Lippy's ERA #797 build log

[tkb289]

lippy,

797 is home … Congrats !!!

I see the heater pipes poking through the firewall, a rear brake line and the instruments are in. Is any of it wired or will you do it all?

Paint & body work look great, I bet the color is a rich deep blue in the sun.

Have fun and keep them pictures coming

[lippy]

We accomplished quite a bit this first weekend with the car. I pulled the seats, dash, steering column, and radiator. After Mother's Day brunch, my wife wanted to lounge around so I spent the afternoon in the garage with the kids. They were great. I had prepped and drilled the rivet holes for the wheelwell and radiator panels, and we bonded and riveted them. The kids really liked using the pneumatic riveter. I also ditched virtually all of the sheet metal screws and speed nuts and replaced them with stainless hex screws with Pemnuts. Things went together easily and I'm happy with our progress.



Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr


Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr


Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr


Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr

[xb-60]

Looks nice Lippy; I'm envious!
I don't think I've commented on the colour before....that dark blue is going to look great.
Cheers,
Glen

[lippy]

We've been making steady progress over the past couple of weeks, and the kids have helped me with almost everything. Since my last post, we've pulled the foot boxes (required removing the pedals and windshield) and floors, and then bonded and riveted them in permanently and reinstalled the pedals. We also installed some AWG-10 speaker wire on each side, and AWG-4 power wire on one side in case I want a stereo with an amp in the trunk and speakers in the foot boxes at a later point. I tied the wires up on the side of each foot box, and then riveted and bonded the aluminum panels under the doors. Last, we removed the firewall and bonded and riveted it back in. As you can see in some of the photos, I used Pemnuts wherever possible (floorboards, where the center tunnel will attach, and the center panel under the dash that connects the foot boxes).

I know a lot of people say you don't need Dynamat on the floors, etc. But after installing these panels they are like drums and will vibrate, even with carpet. It seems like a safe bet to install Dynamat on the floors, footboxes, and panels ahead of the rear wheels.

Next we will remove and install the panels in the rear footwells and trunk, which will require removing the roll bar. For anyone that has done this step before, did you drop the gas tank before drilling the panels in the trunk? The panels are fairly close and I think I could drill the holes without damaging the gas tank, but I may drop it just to be safe.

Also, should I leave the windshield off until I install the engine, or is it all right to reinstall it at this point?



Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr


Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr


Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr


Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by lippy

Also, should I leave the windshield off until I install the engine, or is it all right to reinstall it at this point?

It will be slightly easier to drop the transmission in with the windshield off the car. Unless any of those kids are power lifters, you'll be using a lift to help you drop it in and having the windshield out of the way is a help.

[ERA Chas]

Keep the windshield out. Everything is easier and safer to the parts with it out. It should be one of the last assemblies to go on.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

Keep the windshield out. Everything is easier and safer to the parts with it out. It should be one of the last assemblies to go on.

I think, instead, next time you should just write "listen to Patrickt."

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by patrickt

I think, instead, next time you should just write "listen to Patrickt."

For a guy that never assembled or disassembled one of these (or maybe anything) I'd never give that advice.
Is your name 'ERA Patrick'??

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

For a guy that never assembled or disassembled one of these (or maybe anything) I'd never give that advice.

But I have done something even better. I have disassembled and reassembled every part of my ERA multiple times just for the fun of it. And since it was originally put together by the elves at New Britain, there's no question that it was done properly to begin with.

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

Is your name 'ERA Patrick'??

If I could turn back time....

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by patrickt

But I have done something even better. I have disassembled and reassembled every part of my ERA multiple times just for the fun of it.

That so? Pulled engine? trans? changed clutch? intake? changed valve seals? changed heads? dropped the pan? dash out? installed MSD? prepped body for paint? installed Wilwoods? changed the rear? rebuilt carbs?
Have you done those things?
Near I can tell you put foam on the roll bars, painted your wheels, squirt Gumout in your air bleeds and took Brillo to your K&N lid. Oh and maybe adjust your lifters for the noise they make.
I just get on you because the newbs actually think you've done the things you advise about-Sheldon.
Those guys in New Britain are not elves-they're immensely skilled and experienced craftsmen.

[ERA Chas]

NO roll bars???
So my point is basically correct-you're advising guys building Cobras based on MG 'experience'. I was not clever enough to specify those questions in relation to your Cobra-but that's what I questioned. Anything you did to the ERA was documented in 5000 posts and photos-and it was none of what I asked you about.

The affliction you suffer from my friend is called 'abundant BS'. With apologies to Jamo-you're a lawyer after all....

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

NO roll bars???
So my point is basically correct-you're advising guys building Cobras based on MG 'experience'. I was not clever enough to specify those questions in relation to your Cobra-but that's what I questioned. Anything you did to the ERA was documented in 5000 posts and photos-and it was none of what I asked you about.

The affliction you suffer from my friend is called 'abundant BS'. With apologies to Jamo-you're a lawyer after all....

That's not an MG, that's a Datsun 2000 Roadster, and it has a full roll bar, which I padded even back then. You don't happen to have an audio file of your Cobra, do you?

[DanEC]

Lippy - back to your question. I believe you are asking about the trunk floor pan which is about 3/16 inch above the fuel tank. I drilled my holes with the tank installed. The bit tagged the tank a few times but nothing more than a peck. Removing the tank would be safer, or an adjustable drill stop collar would work also. But you might look closely - seems like ERA had predrilled most of these holes but since I was having some problem getting the big trunk floor pan to line backup all the way around, I re-drilled some of them.

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by patrickt

You don't happen to have an audio file of your Cobra, do you?

A vid.

[lippy]

I finished the trunk panels, and everything went great. There are some corners in the aluminum where you can see light (they are installed tightly, that's just the design) so I plan to seal some of the corners/joints with aluminum-colored sealer I found at McMaster-Carr. I think I'm officially addicted to McMaster-Carr, BTW.

One small bump in the road - I will install seat heaters and realized after I installed the aluminum interior panels under the doors that I didn't run the seat heater wires under the panels. So I either have to: (1) remove those panels and install the wires underneath, or (2) run the wires alongside, under the carpet. I think I'm going to remove the panels, which involves removing and reinstalling a bunch of rivets and some structural sealing glaze. I just want to be very careful that I don't enlarge the rivet holes so I ordered a punch that is meant to drive out the mandrel stubs (also from McMaster), and then I can carefully drill out the aluminum rivet bodies. Any thoughts or tips would be appreciated.

[RodKnock]

Do you really need heated seats for the SF Bay Area?

If it's too cold for my butt, then it's too cold to get the oil circulating.

[lippy]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

Do you really need heated seats for the SF Bay Area?

If it's too cold for my butt, then it's too cold to get the oil circulating.

No, but this is about want, not need. Heated seats may help on early morning drives to work, and they may also help get my wife into the car.

[lippy]

We are making good progress, and my kids are really into the project. We usually spend an afternoon on the weekend, and one or two nights during the week for an hour or so.

Since my last post, we have:
- Removed aluminum panels around doors so I could install the seat heater wires properly, and reinstalled the panels
- Finished installing and sealing all of the aluminum panels
- Installed insulation on the firewall interior, top of the footboxes (interior), and tunnel
- Completed most of the wiring (dashboard, engine bay, trunk)
- Made an aluminum sheet metal bracket for a power socket, and installed it under the dashboard. Also installed the brackets for the seat heater buttons under the dash
- Installed the windshield wiper motor and mechanism
- Installed the tonneau snaps
- Installed weatherstripping around the trunk, and on the hood. I learned my lesson with this adhesive a long time ago and used it *very* sparingly. It turned out great, no seeping glue, etc.
- Riveted the hood scoop



Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr


Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr


Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr


Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr


Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr


Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr


Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr


Untitled by Lippy111, on Flickr

[roxx]

car looks great , i like the vette next to it as well . 2 great toys you have .how hard is the build of this car ?

[lippy]

Originally Posted by roxx

car looks great , i like the vette next to it as well . 2 great toys you have .how hard is the build of this car ?

Thanks. The Vette has been deprived of some attention lately but I still get it out a few times per month.

The ERA is a pretty easy car to put together. Things line up the way they should, and everything makes sense. The kit is really well done. Our build is taking a bit more time then it would otherwise because we are using a lot of upgraded fasteners/Pemnuts, etc., but it's going faster then I expected.