Preparation for engine switch on

Oil and plugs

I drained some oil as recommended by the engine builder. So jack up the car again to get access.

Oil drain plug to right of centre

It is now at the top of the range shown on the dipstick.

The plugs were really difficult to get back in as there is very little room, so not looking forward to servicing the engine!

ECU

This was connected using the big multi-plug on the loom. It fits with one end in the slot first, before pushing the multi-plug flat against the ECU. Finally it is locked in place with the handle on the multi-plug.

ECU connector on loom

Now all sorts of things work, including the fuel pump.

Fuel

I turned on the ignition and heard the fuel pump run. Next I purged the near side fuel rail via the valve at the front.

Valve at end of fuel rail

This did not re-seal itself as expected. This may be some swarf from the fuel pipe. Apparently I should have purged from the fuel pipe, not the fuel rail.  So note this mistake. The fuel pipe flexible hose needs to be disconnected before fuel is pumped to the engine. Catch the fuel in a container and dispose of it.

Next I noticed another leak from one of the fuel hoses at the rear from the fuel pump. So I jacked up the back of the car this time to gain access. It was easy to see which hose it was and to tighten the union.

Dashboard

Whilst attempting to fit the dash and the column shroud, I removed the ignition barrel again, but couldn't get it back in and the ignition switch connections were tight against the shroud. When squeezed the ignition turned on!

Dashboard in but column shroud not right

So with the fuel rail and the ignition switch issues, sadly I have abandoned the plan to start the engine tomorrow.

Better day today

Electrical

Had Paul Brown look at the wiring today. He sorted out the remaining electrical issues. Most issues seemed to be bad earths.

So the following are now sorted:

• Indicators
• Headlight flasher
• All gauge back lights
• Courtesy lights (they had no live supply)
• Starter motor

All appears to be working well now, including the other items. Relief!

Oil

So it turns over now and there does appear to be a little too much oil in the engine. Will let it settle overnight, then dip it again. If it is still too full, I will let a drop out, then check for adequate oil pressure.

Sorry, no photos today.

Tomorrow's jobs

I need to check the oil level, connect the ECU and re-fit the plugs. Tidy up the wiring with tie wraps, then fit the dash, under trays and steering wheel. Once that is done, I think it is ready to fire up, with a bit of luck!

Not a good day in the garage today

Coolant

No visible signs of leaks. Good news.

Engine

No visible oil leaks either. So I removed the plugs ready to turn the engine over and get oil pressure. The 8 plugs are really difficult to get at and were not easy to remove.

And it went downhill from here.

Tried to turn over the engine - switched on the ignition and hit the starter button. Nothing! I then connected the fuel pump wire to the battery in case there was any electrical connection here. Still nothing. Will sleep on that.

Fuel

Put some unleaded in the tank and no leaks. Good start. But no fuel pump sound. Urghhhh.

Brakes

Jacked up the car. Connected the Eezibleed system to the reservoir and a  tyre (gets pressure from here which allows you to do it on your own). The new cap leaked - easy enough to solve, I thought. So I rescued the old one from the bin! Bin diving is not a lot of fun. Fitted the old cap and great no leaks from the reservoir, but ........

Bled the rear brakes whilst keeping an eye on the brake fluid container and the reservoir. Then I noticed a great big puddle of brake fluid at the front! It was coming from a master cylinder where it joined the brake pipe. At first it was just dripping in to the off-side compartment, but then it started running out through some holes and on to the garage floor, which is when I noticed it.

Cleaned up. Packed up. Fed up!

Preparing for start up

Preparing the engine

The engine has not been run since it was collected - almost 18 months ago. So before I attempt to start it, it needed some lubrication.

I had spoken to Andy at GD and to the engine builder. As the engine had run on the dyno it wasn't a first start, so oil would still be present in the pump. The advice from the engine builder was to remove the rocker covers, then add a litre of oil to each side. The oil was poured over the rockers/lifters, springs and down the pushrod bores. The latter required a "pump action" oil can to squirt the oil in to the pushrod bores, which are above the rocker assembly. Once this was done the rocker covers etc were re-fixed to each side and the engine left overnight so that the oil drained down and lubricated the top end of the engine.

Tomorrow, after checking for leaks, I will add the rest of the oil to the engine. Then I will remove the plugs, disconnect the ECU and turn it over until I have oil pressure. Lots of max 20 second bursts is best for the starter I have been told.

Wipers

Today I bent the wiper arms to line up the blades with the lower edge of the screen. I bent them in a vice with jaw protectors. The bending was trial and error until they lined up right. Once they were positioned correctly, I extended the arms so that the sweep was 380 mm. This is done by sliding the arms out a little away from the pivot point. When I was happy that the length was okay, I locked the arms in place by moving the little locking plate (near to the pivot point) to be parallel to the main arm.

Wipers lined up with bottom of windscreen

Seat belt anchorages

There was a locating hole in one corner of each anchorage. A small hole was drilled in the centre of each anchorage locating hole and a self tapping screw inserted to stop the captive bolt moving. I made sure that the eye bolt was mounted with the hole pointing towards the sides of the car, so that the eye was in line with the seat belt tension.

Seat belt anchorage located by self tapper

Hopefully this will satisfy Mr IVA.

A couple of outstanding points have been sent the Andy, but no response as yet.

IVA application

IVA test

I was contacted by DVSA yesterday to say that some of my photos looked to have been taken in a warehouse or factory, so would I confirm that only me or friends had built the car and that this 'lack' of information would delay my application. The photos in question were of me collecting the body in a van and the chassis being strapped on to a trailer outside Gardner Douglas. In addition I had already sent a signed declaration that I had built the car myself as an amateur builder. This blog also confirms that.

In my response to DVSA, I bit my lip and did not put what I really thought of them!

This morning I had another two emails. I tentatively opened them, expecting even more daft questions. But no, one was confirmation of payment of the fee (£450). The second said that the application had been assessed and had now been passed to the test centre to book the test appointment.

Another step in the IVA minefield.

Leaks

The leaks from the clutch reservoir and coolant from the thermostat housing appear to have been cured. Also no leak from the clutch master cylinder in the compartment behind the wheel. Yippee!

Small things

It has been snowing on and off today and is very cold in the garage, so time in there was kept to a minimum!

Speedometer

After using the wrong diff ratio the first time, I recalculated the speedo setting with the correct ratio at 27,868 for the ETB gauge. This will need putting in to the speedo prior to using the car.

Front dummy number plate

After spraying the dummy number plate satin black, I fitted it to the car using 19mm P-clips and button head bolts.

Dummy number plate can be seen here

Clutch reservoir

I noticed a fluid weep from the reservoir, so had to remove it and refit. Looks like it is cured.

Coolant

Following my abortive attempt at filling the cooling system, I had to drain the fluid because of a leak at the thermostat housing.

Leak under thermostat housing on right of photo

I rescued the fluid, so that I could re-use it! The thermostat housing leak was sealed with Hylomar sealant and then refitted to the engine and the hoses. Care was needed not to trap the thermostat between the housing and the outlet, otherwise it couldn't be sealed (as I found out!).

Reseated and sealed

Coolant, clutch, IVA, ECU etc

Coolant

The coolant system took around 16 ltrs, 70% water to 30% antifreeze. This was added to the stainless steel expansion tank at the front of the engine compartment.

Coolant header tank

It was poured in gradually to reduce the risk of air locks. All pipes were checked for leaks at this stage. There was a leak in the thermostat housing - mutter, mutter. As this had a rubber O-ring I had not used any sealant. I should have - another lesson! So that's a drain down tomorrow. Not difficult, but a job I could do without.

If you are doing yours, remember that I have a Chevy LS6 engine. The amounts may differ on other engine types.

Clutch fluid

The reservoir was filled with DOT4 fluid. An auto bleed system was used, so that I could do it on my own. Air pressure from one of the tyres was used.

Clutch reservoir. Bleed nipple is on right of two pipes - not easy to get at

Oh, and I noticed that a wire had broken to the knock sensor, so I had to repair this.

ECU

The ECU was fitted to the centre under dash tray using button head bolts in to rivnuts. I made sure that there would be clearance for the gauges and that the connector would fit the ECU in that position.

ECU bolted to centre tray

The remote button for the speedo was fitted to the central tray too. It is concealed, but can be operated from the driver's seat. There is a gap between the underside of the tray and the transmission tunnel top.

NOTE: Fit a PC flylead to the ECU to make access to the ECU easier. See IVA and Post IVA category in the Build Process.

Tachometer

The dip switches on the back were checked to make sure that the settings were correct. For the ETB tacho the first 3 switches are set to 1 (on) and the remainder are set to 0 (off) for the LSV8.

The speedo will need setting too, but for the first calculation I had used the 3.23 diff and the later chassis (including mine) have a 3.07 diff. So I need to re-check the setting with ETB.

The faulty switch for the rear fog light was replaced whilst I played with the dashboard.

Starter heat shield

I had left this off for some reason. So it was added. Needed to remove the dip stick first.

IVA items

A dummy number plate is needed for the IVA and was made from MDF, sprayed black and fixed to the bar at the front in the nose using two 19mm P-clips.

The rear number plate lamp had the bolt changed for a button head to comply with the 5mm radius rule.

Hexagonal bolt swapped for button head