Offroad Buggy

The modified steering column and various brackets, bolts and bushes arrived today from Dave Smart (the guy who makes the Freestyle). In the package he included an upto date build manual and a CD with some video footage of Freestyles bouncing and sliding around and going through big puddles and stuff. Claire, my extremely patient and unerstanding girlfriend, will tell you that I couldn’t be any more enthusiastic about my buggy but if I could, I would be more enthusiastic today after seeing those video clips.
Anyway…. more painting and cleaning. Painted the timing cover in silver Hammerite and it looks shite. Reassembled pedal box after reading the proper instructions, this involved drilling various holes in the steel rod that connects the pedal to the plunger in the pedal box. I’m glad of my bench drill fo that, a hand drill would have been hit and miss I reckon. When correctly reassembled I bolted it down after spending some time lining it up with the accelerator pedal, steering column and rack loosely in place.
Pictures show the assembled pedal box. These pictures were mainly took to show the SVA inspector to save me taking the box apart if he needs to see inside.
Time spent – 4 hours
Money spent – £85 on steering column, brackets, nuts, bolts bushes etc
- £6 on Silver Hammerite.

1st and 2nd August 2004

Yet more cleaning and painting. Moved engine into middle of garage to start removing bits to clean and paint. Started with timing cover which was as rusty as hell.
Photos show some of the bits I’ve been cleaning and painting. Pray with me that Hammerite won’t burn off on some of the engine bits I have applied it to.
The other photos show the engine before cleaning, the large crankshaft nut which needs to be removed, trying to undo this will just turn the engine so you have to lock the flywheel at the opposoite end of the engine by wedging a screwdriver between the ring gear teeth (shown in next photo). The last photo shows the simplex timing gear after the cover has been removed. I may upgrade to duplex if I get chance, if not its a job to be done later for sure.

Lots of cleaning and painting over the 26th, 27th, 28th and 31st. I’m de-rusting using electrolysis, wirebrushing clean and then painting.
Time spent – 11 hours
Money spent – £10 on a roll of brake pipe from eBay for the next section of the build.

I’m waiting for parts to arrive and to be sourced now so I’m going to spend a little time cleaning and stripping down the subframe, engine and hubs. Continued strip down of front hubs, only the balljoints left to remove now. Removed a couple of bits from the subframe. Started to paint suspension parts.
Time spent – 2 Hours
Money spent – £35 on consumables (engine degreaser, black Hammerite, red engine enamel, white spirt)

Attacked the front hubs yet again. They have being giving me problems. Especially the offside which the CV joint was firmly stuck. Whacking with a lump hammer had just damaged the end of the CV joint and not freed it off. Today however I managed, using a combination of hammers, breaker bar, and rather unsafe techniques to reduce them to their component parts. In doing so I discovered that I have a pair of probably expensive after market alloy 4-pot calipers. I knew they were not metro or mini standard fit but it was a nice surprise when I lifted them away to find they were as light as a feather.
I’m going to recondition the hubs, new bearings and so on. The stuck CV is now scrap but I’m gonna need a pair of drum brake ones anyway so I’m not that bothered.
Time spent – 1.5 hours
Money spent – 0

Brake master cylinder arrived today. A rather helpful chap called Muffin Man from alt.autos.mini sold it me for a fiver + postage which is a bargain to say the least. My master cylinder was a servo type and would have not fitted easily (if at all).
Assembled pedal box. Laid out various parts (pedals and box, steering column, handbrake, and gear selctor) to get an idea of where to put the pedals. See photos. Still a little tricky without the seats but I have an idea now. Just need bolting in place down.
Continued the task of cleaning parts.
Time spent – 2 hours
Money spent – £10 Second hand master cylinder + postage

Riveted outer panels in place. Started cleaning up some of the parts and de-rusting them using electrolysis. I’m not going into great detail now but electrolysis involves “wiring up” a bucket of water and using the magic of science to reverse the rusting process. It’s far less destructive than using a wire brush and also far less effort. I might write more on it later.
Photos show side panels in place and my electrolysis set up (battery charger, wires, bits of metal and washing up bowl)
Time spent – 2 hours
Money spent – £2 on consumables (rivets)

Riveted inner side panels in place.
Time spent – 30mins
Money spent – £35 on tools (Vice)

Work on the buggy officially started today. I had done a little fitting of the panels on Thurs but I got stuck in today. Trimmed inner and outer panels to size after much fit, remove, re-fit, remove etc. Clamped them up and drilled all the holes, They just need riveting now.
Time spent – 3 hours
Cash spent – Nothing

Started to align and trim body panels. Cleaned up the garage a bit.
Time spent – 1.5 hrs
Cash spent – 0