(G) The Road Rat Build Odyssey Continues

Just thought I'd post some recent pictures of the Rat build. It mostly concerns the wiring so far but I've also fitted the front and rear number plates and round reflectors to the rear bull bar to complete the rear lights.

The rear wiring looks pretty messy at the moment but it works. Once I've bought and fitted the fog and reversing lights I'll tidy it up properly and that will be the back end finished! Woohoo!









More progress reports to follow during the coming week...

Looking good!

``Dead cat`s - Road Rats....``

Shaping up well! More pics!

Thanks guys. Not much progress today, it being Mothers Day, I took my mother out for lunch and then we had a power cut this afternoon and then went to the pub and now it's late.....

Oh well, back on the case tomorrow. Hmm, today actually, damn. Time for bed for drunk little me I think.

Should've got one of the mums to help

Update: Work Today.

I decided to make a conduit for the wiring to go from the cab to the back end. Originally there was a small slot cut out of one corner of the cab at the back and the wiring passed through here and was sealed with a large dollop of silicon sealant. I wanted to make something a bit tidier so I started with a small aluminium panel cut from a bigger sheet, which I bent in a hastily constructed Heath Robinson style bending machine:



I had a suitable plumbing fitting lying around which I'd previously bought for something else but was ideal for this job. The idea was to cut a hole in the panel I'd made and fit this for the wiring to pass through. It had to be big for the multi-plugs to fit through.





The finished panel:



And the panel fitted with the wiring through it. I intend to get hold of some rubber from somewhere to make a suitable grommet that will force fit into the round opening to seal it.



Another job tackled today was to start fitting the Mini heater. It wasn't as easy as I'd hoped it would be but then things never are. I started by modifying it slightly by drilling a hole in the top of it to pass a bolt through. This bolt will pass through a hole in the bulkhead to secure the rear of the heater inside the car. There is a small panel on the front of the heater which is where the fixings are for use in a Mini which I will use in the Rat but I need to make a suitable bracket for this. For now, the heater is dangling on the one bolt while I sort out how the air and water plumbing will work.





And lastly, I took off the rear bull bar so that I could finally paint the rear end. When the bull bar goes back on tomorrow it will be finally bolted. That will mean the back end is finished! I just need to get all the lights working properly, which is tomorrows mission.

Good progress!

I always love watching these builds happen, with each picture showing the steps being made to reach the goal. How long do you reckon until it's ready to hit the road?

Is it me or is satan's rodent starting to look some what less awful this weather?

Like it's nearly getting quite attractive....

Jim

I've been asked this question so many times, and had to move the goal posts at least as many times that I now say:

"When it's finished."

Whenever I work on it there's ALWAYS at least one job that takes ten times as long as I imagined it would so you don't make as much progress as you hoped that time. However, I am striving to finish it for this summer, but I've said that before...

Thanks Jim. It's not the weather, it's all my hard work!

Did you notice in one of my earlier posts that the number plates have "Satan's Rodent" printed along the bottom?

Are you going to put a cover on the back??? Theres a place near me which is good at that type of thing...sort of SJ style...Was just wondering..

kev

I don't have any plans to make a cover for the back. I'm planning on making it a completely flat load bed in ally chequer plate. Click the link in my sig to go to the Rat build site and scroll to the bottom of the home page. There's a picture of another kit car there with the look I'm going for.

Update: Tuesday 24 March.

No pics today, sorry. Carried on with sorting out the rear lights. I've finally got them all working and tidied up the wiring. This took most of the day. Finished off with a bit more painting. The weather has turned nasty so might not get much done tomorrow. Hope it clears up.

Certainly looking good! Hope weather dosen't stop play to much