M_C

Great to catch up. I really hope my A pillars don't look like that! Bit scared to check... Nice work, love the arches. What was the escort meet you have on photobucket? Cheers

Herpaderpshaft? Excuse my ecxited dribbling on the keyboard.

Happy Dirveshaft Day To Me. Just had word it is ready so pretty excited! Bring on the first drive of the new gearbox and LSD! Just so it not a picture less update; Cheers guys, was a good night!

Got a reply nice from Rex. Looks like I will be able to run in their relaxed events, but not the strict TACCCOC ones like on Nov 04. I won't be ready in time for the next one this weekend so will have to wait to the new year. Cheers.

Heat Shield City. I think I may have a heat sheilding addiction... Filling in time before drive shaft is done.

Check out the link below. Works like dial your own at drag racing where you pick a lap time and your penalised if you go slower/faster. http://www.clublotus.org.nz/classictrial/ I was a bit dubious when I first heard about it but it's still competitive and the guys racing don't like getting passed. Cheers, email sent to them. Seems like a very short list on entries for their recent events.

Great looking car! Who runs the Classic Trials? Was the bolt in half cage to make it easier to comply for the road? Cheers

Form filled and ride sorted as still working on first proper drive of my Escort let alone road legal. What time is the meet at Rod's kicking off? Planning back road drive with min motorway...

Super keen to drive new set up, lining up the sports car club gymkhana in Ellerslie this weekend. Bugger, driveshaft won't be completed to next week. Never mind, anticipation is building and handbag will appreciate seeing me this weekend...

Got some good time in the man cave over the weekend. Was like cross training up down up down around the car. But maybe the tired ache was the rowdy party on Sat night. Filled gearbox with oil through a cunning and strategically placed hose. Was going really well until oil came out the wrong hole. Note to self. Driveshaft seals the rear of the gearbox... Not much oil was lost and now garage smells even better. Bought some heat shielding. Was nearly as much as the clutch cable it is protecting, but very good stuff. Apparently. Yet to run the engine hard to find out. Peddle box rebuild time. Made two into one as the bushes on the cable peddle box were a little past their use by date... That would be the pile of dust at the bottom of the pic. And the go fast peddle was way out to one side on the new box?? Almost there. Spot the multitude of holes in the firewall. Another thing on the list. Mighty big stone magnet hole in the side of the bellhousing. Probably have to do something about that. Heatwrap city. Got some more shielding to go in and need to make a bracket to stop the clutch cable resting on the headers. Under the car, again, and noticed I had forgotten this plate. Quick trim to get around clutch cable and nice new bolts. This also reminded me to bolt the starter motor back on. Probably would not work too well otherwise.

Didn't realise door cards were on the critical to do list before the track day...?

Sounds like your garage points are on the way back out of negative...?

When to Puke for the commodore car club circuit sprints. A mate has been winding me up to enter them. Turns out it is badly advertised as they take all comers and could do with more entries. There was a subie, volvo and even a couple of fords running! Need to sort cage first, but great event. Like a better track day and you get lap times! Had a Fantastic ride in mates race car. 1.06 round Puke is Pretty Darn Fast! Was a bit woozy getting out of the car and very keen to get mine driving! Some little bits for the car. Repco clutch cable for $50 was a deal after thinking I would need a custom job. Std Mk1 Escort on looks like it going to do nicely. Now just several hours fiddling to get it to fit and not lie across the headers... Not quite mission critical job was painting the gear stick boot surround. Make the boot look ugly now... Hoping my toy money and leave pass let me get out for Playday on the 23rd at Hampton.

Cheers, but the drive shaft is from my new W50 to Hilux so standard escort no go.

And again more thanks to Bill the kid for riding to the rescue again! His cunning plan was to try the standard gearbox mount rather than fabricate one to suit the fabricated mount that came with the gearbox. A simple alloy packer to get the right height and bobby dazzler we are in. New standard mount on left with made up packer. The cross member and mount that came with the gearbox at the top. Mount bolted to original cross member But its never quite that easy is it... Needed a bit more clearance at the front for the gearbox case so out came the persuader. But 2mm cold rolled and formed steel was not too keen to move even with whaling on it. Out is came again and a scallop cut out. Should not have taken too much strength from the cross member and now has beautiful clearance. All bolted up, Yay! Was sooooo tempted to fire her up without the exhaust… Short shifter greased bolted and fondled.

Must admit I was a little dubious at first and wondered if you were on commission. Pretty happy with it when on bench. But Oh La La in the car it is Fantastic! I have seen the light and believe now! Just picked up an aluminium off cut from a mate for custom gear knob to raise the stick some more.

Big thanks to Billy for help and the gearbox is in! Took a fair bit of jiggle jiggle and bolts in out of the way places... Decided better to replace the full complement of 6 bell housing bolts rather than the last guys effort of just the bottom two and nothing in the top 4 bolt holes. To do list before driving is getting shorter!

Ooooh, whats the track day? Set a hot date yet?

Big thanks to k-trips and the guys for spotting my flywheel bolts. Flywheel bolt progression. LHS existing 3/8 UNF grade 5 black, first try replacement zinc grade 5, RHS real deal 3/8 UNF grade 8 (Approx metric 10.9) black. Should handle the jandal. I finally found the bush to fit under the gearstick ball. Was a bit expensive, but then it came with a lovely new TRS short shifter... Bit of mission creep but oh yes! Erectile function test for the sourced superluscious shifted up short shifter. To a while of head scratching to find reverse, but super slick 1st -5th. And bonus serendipity the thread on top is the same M12 super fine pitch as my brake adapter plates so I get another use of the oddball tap to make a nice gear knob.

Me too! Cheers

Thanks! Already have some sorted in Auckland being collected today as planning on putting gearbox back in tonight if garage pass is approved.

Cheers guys. Grade 5 UNF is a around grade 8.8 ISO while Grade 8 UNF is roughtly equivalent to 10.9 ISO from what I have seen. I could not find grade 10 UNF in stock in NZ so am getting some grade 8 UNF and figure ISO 10.9 is plenty strong. Box qty is 100pcs. Anyone need 90pcs 3/8 UNF x 1" Grade 8 Set Screws Black...?

Good point. A loose flywheel trying to join me in the footwell does not paint a pretty picture. Ironic that I actually work in a fastener shop and was a bit blasé about these. They are actually Grade 5 UNF bolts. I had asked for grade 8, but our supplier did not have them. The bolts they are replacing were black and I am sure they were also grade 5 identified by S and three radial markings on the head. I will get the handbag to confirm later today in case I need to replace them with grade 8. UNF comes in grade 2, mild steel, grade 5 (or S) UTS 775-925N/mm2 and grade 8 (or T) 850-1,000N/mm2. I have not heard of UNF in grade 10 or 12? ISO bolts 8.8 are often plated zinc, sometimes 10.9, not 12.9 But never re-electorplate ISO 10.9 and 12.9 bolts as they are at high risk of hydrogen embrittlement = delayed brittle fracture = bad news. Lightening the flywheel comes under my heading of mission creep, mind you so does my new TRS short shifter arrriving today... Grade 5 should be OK for the flywheel bolts??? Thoughts?

Results from a minor shopping spree. Nice oil for diff and gearbox and shiny bolts to put things back together again. Big thanks to the good buggers at Exeedy for having the right the clutch pressure plate. Bare bum of the engine now more suitably clothed with flywheel, shiny bolts and new pilot bearing. Getting antsy to drive her now!

Cheers, I managed to contact him and get the toyota part number for the bush. Nice. Would like a short shift. But spending the toy money getting her going first. A short shift is on the nice list, not critical list. The nice list is pretty long...