A Marathon weekend

Some progress but couldn't do much on Saturday as I spend way too much time running the Stockholm marathon. Just shows what happens when there are other distractions than training!

Freddie and I setting up the front wheel alignment

We also set up the rear alignment and tightened up all the nuts and bolts. Hopefully everything is set up at least so it's drivable. Then I decided to bend the rear side panel on the passenger side but didn't do a very good job. It will need some filling and hopefully when the car is painted next spring it will look a lot better.

Very difficult to bend paneling around a rounded object.

Started marking out the dashboard for the buttons. Had to buy a gradient drill as I couldn't find a normal drill of 21mm

Finally, with the help of the boys, got the last of the gravel raked out. I'll need to get a few more wooden impregnated beams to finish the retaining wall off. Plus I'll need a couple of trailers full of small stones to lay out on the gravel.

Christopher standing in the middle makes the driveway look very narrow but it's the camera lense, in reality it more than three meters wide.

The escape route final stages!

Today was another great productive day. The garage door is now installed and working! I looked at the installation instructions for the door and didn't want the risk of it coming down on the car so I decided to get the supplier to come and install it. It took the guy 4 hours so I can't imagine how long it would have taken me. I did actually rip down the old wall, including door and window so I wasn't completely lazy.

The new view out

There are a few things I need to finish, there needs to be a beam fitted at the top of the door and the lights in the ceiling have to be remounted.

Raring to get out but there's still no steering, the toe out is way too much and there's a few tons of gravel that still have to be shifted!

The path to freedom is just up to the right over that big pile of gravel.

My First tour

Very exciting day yesterday, I went for my first drive, not far but at least I know the gears work including reverse! I also confirmed how little room there is between the pedals. The next tour will be with the wife and hopefully within the next few days we'll be taking a drive outside the cellar!

As you can see the toe out is extreme. I'll have to keep the mileage down otherwise I'll have no tread left!

Today the garage door is being installed - I can smell freedom!

Quick Update

Once the engine started on Sunday I thought it best to put the muffler on which has a catalytic converter in it. I got it mainly because it reduces the sound level hopefully enough to reach the 84 dB required in Sweden. Also because of course I’m an environmentally friendly kind of guy! The bracket was quite simple to put in place but I recommend that one uses a spacer between the floor pan and the bracket to keep it clear of the side panel.

Bolted through the passenger floor pan. Use some sealant otherwise you may have an unwanted puddle under the seat.

Lucky enough I had two brackets so I cut one slightly shorter and bolted it in between. I didn’t measure the sound level before but with the muffler in place and using my newly acquired sound meter it gave a reading of 86 dB and idle so hopefully outside the sound will be reduced.

I had to get a replacement exhaust as the rules in Sweden require the outlet to face at least 45o downwards - this one is more.

After buying four different lengths of fan belt I finally managed to get one to fit. I squeezed on one that was 1025mm, it became easier when I turned the crank with a spanner to help it on to the alternator. The auto tensioner should keep it tight for a while.

Now I have water keeping it cool but that doesn't help the fumes in the cellar. Next job buy a 10m hose to attach to the exhaust pipe!

More work outside on the driveway. I borrowed the same truck again from work and drove out for a 6am fill up at the local gravel pit.

Everything was going fine until I got the back wheels stuck in the mud of the driveway. The wheels also dragged up some of the fibre sheet that I had so carefully put down the night before!

I managed to salvage most of the fibre sheet but not all.

I tipped out what I could and then had to flag down a friendly passing excavator who kindly dragged the truck forward on to the tarmac. After all that excitement I’m now left with shovelling 13 tons of 0-30mm stones out onto the driveway – this is where having children comes in handy!

ENGINE STARTS!!

I got the instrument panel lights to work but there was no voltage to the fuel pump or spark plugs. A few phone calls to Peter and we worked out that a cable on the connection block was in the wrong place so there was  no power getting to the fuel pump, coil, relays etc. I dragged off the fuel pipes as they went into the engine just to check I had them the correct way around - I checked the fuel pump again and petrol poured out on to the floor - the pump worked and the pipes were round the right way!

Nice to see some life

After connecting the pipes back it was time to turn the engine over again - and what a brilliant feeling as it burst into life. There is no final stage exhaust on yet so it was a bit loud but that's not a worry it's supposed to be loud so everyone can share in my proud achievement :-)

No fan belt yet so couldn't keep the engine on for long.

I bought a new BMW plate to cover the spark plugs, sprayed the air filter with oil tidied up the battery cables.

I also worked a little bit outside to prepare the driveway for stones. The hard plastic sheet is covered with round indentations to allow airflow to pass between the wood and earth - helps against rotting.

Before I lay the stones I'll put down a fibre membrane which stops weeds and also keeps the stones from shifting. 

Another few steps forward

Decided today that I would crack on with some unfinished jobs as well as move forward with getting the engine started. I riveted the rear panel on both sides as well as underneath. Then riveted in the passenger side panel so I could get the exhaust manifold attached. 

Manifold gaskets - shiny side goes towards the engine.

Freddie tightening the manifold bolts

4 into 1 pipe in place as well as lambda sensor. I will leave the chrome surround until the car has been painted.

Neil came around at this stage to check on the progress. We tried to bleed the clutch, a simple task you would think but no! Even priming the cylinder with a little brake fluid didn't help, there was just no fluid coming out at the clutch master cylinder. Then, after a little fault finding we sussed out that the outlet on the side of the reservour is blocked off and has to be opened if it will be used, in this case for the clutch! Used a 3,2mm drill to drill through the outlet - pow the clutch could then be bled!

The clutch outlet half way up the reservoir on the left. I presume that if anything goes wrong and the level goes down the clutch will go before the brakes.

Before we even attempted to start the engine we looped together the water pipes normally going to the heater, filled the radiator with water and put 10 liters of fuel in the tank. One thing missing is the fan belt which I found out from James is a 6PK1040 as we are using the same engine but after checking there is something on his engine that I don't have so I'll have to check with him again. Shortened the air filter pipe too so it fits snug behind the radiator. Anyway tried to start the engine anyway but no luck. Checked one of the spark plugs but there was no spark. I don't beleive the coil is connected properly also checked voltage on the fuel pump but there was nothing. Will have to check with Peter tomorrow.

Will need a bracket to hold the air filter in place. It's so close to bursting into life - or flames!

A well needed stage reached

After a quick call to Peter last night I attached a few wires and managed to turn the engine over using the key. It may not sound such a big deal but it was actually a real boost to hear it! The next move is to put some fuel in the tank! I need to get the car out anyway next week so the new garage door can be installed, so hopefully the car will be under its own power. There hasn't been so much progress as there have been some small issues stopping major jobs being done ie. unsure whether battery junction box is needed so I had to wait with the side panel which meant I had to wait with attaching the exhaust. Now that has been sussed I can get moving again.

I don't need this junction box. It was used as a stepping stone from the battery in the rear of the car (I think)

8 posts have been dug in and cemented, most of the wood has been bought and ready to put in place once the 0-30 gravel has been put down (hopefully Tuesday). You know the saying; "Think of a number and triple it" ? well that's what happened to the price of the escape route out of the cellar!

The first "real" video was better but it wasn't accepted by the site!

Now I think about it I actually did get a few things done since the last report.

The tank is now installed. In the end I tapped holes into the tank, placed in the senders (thank goodness for washing up liquid!) and very gently screwed the 6mm bolts through the rings. I wouldn't bet my life that if one would turn the car on its roof that no fuel would drip out though  :) In the manual it said the fuel feed should point forward but that would have meant the float hitting the side of the tank so I had to have it pointing towards the 2nd sensor. The pickup up in the tank is quite high so I would imagine the last few litres of fuel will never be reached.

I also filled the brake/clutch reservoir with fluid and managed to bleed the brakes at least to a stage where they function. Clutch next but some jobs are a bit too difficult to do alone – Anette or one of the boys will have to venture down to the cellar!

No pipe needed between the fuel senders.

I'm still waiting for a tank bracket from my favorite sheet metal company just up the road but that won't stop any progress.

Saturday tomorrow I'm sure there will be lots of exciting things happening!