Unfortunately, 2023 didn't bring as many shows or events as I had hoped. Towards the end of summer in 2022, I made the decision to pull the engine with the ambitious plan to rebuild it.
Spoiler alert: that plan didn't materialize. My tendency to take on more than I can handle, fuelled by the
"While I was in there" mentality, collided with the limited timeframe I had.
Originally, I aimed to address all the questionable wiring repairs accumulated over the car's 30-year lifespan, enhance the engine bay's aesthetics, address security concerns, and forge the engine for increased boost. By September, it dawned on me that I had only managed the cosmetic aspects. It became evident that the true joy of the car lies in driving it, and I had missed out on opportunities to attend shows, meetups, and enjoy nice weather drives throughout the 2023 season.
Realising a change was necessary, I decided to reinstall the stock block for the 2024 season and simultaneously build an engine from a spare, allowing me to enjoy the car whilst working on the forged build.
I've got a lot to show you from the past ~12 months, so buckle up and pray to your bandwidth gods - This is going to be a photo heavy update.
So here's where we left off, October 2022. The engine was out, and the 'bay was getting some work.
I also took a lot of the interior out, in order to work on some wiring repairs.
It came pretty clear early on that the wiring was auxiliary installed, overlapped with auxiliary installations between owners. The radio wiring was twist-and-taped mixed with choc-bloc connectors, the mass of wires were from previous audio installs, central locking, alarm, immobiliser etc. This wouldn't have been a problem if the tech wasn't all start-of-the-ARK.
It was time to rip it all out, and start again.
I did some research on security systems, and settled for a reputable one with dual zone proximity sensor, shock sensor, tilt sensor, central locking, boot release, two layer immobilisation and a GPS tracker.
Meanwhile - I was working out what bolt and grommet holes were needed in the engine bay and filling the ones I don't need or want.
This process seemed to take forever. It was so laborious.
Building up the filler, flatting it back, getting it smooth, blending it in.
I have a new increased level of respect for anyone in bodywork - this work isn't for me, and I was happy with the "That's as good as I'm going to get it" mantra.
Time for paint.
Started off with a few dust coats of high build primer.
Then some thicker layers for coverage, left it, sanded smooth, a few more layers, sanded, then tac'd and painted in a satin black.
Left it time to fully dry, then went over it with an orange metallic flake.
And finally, after lots of cleaning and tac'ing - Two thick coats of 2K Lacquer.
It's hard to capture in photos, but the orange flake hits the light and glistens.
Bonus is that the flake takes away from any small imperfections that I was happy to live with, being it was a DIY job.
I went around it with a DA and some compound and gingerly put the engine back in.
During this time, I also let a friend borrow my turbo kit to have some fun in his 5.
I then went to town, sorting the wiring out.
This got out of hand quickly: I wanted the new security system to be integrated to the stock loom for stealth, and also wanted to repair some patch jobs whilst I was in there.
This ended up being months and months and months of systematically stripping every loom on the car back to single wire, checking the wires, extending or shortening the loom as needed, deleting any redundant wires, adding any new ones, and then re-wrapping in a nylon sleeve with heatshrinked or testa taped ends.
This also included the battery / PPF loom under the car for the 12V and charging circuit.
I also re-located the fuse box to under the dash for aesthetics.
And of corse unpinned, corrected length, and re-terminated all plugs in the engine bay in order to route them in a discreet way again, for aesthetics.
Then it started going back together!
I also re-routed the front NS brake line up and into the scuttle, and then back down on the other side to keep the firewall clear of brake lines. This was done in new Zinc coated lines and took many, many attempts to get right.
And a cider to celebrate once it was back together, circa November 2023.
First 'Wash' in over a year.
And then some 'Artsy' shots from a couple photographers in December 2023.
At current, there are still some small things to do before the season starts in 2024. I still haven't started the forged engine, but I will be sending the block away, hopefully Q2 this year.
I have, however, recently had painted my DoD AD9 Style bonnet.
I shall try and keep you more in the loop this year!
Until next time,
Crumpets
"
le sigh