The Gecko Project

2010-08-19T20:58:00.003+10:00

Realised I hadn't posted anything here for 6 months. Work has been proceeding on the car - as slowly as usual :). Here's a few updates.

Top front wishbone parts in the jig and finished product

Same for bottom front wishbones

Need to finish the parts and jigs for the rear wishbones and get them welded soon. Then all of the various brackets can get welded to the chassis, the suspension bolted together and the car sit on it's own wheels for the first time!

Off to the Leyburn Sprints in the morning so another weekend not spent in the workshop I suppose. Sometimes, having fun is more important.

Anyway, till next time.

Tired - Oh so very tired :(

2010-02-16T20:21:00.003+10:00

Well, the 6 weeks leave got canceled for work and I stumbled through the end of the year tireder than ever. The leave is re-booked for March/April and should (all things being equal) let me actually get some quality time in on the car. We did sneak a whole three days off work in November to go to the Nationals and it was well worth it.

A member on one of the forums I frequent ribbed me (gently) about my slow progress and, perhaps because it touched a nerve, I replied quite honestly with my feelings on the matter, as follows:

To me, progress requires the convergence of three different sets of resources - Temporal, Physical, & Emotional. I need to simultaneously have the time, the money (or materials or whatever), and the mental enthusiasm to achieve anything.

For a very long time, I had no physical resources - no money, no materials, not even space to work although I had time and enthusiasm to spare. Eventually, changes in my work and household situation meant more money etc was available but with a contingent loss of time and energy. For the last six or twelve months I've had the money and I've often even had the time but mental energy is at an all time, soul crushing, low. And trying to work on the car when I really, really don't feel like it just makes it worse. So I don't.

It's a hobby. It'll be finished when it's finished. If it has a deadline, it's a job, and I already have one of those.

I'm not dead!

2009-09-20T23:31:00.002+10:00

Just a quick post to let those few who may be checking this blog occasionally - I am still alive :)

My day job is eating me alive at present and I can't see things slowing down much before the end of the year. I have got six weeks of leave booked before then but part of that will be overseas and another week (with travel) at the Clubman Nationals in Jindabyne. Throw in a bit of time with family etc and the car isn't going to get much attention.

That said, I've been making (slow) progress on some design issues, particularly the tail end of the car. If I find the time I need for it, I'll draw it in Sketchup and post it here for comment.

And now, back to work. Yes, right now, At 11:30pm on a Sunday, I'm logged in to work checking things :(

2009-05-04T15:40:00.002+10:00

Another catchup post with a wide variety of things:

- Apologies to a couple of people who had made comments that hadn't appeared. I didn't notice them waiting for approval and Blogger (apparently) didn't send me an email to say they where there.

Feb 2009 - Re-posting this here from where it has already appeared on OzClubbies etc.

The Parable of the Plates

In the month of February an angel visited Dominic, giving to him several shining metal plates. And great was the beauty of these plates for they had been cut not by human hands but by the artificers of Sea-En-Sea. And Dominic did gaze upon the plates and knew that they were good for they had been made to The Plan.

And six were the plates in number but only three in shape for they had been made in pairs. And clear from their shape was their destiny. And this destiny was to be permanently joined to the Bay of the Engine, thence to work tirelessly at support and bracing.

And Dominic held the plates to the chassis, even though it still remains partial and unformed as it has been, and will be, eternally. And the plates did fit - verily, so close was the fit that he did exclaim, saying "That's pretty snug. You couldn't get a fanny hair in that gap". And great was his pleasure at this fitting.

And then he didst say to himself "Bugger, how am I going to drill 16mm holes in alignment when the tubes are already welded into the chassis". And his disappointment at this poor planning was much. But, familiar with pain and struggle in the service of the revered Clubman, he didst regather himself and cogitated for some time. And this cogitation was helped by the application of soothing waters bearing the Holy names Coonawarra and Macaren Vale. And the cogitation did bear fruit and he awakened saying "The bloody plate can be it's own drill guide".

So he did clamp the plates firmly and many were the checkings of alignment. And then applied to them did he the 16mm holesaw and great was his fear, saying aloud, "If I f*ck this up, there'll be all kinds of trouble". But the soothing waters had steadied his hand and the drill ran true. And at last the holes were complete and wide was the distribution of coolant from the drilling.

And he rested from this labour, saying "Now I just need to weld the crush tubes, and then the plates, then finish the rest of the rear brace, and the other set of side tubes, and the pedal box brackets, and the other column mount, and......". So great was this list of incomplete things that he was rendered insensible and thus did his wife find him, staring at the wall and muttering. And she didst guide him away and render more soothing waters until he did sleep.

Seriously (?!), a mate CNC cut these plates from my MDF templates and, after a couple of test iterations in acrylic, the steel ones are now lined up ready for welding. Paul H made me some nice little crush tubes and the whole shebang will give me a very solid but removable back edge for the engine bay. And, if I ever stop working 60+ hours a week, I might actually find time to weld it all together.

More in the next posting

2008-09-21T23:18:00.003+10:00

A bit of a gap between postings I see. I've been busy, busy with work and family so there hasn't been lots of visible progress on the car (which is not to say there's nothing going on - it's just not all that noticeable).

However, I got my suspension plates back from anodising during the week and (with a little help from Paul - thanks mate) I got the spherical bearings pressed into the moving plate and the retainer circlips installed. That meant I could hang the plate and a complete strut assembly in the chassis for the first time. Having done that, I hoisted up a wheel and had a look at that too - very nice. Still lots to do but it feels good to have a wheel hung (sort of) on the chassis - makes it seem more "real".

Here's the plates with their nice anodised finish:

The strut hung in the chassis at roughly ride height:

and two views of the wheel mounted up:

Engine test fit

2008-07-22T23:51:00.003+10:00

Didn't get to cutting brace tubes tonight. My mate James came over to inspect progress and we ended up swinging the motor and gearbox up into the newly created engine bay to check clearances etc. In general it's all pretty good although I'll probably need a remote oil filter because the factory location lines up with a chassis rail and will probably be impossible to remove.

Anyway, here's a pic of the engine in place.

Still need to cut and fit the four side braces and I'll probably do the two top front braces at the same time. They'll run from the strut towers forward to the middle of the front of the engine bay.

More soon.

Looks like an engine bay :)

2008-07-21T20:55:00.002+10:00

Got done what I wanted to tonight. After jigging the two top rails I welded yesterday and the two rear upright tubes (cut ages ago), I welded it all together.

I've done some "masking tape CAD" to show where the two braces go on each side of the engine bay. Should get them cut and welded tomorrow night.

2008-07-20T22:59:00.004+10:00

Didn't get as much done this weekend as I hoped due to other commitments and various interruptions. I did get the two engine bay top rails tack welded together which I'm very happy with. This required the manufacture of a jig to hold the strut tube in the right place and angle while everything was tacked up. Here's the two finished articles.

And here's an end view that shows the 5.3 degree installed angle of the strut tubes.

Tomorrow's job is to tack these into the main chassis along with the rear uprights (already cut) at which point I'll have the outline of an engine bay :)

More soon.

Catching up again

2008-07-14T16:51:00.006+10:00

Restarting this blog now that I'm making some visible progress and because I've shifted my web page hosting as well. I'll jam a few months worth of updates into this post and hopefully try to put something up every week or two.

So, from January 2008, some chassis progress:

And from more recently, some suspension bits. First the shortened strut housings with the Koni inserts etc:

And then the parts to make an adjustable top mount for the strut:

Lastly, the top mount bolted into the 135mm diameter tube that will actually get welded into the chassis:

All of the alloy bits need to go off for anodising yet but I can proceed with putting the tubes into the chassis. That'll need a jig to hold everything in place (the tubes go into the chassis at a 5.3 degree angle to suit the installed angle of the strut itself) so I'm making that now.

2006-01-10T18:53:00.000+10:00

For a start, here's the MX-5 (Miata for our North American friends) seats that I bought off another Australian builder. Good condition, light weight and the right size - and only $300 for the pair. Quite happy with that.

2006-01-10T15:35:00.000+10:00

I've decided to try using a blog to report progress (or lack thereof) on the Gecko Project. Only time will tell as to whether the ease of update will actually result in more updates.

I'll post some pictures and notes soon.