Update July 27th 2020

Its been a busy July!! Lots done and the car is nearly ready for the trimmers. As you would expect not everything came together as expected and there has been a few reworking parts that were fitted earlier. 

Pinstriping detail

I have some pinstriping added to the engine tinware and around the from bonnet (hood) latch area.

I have fitted the filler pipe, always nasty drilling more holes in the body!. Didn't quite line up initially, but quickly sorted it. I'm not going to do a final fit on fuel tank until I have finished setting up the ride height and steering geometry, the access is so much better without the tank in place 

Not quite aligned!

Seat belt fix points

Photo from Westfield Cars
showing the required bracket

Photo from Westfield Cars
showing the drilled out panel

The IVA test requires a specific minimum height for the part of the seat belt mounted over your shoulder.  

Having looked at what Chesil have done in the past, and with some measurements and photographs from Westfield cars (thank you Patrick), I drilled out the mount points and will need to fabricate the bracket. 

Rear parcel shelf

On a normal Chesil, the rear "seat" is a simple trimmed cushion. In my car as I have mounted the oil cooler into the base I need to create a raised base that will protect the cooling fan and also hide the audio amplifier. I drew up a quick sketch then have set about making some templates, with the help of my local furniture builder we are crafting up a suitable frame and cover. Pictures next month will make this a lot clearer.

Mock up drawing

Current state

Fit Exhausts

I did a trial fit of the exhaust and figured out what tinware needed to be modified. I did the mods which also meant crafting a couple of new brackets then had some of the tinware re powder coated.

Fitted the exhaust, getting hold of the 42mm gaskets wasn't easy, or cheap.

I am having to modify the oil hoses in order to route around the exhaust, during the refit I'm going to be protecting them with a heat protection sleeve.

Insulation.

I completed the interior insulation with a layer of sound deadening then another layer of the foam sound proofing material

Starting to fit the sound deadening

Both layers in place

I have fitted the soundproofing carpet underlay

Doors

Final fit on glass, with never ending adjustment on the winding mechanisms! Also fitted the rubber outer glass seal and inner felt seal.

Prepare seat mounts

I worked out the position of the fixing points for the seats (donored from the an MX5 courtesy of my local scrapyard) that I will be using to get the car through the IVA test. It's definitely a case of measure three times, drill once. All four mount points are now done and painted to avoid any corrosion.The custom seats need some work to figure out the best way to mount in the car hopefully ending up at the correct height.

Time spent on build

I have been keeping a log of the build time, bear in mind this is my first build so a lot of head scratching going on, but thought I would share my time log todate. This does not include research time!!!!

Next Jobs

• Fitting exterior trim (some of it)
• Refitting the remade oil pipes and heat shield
• Refitting remaining engine tinware
• Fitting engine bay seal

References

Drawing for IVA seat belt mount, I take no responsibility!!!! 

IVA seat belt mount