Bleeding Brakes & Onto The Floor

[Landie71]

Hi all

Know I'm not the most prolific poster on here - spend more time reading than writing. After struggling to bleed the brakes on the Zero, even using a Gunston's Easy Bleed I concluded the master cylinder must have faulty seals in it so ordered another one (brake pedal went straight to the end of its travel with very little resistance at the wheels). Put the new MC in yesterday & got exactly the same - mildly annoying to say the least. Anyway more rummaging around on here & found a few posts about bleeding the rear disc callipers & them needing to be taken off & held above the discs to get the bleed nipple as high as possible. Tried it & hey-presto one firm brake pedal - so a BIG THANK YOU to all who have posted about this - it's stopped me barmy about it!!

 

I then got a bit excited & decided it was time to get the Zero off my two workmates & onto the floor so out came the engine crane, a couple of axle stands & trolley jack. The front came down onto the axle stands easily enough, then when I lifted & started to lower the rear, I can't have got the angles quite right as it rocked on the stands forward a bit & into the pillar between the two garage doors - not far prob only 6" but enough to make it look quite dramatic. I had a bit of an idea it might to I'd put an old bit of wood at the front to protect it. Anyway no harm done & it's now down on the floor. I've got some dollies to move it sideways now, but I need to clear some more stuff from the garage to get it out.

 

Actually sat in a Zero for the first time last night - probably should have tried one at the factory before I bought the kit, but never got round to it - anyway the good news is I do fit!!

 

Feel it's quite a pivotal (sorry for the pun) moment for the Zero build & had to share it with someone . So today's thing is to try & squeeze a bit more garage time as it's half-term this week & I've taken the week off to be with the kids - mind you two out the three want to be in the Zero so now it's on the floor I can actually let them in it!!

 

Anyway a few pictures of the evening - apologies for the blurriness of some of them, my 11yr old lad was quite excited & couldn't hold the camera still & press a the button at the same time!

 

 

[Guest david_l_perry]

Well done ! It's always worth posting things like this, for the very reason you found.

 

I had Similar moment when dropping my car off axle stands, but I had nothing to stop it and the whole thing rolled towards me whilst I was frantically pumping at the trolley jack to get it supported.....it was a slow motion sphincter tightening moment of epic proportions....

 

Keep posting your build photos. Everybody likes pictures :-)

 

Dave

[alantoon]

Must be nice seeing it actually on wheels, you are making great progress, what is the next milestone-first start up?

[Bob Tucker]

You did remember to go "Vroom Vroom!" didnt you?

 

Its compulsory the first (& every subsequent) time you sit in it

[Landie71]

Thanks guys - erm don't feel quite so silly sitting in the drivers seat last night going, click-click, vrooooom now!!!

 

This mornings job is to find homes for all the stuff that was stored under the car until last night, then hopefully find a buyer for a fireplace we took out of the lounge last December so I can get it to line up with a door. Might look at getting the engine & transmission together & seeing how it might fit in as the next job, really feels like its coming together now.

 

Just wish I could make it to the local pub meet, but it's on the same night as I have another meeting & I can't be in the two places at once, hey-ho eh?

[Guest mower man]

As posted before if you need an extra hand and one eye get in touch available most of the time pm me !, I must be local to you I don't bite or charge! mick

[Landie71]

Thanks Mick - appreciate it, I'd not forgotten, hopefully get to meet up at some point soon.

Cheers

Marcus

[nelmo]

Well done :-)

 

Did you paint the chassis that colour yourself?

 

And out of curiosity, why have you got a brake line across that front chassis bar?

[Landie71]

Did you paint the chassis that colour yourself? - Yep, didn't have a grown-up help me or anything . Used one of these to get an even application around all the fiddly bits:

worked rather well really, did the floor with a good old fashioned brush though to get a thicker layer on.......& I'll be doing the drivers floor again soon, now I've mopped up all the spilt brake fluid.

 

And out of curiosity, why have you got a brake line across that front chassis bar? - just sort of seemed an easy route to get it to the nearside, could have gone along the bulkhead, but out with the offside one just worked for me.

[Guest 2b cruising]

It's not the usual way, but hey nothing wrong with doing it your way.

If people start going on about pipe lengths, parp!

You have to cross over somewhere, and the pipe would not be shorter going either way.

Nice tidy build so far. Well done.

[Landie71]

Thanks - enjoying doing it albeit taking so much longer than I first planned - but that was before our now 5-year old daughter made an appearance. Still she liked it today when she could climb in & out herself. Managed to get the engine & gearbox mated together this afternoon so guess what's going to be next on the agenda??

[nelmo]

I'd like to know how you find getting the engine in with the side panels on.

 

I've left mine off so far because I imagine it will be easier to get the engine in but I'd rather put them on so I can finalise the front suspension.

[Landie71]

I'll let you know, to be honest though it doesn't look too bad with them in place. I might sometime at it this weekend, or it could be weeks before I get back to it (we have a very 'lively' family!)

Cheers

Marcus

[tractor]

_{the only issue with the zero engine fitting is bolting the engine mounts to the chassis when the underneath panels are fitted you can either struggle to slide bolts inbetween chassis plate or drill big holes in panels}

[tractor]

sorry meant slide nuts under and bolts through the top