Carl Meek & James Lovett - Build Diary for Westfield

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We decided to get to work straight away!

First job was the fuel lines, this went pretty smoothly. The pipe bending tool was fantastic here, and we soon got the pipes ready to be fixed. Then it was a simple case of drilling some holes through the chassis and rivetting 'P' clips to hold the pipes in place. It seems a little strange that the pipes end up UNDER the floor panels at the back, i hope this won't cause any clearance issues! I soon started to appreciate the fact the aluminium panels had been fitted by Westfield, my hands were hurting from just a handful of rivets!

During a spare second we decided to turn the engine over, so a quick connection to the starter motor saw it spin up and sound great. Thats a relief!

We then set to work on the brakes, so got the master cylinder installed. The pre-fitted studs didn't exist, so we substituted a few random bolts (i hope we won't miss those later!). Once bolted into place, we started to run the brake lines. This was fairly straight forward, but there were several points we couldn't get the drill and riveter anywhere near, so couldn't properly fix them. We used a few cable ties instead, not sure if we'll have to do something better later. Bending this pipe is much easier than fuel line, and some careful bending by hand seems to work here. Some of the pipe routes are a bit crazy, but it all makes sense in the end.

We decided to fit all the pedals and the clutch master cylinder next... James got on with that while I started to fit the main wiring loom.

Unfortunately James quickly hit a problem - my pipework for the brakes master cylinder sticks out WAY too far and gets in the way. Ooops, should have anticipated that really. We're getting pretty knackered now... we were up at 6am and have driven 400 miles... so we're going to give up and fix that tomorrow evening after work.

Conclusion for the day - we need some tupperware for the screw packs, and we need to go screw, bolt and nut shopping for a few bits we can't find for the brake cylinder and fuse mountings. Overall, an amazingly successful day, off to bed, chuffed to bits.

Todays Build: 2 people, 5 hours. Total build time so far: 5 hours, 10 man-hours.




We managed to get to the garage by 5pm and three of us set to work. Andy installed the wiring loom, whilst James and I installed the fusebox, finished brake pipes and installed the clutch master cylinder.

We attempted to fit the differential, but realised that the manual shows a completely different diff with completely different brackets. We figured most of it out, but as the picture shows, there's a gap to the left of the top mounting for something!

We then decided to prep the engine, so we strapped it to its three brackets and installed the clutch slave cylinder.

We spent ages constructing an over-elaborate engine scaffold to lift the engine into the car. Whilst debating this, Andy suggested that we just picked it up and whacked it in... so three of us lifted it and dropped it straight in. We then stood there a little awestruck about how easy that was!

Finally I fitted the mechanical oil pressure cable to make sure it fitted.

So the engine's in place, probably a bit ahead of schedule due to the diff and reversing box not being fitted, but we haven't bolted it down yet so its not a major issue. I'm going to email Westfield about the diff...

Meanwhile, back home, i'm discovering why mechanics have black hands all the time, I've changed my regular radox shower gel for fairy liquid!

Todays Build: 3 people, 4 hours. Total build time so far: 9 hours, 22 man-hours.




On my own this evening, so decided to finish a few bits & pieces.

I started with the differential, which was a tight fit. Got the bits & pieces bolted in with the aid of a large rubber hammer!

Next was the rear drive shaft that connects the differential to the reverse gearbox. This weighs a ton and access is tight - from above only. Getting the bolts to the correct torque was very difficult, i needed to jam a screwdriver through the shaft to stop it turning. I marked each nut with a large marker once correctly tightened.

Then onto the reverse gearbox, this was a nightmare. I bolted it to the four black metal brackets and didn't tighten it up. I then fitted it to the chassis, and found it was a very tight fit, with the holes apparently not lining up. I got the two lower ones in, and then twenty minutes later managed to get the top ones in. Lots of hammering, levering, swearing... and bingo, in they went. I tightened everything up, and connected the other end of the driveshaft.

I then put the front driveshaft in its place, and hand tightened the nuts. I'm bored with doing up driveshaft bolts, so i'll save that job for tomorrow!

Next was the inertia fuel cut-off switch in the rear. I drilled a couple of holes and fitted it.... on the wrong side. Soon found that out when the fuel tank wouldn't fit. Flipped it over, then onto the fuel tank....

Fuel tank is pretty simple, it sits on foam strips and has two large straps around it. A couple of holes drilled in the correct place on the straps, then four bolts, and its fitted.

Final job is the fuel pump. I lined the bracket with foam tape, and drilled two holes through the chassis and the bracket. Made a beautiful job, and then realised it just wasn't going to fit and line up with the main fuel lines through the car. Had to re-drill the chassis and move it back about four inches. Not such a neat job second time, very hard to line up. Then i whacked all the pipes and jubilee clips on and tightened it all up. Rear plumbing complete! Finally i connected the wires for the fuel pump and the fuel tank level sender.

Phew! Not bad for an evening on my own... and damn, i forgot to eat anything, oops!

Todays Build: 1 person, 4 hours. Total build time so far: 13 hours, 26 man-hours.




First job was to unbolt the rear diff mounts and replace them with the correct bolts, i'd accidentally used the propshaft bolts here. This was a pain to swap and I had to remove the fuel tank first.

To add to the unproductive start I then had to replace the nuts used on the brake master cylinder, as we'd accidentally used the BINX (metal locking) nuts which were needed for the propshaft. Whilst doing this I noticed that the bolts holding the clutch master cyllinder weren't fully going through the nylon of the nylock, so i replaced these with longer bolts.

Having got all that crap out of the way I decided to do something productive! I lifted the engine an inch and slipped in the lower engine mount. I then proceeded to drill 9 holes through the chassis to mount the engine. This took AGES and destroyed two drill bits... but eventually got this done and fitted all the bolts. The engine is in properly now!

Next I fitted the banjo bolt from the clutch line onto the slave cylinder, and fitted the clutch reservoir and pipe. That's all ready to fill and bleed now. i then fitted the 5/16" UNF bolt that i bought today into the clutch pedal, and the clutch mecahanism is fully working... except for the fact it flops forward. No idea why, but that can't be right!

I then ran the wiring loom front section across the engine mount and down to the front. Using my handly labeller i identified each plug on the loom and labelled them clearly.

Next job was to bolt the front propshaft to the engine output flange and torque them to the correct setting. Transmission now connected right through from the engine to the diff, ready to roll.

I got the radiator, cooling fan, oil cooler, and oil reservoir out and tried to work out where they... can't really work any of it out. I Think I'll ask westfield about that! I reckon that's about all for today, not as productive but got some stuff done. Finally, i decided i was fed up of not being able to find anything, so time to tidy up and re-organise tools!

Todays Build: 1 person, 4 hours. Total build time so far: 17 hours, 30 man-hours.




Andy and I working this evening - got to the garage just before 5pm.

The instructions on the megabusa manual really have run out now... so i'm stuck between using the manual for the regular westfield SEi, and making it up as I go along.

First job was to fit the radiator. This required some shorter bolts than we had, so the vice and dremel came out to carve a longer one down.

We decided to put the main front suspension together so we could visualise the car and ensure the plumbing didn't get in the way. This was pretty straight forward, but we can't fit the shocks yet as they still haven't arrived.

Next came plumbing in the water system, and the top pipe went in with no problem, connecting the top of the radiator to the top of the engine. The lower pipe was not going to fit - it has to route around the modified oil sump pump, so we've abandoned that for tonight until I can visit Halfords! I then connected the water temp sensor into the wiring loom - see photo.

I remembered that we still hadn't filled the reverse box, or differential, so in went some EP80 Hypoid Gear Oil to both - filled until it oozed out, then the cap screwed on.

Next I fitted the oil reservoir tank and connected the lower pipe to the sump connection of the engine. The upper pipe then goes around to the oil cooler which sits in front of the radiator.

We then moved to the fuelling system, connecting the feed and return from the tank/pump to the fuel rail and pressure regulator. We found a nice place to put this, but the pipes don't reach - another halfords item.

I fitted a 'stop' to the clutch to stop it flopping forward - see the photo.

The oil cooler doesn't fit - the brackets are a good 10mm out, so i'm going to need to make some 'shim' washers to plug the gap - B&Q tomorrow then!

Its all coming together - as you can see from the photos, various zip ties are holding things in their locations until we've got it right and can finalise things. Also we seem to have copper grease all over everything!!

Todays Build: 2 people, 4 hours. Total build time so far: 21 hours, 34 man-hours.




I spent an hour shopping this morning trying to find more jubilee clips and some coolant hose. I eventually got these and headed to the garage for 10am.

First job was to make the radiator to engine connection fit ... i had to saw the westfield pipe up and connect using my hose. I then neatened all the other pipes, clipped everything into place, and we fitted the header tank - with the aid of an aluminium bracket which we quickly made. This was then filled with water... a leak fixed... and left overnight to see if it leaks.

Last night i realised i'd completely forgotten the fuel filter, so i fitted that next and re-routed pipes accordingly.

I fabricated some aluminium spacers for the oil radiator and got this fitted, i then connected the pipes up. I then filled the engine and oil reservoir with oil - i plan to leave this overnight to see if any leaks out. Initially all looks good. I turned the engine over a few times by connecting the starter motor to the battery to get things moving.

I properly fitted the steering rack, and the upper and lower steering columns. This all works very nicely!

We fitted the front upright assemblies and found we have a missing nut on the top - i'll have to call westfield about that on monday.

I trial-fitted the exhaust manifolds to check they fit... no problems here. I replaced the missing stud on the engine.

We then started to assemble the rear suspension and drive shafts - these were a bitch to get on - it took a good half an hour of swearing to get the rubber bushes over the shafts. Unfortunately this meant removing the fuel tank AGAIN!

I still haven't tightened those propshaft nuts!

Todays Build: 1 & 2 people, 5 hours. Total build time so far: 26 hours, 42 man-hours.





I was concerned about the weight now on the axel stands and wood, so I wanted to sort this before doing any more work. We jacked the front of the car up, and lowered the stands by one brick, moving them closer into the chassis at the same time. The car's now much more stable and will be easier to get down when the wheels are on.

We finished assembling the rear driveshafts and put them into place. Unfortunately after assembling one side, the other side was too long and didn't fit - the drive shafts were the wrong way around, one is shorter than the other. Once corrected, everything slipped into place nicely. Everything is very pissed, toe-in, toe-out, camber, all messed up. We haven't tightened anything up until this can be sorted out!

Its time to start giving the paddle-shift gear change some thought, as this isn't part of the westfield kit and needs to be invented from the bits & pieces available. First thing to do is to assemble the reverse lever linkage to ensure i can't accidentally use bits from that on the gearshift! This all went together pretty easily. It really is very stiff, i can imagine getting the car into reverse will be a bit of a tricky process.

I joined a couple of rods together to meet the westfield supplied quadrant that changes the forward/back movement of the shift into an up/down movement. This only needed moving 3 inches to the right and everything connects up nicely. I might replace my two joined rods with a single one to make it look nicer - i'll wait to see how the bodywork covers it up. I put the steering wheel into place, and manufactured some brackets to hold everything together and mount the paddles. The shift is working really nicely, its got a very solid feel. Its not exactly light - the bike gearbox is designed to be given a good whack with a boot, so having it on your fingertips is a little harder to actuate. I can't wait to drive it and see how it works!

I decided to put the dashboard together and connect the mechanical oil gauge to stop it leaking oil everywhere! All the switches and dials slotted into place nicely, its really starting to feel like a car! Unfortunately I can't wire anything up as we haven't got the dash loom yet.

Finally a good tidy up and a good clean to get rid of the oil and brake fluid that seems to be everywhere. Everything is now organised and ready for tomorrow evening!

That's the end of the first weeks work, i'm amazed at how much has been done. There are loads of bits & pieces that are unfinished and need torquing up or adjusting - pedals, suspension, driveshafts. It will be nice to get some of these things put to bed, but i'm waiting on several Westfield parts!

Todays Build: 1 & 2 people, 8 hours. Total build time so far: 34 hours, 54 man-hours.




I filled in my SVA form today, but got stuck on the engine manufacture date. With thanks to Jeff I managed to find where this is stamped - see photo showing 2006.

Mark at Westfield sent me a couple of pictures of how the fan mounts, so that was the first job. This took AGES, i just couldn't get the bolts back in after slipping the fan behind the radiator. After much cursing I eventually got it sorted.

I did a few of the exhaust manifold bolts up and fitted the silencer. It looks amazing, I wonder what it sounds like...!

I fitted the anti-roll bar which took quite a bit of figuring out. Its not really quite what i expected, but it makes a lot of sense - as one side's suspension is compressed, so is the other. It seems a bit flimsy though, i wonder if it will last. There's a video of it in action here

I then moved onto the handbrake. A couple of holes through the chassis, and then to find a path to run the cables. I might need some foam or plastic pipe to protect these from rubbing on the suspension.

I don't feel i've achieved much this evening, but I guess you just get days like this where you just finish off crappy little jobs. Hopefully some of the missing parts will turn up tomorrow!

Todays Build: 1 person, 3.5 hours. Total build time so far: 37.5 hours, 57.5 man-hours.




Some of the missing parts turned up, so there are a few new jobs for this evening!

On my own tonight, arrived at the garage about 5pm. A few drips of oil under the sump and on the garage floor tell me we've got an oil leak somewhere around the dry sump. Absolute bugger...i'll spend some more time on that when i get the chance. I hope I don't have to drain all the oil again, thats a right pain.

I spent absolutely ages with the newly arrived dashboard wiring loom trying to work it out - literally an hour with the manual and i've identified 90%... still a few connectors I can't figure! I need to make a decision of where to mount my 'engine start' button and my new self-cancelling indicator switch from Westfield.... I feel its a big decision drilling holes in the dash, so I don't want to rush that one. I still don't have the dashboard's relationship with the paddle-shift fully figured, so i'll wait a while before cutting anything up!

With my new instructions for fitting the wide-track front anti-roll bar, I set to work. Immediately I came across the biggest problem in the project yet - the bar is supposed to go straight through where the dry-sump oil tank is! I checked to see if there is anywhere obvious to move it to, but there really isn't - it can't move nearer to the engine, and it can't move to the right because of the steering column. Now I'm totally stuck! Email to Westfield I think.... no doubt he's getting sick of me!

I decided to move on and fit is the battery & tray. Mark at Westfield sent me a picture of it, but I didn't fancy his proposed location at the front of the car - its getting manic down there already, so I chose to fit it to the side of the engine instead, and then mount the oil breather above it. I bolted it down, covered it in foam tape, then clamped the battery on top. Very solid, and looks good.

Next I decided to fit the oil breather catch tank that turned up today. Its a very nice polished alloy one with three connector nipples. The top two connect beautifully onto the top of the gearbox and the top of the sump tank. The third is situated at the bottom and is presumably designed to drain the tank if it fills - I stuck a hose on this and gave blew into it as hard as I could. Air then rushed back at me, proving that (to some extent) its sealed. This is a problem because it is supposed to be a breather tank! To solve this I drilled a small hole in the top of the tank. Hopefully that's correct....! Finally, i left a couple of inches of hose on the lower tank, shoved a bolt up the end and jubilee clipped it closed.

I then ran an earth strap from the battery up to one of the bolts on the breather tank and down to the -ve terminal of the battery. I also connected in the negative of the main loom. All the positives are left disconnected until we're ready to fire it up a little later.

Seeing as the shocks have turned up I thought I'd fit the rears - so i fitted the springs to the shocks and mounted them to the chassis and the wishbones. These are so stiff that if I attempt to compress by hand, i end up picking up the whole car! The rear-end is looking really good now, ready for the wheel to be put on and the geometry set up, but i think i'll get the front up to speed first. Oh... and not forgetting the rear calipers which still aren't here!!

Well, that's all for a while, I'm off to Madrid until monday. Hopefully by then the ECU and flying loom for the engine will have turned up... i'm itching to get the engine running!

Todays Build: 1 person, 3.5 hours. Total build time so far: 41 hours, 61 man-hours.

August 8 2007 - Biggest Problem Yet I've just had an email from Mark at Westfield.  He says: Hi Carl          If you did not buy the complete dry sump kit from us then you will find you have the early tank made before the introduction of the widetrack and inboard roll bar will not fit.  You will need the latest tank which has the cut out centre section for the bar. Oh dear... so i either need to modify the tank, or get a new one :(

I wasn't really supposed to be at the garage today, but couldn't resist the urge, so ended up getting there for 7pm and working until 9:30 with James.

James' friend Marcus has offered to weld a slot into our dry sump tank, so first task is to get the tank out of the car! Unfortunately this means draining the oil, but at least that will give us a chance to replace all the pipes on the dry sump and try to diagnose the leak down there. Having got the tank out, we measured up where the ARB crosses the tank and marked it with a big black marker. Over to Marcus to see what magic he can work with his TIG welder!

Having got the tank out of the way, we proceeded to fit the front anti-roll bar. It was a ridiculous puzzle threading it into the car which is now a mass of wires, pipes and stuff... but we got it in eventually. The brake pipes needed serious bending to get them out of the way. Plenty of copper grease in here to make sure it moves freely. Unfortunately its now gone dark, so we'll fit the drop links and things later.

I've now realised that we've fitted the shocks upside down. Doh. I'll flip these around next week!

Seem to be in a situation where there are loads of unfinished things - front suspension, rear suspension, drive shaft torques, front ARB, coolant plumbing (which is now loose again) ... i guess next week needs to see some of these things finished.

Anyway, I really am off to Madrid until Monday night, so next update could well be tuesday... perhaps with an ECU?

Todays Build: 2 people, 2 hours. Total build time so far: 43 hours, 65 man-hours.

August 14 2007 - Raining Hard... again! Didn't get to the garage until 6pm.  Slamming it down with rain, got absolutely soaked.  And I forgot my camera... First job is to move the clutch reservoir - the pipe is currently snagging on the bolt for the steering shaft.  I made a small aluminium bracket to extend the existing one, this worked a treat. Next, decided to do some work with the electrics, so i finished identifying all the dash connectors and connected the battery (carefully...)  Went through and tested everything, and after a few corrections, and bulb installations, everything is working - i connected the external lights and indicators and tested everything carefully.  I then installed the new self-cancelling indicator switch and control box.  Had to crimp and connect five connectors to get everything sorted.  It feels very car-like to have working lights, dash, indicators! I got out the dremel and started hacking holes in the dashboard for the gearshift mechanism - first is the steering rack hole which needed enlarging, closely followed by a new hole for the rod itself.  Unfortunately it got to 9pm, and i need to stop making noise and go home, finish this job off at the weekend. I then unbolted the sump and to my surprise found the oil-pickup pipe had fallen off inside. That can't be good... I'll call Westfield tomorrow and get hold of sump gaskets so I can re-fit it, hopefully without any leaks!  No more work on the car until the weekend, busy with work until then. Todays Build: 1 person, 3 hours. Total build time so far: 46 hours, 68 man-hours.

Unfortunately we're in a bit of a pickle, and need to do a lot of going backwards before we can go forwards again.

I decided to bite the bullet, and unbolt the engine in order to get the camshaft sensor replaced (when it turns up next week!). So I unbolted the 10-ish bolts holding the engine in, disconnected all the hoses (forgot that it was full of water and got wet socks!), disconnected wires, etc.... and then i managed to twist the engine enough to get to the alternator cover. I then unbolted the cover and heaved it off - incredible magnetic forces hold it on. Once looked inside - looks like i need a 32mm spanner which I don't have, so i'll have to go shopping tomorrow! Also I need some sort of extractor to thread in and pop the wheel off, i don't have one of those either which could be a bit challenging!

A bit stuck, i decided to finish the front anti-roll bar setup. Its a bit difficult to make it out on the photos, as there's a lot going on around the suspension now! The front ARB is particularly complex - a central bar goes across the car, and through a short linkage connects to a rocker thats mounted on the suspension arm. From here, a longer bar goes down to the lower shock mounting.

Its a bugger the ECU and new crank sensor haven't turned up, leaves a weekend without a great deal of direction! I guess we'll focus on torquing bolts, setting up suspension (ish) and a few other finishing off bits. Might even spray the inside of the car black.

Todays Build: 1 person, 4 hours. Total build time so far: 50 hours, 72 man-hours.





After a quick shopping trip, i arrived at the garage.

Armed with the correct spanner, i tried to get the alternator bell off. The bolt came out, but i don't have the tool for extracting the wheel- i'll try and get that on monday. Probably an M20 bolt would work.

I don't feel like I can do too many major things until ECU and gaskets turn up, so i decided to do some work on the paddle shift instead. I made up a rod, and fitted everything together. Unfortunately the boss of the steering wheel was binding very badly, and the paddle shift obscures the speedo & revs. Bugger... this means i'm going to switch to using the other paddle shift that I bought from Ebay. This is miles from fitting, so i ended up making a big shim to bolt the two together. A couple of hours and messing about and i'm pleased with the result. Obviously not connected to the engine, but it's fixed to the quadrant in the engine bay.

Next job is to finish the rear of the car. I trial fitted a wheel, partly to give me something to grab onto whilst torquing the drive bolts. I tightened all of these. I then disassembled the rear suspension as there were a couple of fixing nuts missing from the rose joints. I tried to get the toe & camber roughly looking OK, and i dialled a bit of preload into the spring so it doesn't all collapse when we lower the car. Fuel tank back in, and the rear of the car is truly finished-ish. Still missing calipers unfortunately, come on westfield!

Gave the electrics another test, everything working as expected including the fuel gauge reading a nice '0%'

The SVA appointment has turned up, 19th september, almost exactly a month.... YIKES! Better get on a mission next week I think.

Todays Build: 1 person, 6 hours. Total build time so far: 56 hours, 78 man-hours.

August 18 2007 - Rant!! I Just posted this on WSCC forum...... Here's a picture of my (almost) standard megabusa dash Clicky I'm gonna get it through its SVA and then start again! The switches are a crappy mismatch.... the speedo & revs are mismatched.... the indicator switch looks arse (and that was expensive!) The cheap & cheerful horn & dip switch get in the way of my paddle shift... and they look arse anyway. The rest of the westy is excellent, here they clearly saved money.  Shame :( I know the dash is an area lots of guys change - carbon, new dials, digidash... think i'll have to do the same.

First job was to sort out tracking, camber and caster on the front suspension. I have no proper equipment, so it was a spirit level / guessing effort. Once roughly correct, i tightened everything up and double checked all the other bits. James whacked a guestimate of preload onto the springs, and that's front pretty much finished now. I found a brace bar which isn't in the instructions, and figured it went across the tops of the top wishbones to help brace the ARB, we whacked it on. Slightly concerned about the coolant hose and its proximity to the ARB, I clipped it to the frame. Ready to go on its wheels and have the ride height set correctly.

I masked up enormous areas of the car, the engine, the dash, the frame, etc... and set to work spraying the insides black. Not really a priority job, but the silver has been bugging me. I'm pleased with the results!

I fitted the alloy tray for the ECU, Relays etc. It is fixed with self-tapping screws so it can be removed from under the passenger footwell for access. I plan to mount the laptop access cable below so you don't need to drop it, but you just never know.

James fitted the VIN plate... starting to feel like a real car! I guess it needs to, exactly one month to the SVA.

We tried to figure out how the seats fit, but can't work it out. In the most obvious position, the frame covers the harness holes - surely thats not right. An email to Westfield should sort this out!

Really scratching around for things to do, i thought i'd stick some SVA bolt covers on the front suspension!

I've just ordered some carpet, and a new switch for the horn and main beams. Hopefully tomorrow the ECU and replacement rotor will turn up... then it gets exciting! If everything goes to plan we'll have a running engine next week, but who am I kidding, when does anything ever go to plan?

Todays Build: 2 people, 7 & 3 hours. Total build time so far: 63 hours, 88 man-hours.




Today was never going to be the world's most productive day.... terrible hangover and 33 degree temperatures in the garage (according to the engine management system). Arrived at the garage feeling awful about 1pm and got to work.

First we needed to sort out why the engine was ticking over so badly, so using an air balance gauge, we made a few adjustments. This is now running much better.

The tacho was reading nonsense figures, approx double the true figure. I went into the ECU software and found a pulse setting, halved it from 4 to 2, and that was sorted. Amazing to make software changes like that with the engine running!

I wired in the shift light system to the back of the tacho, and this works great. Just need to find somewhere to mount it - i'm thinking under the aeroscreen.

Next is the speedo - with the car in gear and the rear hubs spinning, we get nothing. I bent the pickup down a bit, and we started to get a reading. A bit of calculation based on wheel diameter, and we have a reading that seems pretty realistic.

For some reason we're getting no reading on the water temp gauge, i looked into it and found its mounted to a pipe connected by rubber at each end - so no earth. A jubilee clip and earth wire and that's working great. We then ran the engine for a few minutes until the temperature was in the 90s... the fan kicked in, so thats working well too.

I connected the oil pressure switch to the light on the dashboard, and this is on initially and goes off when the engine is running, so i guess its working.

I found the wire from the gearbox for the neutral light, but i can't find the green bulb anywhere - hopefully this will turn up and i can have a neutral light! I can't get the gear indicator to work at all.

We then fitted the wheels and reduced all the pressures to 20psi. The jacks came out and we slowly lowered the car, step by step, onto its wheels. This was a bit hairy and i hope we don't need the car that high again!

It's a proper car now... amazing!

We set about increasing the preload on the shocks to adjust the ride height - its sitting 15mm too low currently, and thats without the weight of the body & driver. Oddly we're almost running out of thread ... so i'm not sure we can get it high enough. Its incredibly low at 15cm... not good for speed bumps!

Andy had some fun with the tap & die set and modified the gear nob to be our reverse nob - would be a shame for it to go to waste, its nice!

We covered the central tunnel panels in vinyl (pleather!) and screwed them into place. The handbrake gaiter is a bit too big, so might need to take it back off and adjust it.

We fitted the start button and wired it into the ignition barrel. Bit of a problem though.... it works with the key out, so you can turn the engine over without ignition! I decided to use a relay to fix this, wiring a switched 12v through the switch and relay - this works like a dream, so job done.

Trying to run the engine again, it was going haywire, probably caused by a loose wire vibrating and shorting. Then it wouldn't run at all... we'd run out of fuel!

We fixed a piece of carpet into the drivers side seat area and fitted the seat runners to the bottom of the car. We trial fitted the seat, and I had a sit - feels great. Compared to other cars i've owned you seem so far back from the front!

I guess we actually got quite a bit done today... tomorrow we'll finish the interior and maybe make a start on the bodywork.

Todays Build: 3 (hungover) people, 8,7 and 3 hours. Do hungover hours count for the same? Total build time so far: 90 hours, 134 man-hours.