A few More Step

Now that the engine is running and every thing seems to be ok in that department, I find I can no longer select any gears. Not sure what has changed as I could select all gears easily prior to the first start. I tried rotating the back wheels in case the output shaft was influencing the selectors then started the engine and tried again, nothing, it felt like the gear stick had been locked out. I tried pumping the clutch (not sure why) but that did nothing. I decided to take the top of the trans and rejig the selectors but everything was as it should be but I moved the selectors around with a screw driver put the gear stick back in and to my surprise we were in business again. I'm not sure what I did but it all went together ok and I can now get all gears. I started the engine and tried selecting gears but they just grated so an adjustment on the clutch push rod and I can now select all gears with the engine running.
As I said in my last post, the seats have arrived and they look stunning. The trimmer has finished them off beautifully with under leg supports which I need and a flap from the cushion that attaches to the under side of the aluminium bucket with press studs. Seat heaters have also been installed in the cushions.

The only problem with the seats is the height. They are about 35mm too high and my head is level with the top of the windscreen so after a little running around and settling in I will have some modifications made to them.

At this stage I intend to just run with the black gel coat as it is really quite acceptable as it is. I have started sanding out the seam lines and they can be removed effectively however there are a few areas that the fibre glass has shown through in the join which will have to be touched up. The bonnet and the doors require quite a bit of work where the adhesive for bonding the inner and outer shell shows through. After these area are all sanded and touched up, I can start the polishing process. I have purchased a good polisher so I expect to get good results.

Hopefully this weekend I can take the Cobra for a little drive up and down my court. That will be a thrill for my neighbours as they have all shown a great deal of interest in it, will be a thrill for me too.

See you next time.

Russell

Another Milestone Reached

While I was in the process of installing bits, I decided to fit the wipers seeing that the ferals and wiring were in. This is quite strait forward and only requires shortening the arms.To get the right length for the arm, fit the spring loaded clip to the feral and point them in the direction that they would be at rest (make sure the wipers are in the "home" position). Measure from the centre of the feral to the bottom of the upper windscreen frame and note the measurement. Take an arm and cut the curly end of it leaving 16mm from the dimple (see the pic below), this dimple is the locator for the wiper blade. Install the arm into the blade and crimp the tabs.Having already got the measurement to the bottom of the frame, lay the arm and blade assembly on the spring loaded clip and slide the arm over the clip until you have the same distance from the end of the blade to the centre of the clip making sure you have clearance so the blade doesn't hit the frame, mark where the arm needs to be cut.

With the wipers finished, It was time to fill the coolant and put the oil in the engine, gear box and diff. I have a special funnel for the coolant which allows you to get the coolant in fairly easily as it burps itself as it goes and doesn't create air locks and blow back. When I was satisfied with the coolant, I pressure tested the cooling system and tightened up all the leaks I could find and topped up the coolant level.

Putting the oil in the engine was not a simple pour in through the oil filler but had to be purged through the oil sender port. I borrowed a mates air powered purging system and filled it with two litres more oil than I needed so air pockets couldn't form. I also made sure to fill the oil filter first. The purging forces the oil through the oil pump, oil galleries in the crank and bearings, through the cam drives right up to the four overhead camshafts and all the way back through the filter ensuring that the oil pump is primed and everything is properly lubricated on the first start.

thing
Things were ready for a test so I got 20 litres of fuel and put it in the tank and placed two fire extinguishers with in easy reach and turned the ignition on to start the fuel pump and check for fuel leaks. Well, that was the understatement, fuel started pouring over the floor so I instantly turned the pump off. I had a look underneath and the fuel was pouring out of the fuel regulator. The cause of this was the auxiliary plugs had not been sealed. I checked them for tightness when fitting the pump and they were very tight , I thought as they were factory fitted they would be sealed so that was a lesson learned. I sealed the plugs and allowing the sealant to dry for the required 24 hours then tried again, perfect, no leaks.You can see the plugs in the pic.

My Auto Elec dropped over to check the gauges so we decided to try a first start. This is always an anxious moment wondering what is going to happen. I turned on the ignition then hit the starter and the Ford Racing Coyote bellowed into life. The oil pressure immediately sprung to 80 PSI at 980 RPM idle speed, exactly where it should be. We watched the gauges for a while and apart from the fuel pressure being slightly low every thing was as it should be.

My seats are finally finished so next post I will include some pics of them and hopefully have had a drive up and down the court.

Cheers

Russell.