Craig's MDA Mk.II GT40 build site		Last update 2nd Sept'08

Build Diary

	February 2007
	22nd - D-DAY!!!! (Delivery day that is) In some of the worst weather possible Mark made one of his epic journeys to deliver the rolling chassis and body cladding. 1st couple of hours spent in awe of the new project and cleaning up the travel grime.  Front wheels taken to local body and paint specialists for painting all over gold. Nicely done Dave - very impressive!
	23rd - Work gets in the way for the 1st time, temporary break in progress before I've even started!
	March 2007
	16th - One front wheel back from painting, one has small paint reaction and is being re-done. Experimented with tyre paint - impressed with results. Start of the cladding. Trip to Homebase to acquire clamps, tin snips and Sikaflex. Under floor insulation (moisture proof) in place and right hand side inner floor skins in place. The clamps would not be so necessary but I am bonding the majority of the cladding in place rather than the traditional riveting (just my personal preference).
	17th - More clamps needed!! Quick trip to Homebase. Remaining floor panels in location and start of  front end panelling in place. A good tip here is to use some convenient weights to hold the inner floor skin down in place to stop it flexing whilst the Sikaflex is setting (a couple of 10 litre buckets of water did the trick nicely :) ). Further break to go to work!!
	26th - Online build site created. Hosted by my cousin (Sputnik Internet) - Cheers Andy; That's another pint I owe you!
	April 2007
	2nd - The bodywork is in the country!!! Mark is heading off to inspect it and bring it back to MDA.
	3rd - Just a couple of hours to spare today so got the engine bay lower cladding in place and marked up the driver's side sill for the original spec ribbing. The bodywork arrived at MDA and is now being assembled and trial fitted to another chassis prior to delivery. (photos soon). Back to work again so another enforced 2 week break :( At least I should be able to make some real headway when I get back :)
	A springy piece of aluminium and a couple of anchoring points helps keep panels flat whilst the Sikaflex is setting. A couple of 10litre buckets of water (weighs 10kg [22lb] each and have proved extremely useful)
	10th - Links page updated, a few site glitches ironed out as well. Supplier of original door catches and Ford Anglia handbrake added.
	13th - Link to bespoke decal manufacturer added.
	30th - Finally back from work and continuing with the cladding. Inner kick panel added on drivers side. Progress slowed due to method of bonding panels in place rather than riveting. I need to pause for bonding agent to cure before proceeding to next panel.
	May 2007
	1st - front anti-roll bar fitted after front closing panel is trimmed and fitted.	`
	2nd - Cladding continuing - drivers side inner panel as complete as possible before bodywork arrives. Still in need of cleaning up though to take excess bonding agent off. Have seen samples of my sill pressings - very impressive - can't wait to get them fitted!!
	3rd - Fitted more cladding and injected expanding foam into the double skinned sections to keep down the road noise (as if I'll be able to hear that!!! :) ) Also fitted an anti-draft seal around the steering column. HINT - When using the expanding foam filler, wear disposable gloves - when set it is virtually impossible to remove and seems impervious to any solvent I could find!
	4th - Cleaning up of the fitted up panels mostly to remove finger prints and excess sealant. Took some card patterns away to a friend at a local garage who will transfer them to aluminium.  The sill covers complete with fuel sender access panels and pressings should be here tonight (all modelled to look like the original car).
	5th - Loosely fitted the sill cover panels. Big smiles all round. I will measure the gap under top of the sill caused by the radiused edge and gat spacers cut to match. This ties in with my plans as the original cars seemed to have a small step between the outer sill cover and top of the sill.
	6th - Day off at the UK National Kit Car show at Stoneleigh, It was good to meet up with fellow owners and builders and to finally put faces to names and email addresses. Back to work for a "last minute notice" job tomorrow :(
	14th - Back from work :) Got last wheel back from painting (it had a paint reaction - next set for the Avons will be ordered unpainted from factory) - superb just like the other three.
	15th - Applied tyre paint to the last front wheel - it now matches the other front wheel with Goodyear and Blue Streak rim painted both sides. Visit confirmed with MDA tomorrow to collect the next batch of parts including the new AP Racing 4 pot brake option. Passenger side sill covers (inc engine bay) marked up for folding to add an original style lip.
	16th - Took a 15" diameter rear wheel down to MDA to trial fit over their brand new AP racing brake system and Brembo mechanical handbrake caliper. This was setup on a car under build that will have 16" wheels fitted. No problem with the AP units but the handbrake caliper just touched the inner rim of the 15" wheel. Fortunately an option to adjust the mounting bracket had been designed in and these will now be made with a slightly decreased offset . I was surprised at the lightness of the discs, bells calipers; these are racing parts so are well engineered but still light.
	17th - Back from my visit to MDA to pick up my next batch of parts - Brakes and fuel tanks. Fitted the 1st brake disc on my return home in the afternoon. FITTING TIP - The disc bells are of different thicknesses front and rear; the thinner unit fits on the rear, the thicker ones to the front, this gives the disc the correct offset to the caliper . The bells are a tight fit over the hub as this provides a good location for the disc. I placed the disc and bell over the wheel locating studs and with a hand at 3 and 9 o'clock shimmied the disc into place (with some copper grease behind the bell to help with removal in the future).
	Rear brake disc and caliper fitted
	18th - Small delay - my BMW got jealous of all the attention the GT40 was getting so threw in a problem with its cooling system this morning, sorted now. All brakes fitted. FITTING TIP - With the AP brake option the bolts that hold the steering arm in place (and the bottom of the caliper mounting bracket) need to be inserted with the nut towards the centre of the car. There is no interference (but it is close) , it just moves the nyloc nut further away from the heat of the disc. The drop links to the front anti roll bar are now also in place. I should be getting one of my sill sets back later today with another "originality mod", I should be able to get this bonded into place this evening.
	Front brake disc and caliper fitted
	19th - Passenger side sills fitted complete with ribbing, access panel for the fuel tank sender (this will have to be relocated from the MDA position to one closer to the original pick up point), and step. Hopefully I will get the driver's side one fitted on Wednesday which will be my next day on the car.
	24th - Small skim of filler put around bottom of passenger sill to blend the panel into the lowered floor section (I have the "drop floor" option which gives a 1" lower seating position.
	25th - Filler skim sanded smooth around passenger sill/floor join. Driver's side front sill now bonded and clamped into position. This will get the filler treatment tomorrow when the Sikaflex is cured. Measured up the blanking plates for the engine bay sill cover and started working out the runs for the 2 oil cooler towers to be fitted in this area. Front anti roll bar drop links also tightened up and measured to check they are symmetrical. Going to spend relaxing holiday weekend away from the car for a change - next updates on 29th.
	29th - Drilled mounting holes for the MDA gear selector in the driver's sill (I am mounting mine in the "original" position on the outside [cockpit side] of the sill rather than through the sill as with most replicas). This will need a couple of 10mm rivnuts and a support bracket to hold the unit firmly in place. The chassis comes with a very substantial mounting plate for the "regular" position, I have just chosen not to use it in favour of an original look. NOTE - If you are intending to use a rod shift this relocation may not be possible without some additional engineering input as the rod push/pull line from my relocated position will run into the built in roll over structure and this MUST NOT be interfered with in ANY way. (As I am using a cable shift with my Porsche 930 unit this isn't a problem). Filler skim applied and sanded smooth around the driver's sill/floor joining line. Initial enquiry made to Moto-Lita for an original spec GT40 steering wheel (15" leather rimmed black flat spoked Mk.4 - for my car without slots although slotted wheels were often used on Mk.IIs as well as most Mk.Is).
	30th - Gear shift bolted to inner sill via 2x10mm bolts into captive rivnuts. There will be a small aluminium bracket added under the shifter body after its final angle and height has been set (still adjustable at the moment). The original spec Lucas mirror has now been brought up to spec (thanks for the tip Chris). I just have to have the glass re-silvered now but that's a while away. Ordered my steering wheel from Moto-Lita - I am going for the Mk.IV hand-stitched 15" wheel option. The MDA steering shaft spline seems to match those of a UK model MGB (up to 1969) from my measurements - (48 splines, 18.8mm shaft width, 20mm spline length.) Started on the next cladding replication project; the stiffening panel that runs from the door hinge assembly down the floor over the sill. This has been made up in card and will next be transferred to aluminium. This joins to the floor  where the drop floor option starts just infront of the seat.
	31st- More work on preparation in the cockpit for spraying.
	June 2007
	1st - My front wing decals arrived from Raceline Digital in Canada, these were a one off order as it is unique to to chassis 1046 at Le Mans (as the car was driven by 2 Kiwi's it ran in Black/Silver [New Zealand's sporting colours] and carried a silver fern leaf behind the driver's side front wheel). The decal comes in two parts - one for the solver leaf, the other for the white NZ lettering (there are keys on both parts to ensure it all lines up as designed). More finishing work also done to the cockpit interior.
	2nd - The sill plates came back from my friend who works in car body shop - quickly fitted then off down the pub to thank him for the work :) These will be primered tomorrow when the 2nd coat of etch primer goes on after a light flatting.
	3rd - Small skim of filler put in rolled edge of sill plates. 2nd coat of acid etch primer applied to interior after a light flatting - USE A MASK as this stuff is nasty!
	4th - Additional photos added to the relevant page. Spoke to MDA about bodywork pickup in the next couple of days. Champagne in fridge ready for 1st joining of the chassis and bodywork :) .
	5th - Visit to MDA to pick up the front clip and central spider. The rear clip will be there in a few days but being the impatient type I'm off to pick up the 1st 2 panels so I can get on with modification to the cladding at the front and the bulkhead.
	6th - Back from my trip down south with a full van :) Initial fit of panels looks good. Champagne out of the fridge to welcome the bodywork.
	7th - Visit from Steve to collect his ZF and driveshafts that I brought up from MDA for him, Pushed car outside to take some pics in the sun and started to put some skim filler in the under radiator cross-member after injecting it with foam to reinforce it (hence the cow-catcher at the front holding it in place whilst the foam set). There was nothing wrong with this section but as it will take any scrapings across "traffic calming measures" and groundings on rough roads I wanted to reinforce it. The front clip needs excess moulding material removing from the rear edge before it will sit properly against the centre section. Made up templates so I can fit the Marchal headlights with the minimum of fuss.
	8th - Continued to smooth the front cross-member and started work on drilling instrument holes in dashboard panel. Work has reared its ugly head again and I have to head off to sunny Aberdeen again on the 10th for 2-3 weeks. Damn!!
	19th - Mark from MDA sent me some photos of my rear clip trial fitted onto the MDA demo chassis. Can't wait to get back home from the latest job and get back into working on the car again. The front hinged nostril panel and the doors are also nearly ready to head my way as well. There is a small mod to make to the section just above the hinge line to match the original cars but I think it looks FANTASTIC!!
	July 2007
	10th - Home again and back into creating more templates for the internal cladding. This time behind the dashboard and the rear bulkhead. Starting to feel like real progress now. The dashboard is fitted and trimmed to a more original profile on the A-pillars.
	12th-13th - Took a van down to MDA to collect my rear bodywork, front nostril panel and a few other bits and pieces. The rear frame will have to be redesigned slightly to match this rear bodywork and also to give a more original look and hinge position.
	14th - Back home after an epic journey back from Exeter - It seems like there was a road accident at every other junction up the motorways - "Why can't other road users just stay on the tarmac without falling off it or hitting each other - ARGHHH!"
	15th - Away for the weekend - next week should see the car move to its new garage with electricity, compressed air etc and then the modifications can start in earnest :) The plan is body fit 1st then cladding. When that is completed the hydraulics and electrics can be fitted up.
	24th - My steering wheel arrived from Moto-Lita. 1046 used a 14" non-slotted wheel at Le Mans in 1966 and Moto-Lita do an excellent version of this. Because of my choice to use a gearshift mounted on the outside of the sill rather than through the top plate as a lot of cars do I will have to revert to an original spec dash to give me clearance for the larger wheel (the original cars have the wheel closer to the centre line of the car). This is on its way from Cushman Competition in the USA. A small modification to the steering wheel adjuster mounting and maybe an additional UJ is all that will be needed to do this.
	25th - Sudden call back to work!! Why does this always happen when I'm busy on the car? Anyway the templates are all ready for the next set of modifications.
	August 2007
	2nd - 1st bit of bad news on the project!! Received an email from Huddart Engines that my engine has just wrecked its cam on the dyno runs. As part of their normal level of service the oil has already been sent away to Miller's for analysis and the engine is naturally being fully stripped. No damage had been found and replacement parts are on the way from the USA. I'll post more info as it arrives.
	6th - Spoke to my friend who is creating the myriad of parts I am modifying on the car. The templates I left him with have now been transferred into aluminium and steel ready for fitting to the car.
	14th - Received and email from Huddart Engines to say that the rebuilt engine has now run for an hour with no problems on the dyno, and is pushing out a huge amount of power. 580ft/lb of torque at 4000rpm and 580bhp at 6000rpm. This will be delivered to MDA this week with luck for development of the adaptor to the Porsche 930 transaxle.
	20th - 16:30hrs the engine was delivered to MDA. Photos to follow tomorrow :)
	21st - Some nice photos received this morning (see photos section for the full selection). The work starts now on the FE/930 adaptor. The block will be re-painted Ford blue by Huddarts before final installation. The engine is also supplied with an Aviaid dry sump tank, MSD ignition module and 750cfm Holley Carb with filter.
	23rd - On my way down to MDA to pick up my doors, roll cage and a few other bits and pieces.
	24th - Got home finally after 7 1/2 hours on the road (4 1/2 hours down there - some arse decided to take a couple of shots at a police car the night before so the motorway way shut on the way back + the normal accident every other junction), WHY can't dim motorists drive more than 2 junctions without running into each other!!!
	25th -Fitted the roll cage and started work on the rear hand brake callipers. A but tight on roll cage spacing but at least I know it it's is a stressed member :)
	27th - After a day off at the Oulton park Gold cup back to work on the car. The hand brake callipers are now fitted (a bit of shaving to do on the mounting brackets where they attach to the rear uprights). The door catch aperture is now cut out and ready on the passenger's side door, I am using the original spec Jaguar Mk.VII rear door latch mechanism and it fits like a glove (OK a pretty tight glove but it fits ). I also ordered my remote central locking kit today (The Mk.II didn't carry keys as it was never designed for road use!)
	August 2007
	1st - Fitted the passenger side door latch mechanism along  with the mounting plate. At 1st I thought this was just to reinforce the panel but it seems that the mechanism will just bolt straight to this panel. I will relieve the fibre glass around the mechanism backplate and bolt it us in final position.
	3rd - Away on holiday for a couple of weeks to the Italian and Belgian F1 races, so a small delay for further updates.
	15th - Whilst I was away the car has been moved to its new garage with access to power, light and compressed air for the next stages of modifications and body fitting. With luck this should really move things along now.
	22nd - For the 1st time we have trial fitted the centre and rear bodywork to the car after the roll cage has been fitted. This had previously been done at MDA on their demonstrator car that is under build but still a nervous moment. Needless to say my worries are over (at least on the centre and rear), as it is a tight but successful fit. There has been a little warping of the central spider passenger side leg but this is easy enough to warm and straighten.
	Who needs rear visibility anyway ?
	26th - Completed another 2 card templates this evening, The 1st is the rear clip support framework, MDA provide a nice "generic" Mk.II frame, but photos I have seen seem to show each Mk.IIA with a different design. As I am trying to get as close as possible to P1046 I have scaled one from a several photographs. The 2nd template is the base for the cold air box. This will have to have a "wall" added around its edge to seal it to the deck around the carb intake.
	October 2007
	7th - Sorry about the lack of updates, In the last week or so I have been away on a family priority but got back into action a little today. My "baldy" rocker covers have arrived from the USA and are ready to fit to the engine when I get it back from the gearbox adaptor manufacturing.
	I removed the front hubs today in order to put them into primer ready for their black top coat - I used a special Hammerite metal primer that prepares cast aluminium for the smooth Hammerite black top coat.
	November 2007
	5th - Yet again work has kept me away from working on the car. I have however got stuck into the wiring loom design (I am using that many non-MDA parts it makes more sense to make my own). A parts order has gone into MDA for the final electrical bits and the brake flexis so when I get back from the next job away I should be able to give you something more to look at :)
	December 2007
	6th - Back home again for a couple of weeks. My clutch, flywheel and starter motor have arrived from Kennedy Engineered Products in the USA. They are a quality piece of engineering indeed, to hang onto the engine I have ordered the clutch that will cope with torque that my engine produces (synthetic rather than metallic construction so there should be some give in it I hope).
	January 2008
	17th - Sorry for the lack of updates, work has been a nightmare and has stopped any progress. MDA are in action making some bespoke engine mounts for me (the dry sump pump has been positioned right in the way of one of the mounts forcing a redesign!!). With luck the engine/transaxle combo should be back with me early next month and then some real progress will hopefully be made. I have bought a copy of an original Mk.II dash from the USA and this is now in the UK. The dash differs from a MK.I unit with its moulded in fuse box location in front of the passenger.
	February 2008
	21st - Wow - 1 year already!! How time flies - 1 year older, 1 year wiser, 1 year poorer :)I haven't had the time this month to get on with my own projects on the car but MDA have made a big step forward and have fitted my engine/transaxle/clutch/flywheel and headers together in a series II chassis for the 1st time. It all fits! Never really much doubt but it's always good to see the bits of metal slot into place. MDA have also created a set of bespoke engine mounts for me which along with the adaptor coupling to the chassis horseshow and the transaxle mount to stop tail whip will keep everything nicely in place. The clutch will be actuated by a Tilton hydraulic release bearing which means I wont have the exterior slave cylinder and fork linkages to worry about.
	22nd - Well this is the 1st major re-think on the whole project! I have since been given some confirmed information via the GT40s forum that the Porsche 930 does not actuate via a push type bearing but via a pull arrangement! This has sent us back to the drawing board and MDA are now machining a pull type system using an external slave cylinder (the release mechanism on my gearbox had already been removed when I got hold of it). I have now done the man thing and gone and found a Porsche 930 workshop manual :)
	March 2008
	2nd - Started work on mounting the door release mechanism on to the passenger side door today. This a Jag Mk.VII rear door mechanism mounted to a cover plate which is in turn bolted to the door.
	July 2008
	20th - My work still continues to take up all my time not giving me enough to get stuck into the project recently. Early next month the car will be going back down to MDA to have the engine/transaxle and bodywork fitted by the factory. At least there will be forward progress to report then.
	September 2008
	2nd - Just got home again and this time have a bit of progress to report/ The car will be Exeter bound in a couple of weeks as previously said for engine and bodywork fitting (delays due to me being away - 1st in Nigeria then Norway). The car is back in my own garage at the moment and has had the majority of the front end modifications carried out; these are a replication of the original cars' profile and equipment in front of the windscreen at the moment. I have also fitted the original spec Girling hydraulic reservoirs. The rear clip support is also now complete so I should be able to get some photos of that uploaded tomorrow. I should be getting the power sorted out into the garage in the next couple of days (if Maplin ever deliver what I have ordered) so progress with the rest of the front end will no doubt move on then.