On the way to SFRO

I decided to book the second SFRO test for the 29th of June so it would leave me the rest of the summer to put things right as well as get it through the usual bilbesiktning (MOT) so I can at least drive it legally before the summer ends - at least that is the plan! With that in mind I got down to ticking a few things off the to-do list. I finished both rear wings and bolted on lights and number plate bracket.

Not sure how I should fix the number plate light, under, over or either side!

Then came the driver's seat with adjustable bracket. As it's quite difficult to keep the slide rails completely parallel I made a template out of wood and used that for drilling through the seat and floor pan.

Not sure what to do with the passenger side as the exhaust bracket bolts make the floor uneven. I don't intend to have it adjustable so may have to remove some of the underside of the seat where the bolt heads go.

4 point seat belt also installed. It'll be much safer when parts drop off at high speed - perhaps that comment is tempting fate!

Another quick job (thanks for the tip James) looped and riveted the fuel overflow

One job I didn't really look forward to was fixing the cycle wings. Bolted the brackets in place first (upper ball joint) and drilled and bolted the side of the bracket. I made a template out of a coat hanger to copy the angle of the wings

M8 bolt through the side

The support rods where a little far from the tyre so a metal rod bent them to the right position

I used metal bars and the metal rod to gradually bend the supports to the right angle and position

Both sides bent and drilled

Used a gradient drill to make 18mm holes for the indicator.

Repeater indicator in place, maybe a little too close to the tyre. Have to sort the cabling out next.

Then today I started on the number one job I have avoided for months, cutting a hole in the dashboard to accommodate the BMW instrument cluster  (ICL). I started by marking the recommended 40mm up from the bottom of the dash and made the first cut. Then it was a case of using the Dremel to gradually sand away small amounts, checking the ICL and repeating that fifty times or more. A good tip, have the vacuum cleaner on and next to the Dremel.

The Dremel slipped a couple of times so I'll have to touch up the fibreglass. The fibre glassing isn't the best in the world anyway so it has no be spray painted anyway.

The underside of the dash also had to be trimmed to allow the steering wheel surround to fit into it. I may have a problem with the SFRO test if they decide that the instruments are not clearly seen behind the steering wheel. Perhaps a bigger steering wheel may help (just to get through the test :-)



The ICL has to be fixed in place with foam but I'll leave that until later.

Saturday was a great day, the sun wash shining and I took a couple of tours around the streets to see how she felt. The brakes are great, the suspension needs some adjustment but generally she rolled perfectly over the bumps, gear changes felt good and the sound - the sounds was awesome!