nelmo

Well, a partial solution - GBS do a dash extension which has the male 20-pin plug and wires attached for only £28 (the replacement plugs I've already ordered (!) have cost me about £10 but I'm happier to pay the extra to use the original kit). Annoying that they didn't tell me this originally but I guess there are so many parts, it's difficult to keep track. They really need to get it added to their website... Still an issue with the similar 18-pin plug for the stalks - GBS assume your stalk plugs will connect straight in (I'm going to check on that - is it likely the Ford stalks fit that plug?). I never managed to get any stalks with wiring so I'm putting all those controls on the dash, so I will need to hack that one. ..

Bit harsh - GBS have been very good with everything I've asked them. This particular plug is not fitted by them so the fact they have any is a bonus. They clearly sell a sub-loom for the instruments which I am choosing not to buy, so it's my lookout if it's extra work. I've done as you said, ordered 4 10-pin (in fact, 15-pin) plugs which I plan to just replace on the loom. It's not ideal but my choice and not a huge effort.

I have to agree - I've never been a believer in warranties and if my loom doesn't work (even if I hadn't hacked it myself), my last thought would be to take it back under warranty. I would expect there to be a lot of other potential causes first.

Your lucky day, I am at exactly the same stage and I just asked GBS the exact same question. The 20 pin and 18 pin plugs are special items fitted to the loom by the external company that GBS use to build the loom. GBS have a couple of the plugs floating round their workshop which they would sell for £30 BUT they have been told by the company who do the loom that you need a special tool to fit the pins into the plug and that tool costs £200! Ive decided I'm just going to chop them off and replace with standard plugs available from CBS.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but I would suggest you will struggle. As others have said, I'm sure it could be got through IVA if you are experienced, have all the kit, the time and deep pockets. No offense but that doesn't sound like you... ...and probably not the other guy, which is why he sold it... Keep it as a track day car, maybe?

I don't presume to question more experienced people but none of the GBS kit has swaged pipes and apart from the 100mm section in ozz's post, I can't find anyone selling decent lengths with swaged ends. I'll just stick with what I have and hope the clamps are enough... Back to the original question - if I overlap a lot, I might need 2 clips, no? One where each pipe ends?

Balls - really? Is there a simple method to manually swage a pipe? I don't want to pay a fortune for a dedicated tool...

I may be over-analysing this so apologies if it is a stupid question but... I'm not using a water rail and I have a bit of a maze of ally pipes and silicone rubber bends. The final result will have a potential world record for number of jubilee clips in one engine bay :-) When joining a silicone pipe to an ally pipe, is there a correct amount of pipe that must fit into each? Do I use as much pipe of each as I can (ie. a lot of overlap) or just enough to get the jubilee clip on (with a few mm either side)? Intuitively, it would seem that the more overlap, the better but maybe not? See very bad diagram I've attached...

Sad to see how little our kits are worth - he must have £5k worth of parts there, even allowing for the age. A lesson for anyone thinking you'll make money out of your kit - even when built, no-one will pay £15k (as he has in his ad) for a second-hand, hand-built (by an amateur) car. Obviously, you can't put an amount on the enjoyment you get out of the build process...

The bodywork is the relatively cheap part of a car. Sounds like fixing the chassis will cost as much, if not more, than buying a new one. And then you will have a fixed but obsolete chassis. Then all the usual costs for everything else... Unless you've got an emotional attachment to the car, and assuming you would rather build than buy, then a new kit is the way to go...it will be much cheaper and easier than starting with a wreck.

Beautiful BRG but red with it?! Sorry, doesn't work for me - I'm out...

Thanks Dave, I've seen your blog before but always wondered if that layout was awkward. Good to hear it works... Where did you get that strip of warning lights?

I'm just doing some dashboard layout ideas and after getting the GBS dash and seeing how narrow it is, it seems a tight squeeze to fit the main speedo and rev dials behind the wheel. The layout looks quite good with the speedo and revs in the middle of the dash but I'm wondering if anyone else has that sort of layout and finds it annoying ie. having to look down and sideways to see the speedo or revs rather than just straight ahead? (layout ideas here: http://zerokitcarbuild.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/dashing-through-slush.html)

As Bob says, no-one has a clue, that's why there is no data. Personally, I reckon it probably won't make a huge difference financially speaking - some businesses will lose out, others will gain. We'll save money not having to pay £x billion to the EU BUT we'll end up having to pay £y billion in extra import/export duties. It will be harder for the tourism industry but better for smaller companies who won't have to pander to all the petty EU bureaucracy. Based on that, probably better we stick with the Devil we know IMO...and let's use the tiger as a metaphor; strong, powerful but on it's own and on the verge of extinction. The deer it feeds on are thriving in their herd...(deep, huh? )

If it's any consolation, I bonded mine and it looks pretty crap. Fortunately, I'm not a perfectionist :-)

My point is that it's impossible NOT to use reconditioned parts - you can't get brand new Sierra hubs, drive shafts, diff, MT75 gearboxes etc, etc....

Sorry, I meant for a new plate... don't you just need a few 'new' bits? I bought my engine from GBS (really Ford) but the gearbox and diff from other companies and I've got invoices to show they are fully reconditioned. The government website says 'all new parts' but how would that ever be true for any kit car company, even the likes of Caterham?

Bought a plastic one off a Renault Clio for £12 off eBay. Not fitted it yet so could be rubbish, however...

I understood you only need a few (all?) of the main items (engine, gearbox, diff) to be new/reconditioned-as-new to get an age-related plate. Things like the steering column are not considered... EDIT: Doh! sorry, I meant 'for a new plate'...

I've used one skiing and one on a bike (Strava/strata or something like that) but never in a car. Just do a search for 'gps tracker' and install one at a time until you find one you like...

Those bike computers work on a magnet attached to the wheel and detecting each revolution. IIRC, max speed they can measure is something like 50mph and I imagine the odometer function wouldn't work above that speed? Edit: just noticed that one says it works up to 99mph, so that's fine because the speed limit is 70, so you'll never go that fast, hey? ;-) Wireless ones are also affected by interference from other electrical gadgets. Not a problem on a bike but might be tricky on a car? Have you got a smartphone with GPS? Lots of free GPS logging apps that will also record your exact route and display it on a map etc.

I Googled it and got some other videos... some serious kit there... Thanks and good luck for the season.

850bhp?!! Holy Cow - got any links/pics? No idea what a Gould is...

Just out of interest - does a heater help with coolant cooling or actually make it worse (because hot coolant is diverted away from the radiator and not cooled as well by the heater matrix)?

Yes, I've already got those but I bought them before actually looking at the thermostat. Only when I did that I realised it didn't have any ready-made holes. OK, I'll get drilling - if it doesn't work, I'll just have to get the water rail... Thanks... :-)