SA Dealers News and opinions about topics in general

So with the Falcon sold and a big hole in my garage (where my bantam used to stand, sniff sniff) I now have space to work on my long term (as in more than 5 years) dream.

Isn’t she a beaut?! Pic from www.daxcars.com It’s a Dax Rush, based on the Lotus 7 designed by Colin Chapman many many years ago.

Am I going to buy one? Hell NO! I have bought a chassis and a few assorted bits a number of years back, but lack of space and moving twice meant that the car is still back in Barberton in my dads garage (it’s a BIG garage)

So the plan is now, to fit a tow hook to my Toyota Tazz (shame), clean up my grotty 3 bike trailer (very rusted), then travel down to Mpumalanga and fetch as much as I can fit on the trailer (which should be most of what I have.

Once I have it up here I can start on cleaning it up and getting to a rolling chassis (i.e. 4 wheels attached in the right places so I can push it around)

Due to my limited budget (errrm nothing? the bit of money that does not go to paying of my house or credit card?) this will not be the most way out or radical car ever.

I will be making use of the Ford Kent 1600 Crossflow motor that I got with the chassis, as well as the 4 speed gearbox. The idea is to make a track day car for weekend fun, so no interior, no lights nothing!

Here’s a few more pics again from daxcars.com click on the thumbnails for a bigger picture

Posted under Lucky 7

Ok so I managed to get the engine out, WHOHOO!! First I had to go and buy a block and tackle.

I was originally going to bother my neighbours block and tackle, but he is really busy making a shade netting carport thingy to cover a caravan that he is taking to rust de winter (think I spelt that right?). So he did not have the time to unpack it from wherever he had it stored.

There I was this morning browsing through a Midas pamphlet when I saw that they had bloock and tackles for sale, so I made a turn at the Midas in Kempton Park and bought a 2.5 ton block and tackle for under300 bucks.

To hook up the block and tackle I took a length of 50 X 100mm rectangular tubing I had and laid it across a number of trusses in my garages roof. Then I took a fairly sturdy chain and wrapped it around the tubing joining it with a quick chain link. The block and tackle was then hooked on the loop.

As I had loosened all the bolts previously all I really had to do was lift the motor and gearbox out! Which is easier said than done

Motor and gearbox out and at the back of the garage, by the cars bonnet. This is the space in front of where my wife parks her car, space is getting REAL tight in the garage. To get the motor here I borrowed a trolley from the same neighbour who I was going to bother for the block and tackle. This trolley is made of 6 mm aluminum plate, and with the motor being so big and heavy I was worried it might bend, guess aluminum is stronger than I thought!

Close up pic of the motor on the inlet side.

Still looks like a dog lifting its leg, only minus a great big engine! Having cut the front out previously meant I could actually slide the engine out the front of the car without lifting it too high. This meant I could take the 5 cylinder four litre motor out all by myself!

Another pick of the empty engine bay, white bucket was meant to catch any gearbox oil that ran out, looking at the huge pool of oil on the floor it obviously did not work!

Was only meant to be a backup though, I had tied a plastic bag around the end of the gearbox so that I would not have this kind of mess, but the bag caught somewhere and ripped a hole in, so all the oil it had caught started running out and onto the floor.

Hmmm should have rotated this image, that is my brake booster, I actually reversed the car into the garage, and while I was doing that I noticed the brakes were really hard, the crack in the booster explains that!

Close up of the crack, should have rotated this pick too, but I guess you get the point.

Not too sure why I took this pic but guessing it was to show what I have already cut out the front of the car.

Yet another pic of the empty engine bay, hey I am entitled to it okay! There is quite a bit of cleaning up to do, not my favourite job.

Other errands around the house means that this is all I have done for the day, but with the engine out I can now check exactly what panels I need, and can start making an effort to get the spares.

Posted under Project Falcon

So I started the second weekend thinking I could get the engine out by the Sunday. Hmmm.. things don’t always work out the way we want.

I guess the reasons are two fold, I am unfit having really worked on a car years ago, and I am lazy. You know the kind of laziness that sitting behind a computer all day brings, and remotes, and drive through’s and lists etc. I felt pretty old real quick. I remember stripping a car (or bike) being a whole lot easier!

I did make progress though.

Here is the intake minus the air box (That was completely crushed). Whats not too clear here is how bent the pipe is in the bend (doesn’t sound right does it?)

Here you can see my point, I don’t believe this angle should be so sharp on the bend, the flow here would be severely restricted, if anyone has a Falcon and is willing to share a pic or two let me know.

The wildcat branches in the process of being removed, I was hoping to only have to remove these, but ended up having to crawl under the car to remove two sections after them, just so that I could get enough room to get them out.

A whole lot of work happened before I took this pic! Even after getting the exhaust manifolds off I struggled to get the intake off as well. Considering it is a straight six, I was surprised how awkward it was to loosen the bolts for the inlet manifold. This took a great deal of time.

The aftermath of the inlet manifold removal, I was so glad it was out I had to take a photo, to remind myself it wasn’t a nightmare!

Looks like a dog that’s taking a pee, it’s on trestles so I can get the prop shaft loose and also loosen the gearbox. I was hoping to leave the box in and only pull the motor out but there are a few bolts that I cannot loosen while the engine is in the car. Bugger, now I need to make place for both.

Was getting ready to pack up on the Saturday when I though I would snap a piccie of the branches. My wife says the car sounds like a truck, and I think these might have something to do with that

What’s missing? Yes thats right! I cut a section out in front of the shock absorber, the section was so crumpled it was fouling the wheel when it was turned to the left.

Another piccie showing whats missing.

The part I cut out, not really recognisable as anything!

Heres a pic showing the damage to the lower radiator cradle. Damn! Look closely on the right hand side of the pic and you can see where the chassis is creased, just in front of where the bash plate bolts on.

Close up view of the damage and the creased chassis.

Last pic showing what I cut out I promise!

If you have noticed the date on the pics you will see I actually did the work a while back, unfortunately the Wednesday after these picks were taken my Bantam was stolen.

This meant that the following weekend was spent clearing everything I could from the Garage in case they decided to come “collect” my wife’s car too.

I guess I should be angry, but instead I am just so bitterly disappointed, I still can’t believe it’s true.

Fair enough it may not have been anything special, but to replace it is just way beyond my means right now. It also means that when it comes time to buy and collect parts for the XR 6 I will either have to abuse my wife’s poor old Tazz, or go and ask my neighbour to help me out with his bakkie. It is all just so unnecessary.

Posted under Project Falcon