eddieH

Hi Grizzly, keep an eye on the rear wings as the sealant stuff cures. We got them looking almost perfect, put the sealant on and then went away for a few days. When we came back, the fibreglass had shifted slightly in relation to the stainless part. :boohoo: They don't look bad but it was a bit annoying! I don't know if it's because the silicone shrinks as it cures or if we hadn't got the fibreglass part tight enough against the stainless bit. We had all the same problems as you were having though - modifying the tabs how Paul suggested worked well. I remember wishing that we had one of the kits with the one-piece fibreglass arches - it couldn't have been much more difficult! All the best, Edward

Hi, when I applied to Nottingam DVLA for a VIN number last month, I received a letter which said: "There is a legal requirement under the Road Vehicle (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 that the vehicle identification number of every vehicle to which this regulation applies shall be marked on the bodywork and on a plate attached to the vehicle. The number should be stamped/embossed on the offside of the vehicle, in a clearly visible and accessible position, and by a method such as hammering or stamping in such a way that it cannot be obliterated or deteriorate. It should also be stamped/embossed on a plate, which is attached to the vehicle." Presumably a kit car is exempt from those regulations? The man at Nottingham was very helpful - I asked if it was possible to just stamp it onto a plate and then rivet it on since it could be tricky to stamp onto a round stainless tube. He said that would be fine. Mike, it could be worth double checking with your local DVLA just to make sure that they agree that you only need the VIN in one place. Cheers, Edward

My brother reckons he knows it - he says it helps if you are "over a certain age". Or, in his case, if you are under a certain age and know how to google! I won't spill the beans just yet (I want to see if anyone guesses higher than Bill )

Congratulations Richard! Best wishes for many happy Hoodie miles! Edward

Hi Richard, it looks like the weather was kind to you - it looks superb in the sunshine! Hopefully it shouldn't take to long to sort that list out. Best of luck with the retest. Edward

Hi, I've checked in the RH brochure and they were £600 for 5 wheels and tyres - they might have gone down since then. I can guarantee it works out very expensive if you try to buy just one. My local tyre fitter managed to damage a wheel when fitting the tyres and the only places they could get a matching replacement were RHE and Hong Kong! Someone from the company had to drive over to RH to pick one up. Richard wasn't very keen on selling just one and made them pay well over the top for it! As other people have said though, check other wheel/tyre places - there's always a deal on somewhere.

I've mounted the exhaust the same as Grizzly's. With another bit of steel on the other side of the panel it seems suitably stiff. Also I used some large rubber caps (same diameter as the rubber bobbins) from Maplin with a hole drilled in the middle. One of these goes between each rubber bobbin and the side panel. They flex slightly as the nuts are tightened up and take up the curved profile of the side panel perfectly. As an added bonus, there are enough caps left in a pack to blank off the open ends of a 2B's chassis tubes to keep the water out. Regards, Edward

Hi, please could you tell me if it is likely that there will be a calendar left by next week? I'm away at uni and haven't got the application form with me. I'm going home at the weekend and can get the application in the post next monday. Many thanks, Edward

It looks (and sounds) amazing - but who would insure it?! The fuel consumption is unbelievable - didn't Clarkson say it could use 100 litres in 12 minutes? Mind you, if you've got 800 grand to spend on a car the mpg isn't going to worry you much! I wonder if they would sell one in kit form...

Absolutely amazing! I went to a lecture on wednesday by William Toet, the BAR (now Honda) Formula 1 team's top aerodynamicist - he showed us some onboard footage from the sprint / hillclimb car he drives in his spare time. It looks like a Cobra, weighs 500kg and has a 600hp engine! He reckons 0-60 in 1.9 seconds and it corners as if it is on rails. It seems even faster than this video if that's possible. For next year they are putting in an Indycar engine which weighs 20kg less than the current one and has 800hp, giving the same power to weight ratio as next year's F1 cars. That's going to be quite scary! Ed

Hi guys, On the edition 2 diagram there are two ignition switch arrangements as follows: 1. VG -----------> Sierra White / Red ----------->Black / Yellow White ------------------> Black Brown ---------------------> Red (Yellow not used) 2. VG -----------> Sierra White / Red -----------> Black / Blue White -----------> Black / Yellow Brown -----------> Red (Yellow not used) I will try and get a photo of the whole diagram soon since it appears that there are a few differences between editions 1 and 2. If anyone needs it I can email it to them. Alternatively, if anyone has an A1 size scanner just lying about we could do it that way!! Edition 2 still isn't perfect - I think the connections to the sealed beam units might be wrong but I haven't checked it out properly yet. Cheers, Eddie

Hi Paul, do you want a picture of the whole diagram or just the bit for the column switches? PM me your email address and I'll send a photo along. Eddie

Hi Macca, I've got an image of that part of the diagram but if I compress it to the 50k attachment size for this forum it is totally unreadable! I will PM you with it as an attachment. The file is about 700k uncompressed - I would imagine your email provider can cope with this. Let me know if it doesn't turn up. From the testing I've done so far with a multimeter, the diagram is correct. Eddie

Hi there, we were doing this part just last night. We have the same coloured wires on our car as on your car. If you look at the loom diagram, there should be two column switch setups. As far as we can tell, you're looking at the "relay-less" setup. Your column switches are probably not the high current ones so probably need the relay arrangement shown at the bottom of the diagram. Your colours and positions should match up with this other setup. (Our diagram says edition 2 at the top right hand side and could be different to yours). The relays came with our loom as part of the relay/connector pack. Hope that helps, Eddie

Hi Jim, at the moment, Robin Hood have got a deal on front brakes. Two brand new Ford callipers with new Brembo discs (solid, not ventilated) for £120. You could probably get unbranded ones from a motor factors cheaper but it's definitely more reasonable than your local Ford dealer! If you live reasonably close to the factory it might be worth checking out? Cheers, Eddie

Despite the new ownership, Richard was still there on Friday when we picked up some bits from the factory - he hasn't quite given up yet!! He was still wearing the customary overalls as modelled in the build videos!

Hi Phil, the ply is screwed into the chassis tubes using stainless steel self tapping screws (size 10). They are countersink type so there is nothing protruding above the ply that could come into contact with the fuel tank. The rear screws go through the steel angle as well. Another method that you may or may not have seen is on Colin Usher's website: http://www.colinusher.info As Colin says on there - whichever method you use, remember to make sure the fuel tank is well earthed to prevent any sparks. Eddie

Another photo - this one from underneath. Hope that helps. Cheers, Eddie

Hi Phil, we put a piece of 12 mm exterior ply with a layer of foam on top of it for the tank to sit on. This fitted in the 'U' of the chassis tubes. There are a couple more pieces of ply on top of the tank (again there is foam between the tank and wood). The whole lot is sandwiched together and clamped by lengths of stainless steel threaded rod (2 at the front and 2 at the rear). The wood is reinforced with strips of steel angle where the rods go through. This seems to be rather sturdy. The tank position can be adjusted left to right to line up with the filler cap. The tank's size means it won't fit inbetween the rear chassis uprights (due to the tank flanges). We also put rubber tube around the rods to prevent them rattling on the tank. Hopefully this becomes clear with an attached photo. Eddie

Hi, this evening, after many months of work and tea drinking, we got the engine running on our Hood!! Many many thanks to everyone that helped us get this far - a couple more months and we should be away! We nearly had to quit yesterday after a nasty accident involving a nice sharp drill and my brother's hand (holes heal don't they?). The pipework is all a bit jerry-rigged and the electrics are a rats' nest so a bit of tidying will be required before we move on to fitting the side panels and beyond. Hopefully a photo of the moment of ignition will appear below. Thanks again. Eddie

Hi guys, please excuse my ignorance - what is wrong with a pancake filter? What is the best alternative - it looks like there will only be 1.5 inches of clearance from carb to bonnet on mine! By the way, your engine bay looks awesome Vic. I've squeezed the rad in now - going to put the pipes in today and hopefully the engine will start tomorrow or monday! Cheers, Eddie

Hi guys, thanks very much for the replies. We (my brother is helping the build) are now hopeful that the RHE radiator will fit (tried it this morning with the fan, steering and alternator). The plumbing makes more sense now! We'll try and get a 'T' pipe to fit the expansion tank between the manifold and heater / pump (might go electric heater tho). We'll let you know how we get on. Hopefully if all goes well we can get the engine running by the end of the week. Thanks again. Eddie

Hi, we're currently trying to fit the new huge 2B/4 radiator and associated plumbing. We intend to use the Sierra expansion tank since the RHE supplied radiator has no filler cap. The expansion tank has two inlets (outlets?) - one at the top and one at the bottom. From what we can tell from photos we have of the RH demonstrator car, both of these are connected to the heater return pipe. This is different to how the Sierra was plumbed up - how should it be done? Any advice greatly appreciated. Thanks, Eddie

Congratulations Dave!! Enjoy the good weather when it arrives! Eddie

Hi Enforcer, thanks for that - I was just wondering what to make the boot lid out of anyway! I hadn't intended the picture to be quite that huge - I think some time in the test forum might be required! Thanks again, Eddie