So empty it echoes

friggen roll cage - did you know that it takes one bloke 3.5 hours armed with an angle grinder a hacksaw and a big hammer to remove one fiat 128 roll cage - and not completely f*%k the rest o the car.....? and its not and easy 3.5 hours either - its hot - dirty - smoky - loud and generally antisocial. In fact it sucks.

 

but the cage is out - the rear section was 48mm steam pipe and must weigh about 30 kg plus on its own - to big too heavy and really ugly - the front section weighed less than half that and it had more tubes.... removing the cage also meant a few wee welds on the right rear wheel tub went ping - so a bit of welding is in order... see below

 

now for the bad news - due to the fact the new house needs a new kitchen - and that needs $$$ the car budget has been frozen while management decides *when* we can logically chuck 2.2k at the 128 for a jungle gym... but that just means I get to drag the thing into the new shed at home base and sort out all the inside mods that I was going to do after the cage went - plus a few I just thought up - since its going to be easier now to do that. so basically the list looks like this:

• make transport frame
• Pedal box and drivers floor area - new panel
• Exhaust tunnel (rear passengers floor area) - new panel (and if you have been keeping up that leaves the front passengers foot well and a tee shape in the middle of the car as the only Fiat floor left!)
• windscreen pillar - finish off nasty little patch
• various cracks - weld
• remove all extraneous bolts and brackets - more sparks
• patch firewall - brake booster hole etc etc
• tidy parcel tray remains - (did I mention I cut that out as well?)
• fuel cell frame
• beat out rear towers for shocks
• tidy engine bay and boot
• new front strut mounting plates
• Finish the seam welding in couple of hard to reach places
• wire brush underside and arches - seam seal and underseal including wheel arches
• prep for paint - and prime/seam seal etc
• paint interior and inside roof
• fabricate a throttle pedal

plus a bunch of stuff I haven't thought of but not much that costs real money.... i.e. a good few weeks of solid work - so say about 5 months at warwick speed?

 

later

 

w

 

 

lazy sunday afternoon

been selling surplus stuff on trademe the last couple of weeks - amazingly have managed to pay for the new shocks - wonders will never cease! still have a bit left over just rats and mice...

 

Spent a happy afternoon on the 67 car fizzing some patches on to the front valance - in the vain hope that it adds some support  and helps the front suspension mounts hang together. - applied some filler - and bobs your aunties live in lover - Just bear in mind this is *not* a restoration project, its just a rebuild of an old race car that was once an even older road car assembled by people ho saved money by *not* painting the backside of any panel!! - I also used the opportunity to measure up the car for its new cage - the original concept has to be revised per new Motorsport Manual 33 - i.e. no Larry and Garry bars (windscreen X bars) and for some reason there has to be a gap in the door opening - go figure! will draw that up this week.

 

that's it really - will shoot out to the shed after work on Tuesday to sand the panel filler while its still kinda fresh.

 

add another four hours

 

latter

 

w

Left wheel tub - prior to uderseal and painting

right wheel tub - the flash makes it look untidy

Left and Right wheel tubs and new drivers seat tray - if you look closely you can spot the odd hole in the floor pan from the spot weld removal - I didnt dust that day!!

October 2005 - The Bomb Factory #67 Fiat in fully stripped mode - note rear wheel tubs