356 Speedster Flat6 outlaw build

Robneal · Post by **Robneal** » Wed May 15, 2019 9:39 pm

Well done, a long time coming, but hope mine is not too far out now....but you go to sleep with a big smile on your face tonight...

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mdmax72 · Post by **mdmax72** » Thu May 16, 2019 9:01 am

Has it really been 7 years Greg.

That’s a great feeling on your first road outing.

greg356a · Post by **greg356a** » Thu May 16, 2019 12:45 pm

Thanks guys.

Might try to get out tonight if I get back in time.

Still loads of work to do. The car is very noisy and the ride is harsh. Seating position needs to be improved. etc etc.

greg356a · Post by **greg356a** » Sat May 18, 2019 7:07 pm

Great progress. Fitted a felt covered 16 mm bulb seal to the hardtop across the doors and rear quarters. Fitted the rear 1/4 plexi-glass windows and trimmed. The door glass arrived so fitted them. The window trim is just super glued in place. It all works well.

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Went for a short drive, not as much wind noise but still need to do a lot to remove rattles etc

greg356a · Post by **greg356a** » Mon May 27, 2019 8:49 am

Tips advice on fitting the rear screen into the hardtop?

After years of sitting on a shelf the rear 4 mm thick plexiglass screen may have moved in shape. I have trimmed the flange on the hardtop to mirror the rear screen and cut the gasket to suite.
Never done this job before, I suspect as I push the screen into place and pull the gasket via a cord in the channel the whole thing will just end up pulling through.

1. should I seal/ adhesive the gasket to the screen?
2. use heat to soften the tight radius at the ends to better follow the contour of the hardtop
3. Will a cord be enough to pull the gasket into position even with silicone or PTEF on the hardtop flange?
4. Fit the screen with hardtop fitted on not to the car
or
5. Use a thinner plexi glass cut to shape and seal and bolt into the hardtop flange, ie ignore the gasket
or
6. Make a metal trim which sandwiches the screen either side of the hardtop flange

My only other thought is to remove the gasket and try using bolts with washers fitted in the gap between the hardtop flange and screen and use heat and tighten bolts around the perimeter and let it cool to the right curve.

Any thoughts?

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Even in rattle can primer it looks very naked without one;

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greg356a · Post by **greg356a** » Mon May 27, 2019 6:33 pm

Took a step forward. I used M6 nut & bolts with 20 mm penny washers around the perimeter and applied heat and slowly tightened all the bolts so that the Plexi-glass fitted correctly. When cool the plexi-glass retained the new shape.

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Gary71 · Post by **Gary71** » Mon May 27, 2019 7:43 pm

Nice improvising. Like it

911hillclimber · Post by **911hillclimber** » Fri May 31, 2019 4:26 pm

Impressed by that having done similar myself with poorer results, nice to see this kind of approach.

greg356a · Post by **greg356a** » Thu Jun 06, 2019 8:17 am

So completed the first 100 miles yea! This covered about 7 or 8 journeys, mostly on A roads and as it turned out heavy traffic around town. Yesterday morning I did 12 miles which took nearly an hour, rush hour traffic!. Certainly lots of smiles for miles. Engine roar and speed of acceleration are just fantastic. But a lot of fixing snags and issues in between journeys. Also drove 10 miles in the pouring rain with no rear screen fitted. Must say drier than expected did not leak around the hardtop to screen seal as expected. No rain gutters so open the window and it drips in and of course floods in at the back without the rear screen.

If you are a romantic and think you can build a car in your garage and drive off without issue - look away now;

So improvements made in first 100 miles,
stiffer rear springs, now at 350lbs and changed top bolt to high tensile strength M12 12.9
semi solid rear engine mounts, and metal washers
lost rear brake lights, modified connections
various internal door padding to stop rattles,
N/S Zenith carb accelerator jet block (still trying to fix),
air leaks around base of carbs (new paper gaskets)
front bonnet latch releases when you hit a large bump,
white dash reflects on the windscreen,
rear-view mirror changed to reduce vibration
Rear wheel spacers removed,
Changes gearbox oil now Castrol EP140
Whilst there is a stop to prevent the side windows going too low, nothing stopping it winding up too high
Adjust gear selection for a smoother selection, still not as I want it
Talbot wing mirrors are being constantly adjusted so that the driver can see. Still trying to find that sweet spot
Clutch is heavy so need to play around with various cylinder sizes. It is lighter that cable operation
Seat position still needs to go lower, maybe 20mm and needs reclining a little. Would also like to make them hinged at the front to give access to the rear
Steering wheel needs to drop 10 -15 mm but captive bolt not long enough to allow any further adjustment,
Doors - when you hit a pot hole they really bang. adjusting latch has helped, but need to fit the rubber wedge and bracket like the original to totally stop
Oil temperature gauge still not working
The gauges tend to frost a little in the centre obscuring the view slightly

In context these are all relatively easy fixes

Totally surprised by the public reaction, all very positive, everyone so far just thinks its an original car, when you say its a replica or tribute or even kitcar built in the garage they just ask "how old is it mate"

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Robneal · Post by **Robneal** » Thu Jun 06, 2019 7:46 pm

Great updates Greg, I hope to be on the road by end of the summer for my shake down. My biggest worry is if all the bespoke parts work effectively together.
Interested in the coilover spring rate change, was it to spongey and also what length springs did you go with and what coil overs do you have?

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greg356a · Post by **greg356a** » Thu Jun 06, 2019 8:15 pm

Wow what a difference a days work makes. (well actually equivalent to 4 man days) So a lot of the issues above have been rectified. I drove the car back on some b roads and then onto the dual carriageway for the first time. The car is totally different, engine is smooth and rear suspension seems to work as it should! The harsh ride and banging doors have gone.

So the rear gaz-matic gold shocks coils are now 10" x 350 Lbs and 67 mm (code 1.9) diameter. Two N/S jets now work, one was blocked and the other had a split o-ring seal allowing fuel to bypass the jet.

Just need to get the rear screen fitted and Le Mans here we come!

greg356a · Post by **greg356a** » Mon Jun 10, 2019 12:55 pm

Back another step - The window guy turns up but cant get the rear window rubber to fit, just keeps popping out. He is concerned that as I go down the road the wind will just blow the screen out. So with only a couple of days before Le Mans I think I am going to have to use a temporary fix. I guess I can put the nuts/bolts/washer back in around the perimeter and cut bolts to length. I will then try to seal over them with tape to make it water proof.

Trying desperately not to be defeated and concede and go to Le Mans in my sons Audi TT. Does not help that the weather now looks pants.