2013

December 2013

  • Finally at the end of the year I have managed to get the garage all squared away, the Fury back in and onto a new dolly(the last one broke when clearing out the garage for the extension work). The dolly is great as it allows me to pull the chassis around to work on during the build and then put back against the wall when done.

    The workbench is now also finished and the shelving put back up clearing stuff off the floor. Hopefully in the new year I can start to make progress again on the build and there will be some further updates to follow.


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September 2013

  • Well for the past few months the builders have been cracking on with the extension and doing a great job, the only trouble is there has been no progress made on the Fury what with long hours at work, the chassis being in a neighbours garage and too many other jobs to be done while there is building work going on in the house.

    One job I have managed to do is make a new draw unit to go under what will be the new workbench in the garage. The draws are really deep will full extension runners and will allow storage boxes with tools in to sit neatly and be easily accessible. This will also provide a secure and sturdy platform for the bench which will run three quarters of the width of the back wall.

    After the new ceiling had been put up in the garage (fireboard fitted as there is now rooms above), I took the opportunity to start painting the walls white which will help to lighten up the whole garage. The builders managed to build around the swinging light fittings that I have so thankfully I didn't lose that facility which is great to move the lighting around where you are working.

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June 2013

  • Well at the moment the Fury build is on hold as we are having some building work done on the house. As we always thought we would do when we first saw the house with a flat roof double garage, we have decided to extend out the house over these so Mrs Martin can have her bedroom with an En-suite bathroom. It will also allow us to extend my eldest's room into a good sized bedroom as it is actually a bit of a box room at the moment. So with all this happening at the moment and the builders using the garage as a storage area and work zone, the rolling chassis has been put up in a neighbours garage while they are away on a long holiday (great timing by them).

    I was hoping that the main building part of the walls around the garage would be done by the time they returned so I could move the car out of their garage and back into mine but at the moment it might be a close run thing, we will have to see. I couldn't get the car back in now even if I wanted too with all the bricks over the drive way! I had planned to make some progress with the loom over this period but other jobs have taken over.

    I have also made the decision that as the garage is virtually empty (or will be once the builders empty their stuff out) I will re-paint the garage floor, this time with a 2 part Epoxy paint which should last better. The paint I bought last time from Screwfix is just not up to the job, even where the boys have been playing Table Tennis in the garage has worn the paint away. I can now also build a proper workbench at the back of the garage which is another job to do before I put the car back in the garage...no pressure then?

    Hopefully soon I will be able to make some progress with the wiring loom for the chassis and also connecting up the loom to the Ford ECU I intend to use. Warren the 'Zetec Guru' who lives round the corner from me has posted up a detailed diagram of the pinouts from the ECU on the Locost Builders website so that should help and if I get stuck he said he will come around and give me a hand.

    A PDF document of this diagram can be downloaded from here. As stated on the diagram neither he or I will be held responsible for any damage, loss or injury caused as a result of following this diagram, it is provided as a guide only.

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May 2013

  • Having now had the new throttle arm welded to the spindle I set about making the bracket that would hold the throttle cable in place. Again, first this was made out of cardboard so I could get the dimensions and orientation correct and then made this out of steel plate. Chris, my eldest helped me with this, he has a renewed interest in the project again now since we went to the Stoneleigh Kitcar show again this year. Overall, I think he enjoyed cutting this out and filing it back to the correct sizes and seeing how it would fit the throttle body and how we could adapt it to allow for more adjustments should we need to.


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April 2013

  • Now having finally got the fuel tank from Steve at Fury Sports Cars I decided to get it powder coated to protect it from the elements as it will be exposed at the back of the car. I again took this to Alpha Powder Coating in Peterborough who again did a great job producing an excellent finish, this time in bright yellow.


    Next was the job to plumb all this in starting with the feed from the tank down to a check valve to stop fuel return back through the filter which can sometimes allow fuel to drain back out of the pump making restarting when warm difficult. Then it was onto the low pressure fuel filter and into the pump. This then feeds off to some 8mm Kunifer (Copper/Nickel) pipe which I have run down through the tunnel along with the brake line and then into the high pressure filter and up to the fuel rail which connects up using the original Ford 90 degree connectors. The on the other side of the fuel rail there is the return back to the tank also running down some more 8mm Kunifer pipe down the tunnel. The reason for using the Kunifer pipe is that it makes the tunnel area neat and is less susceptible to degrading over time from the fuel which can happen when the fuel is sat in the line for long periods of time and is also better than using just copper pipe.


    I was going to mount the pump, filter and check valve on top of the differential but some people have said that the pump need to be below the tank to allow gravity to feed the pump, so I have mounted mine on the rail just behind the diff on a plate that is mounted on rubber bushes to allow some flex and also to dampen out any noise from the pump.

    The mounting plate is bare aluminium at the moment but I will get that powder coated eventually along with any other plates I make up now.

    This month I have also finally found someone near my work who could do brazing so I went to see Paul at Derby Road and Race Ltd who specialises in all fabricating motorbike frames, fuel tanks and various other parts for both bikes and cars. Having a look around his small but extremely well equipped workshop the standard of workmanship was excellent and his hand made fuel tanks were a work of art, it made my fabrication of the throttle arm look pathetic!!!. Anyhow as it turned out, I didn't need the part brazing as the spindle was actually steel but with a coating on that made it look like brass which again made me look a bit dumb, still it was a great excuse to have a look around Paul's workshop and at his handy work. If anyone is around the Derby area and in need of some skilled workmanship, then look Paul up and see what he can do for you?


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January - March 2013

  • Working away from home during the week only allows me to get a few hours on a Saturday in the garage and I only seem to be making small steps but they all help I suppose.

    With the engine now in what I hope will be its final position I fitted the exhaust manifold temporarily and the plenum chamber to check for clearance.

    Also, several people I know had mentioned that the handbrake cable on the Fury will rub on the chassis rail upright so I decided to see if I could come up with something to stop this rubbing. With a bit of aluminium angle and a couple of lightweight plastic model pulley wheels I came up with the design below which still allows for movement of the cable but should stop it from rubbing on the chassis. Hopefully it doesn't encroach too far into the tunnel to the point where it will interfere with the propshaft but I won't know until I get that and fit it.


    With the engine now fitted in the correct place I fitted the plenum chamber and exhaust to check the positioning of these, all looked ok until I lifted the car off the ground again to put onto the build trolley I had made. With the weight off the ground I realised that with the throttle lever fully open and the weight off the front wheels the end of the throttle lever would touch the rocker arm holding the throttle open, not good. Although this would be a specific situation it was one that I really would not want to happen, throttle fully open and full weight off.

    The original throttle lever fitted was attached to the spindle by being peened over so that had to be ground off and a new version made out of cardboard at first to work out the correct orientation. Once I was happy with the design I then made it out of steel plate, bent the arms as required and now need to get this brazed to the spindle and refitted back to the throttle body. I have drilled three positions for the throttle cable attachment so I will be able to tune the pedal movement to my preference.

    The next problem is the that the original bracket that hold the throttle cable would also hit the rocker arm and now that I have re-orientated the lever action the orientation of the throttle cable would also be wrong so I will have to make a new bracket to hold the throttle cable.

    Also this month I have ordered a wiring loom from Premier Wiring Systems, this came recommended from Steve at Fury Sports Cars and also several other members of the Locost Builders Website have also used them. Having a chat to Alan at Premier Wiring Solutions, he is more than happy to add in additional items that I have requested, such as extra loops for and immobiliser and a line for Day Running Lights which he has also sorted to go off when switching on the main lights which is a requirement for IVA. Also he is doing this at no extra cost which is good, hopefully it will be fairly easy to do...wiring is the main bit I am not looking forward to. [Update - Alan is now semi retired in Spain although he does still provide help via email and his contact number which is a UK number. Joyce is now running the UK side of the business and they have an E-bay shop for their looms and other parts for kitcars - Premierwiring7 - Ebay shop]


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2012