Fuel filler

Bonnet catches

I used a square against the top edge of the chassis to make sure the holes for the catches were in the right place and it would be vertical:

Bonnet pins

Nose fitting

Fitting the bodywork is definitely easier with two people (one to hold while one to mark!) so with Mike up for the weekend it was bodywork fitting time.

First with the nose and bonnet on the chassis then off we aligned the two sections and clamped together. We could then drill the holes through both for the bonnet pins and widen the hole for the grommets:



Next we made cardboard templates round the rivnuts on the chassis. Note the masking tape ready to fix to the nose:


By placing the nose onto the chassis, then taping the cardboard template to the nose we could get the exact location to drill the holes for fixing to the rivnuts:


Next was the lower bracket. It comes straight:


But has to be bent up slightly to fit nicely inside the nose. To do this I just used a couple of adjustables:

A selection of rivets

A new selection of rivets come into play for attaching bodywork and trim. From the left:
- countersunk heads for along the top of the main tub where the bonnet goes (so the bonnet will lie flush)
- large headed for along the bottom of the main tub to spread the load
- small headed are for bits of trim like the interior panels
- small headed long body, I got 2 of these and have no idea what they are for. Maybe 2 rogue rivets in the batch

How it looks now

None of the bodywork is fixed on yet but starting to look something like a Westfield now:

Lowering carbon canister

The hose coming from the top of the carbon canister was touching the bonnet so I did a couple of mods.
- lowered the carbon canister slightly. The canister wasn't down as far as the tab that is meant to stop it from going any further. By filing away a bit of the plastic on the flanges I got it fully down
- after rummaging through the MX-5 bits i found the original top hose connector which had a handy couple of 90deg angles. It meant the hose didn't protrude as far up. I'll have to join it to the hose that goes to the vent on the fuel tank.

Radiator top outlet - fixed

After rummaging through my box of MX-5 bits i found a 90deg right angle hose connector of the right size. By cutting a couple mm off the end of the connector on the radiator and cutting down the hose to the min I was able to gain enough clearance:




If at any point in the future I see it marking the inside of the nose or I get a leak, I'll probably fit a right angle connector onto the radiator like some of the other builders have done.

It's definitely worth keeping any hose bits from the donor. Still got a few bits left:

Scuttle - holes for loom

Two large holes are required for the loom to pass through. I made a cardboard template based on the grommet (you can just see it on the right hand side of the picture). Drilled with the larges hole cutter I had then had to expand out a couple of mm with the glap wheel.

Rear wheel arch - RHS

Followed the same process on the RHS rear wheel arch: