The Build

What happens next?

 

Diary

Date Stage
27/3/2011 Found Donor Car
21/4/2011 Started dismantling donor car
27/4/2011 Ordered Kit
19/5/2011 Finished dismantling donor car
21/5/2011 Shell disposed of
29/5/2011 Started refurbishing back axle assembly
16/6/2011 Finished refurbishing back axle
18/6/2011 Kit arrived
21/6/2011 Back axle installed
26/6/2011 Chassis Painted
27/6/2011 Engine in and front suspension fitted
01/07/2011 Brake pedals, servo and master cylinder, pipes cut and put in place
03/07/2011 Radiator and steering column fitted
07/07/2011 Heater modified
08/07/2011 Wipers fitted
13/07/2011 Transmission tunnel modified and gearstick mounted, dashboard trial fitted, front fibre glass floor well trimmed almost to fit (still some work to do)
14/07/2011 Radiator shell installed, bonnet top panels fitted
18/07/2011 Power steering reservoir located and power steering plumbed in 
20/07/2011 Petrol tank installed, rear seat belt mounting posts fitted
21/07/2011 Front seat belt posts fitted, heater fitted
27/07/2011 Brake pipes secured
28/07/2011 Front wings trial fitted, radiator shell refitted, picked up leather seats
27/08/2011 Petrol pump fitted and piping plumbed in and secured. Wiring Loom, received. 
28/08/2011 Front bumper, brackets painted and bumper fitted.
30/08/2011 Rear wings and back panel temporarily fitted
31/08/2011 Running boards temp fitted

05/09/2011

Radiator header tank and air filter fitted, bracket for ignition coil fabricated 
10/09/2011 Rear seat back brackets fabricated and installed so they fold down to give access to the limited boot space
12/09/2011 Exhaust fitted except for the back box
15/09/2011 Headlamp shell fitted
20/09/2011 Front panel cut to size and temp fitted, bottom hose fitted
21/092011 Windscreen pillars filled, front floor fibre-glassed to fit around the auto gear shift
23/09/2011 Windscreen pillars sanded and refilled
11/10/2011 Brackets fabricated and front seats trial fitted 
12/10/2011 Sierra seat belt bracket modified and fitted to the Ka seat
14/10/2011

Tail lights fitted temporarily

19/10/2011

Additional securing clips on fuel pipe

20/10/2011

Plywood floor and front fibre-glass floor fitted

21/10/2011

Front seats fitted, windscreen surround refilled 

24/10/2011 

Collected front shocks, windscreens, bonnet sides and fuel sender unit from Beauford          

27/10/2011 Fitted fuel sender unit              
28/10/2011 Fitted front shocks              
31/10/2011  Door pillars/hinge covers measured to fit            
02/11/2011 Bolts fibre-glassed in to door pillars, doors trimmed to fit
03/11/2011 Door pillars fitted. Badge bar fabricated and fitted
04/11/2011 Body prep - lots of sanding
07/11/2011 Front indicators fitted + more body prep
09/11/2011 Dashboard cut out and fitted instrument cluster
10/11/2011 O/S bonnet side fitted
13/11/2011 Planned a centre console              
14/11/2011 Mocked up centre console
15/11/2011 Fitted N/S bonnet side, removed the front wing and running board to prep for painting
17/11/2011 More sanding and filling              
18/11/2011 More filling and sanding
12/12/2011 Started painting
13/12/2011 Painting
14/12/2011 Painting
15/12/2011 Painting
16/12/2011 Painting
  Christmas Break
15/01/2012 Sanding
16/01/2012 Worked on window winders
17/01/2012 Collected Hood
18/01/2012 Started making luggage rack
19/01/2012 Started work on exhaust
23/01/2012 Fitted rear bumpers
25/01/2012 Lengthened window winder arms
30/01/2012 Fitted window winders
31/01/2012 Wing piping
01/02/2012 Refit wings and running board, cut out interior and door cards, rear fog & reversing lights
02/02/2012

Refit front lights and badge bar. Label all connections on wiring loom.

03/02/2012  Made fibre-glass glove box
07/02/2012 Joined glove box to dash and varnished panel
08/02/2012 Started to take apart Sierra loom
09/02/2012 Continued to take apart Sierra loom
10/02/2012 Isolated the rest of engine loom
11/02/2012 Worked on wiring 
13/02/2012 Worked on wiring 
14/02/2012 Worked on wiring
16/02/2012 Fitted petrol filler pipe, got the engine to turnover 
17/02/2012 Tried to fit seatbelts, bled brakes              

 18/02/12 -

06/03/12

  Wiring installed temporarily (twisted wires)
07/02/12 Rear floor panel installed, fuel filler pipe connected 
08/03/12 Filler pipe reconnected! Started car (Hooray!)
13/03/12 Connected rear lights
14/03/12 Connected eyes up (headlights)              
15/03/12 Started tidying wiring up, making connections permanent              
16/03/12 Finished making connections permanent
17/03/12 Made under tray for passenger side dash
18/03/12 Covered under tray in foam and vinyl               
20/03/12 Made under tray for drivers side 
21/03/12 Covered under tray in foam and vinyl
22/03/12 Made ducts and vents for demister
23/03/12 Covered Dash assembly in foam              
24/03/12 Covered Dash assembly in vinyl
25/03/12 Installed dash assembly and dash board
28/03/12 Cut out holes for switches and radio in centre console panel
29/03/12 Assembled centre console trimmed to fit in car
30/03/12 Covered centre console in foam
31/03/12 Covered centre console in vinyl and trial fitted in car
03/04/12 Installed radio
07/04/12  Installed centre console and connected the switches              
09/04/12 Covered trim panels in footwell and installed speakers              
10/04/12 Partially fitted hood and glass in rear door
11/04/12 Fitted door cards, made lever for heater              
12/04/12 Re-covered undertray              
14/04/12 Fitted split windscreen              
16/04/12 Worked on interior trim
17/04/12 Worked on interior trim 
18/04/12 Worked on interior trim
19/04/12 Worked on interior trim
24/04/12 Fitted windscreen washers and interior mirror              
30/04/12 Fitted new Securon seatbelts in rear
01/05/12 Fitted beading around windscreen
09/05/12 Reworked Luggage rack and bumper
12/05/12 Reworked badge bar at front
22/05/12 Made surround for rear bumper support
23/05/12 Anchored electronic ignition, battery securing plates, tidied up engine bay.
24/05/12 Cut and shaped aluminium aluminium trim for luggage rack.
25/05/12 Fitted door mirrors
30/05/12 Tried to trace the electrical fault
31/05/12 Fitted side screens
01/06/12 Fitted stop for the hood rails
08/06/12 Door locks arrived 
09/06/12 Door locks and exterior handles temporarily fitted
10/06/12 Striker pins fitted
12/06/12 Door locks adjusted and secured
13/06/12 Covered door cards with cream leatherette
15/06/12 Fixed door cards and covered seatbelt posts in foam and leatherette 
18/06/12 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWIGGY - 1 year since kit was delivered
18/06/12 Cut handle spindles to size and drilled for securing screws. Fitted interior handles
20/06/12 Fixed rear speakers below rear seat
21/06/12 Tidied up engine bay a bit more (cables etc), tightened up wing and running board bolts.
22/06/12 Fitted dzus fasteners to bonnet sides
27/06/12 Took out dashboard to find wiring fault              
28/06/12  Put back dashboard!          
03/07/12  Window rubbers and cleaned car              
09/07/12 Seals to try and make weatherproof
10/07/12 Carpet and interior tidying up
13/07/12 Touched up all the chips in the paintwork from, put cap nuts on exposed bolts
18/07/12 IVA test has come through for 20th Sept
21/07/12  Changed rear seatbelts, installed foam rubber strip on bonnet panels
30/07/12 Cut template out for wing valances
01/08/12 Cut out valances and fitted to wings
07/08/12 Painted valances and made bracing bars              
05/09/12 - 07/09/12 Worked on the hood trim and seals to make it a little more watertight
13/09/12 Fitted headlamp rims and door stays              
14/09/12 Fitted sides to rear compartment to protect seatbelts wiring and petrol pipe
20/09/12 Took the car for its IVA test - Failed
21/09/12 Started remedial work
22/09/12 Replaced handles
24/09/12 Hinges, body projections
25/09/12 Rear seatbelt bracing
26/09/12 Rear seatbelt bracing
27/09/12 Replaced fuel filler 
28/09/12    Booked the re-test - 8th November was the earliest available slot
08/11/12 IVA re-test PASSED
12/11/12 Took the forms in to the DVLA
15/11/12   Appointment for inspection came through              
22/11/12 Car inspected              
24/11/12 Licence number and tax disk arrived, had number plates made up, on the road
11/12/12 Started on building the trunk
19/12/12

Trunk built and fitted to the car           

20/02/13 Won an auction on Ebay for 4 alloy wheels
14/03/13     Trunk picnic table, wine glass holder and champagne bottle holder completed   
16/05/13

Fitted spare wheels on the front wings

18/05/13 Made drinks tray/bottle and glass holder for inside the car