Brake and clutch line testing continued

We finally got round to testing the brake lines for leaks. We felt this was best done before the body was fitted so we had good access to fix any problems. 

We are aware, however, that we will have to drain the system down to fit the body, but we now have peace of mind that it is all ok. 

There were a few weeps here and there, but nothing a little tweak up of the joint didn't fix. I'm quite impressed with the Sykes Picavant hand held flaring tool I bought. It did a great job considering this was my first time doing brake flares. 

We fitted the reservoir up high to aid the bleeding process. 

The only real issue we had was with the clutch slave cylinder. The surface on the rear of the cylinder does not seem big enough to get a good seal with a copper washer. I bought a new fitting from CBS that will hopefully sort this out as it is more like a flared copper fitting that should seal better. 

Radiator/Cooling system

I had originally intended to do something slightly different to the standard AK setup with the cooling system, but in the end we were making more of a headache for ourselves than we needed to. Therefore, we reverted to the standard AK setup. 

This is all pretty simple to fit. 

I did stick some robber strips along the bottom bracket and under the top bracket to avoid any metal on metal rubbing. Once the radiator is located it is pretty solid. 

Brake and clutch line testing

We decided it was prudent to test all of the brake and clutch lines before we installed the body. This would make it much easier to spot any leaks and nip the unions up accordingly.

We made up a small frame to mount the pedal box roughly where it would be inside the footwell

We the connected up the copper lines, making sure to leave enough to redo this once installed properly. It should be a much neater installation when done properly

I am using a brake light switch that is part of a banjo bolt. I am hoping this will be a better solution than some of the other hydraulic ones that can weep if they are not upright. 

The clevis for the clutch cylinder was interesting. The first one I bought was too short, but I really struggled to find a longer one with a 5/16 female thread. Eventually found one on eBay that has the part number OBPCB005. This is long enough, but does cause the clutch pedal to stick out more than the brake pedal. Something to try and remedy at a later date.......

Power steering

For the power steering, we are using a rack from a BMW E46, and the pump from the same. We needed to get a V belt pulley, which we sourced from Brammer. A bit of machining was needed on the boss in order to drill the bolt holes through.

We made up a bracket to hand the pump off of the water pump. Looks a bit DIY at the moment, but I still need to tidy it up a bit around the edges. It is made out of aluminium, so with a bit of elbow grease should polish to a nice shine.

Painting the engine bay

At a bit of a loose end as really needed an extra pair of hands to test the brake and clutch lines, and my Dad (being a farmer) was out making hay while the sun was shining!

So, I decided it was a good idea to paint the inside of the wheel arches and engine bay. 

I used POR 15 gloss black, and I can now confirm that once it is on you it doesn't come off that easily!

However, I did manage to get more on the car than on myself!

Before

After

Not too much different, but should stop ugly reflections once the wrap comes off the stainless engine bay cladding.

Engine test fit

We decided that it was prudent to test fit the engine to ensure that we had the appropriate clearance for brake lines, clutch line, fuel lines, fuel pump etc.

It was not too difficult to drop it in with the two of us and an engine crane. We made up some brackets to bolt on to the exhaust manifold bolt holes and managed to position them so that the engine and gearbox was relatively balanced. It was slightly heavier on the gearbox end, but that made it easier to get it under the tunnel frame at the back.

This then allowed us to measure up for the propshaft. Fairly straightforward job and the part was ordered from Bailey Morris. They give an excellent service and it was a very quick turnaround.

Bailey Morris have a nice PDF file that you can download and complete with all of the measurements they need. For information, here is the one I completed

The useful information here is the slip yoke (gearbox sleeve) part number!

The other job while testing fitting was to follow a similar process that we did for he fuel tank mounting for the gearbox mount.

We drilled 2 holes down, and welded some M10 threaded bar in place to hold the gearbox.

Bit of a dark picture, and the reflections don't help, but you can just about see the stud coming down with a nut on the end.

Fuel tank

On investigation there was a couple of ways to mount the fuel tank.

We opted to drill through both sides of the box section and weld some 10mm threaded bar in place. You will also notice a black strap that is in the centre of the tank. This is our "belts and braces" approach to add a bit more piece of mind.

The tabs that hold the fuel tank on are just welded at 90 degrees to the side of the tank. I have every confidence that these will never give way, but if for any reason they do, the tank will just fall straight out of the bottom!

The strap is a seat belt from the XJ40 donor, so is very low profile but strong, so should just add that extra security (just in case!).