MadaboutKitcars

Excellent quality of work and good progress. However a word of caution. The engine to chassis earth has a weakness at the shoulders of the terminals that in time will fracture due to their small cross section compared with the strength of the cable. Better to use the flat braided type of earth strap. Peter.

flat braided earth strap should be used, no question.
Don't set yourself up for a failure, please.

Thanks to both of you for your feedback and concern. I do always try to build the best car that I can so keen to get this right.

I'm not sure I fully understand the failure mode you are concerned about but it did prompt me to look up the specification of the cables I have fitted.
They are made up from "Hi-Flex" battery cable that has a CSA of 25 square mm rated at 170 amps.
It is a multi-strand cable made up of 322 individual 0.30 strands covered in a very soft and flexible PVC sheath.
It results in an extremely flexible cable that is quite unlike the type of battery cables that you find on old cars.
But, I've not been able to find the strand size of a typical flat braided earth strap for comparison.

Its not the cable that concerns me but the potential for fatigue cracking across the neck of the terminal connector. It has a very small cross sectional area and the constant vibration due to road and engine will result in a very short life. Also the neck of the terminal won’t be more than 6 square mm and won’t carry 170 amps for sure! Hence my concern. Peter.

Okay, thanks for clarifying. The ring terminal size is the same as the BMW OEM cable in this location so I don't think this will be an issue.

A little more progress....

Progress in July has been hampered by other priorities but have made some useful progress yesterday and today.
Taking a break from the wiring I continued with the engine assembly.

I've now re-fitted the inlet manifold and re-connected the ICV and the air temp sensor. I also terminated the fuel supply hoses onto the fuel rail and refitted the injector connector rail and lambda sensor wiring. Also fitted the crankcase vent drain pipe to the dipstick and fitted a new crankcase breather hose.

Inlet manifold by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

I then fitted the throttle body and heating hoses. I also added a new alternator cooling duct. Finally, reconnecting the throttle cable and a new inlet elbow bellows.

Throttle body by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

It was then back to the wiring loom.....
The RMC supplied loom (in 1994!) didn't have a horn relay. The Ford horn switch and steering wheel slip ring were not designed to take the full current of the horns so I've added a relay. I've also mounted the indicator flasher unit in a standard relay base and mounted it on the cross member.

Horn Relay by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

So the current state of the build looks like this.....

Current view by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

I've also been working on the fuel filler hose and fuel tank breather but waiting on some parts to complete.
I'll add some photos when it's complete........

....peter

Mid-week update...



I've now completed the fuel filler and tank breathing so I thought I'd add an update here....

To fit the fuel filler on a Sabre you take the standard Ford Granada filler tube, cut it in two and extended it with a piece of flexible fuel filler hose. I used ATL fuel filler hose from Demon-Tweeks. The top part of the filler is fixed with a RMC supplied bracket. I was lucky to find a brand new filler cap as the rubber seal on the old one had perished. A fuel cap tether will be added after the rear wing is in place so that I can get the right length.

Fuel Filler by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

The Ford filler tube has a somewhat complex set of breather connections. One is a condensation trap that is connected to the top of the tank via a very small tube. another is the breather hose which has a ball valve that shuts off the connection if the car is rolled over in an accident and the third 12mm connection is to allow air out of the tank when filling up. Well I think that's the theory? The hoses will be sealed where they enter the bodywork once I'm happy it is finalised.

Fuel Filler by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr
(sorry about the cluttered background in these shots, not my best photo's)

These are the breather hoses in the boot space.

Breather hoses by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

So now that the filler is ready for it's first fill up with some fresh petrol, I moved back to do some more wiring....

I continued with installing the rear section of the loom.
(warning: more boring pictures of wires!)

The rear loom starts off behind the dashboard, runs down the drivers 'A post' and then along inside the drivers side sill. It emerges here at the 'B post'.

Rear Loom by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

The loom then runs over the driver's side rear wheel arch. There is a branch off that goes to the nearside rear lights.

Rear Loom by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

The in-tank fuel pump and fuel level sender could then terminated.

Fuel pump and sender. by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

I've got to finish off routing the loom to the nearside rear lights. I then have to connect up the handbrake switch, the low brake fluid reservoir switch, the foot brake switch, the radiator fan and thermo switch and, of course, the whole dashboard (!) to complete the wiring for the engine start.
Front and back lighting and power door locks and windows wiring will follow the bodywork re-assembly.

More next week........

...peter

Peter - Neat work as always and it looks like you are edging closer to the engine firing up.

Good luck, Paul.

Thanks Paul, slowly inching forward.

Progress report....

Here's a few pictures of some of the things I've been doing in the garage of the last few weeks.

So in no particular logical order....

I finished running the cables and vacuum hose for the exhaust flap actuator.

Exhaust Flap solenoid by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

The exhaust flap vacuum is controlled by a small valve controlled by the ECU. I've mounted the valve in the rear corner of the boot just behind the rear lights. It then runs to the rear silencer box here...

Exhaust Flap vacuum hose by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

I've also fitted a cheap fuel filter on the end of the fuel tank breather to prevent any dirt or dust getting back into the tank. It is probably not required but it didn't seemed right to leave the end of the hose open.

Fuel tank breather by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

Taking another break from the wiring, I cleaned and painted the canshaft cover bolts and then refitted the camshaft cover with a new gasket and installed the coils' connection loom.

Camshaft Cover by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

Then back to the wiring so I've made a start on the final assembly of the dashboard. I had one more hole to drill for the Speedo setting push button. I then gave it a clean followed by three coats of Autoglym resin polish to protect the surface and make it easier to keep clean.

Dashboard by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

I then prepared the warning lights. They came with screw terminals which seemed to have a tendency to work loose so I soldered the wires to the terminals.

Dash warning lamps by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

I then fixed them to the dash. Keeping the legends straight whilst tightening the back nuts was quite challenging,

Dash warning lamps by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

Because of the thickness of the dashboard there wasn't space to use a lock washer under the nuts so after tightening as much as I could, I then ran a bead of super glue into the threads and around the nuts to stop them loosening through vibration.

Dash warning lamps by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

A few weeks ago I had about 40 tasks on my list of things to complete before I can restart my engine.
I'm now down to 29 tasks so making progress!!

Another busy week planned next week with the grandchildren but I hope to make some more progress on the dashboard in my spare time.


....peter

That looks proper smart, I like that a lot. Nice work and well-done for getting them all level

Busy day at work today so only managed to read all 20 pages in a single go, amazing work, well done.

Thanks for the feedback

Dashing along.........

I've now mounted the instruments to the burr walnut veneered dashboard. I bought ETB dials with magnolia coloured faces. These were a little darker than I expected but they match the tone of the dashboard very nicely. I'm very pleased with the way they look......

Dashboard by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

(I found it very tricky to photograph as it is so shiny :lol

Then after a marathon two day wiring session, I've wired them all up.

Dashboard by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

And for those interested in the detail here are a couple of close up shots.

Dashboard by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

Dashboard by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

I've not tested it yet but I'm very happy with progress this week


...peter

Neatly done. Looking great!

A well done job

Peter, a well done job is an under statement. I think every step you take in the build of this bespoke car is well thought of and meticulously executed.

Looks great, hope it does work, never seems to go back as nice the 2nd time

A few more tasks....

Molleur, Amir and Pheaton......Many thanks for all the kind remarks.

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Moving on........ I've manged to complete some more items on my task list.

First up brakes. I had refitted the the brake master cylinder and filled the system with brake fluid a few weeks ago and I was very disappointed to immediately find brake fluid dripping on the garage floor.
One joint was a simple mistake as it was only hand tight and I had just forgotten to tighten it up. The second one took a closer inspection where I found the pipe was not properly aligned with the fitting meaning the flared pipe was not sealing correctly.
With both of these fixed I was able to bleed the whole system. I'm not yet 100% happy that all the air is out but I'll leave it a few weeks to settle and then bleed it again. I also need to crawl around under the car to fully check for any other leaks.

I was then able to fit the brake fluid level switch cable.

Brake fluid level switch by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

The brake fluid level switch is wired in with the handbrake switch. I have no idea why the Ford designers made the connector so large?

I then had to route the cable to the handbrake switch so it made sense to route the window switch cables at the same time.

Window switch cables by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

The electric window switches will be mounted on the gearbox tunnel. These cables will be hidden under the carpets.

I had to spend a while on my back with my head in the footwell to cable tie these cables. I just hope the IVA man appreciates my efforts.

Cabling by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

I then cleaned up and greased the handbrake mechanism and then used a 5mm thick strip of foam rubber to seal it to the propshaft tunnel. The gaps left over from when I modified the gearbox and propshaft tunnels were filled with some small pieces of water resistant mdf.

Handbrake refitted by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

The handbrake was connected to cable 'half-moon' and liberally coated with white grease.

Handbrake cable by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

With most of the engine related wiring now complete I then moved back to the engine bay and fitting the scuttle cover. My first attempt at re-fitting the scuttle cover failed when I discovered it fouled on the wiper motor. I hadn't realised how critical the position of the motor is. In the end it took three attempts to get the right position. Very frustrating

Wiper motor position by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

With the motor moved I could then temporarily fit the cover.

Scuttle cover by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

I then gave it three coats of Autoglym polish before covering it with paper towel to prevent damage.

Scuttle cover by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

So some good progress this week and next I'll be making up some brackets to mount the cooling system header tank.

...peter

Forum needs to instal a 'Like' system, I don't really want to comment but still give you encouragement of your brilliant work.

It is always a pleasure to see a wonderful work done and confirm the fact.

A small setback....

Pheaton, Amir and Kon thanks for the 'likes'.

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I had a small setback this week.........
I opened the garage door to find a small puddle of power steering fluid on the concrete. My recon steering rack is leaking fluid.
I assume the seals have dried out and shrunk or possibly the seals have been damaged by turning the steering without any fluid. With hindsight (that wonderful thing!) I think I should have found a way of keeping the rack full of fluid.

Steering rack leak by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

The leak seems to be coming from this 'dust' cap.

Steering rack leak by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

I have another used rack that I may try or get recon'd.

Steering rack leak by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

But I have decided to leave it for now and worry about it nearer to the IVA test.

So moving on with some more progress....

My plan was to mount the cooling system header tank something like this.....

Coolant Header Tank by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

But that was two years ago and before I had fully worked out the heater hoses and the outlet clashed directly with the heater control valve.

But I found that rotating the tank through 180 degrees meant the outlet cleared the heater hoses but made making the mounting brackets a bit more challenging. Here I am checking the tank clears the bonnet represented by the piece of wood.

Header Tank by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

Here is the top bracket finished and bolted to the scuttle cover. I put a strengthening plate on the inside of the cover.

Header Tank by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

The lower bracket was made from 4mm thick steel strip to support the weight of the tank and coolant. Again, a support plate was mounted on the inside of the cover to strengthen it.

Header Tank by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

And here it is finished.

Header Tank by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

Next it was on to the Idle Control Valve (ICV) hose....

Because the inlet bellows to the throttle body is upside down (compared to the way BMW designed it) I needed to find a way of feeding the idle air from the inlet bellows to the ICV that is mounted under the inlet manifold. I used silicone hose and Mikalor wire hose clamps. These are much cheaper than Jubilee clips, neater and so much faster to install.

ICV hose by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

The hose drops down the gap between the throttle body bellows and the inlet manifold and then through a 180 degree elbow up into the ICV.

ICV hose by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

It was then on to the brake servo vacuum hose with a new length of pucker BMW hose.

Brake Servo Vacuum hose by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

So that's the progress this week and I'll leave you with this photo.....

August 2019 view by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

To check the clearance of the header tank I temporarily installed the radiator cover.
I couldn't resist taking this shot and doesn't that BMW straight 6 engine suit the Sabre!

Next week I shall be working on mounting the radiator......


....peter

Not a lot.....

I've not had much time over the last two weeks so just a few tasks completed.

I've finished the servo vaccum hose with a reducing elbow.

Servo Vacuum Hose by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

All hoses are supported with cable ties separated by small off cuts of fuel hose.

I could then complete the Mass Air Flow meter and air filter final installation. One more hose clip (on order) to be added and MAF cable needs to be properly secured.

MAF and Air Filter by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

Then, after de-rusting and painting, I've refitted the radiator support frame.

Radiator Frame by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

And then refitted the radiator......

Radiator by Sabrebuilder, on Flickr

I didn't want the ali radiator to show through the radiator grill so I gave a quick thin coat of VHT paint. It needs a second coat before final fixing, but I ran out of paint.
Next tasks include fitting the radiator hoses and wiring up the radiator fan, etc.

Well that's all for now........

............peter

Thinking way ahead

Well done Peter, It won't be long before you'll be able to enjoy your hand crafted master piece.

Looking like you are getting closer to firing up the engine.

Good luck, Paul.