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Yea i have been doing that but its mostly just that i cant access the other end of the bolt to actually get it un-done (why i was trying to get the tank out). might just cut them off and buy new ones for the tow bar its more the domed chrome ones for the bumpers im worried about, Anywhere where you can buy them new? (the square holes in the bumper have been rounded out by a previous owner)

Okay spent quite a few hours working on it today, interior is now pretty empty there are a few more trim panels i would like to remove but they are a bit tricky, spent most of today trying to take off the tow bar which is turning out to be a nightmare, it is bolted through the body and to the chassis so therefore must be removed so i can get the body off. Problem is that to get to the bolts holding it on i must take out the fuel tank, but of course everything has been in place so long that it doesn't want to budge, so to gain more access i also need to take off the bumper which is a pain. So in short its just goign to take alot of pissing about to do a few simple things that were designed very poorly.

Really annoyed at these brackets the bolts in them are snapping off even after soaking them in WD and leaving them over night. going to give up and move on.

Okay just a little update, Started pulling the interior out of the car. I have both front seats removed and one rear one (will attempt the other tomorrow after giving the WD40 some time to work on the screws holding it in) Hopefully in two weeks time it will be ready for the body to come off but there are always stupid little things that dont go as planned so may take a little longer.

Got it running finally! The thread lock didn't seal the stud well and oil was getting into the inlet manifold Don't know how im going to fix it? any ideas? It ran well going on all six now but will need new waterpump and exhaust gaskets.

How about a Lexus V8? might be able to get one cheep with gearbox loom etc?

Yea i will the electrics really are a nightmare. going to take EVERYTHING out and start over. I am going to make up as many new earth straps as i can to make sure i get no voltage drop of fires etc, the fuse box on it has already been a little melted. At least if i rewire it myself i can make a nice clean job of it and get rid of all the random switches and relays that have been added over the years.

More photos The engine bay Once i get the body off im definitely rewiring and putting in a new fuse box with blade fuses And a pic of the interior Also found some 1 gauge welding cable in my garage today (about 7 meters long) going to use it to relocate my battery to the boot overkill i know but i already have it and makes for a cheap setup.

Yea thinking about it i might just keep the v6 and get it back on the road sooner, i think it may also have a performance cam in it. another thing is i cant be bothered messing around trying to fit better brakes to it at this point (with i would probably need if i added much more power to it)

Okay put the rockers back in and did the clearances on the valves cold today. Got given a starter motor as well Will do the clearances at running temp sometime soon.

Keep the 3ltr Essex or transplant a more powerful engine? ATM i am more thinking of just getting rid of the Essex and get a more modern/powerful engine with a new gearbox. Any advice as to what might be a good option?

More photos to come soon. This is my 1975 reliant scimitar se5a, 3ltr ford Essex in in with the following modifications: Extractors, ported and polished and over sized valves. Hopefully getting it running tomorrow, one of the rockers pulled a stud so had to get a helicoil (lost motivation for about a year) and a few weekends ago i finally got it in only to discover the hole with the thread in it went all the way through into the inlet manifold well im hoping some stud fix will suffice to seal the thread. so just have to put that on and do all the valve clearances then it should be running (even though the water pump leaks like a sieve). Next im going to full the body off the chassis and store in on some custom saw horses im going to make up. This build is going to be quite long as i cant fit the car in the garage and am still in high school so the funding is completely dependent on how much my parents are willing to pay towards it.