it was decided to apply heat then later, pressure to gradually bend the system away from the vulnerable edges. Colin, as per usual, has managed the task with precision so creating the correct amount of space between the box section and the pipes, which should avoid chaffing under ‘road’ vibration. The total exhaust system has since been assembled then bolted to the chassis. A collection of minor but important jobs have also been concluded, namely, the alteration to the small mid-section exhaust brackets, the re-location of the handbrake which now accepts the standard length cable, re-checking the routing of the electrical cables and fuel and brake pipes, the choice of radiator combined with an electric fan (the suggestion of a new Spitfire ‘rad’ and the Subaru race fan are being seriously considered) and the re-tapping of the original worn bolt holes of the windscreen mounts. 

Colin inevitably brings fresh ideas including detail logical approaches that are often an improvement upon our own strategies. One such, simple but effective, modification is the addition of a central filler cap located at the optimum height above the rocker box and radiator. The advantage of this is two fold: filling the ‘rad’ in a more convenient position but also being at the highest point maximising the amount of water in the system. The inherent problem of overheating towards the end of the car’s first life was due, we now suspect, to insufficient water in the system. The former filler cap was mounted lower than the top of the block therefore preventing a full capacity of the coolant. The car reacted naturally by overheating at relatively low revs. Hopefully, this problem will now be avoided.

The 6mm boot base has been used as a template to cut and test the new access point for the rear spring. The new panel using 9mm plywood offers a stronger warp free base with a deeper face to take the piano hinge that will eventually attach the boot lid to the boot floor. Cutting a 45% lip on the front edge of the panel has meant that the floor is now, approximately 8mm shorter. 

This, hopefully, will be taken up by the tolerances already existing within the precise location of the boot box. Thankfully, once in place this proved to be the case, a reinforcement baton glued to the rear of the lining can easily fill the space remaining behind the floor. A recessed brass handle has been incorporated into the small access lid to mirror the ones that have been used in the boot lid. Four corner countersunk screws secure the unit to the base uniformly effecting the entire construction.