Beast Build Diary

[jason_l]

*** Update time ***

Well i got up to JDModoified yesterday and got a few bits sorted on the car :D

I arrived to find that they have now got the Starlet engine properly sat in its final location and everything is now in and secure. The engine is properly secured and doesn't move at all. They have added some bars across the back to strengthen the buggy and protect in a rear end crash. The old light mounts have been cut off and im going to have some lower light units mounted under the top bar at the back. Already checked the IVA manual and there is no problems having them mounted there :D The rear subframe is now almost there, just a few minor welding/cleaning up bits and some new brackets for the coilover conversion and its all good. Im also changing the plates that the subframe top mounts bolt to the chassis and re-enforcing them.

Then started working on the front and got the batery tray cut off and cleaned up. The radiator is getting mounted at the front so im going to move the Battery out of the way and make way for the new nose cone. Also got the old crappy front suspension removed and got the springs onto the new coilovers ready to be fitted back on when i get the rest chopped off and the new bracket welded on.

goodbye to the old.......

hello to the new and improved.......

While i was there i also got a few things measured up that are going to be drawn up and manufactured over the next few months. Including new rear light pods, mounting brackets, stainless exhausts etc. Work is going to slow down over christmas while funds are low and will be back on in full in the new year. I will be spending the next few months getting everything ready for the new year so the updates will keep coming, even if they are small.

I also couldn't resist the chance to get all the wheels onto the car and wow what a difference, the pictures don't really show it off to its full as the light was almost gone and i only had a chance to get a few quick snaps but you get the idea.

I also measured the width of the car at the front and the rear. Front is 153cm wide and the rear is a massive 185cm wide, PHAT *****!!!!!!! looks mean as though in the flesh.

Comments welcome people.

Jason :D

[jason_l]

*** Lights ***

Well as the work will slow ever so slightly over crimbo i decided to work on a few bits. I have paid up for 12 hours of labour but there is nothing that can be done on the buggy without me buying a few more bits.

I have decided to start looking at the rear light assemblies and getting as much done on the rear subframe as possible so that it can be finished off and broken down and sent off to paint while i finish the rest of the frame.

I never really liked the normal 'Hamburger' style rear lights on the buggy so now these have been removed and binned for some land rover light units. I much prefer these lights and to be honest i think they will look better. Plus i have the extra room now that the buggy has been widened to use them :D

I bought 2 extra stop/tail lights so they will give more effect when braking.

This layout shows how im thinking of having the lights. The rear fog and reverse lights will be either side of the number plate which will be slightly lower down than the others.

Quickly knocked up a cardboard template to see what the light units will look like and i think it will be ok when on the car, but welcome to oppinions people???

Hopefully going to get the steel templates laser cut over the next few weeks along with some other parts i need for the beast. As the engine is sat in its final location now as well im going to start looking at getting the driveshafts made up :D

I will keep the updates coming people as it keeps me motivated to crack on with it, im sorry if it gets a bit stupid adding these small updates every now and then but helps me work out what was done when etc...

Jason :)

[dandydons]

Keep the updates coming Jason - always a good read. You are getting there. Do you have an approx on the road date ?

[jason_l]

Keep the updates coming Jason - always a good read. You are getting there. Do you have an approx on the road date ?

Thanks mate, i don't really get many people replying to this thread but im sure there are a few people that read it and don't comment. Plus it helps keep me motivated if i keep adding updates regularly.

No real 'On the Road' date as yet. Im trying to get it done for summer next year but i have a funny feeling it may be longer I have already spent longer and more money than i thought. I decided about half way through that i was going to redo alot of stuff as i wasn't happy with it and wanted to upgrade alot of bits. Does mean though that i will have something a little more special and there is no other kits out there that are similar to this and producing the same power as this one.

*** Mini update ****

Girlfriend gave me a few hours away from her so i got to go and check a few little bits on the buggy before i was back in my cage :(

They have confirmed that they will get the front end cleaned up this week and the brackets removed so when im up there next saturday i can get the coilovers onto the front and the new brackets welded on :D

While i was up there i also roughly tapped the light template sinto place to see what they will look like on the buggy. I have two options really, either the lights sit above the rear bar or bellow the rear bar. To me they look better sat below (second set of pics) but let me know what you guys think. I still have to sort out placement for the rear fog and reverse ligts which i think will sit below the number plate (still fine for IVA).

lights above bar.......

lights bellow bar......

I will be up there working on the buggy next saturday and if i get time i will get it outside and get some proper decent pics of it :D

any comments welcome people?!?!?

Jason :D

[jason_l]

*** Update time ***

Well i got up to JDModified again and got straight on with it :D

James managed to get the old shock mounts removed from the front of the buggy during the week which means that things went alot easier today.

The goal of the day today was to at least get the front done and the buggy back to a rolling chassis as it has been chocked at the front for the last week or so.

Started by test fitting the coilovers to see if they would actually fit and they looked like a good fit.

I decided to ditch the brackets i had for the front as it would have been a bit more work and wouldn't have worked out as good as it could. I decided to use some small bits of steel angle that meant the coilovers would sit perfectly in line with the upper mounts. As the upper mounts are slightly different and one leans forward and one leans back it made sense for both the struts to have their own bracket.

Got them tacked in place and they looked like this.

As you can see they don't line up with one another but they line up perfectly with the upper mounts and are central to the car so are in the correct place.

Then finished off the welding and finally after lots of faffing about now have the coilovers on the car!!!! Yay, and i think they look great. Will look good when the buggy is sprayed green as the red springs will look pretty cool.

Looks loads better i think and although i doubt it will make much difference with the front end being as light as it is anyway but made sense to do things correctly first time round. If it helps with the handling one little bit then its been worth it in my opinion.

Also in the picture above you will see the 2nd version of the rear light clusters that will now include the reverse lights in them. The rear fog will still be kept seperate and will be placed under the number plate on its own.

I also started to look very carefully at the seating position and the steering wheel position which to be honest is cack! Got the drivers side floor removed as we are going to weld in a proper frmae for the seats as we both feel that just bolting them to the chequer plate floor just isn't good enough. Seats will be fixed in a position that is comfortable for me, which is pretty much right the way back anyway :D

I cleaned up the rear roll bar a bit also as the adjustable spoiler will shortly be welded in place :)

That was it for the day, doesn't look like much but alot of things have been sorted and i have taken a few bits away that will be getting worked on over the next few weeks and then im back on with it.

I also have a couple of days holiday left and will be taking these at the beggining of december to spend thursday/friday/saturday getting on with the buggy. Plan is to get the seating in its correct place and the pedals chopped and modified. Also planning on cutting off the steering wheel mounts and dropping them down and moving them over to line up with the driver. They just don't seem to be in the correct position and im not happy with them so it needs to be addressed.

Thats it for now folks, comments always welcome.

Thanks for looking, sorry about the essay! :D

Jason

[deckie77]

folks like myself are reading your thread Jason, over 3500 views backs that up mate, i do like your updates, essay's or not, although i know it's costing you money i like the plans/ideas you have, and then the inevitable solution / work-arounds that you have to do to make them work, intersting stuff, keep the momentum up & updates coming !

[jason_l]

folks like myself are reading your thread Jason, over 3500 views backs that up mate, i do like your updates, essay's or not, although i know it's costing you money i like the plans/ideas you have, and then the inevitable solution / work-arounds that you have to do to make them work, intersting stuff, keep the momentum up & updates coming !

Thanks mate, always nice to have some posative comments :D

I knew pwople would be reading this and not posting up and i don't mind, i will continue adding posts as it helps me keep track of what i did when, and how flippin long its taking me

Jason :D

[jason_l]

*** Update ****

Got up to JDModified yesterday and although it was a slow day a have a few other bits to update so here it is.

The last few weeks i have been working on a few bits that are now prepped and ready to be welded onto the buggy. These have been left with them and will be added in the next week or so.

The first thing was to get the harness bar made. This was a bit of guess work as i didn't have the buggy with me to check fitment. I roughly measured it and checking fitment yesterday it is pretty much spot on.

detail of the inserts before welding........

I Also settled on a final design for the rear light clusters and i decided to put the reverse lamps in the cluster as well. So i just need to add the rear fog, this will be placed under the number plate in the middle of the car.

This is what they looked like just after they where lazer cut out without being cleaned up.

I got them made from 5mm steel so that they will have a 2.5mm radius to keep mr IVA happy :D They have all been rounded off and have bolts ready for the lights to be fitted in place.

Also been working on the side vents for the rear. These came with raised strips over them which i really don't like so i decided to remove them. Im still working on these and i almost have one done but they take alot of sanding, checking, sanding again etc.

This is what they looked like when they arrived.......

and this is what they look like after a good sanding and a bit of primer. Loads better i think.........

The adjustable spoiler has also been welded in place now and doesn't look to bad to be honest. Yes the spoiler itself is MDF but it is just a jig that was used to get the correct spacing of the brackets. The finished spoiler will either be made from Carbon or green Acrylic. Not too sure yet........

While i was up there yesterday the only thing i really managed to get done was to grind a couple of mounts off the back that i no longer need and where in the way of where the harness bar will go. I really didn't feel 100% but had to get something done.

And a few more pics i got.........

I will be up there on the 10/11/12th of December to finish off the seating and steering. We have decided to make up some steel box section seat rails for strength rather than just bolt them to the floor and the steering position is just all wrong. Plan is to cut the steering off and lower it and move it over to make it more comfortable and in the correct position.

I have taken the radiator away with me as next on my list of things to work on is the mounts for the rad and the fan attachments.

Thats it for now people, as always im happy to answer any questions/comments. :D

Jason :P

[deckie77]

Nothing worse than the filling / sanding / filling prep, but that's what makes the finish, coming on now bud.

[jason_l]

*** Christmas Update ***

Well as i said in my last post i had thursday/friday off this week to work on the buggy and im really happy with what we got done. This was the last time i am working on the buggy till next year now as JDModified are closed between crimbo and the new year and i won't have a chance to get up there before hand. This doesn't mean that i will be stopping work on the buggy as i have taken measurements/pieces away with me and i have a huge amount of parts to get on with!

Anyway, when i got up there on Thursday it was great to see that James had a few hours spare during the week and he got the rear light clusters and the rear harness bar all welded in place. Gives a better idea of what the rear end will lokk like and i think it looks great, im glad i got rid of the hamburger style rear lights as they are not my cup of tea.

rear lights........

Harness bar..........

The aim over the 2 days was to get the seating in its correct place and get the steering coloumn removed and repositioned as im not happy with its location.

We started on the seating and working at a relaxed pace this was done and all in by the end of the first day. Now the normal way to fix the seats is to fix them through the checker plate floor but we both wanted something stronger as at the end of the day safety is a big issue with this thing!

The seats are angled inwards slightly to give more room for the centre tunnel but these will be straightened up later if there is room to do so.

Then yesterday we turned our attention to sorting out the steering. I was a bit hesitant to cut the steering off but after the outcome i am so happy we did. The whole steering assembly was removed and cut away from the car and pedal box. After it was all cleaned up i then sat in the buggy and held the steering assembly at a comfortable position. Everthing was measured up and a new connecting piece made up. Then with me sat in the car holding it in the correct position it was tacked and then fully welded up.

steering removed....

steering hanging off..............lol

steering in its new location.......

from the front............

While i was there talk turned to gear linkages and that was clearly on the list as one of the next things to work on. James mentioned that the mr2 linkage was work a look at as of course they are designed for a rear engined car and he said that the throw was relatively short also. There was a mr2 in the workshop that is being broken down for parts and james has very kindly given me the gear linkage and cables from it for free!

I roughly positioned these in the car and all i can say is wow!!!!! Its a perfect fit between the seats and the position we have planned for it is just spot on. Its right next to the steering wheel and changing gear will mean i have to move my hand off the wheel about 6 inch's if that. I tried the seating position and all i can say is i am actually in love with this thing now! The seating position is just amazing, i can honestly say its the best seating position that i have tried. Its very snug and everything is just perfect.

here are a few pictures to give you an idea of what its like.......

The whole area back from the gearlinkage will be boxed in to create a armrest/handbrake area taht will just improve the driving position even more.

Thats it for pictures, for now people :D Im going to my work workshop today to begin making up the frame for the gear linkage and handbrake and will post pics when i have them.

While i was up there i also got the radiator measured up and will complete the framework over christmas (this has already been underway) and i have the arch brackets welded up as well so i can begin buying up the arch's and getting them ready for fitting. I have a few plans for the arch's that are a bit different from the norm in terms of fitting them and im hoping that it will work out but we will see.

Also the other day i managed to get some Gaz coilover brackets/springs for the rear coilovers for an absolute bargain on eBay :D So i can continue getting the bits laser cut that i need to finish off the welding to the rear chassis.

As always people any comments/questions are always greatly helpfull. :D

Jason :)

[Monster-Mat]

just caught up on this , and what excellent progress...its all moving in the right direction with some well thought out ideas being put into place.....nice one dude

[jason_l]

just caught up on this , and what excellent progress...its all moving in the right direction with some well thought out ideas being put into place.....nice one dude

Wow!!!! if its got your aproval then i must be doing something right Thanks Mat. :D

[jason_l]

*** More christmas Update ***

Well the parts just keep rolling in :)

Yesterday the mini Gaz coilover springs and brackets arrived. Managed to pick these up from eBay for about £33. Don't have any bolts with them but i will get some later along with the coilovers themselves. Didn't realise how big these brackets are, they are HUGE.

Plan is to get a plate laser cut that will weld to the chassis and the coilover bracket will simply bolt straight to it. i have alot more parts to get laser cut so will do these together and get them all done at the same time to save a few £.

One of the jobs i have been wanting to get underway is the tower for the gear linkage and the handbrake housing. I decided to stay on after work and i pretty much got the most of it made up. The handbrake part i will begin making tomorrow and will weld onto the back of this part. Its going to be close as the gear linkage cables need to bend down as they come out the back so there is room for the handbrake. There is also room down the centre to run the radiator pipes so im going to run these down the inside of the buggy to keep the underside flat.

Main parts made up..........

Few bits welded together........

roughly in place with the MR2 linkage added.......

Tacked in place, will be fully welded tomorrow.....

Its designed to fit straight over the centre channel that runs down the buggy and means that there is plenty of room for the coolant pipes down the middle.

I still need to try and source some longer gear linkage cables and i don't know if there is any company's out there that custom make them??? if anyone knows please contact me. My other option is to join the mr2 cables with the starlet ones but means that there will be a fiddly join area and i would prefer one continueous cable.

I have also bought a air filter relocation pipe that i need for the induction kit and i also have a adjustable cam pulley on order from the states. :) I love waiting on all the parts, most of the time i have so much on order that i forget what i have actually bought so its like christmas when the parts arrive and i don't know whats in the box :)

Will keep the updates coming over christmas before im in for my heart op as i want to get as much done as possible now before the work stops for a little bit.

comments always welcome :D

Jason

[jason_l]

*** Even more crimbo update ***

i need this thing built ASAP!!!!!!!! its driving me mad, im going to finish this thing if it kills me, although im sure the first drive will do that :)

I have been trying to get as much of this done now while i can, after the op im going to be housebound and i know its going to be driving me mad so have to do as much as i can while i can.

Anyway, after getting the gear tower made up the other day i managed o get the handbrake part that attaches to the rear of it made up today. I knew the space was going to be tight and it looks like i was right, looks like a nice tidy unit and once i have made up a nice cover for it, it will look loads better.

Started by making the main frame piece and the tabs that hold the handbrake in place.

with the handbrake added.........

There is not much space at the bottom and i will probably need to modify the bottom and extend it down to clear the bar at the back.

Here is what it looks like welded onto the gear tower. Will need a few legs added to it that will strengthen it all up when welded up in the buggy but its pretty much there. You can see how tight it is for space but there is plenty of room for the coolant pipes along the bottom as well. There will be a cover made up that will cover the gear linkage cables and create a nice recess for the handbrake.

The back view shows just how tight it will be...

and all pretty much there........ :)

I know its not much but it makes me happy adding these updates.

Money is tight with christmas and everything but in the new year im going to go nuts with parts just before i have the operation as i will only be stuck at home anyway so i can have a second christmas with lots more presents.

Jason :D

[jason_l]

*** Update ***

Don't worry people, im still going strong on this!!!! ;D Not been an update in a while but trust me i have been cracking on with this.............

Well some parts have started arriving yesterday......

From Jay (UKSC), HKS actuator, ngk leads and autogauge volt gauge. The volt gauge is pretty beat up but its only a temporary one till i decide what gauges to go for and so i can knock up a custom gauge holder.

Yesterday i also decided to order up a couple of small slimline sucker fans that will be mounted to front mount radiator to help with cooling. Having the front mount rad means these will probably never get used but for that extra safety factor....

here is the radiator attached to the steel frame.

and with the 2x 9' fans roughly in place........going to easily cool it now me thinks. lol

Need to modify the radiator frame slightly and add some brackets to fix the fans in place but i have picked up the steel on the way home and will crack on with that tomorrow Planning to add a thermostat switch to the radiator so the fans will switch on when the temp gets to a certain point, although i doubt they will come on much to be honest.

Feels like there is a huge hole in my wallet and all my money is just falling out, then parts keep arriving and i remember where all the money is going..............

Rear Coilovers arrived today, not long now and i will have coilovers all round which should help out so much. Can't wait to get rid of the stupid mini rubber dohnut suspension setup. The coilovers look quite cute but should do the job a treat :D

With the springs i bought before......

And roughly placed on the huge brackets i have

I just need to sorce some imperial bolts to fix the coilovers in place and i should be well away.

I also have my name down on a group buy on the starlet club for a custom made inlet manifold, larger throttle body, uprated fuel rail and fpr. This is made by a company called race tech and they are amazing at what they do. Costing me about £650 but going to be well worth it and will look sooooooo nice! will be arriving late feb with any luck.

Saturday i drove all the way to Barton on sea, Weston super maye and picked up my LSD gearbox, 45k on it and looks mint! Picked this up for £200 which was a complete bargain. should help me get the power down better and im sure will be worth every penny. Means the driveshafts will be equal length now as well which will look neater.

Also a member from UKSC has managed to find a company that had a mountain of old fire extinguishers lying about and have sold me 2 alloy 5kg ones for £5 each, just waiting on them now but should be here next week. This will make for an interesting fuel tank ;D

Have a adjustable cam pulley coming from the states as well and is probably sat in the customs office as we speak.

Hopefully if the gearbox gets fitted and these are fitted in the next few weeks i can get the remaining chassis parts laser cut and then its a case of get the driveshafts made up and then start connecting the engine wiring, cooloing, cables and its almost there as far as starting her up!!!!!

Then come all the boring IVA crap............. :-X

As always people i would love to hear your comments :D

Jason :D

[jason_l]

*** Update ***

Well got up to TGT and got a little done today, not much but im happy :)

First had a little look at the rear suspension and got the old stuff off and in the bin :D and then the new sexy coilovers on and roughly offered up. Need to get some more bits laser cut to create a proper mounting point for the upper bracekts but it looks so much better with these on there.

old setup.....

sexy new setup.....

Then a member of UKSC kindly came down to deliver the 2x5kg fire extinguishers that i bought. Wouldn't of been able to get them without all the help he put in and i am truelly gratefull.

Also managed to get the centre consol offered into the car and the old handbrake gabbins ground off. and then the front radiator frame welded onto the buggy. Plan is to cut the rounded part off the nosecone and then custom make a new piece that will extend down and round the radiator. Should hopefully make it look alot meaner at the front.

Just as TGT where clossing up i managed to get the buggy rolled out into the light to get some pics of it outside. When i stand back and look at it outside it just looks imense! I can't wait to get this thing done and on the road :D

Here are some better pics (sorry about the quality of some of them) of the Demon. You can really appreciate how insane this thing is going to be.

Thats all for the moment peeps :D

Jason :D

[jason_l]

Did a quick photoshop with a caterham nosecone on the front. Not too sure what i think about it but might try and find a cheap nosecone i can experiment with, and cut up :)

Comments welcome people...........

Jason :D

[tom14]

Awesome project.I wish you a very good luck for your wonderful project.I'm just waiting for the day when it will be completed.

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