Radiator Hoses

May 1, 2014 -

  I put on radiator hoses today with the filler connection too.  They tell you to use the rubber hose that comes with the engine on the upper connection and mate it to the steel hose.  Since it is bent it makes for some tight turns. Otherwise it all went pretty well.

Oil Filter Relocator

April 29, 2014 -

  Today I got the correct spin on adapter for the oil filter relocator.  This is the part that goes on the engine and sends and receives the oil back through some big lines to the relocated oil filter.  Here I'm showing a picture of the oil filter and the bracket it hangs on to show you how big the oil filter is. (That's a large 4" tube next to the filter.)

Straight Tubes & Rear Panel

April 24, 2014 -

  Today I put transmission fluid in the transmission.  I didn't take a picture but probably should have.  It was kind of cool to see the gears inside.  I also put the straight tubes on the headers.  It's a shiny part so I did take a picture:

  Then I started marking and drilling the rear cockpit aluminum panel.  I probably should have stopped before putting it in and let the rest of the work be done another day.  It's a lot of drilling.  But I thought I wouldn't get to it for a while if I didn't so I went ahead.  There are a lot of rivets to this large panel and once I start with the wet silicone I like to finish.  Drilling into the steel frame is always tough and I think I went through almost all of the 8 remaining 1/8" drill bits I had left.  (I bought a 10 pack last weekend.)  Finally it was in and I looked at a clock and 2 1/2 hours had gone by.  Here's what it looks like now though:

Panels

April 21, 2014 -

  I put in the three panels that cover the end of the transmission tunnel where it comes in to the rear cockpit wall.  The only odd thing was that the two corner panels meet the top panel at an angle so that your regular rivet won't reach through both aluminum panels and the frame.  If you use the longer 1/2" long 1/8" rivet it will reach all the way to the frame.

Radiator

April 12, 2014 -

  Today I got the radiator partially installed.  I needed help holding it in place while I zip tied it around the frame.  Thanks Mom for the helping hand there!  Later on I drilled and bolted the top part in to the frame.  (The bottom part comes later per the manual.)

  I've also been installing some of the remaining hard fuel line and hard fuel return line but nothing cool enough to warrant a photo yet.

Passenger Header

April 5, 2014 -

  I got a lot done today it felt like. I finally got the passenger side header on with some "type 8 fasteners". (Thank you Dale!) They are basically bolts that replace the studs that come with the engine block. I wish the manual had explained this or the kit had come with these necessary items. You can see one in the top row not quite all the way right. The other is a little hidden in the bottom row in the middle left.

  After that I put the starter back on and attached the shift lever I got from MGW and the knob Tremec gave me.

Transmission Mount

March 31, 2014 -

  A few people told me the clearance I had on that drive shaft turning by the frame was cutting it too close so I bought some more washers.  (I think I have 1/4" or maybe 3/8" clearance now.) Of course, jacking up the transmission meant I had to remove the shifter again.  And after putting in two more washers (for a total of 5 on each transmission mount bolt) the shifter no longer fit under the transmission tunnel cross bar.  This is why I think a lot of people cut this bar.  If someone reading this is going to do a midshift, just cut it from the beginning. It'll make installing your engine a piece of cake and jacking up the transmission easy as well. I felt that since I had gone to all this trouble to keep it though, I might as well go the last mile. So I filed the frame cross tube down from underneath for about 2 1/2 hours. Filing steel isn't easy. Is my car mildly stronger laterally? Yes. Was it worth it? Probably not.
  I also took off the passenger side header after having no way to tighten the rear lower inside nut.  I learned from emailing a generous builder who has came before me, that is a stud that needs to be removed and replaced with a bolt. He is actually going to mail me a few of these special bolts. Why doesn't Factory Five's manual tell you to do this? I don't know. Incidentally I got the driver's side header on by taking the engine mount off before the engine went in and tightened the header on all the studs. I could only install the engine with one header on though and thought the driver's side was the tighter space side.