Picked up the steering shaft from Menham Engineering. I know I have been ripped off, but this is the only place I could find that would do the job, and I am sitting on my hands waiting until it's done. It weighs a ton as well! Anyway, it looks like they've done a good job. It fits well, and has channels cut across the spline for the clamping bolts.

Picked up the alloy fuel tank from John Bosci. He let me have it cheap, as it was a prototype, and doesn't fit properly inside the rear cross tubes of the Westfield chassis. We will have to modify the frame slightly so it can be clamped securely on top of the tubes. Also, this tank was for an IRS I think, and the rear brackets don't fit, so more work there. Still it came at a discount.

Looking for a fuel pump. ABC Wreckers at Oxley quoted me $75 - $90 for the item, but after spending half an hour standing around being ignored I decided to try Salisbury Wreckers. Talk about service! The guy serving me knew exactly what I needed and pulled one out from under the desk. Cost, $45.00 . We had a chat about what I was doing and clubman cars, then I was out of the place 5 minutes later. Unfortunately I left my wallet there, and had to go back and pick it up the next day.

Spent most of the day fitting and removing the steering wheel and testing for height and reach. The length is right, but the Toyota column doesn't mount well to the Westfield chassis. I think the chassis is designed for the KE30 column, which is about 15 years old. So Ryan has welded up a mounting attachment to go between the AE-111 column and the chassis. This primarily adjusts the height and tilt of the column.

I just love this cooler weather, although 27 C isn't that cool. Spent today fiddling around with clamps and brackets figuring out how to mount the fuel filters and EFI fuel pump. I have run low pressure fuel hose from the tank to the low pressure fuel filter, and then on to the pump. From there, I have used high pressure hose which will connect to the 5/16 bundy tube running along the tunnel to the engine bay. To mount the fuel pump, Ryan welded two exhaust clamps together with a piece of metal strap, and that then mounts to the chassis. Looks neat, and feels pretty strong. I hope it's got enough clearance. He also fabricated a neat bracket to hold the plastic low pressure filter. The filter is tied to the bracket using cable ties, as we felt the unit is too fragile for exhaust clamps. It seems very secure anyway.

I have the day off work, so spent most of the day running around picking up parts and tools. We found a shop that sells rivnut (nutsert) tools. We are going to use rivnuts to mount the tank, so this will be useful. Also picked up a pipe bender, tube double flaring tool, and pipe cutter.

I found a guy (Dean Sainsbury) on the Toymods forum who was wrecking a Toyota Sprinter, and had a T50 for sale. Having located the gearbox, it was down to Currumbin (famous for it's wildlife sanctuary) to pick it up. I purchased a large under-bed plastic drawer to carry the T50, as I didn't want a greasy gearbox messing up the new car. When we got there, Dean was still struggling underneath the Toyota Sprinter with a stuck bolt (there's always one). Eventually, he ground it off, and the gearbox gave up and came off. He was asking $200 for it, but I gave him $250 for all the trouble.

Back home, and we cleaned up the new box, and test fitted the remote selector. It feels really nice and positive, and should be fun to drive. I've driven some slushy manuals in my time, but I think the Renault 10 takes the cake. Gears could only be found by waving a wobbly floor-mounted stick in the general direction of the required ratio. We decided against stripping the box down at this stage. That's something that can be done later.

Now to pull the engine out. There was a trick to this, as the car is currently on it's wheels and there is not enough clearance underneath the chassis for the engine hoist feet. So we had to jack up the front to get the hoist in, then out with the engine and onto it's stand. Next garage will have a strong beam and block and tackle!

We got the fuel tank fastened down using the rivnuts with cap head bolts. I got this idea from Rod Jensen, another builder.Feels very secure and looks neat.

Dropped off our rubber flexible brake hoses to Neil Barker, a local guy and car nut who does braided brake hoses. These have only recently been allowed here in Queensland, and as we had damaged one of the rubber ones, I thought we should replace them with the braided variety. They look great, and should give better brake feel.

Picked up the new lightened flywheel from John Bosci. It looks the goods! I also ordered an exhaust system and wiring looms from him, as I want to get the engine connected and started as soon as possible. I also asked John for some stckers for the car, as it is mostly made from parts I bought from him. Hmm, maybe I'll get John to sponsor the build. I was going to fit the flywheel and gearbox today, but am feeling a bit crook, so spent the rest of the day in bed.

Today was spent assembling the flywheel, clutch and gearbox, and installing the engine again. Although I have done this before, I wanted someone to check my work, as I had been reading about the importance of getting everything right with the flywheel/clutch assembly. It will be spinning at up to 8000rpm and I don't want things coming apart. So I put out a request for help on the Westfield Owners mail list. Paul Hannel, (a Locost builder from Macgregor) answered the call, and came around to sort me out.

With Paul's help, we had the flywheel and clutch together in about 10 minutes, all torqued up and ready to go. It was great to meet Paul, as he has lots of experience with cars and machinery, and he has a lot of contacts. I wish I'd met him a couple of months ago before I'd shelled out $350 for the steering shaft. He reckoned he could do a better job for $60. Ah well, write it down to experience.

Anyway we got the gearbox attached and installed in the chassis, and only broke the clutch master cylinder reservoir (bugger).

Anzac day. Time to remember the old diggers. There aren't more than a handful of them left now. Let's hope we're not heading into another senseless loss of life on the far side of the world with our troops in Iraq.

Anyway, it is exactly one year since I ordered the kit. I am planning to have the car finished and registered by October this year. I think I can do it. I have had to find more money, and motivation, but I think we're back on track. Today's task was bleeding the brakes. This is a lot more tricky than I thought. None of the advice or instruction I got mentioned the need to bleed the master cylinder. This is crucial. We spent half an hour pumping the brakes with no result. Once we had the master cylinder purged of air, it started to happen. Another educational experience.

Picked up the custom exhaust system from John Bosci. Looks the goods! Rego requirements in Queensland require the exhaust to exit from the rear or the driver's side. So I have to extend the system to exit out the rear. Hopefully this won't just fall off after rego ;) Also ordered a new timing belt for the 4AGE, Toyota part 13568-19035 . Cost about $70 from Motorama in Salisbury. Asked about a charcoal canister, $170! Forget it. I went across the road to Salisbury Wrecking, and found several available for about $40. I have to extract them myself though, and as I wasn't dressed for it, I decided to come back tomorrow.

Labour Day. Had a visit from Ron, another prospective builder from Bellbowrie. He is tossing up between a PRB and a Westie, and popped around to have a chat about my experiences. It's nice to talk to other enthusiasts, and I asked him to keep in touch. I felt really tired all day, and didn't get much done on the car. Also, forgot to pick up the timing belt and charcoal canister..d'oh!

The engine is in and bolted down. I ran the bundy tube for the fuel supply and return lines. The breather tube for the charcoal cansiter is next, but I need to pick up that charcoal canister first. Also, measured from the T50 uni to the diff flange; 748mm. Paul Hannel can do the prop shaft for me, but he needs the T50 uni and this measurement. I have been experiencing a bit of vertigo for the last 2 weeks, so every time I sit down or stand up, I have to wait for my head to stop spinning. Probably an inner ear infection. Helen thinks I should see a doctor, but I would rather wait until it clears itself up. Anyway, I'd probably have to see a spin doctor, ha ha . All I know is, it makes it difficult to work on the car.

Picked up an Escort tailshaft from ABC Wreckers at Oxley for $45. Dropped this and my T50 end off at Paul Hannel's place. Paul is going to make up the prop shaft for me. Thanks Paul! He thinks he may have to source some extra tube as the tailshaft from the wreckers is not long enough (it is a two-stage shaft with a uni joint in the middle). Still trying to decide what to do with the fuel input line to the fuel rail. Paul reckons I can get a non-genuine Toyota fuel filter with the proper ends for the original banjo joint that will fit onto the fuel rail and my 5/16 bundy fuel line. I will explore this option, as it sounds like the best way to go.

Picked up a Ryco replacement high pressure fuel filter from Budget Auto Spares. This will allow me to use the original Toyota fuel hose with banjo ends to connect to the fuel rail.

Picked up a charcoal canister, seat runners, and a spare Suzuki Swift brake master cylinder at Salisbury Wreckers. The master cylinder I found by chance, and as Ron Wyldbore has now announced he will be building a Westie, I thought he might need it. He has already snapped it up. Also dropped off the Escort Radiator at Mobile Radiator Services at Oxley to have the lower tube shifted over to the left (passenger side) to make the plumbing easier. They did this plus flushed and checked the radiator for $40, so that was good. Just across the way from there, I found BR Automotive who are giving me a quote on the alloy pipes for the cooling system. I traced the shape of the pipes using bundy tube and old metal coat hangers.

Also, Mike Kean dropped the wiring harness around, and picked up my old engine loom for modification. He seems like a smart cookie. He kept telling me all these details about the loom like why he used negative switching instead of positive or earth. I just nodded wisely. It looks like a professional job, and I'm getting closer to getting the engine running.

Apart from watching the Danish Royal Wedding on TV with Helen, I mounted the new Ryco fuel pump and re-jigged the 5/16 inch bundy tube to fit. I managed to fit the filter beneath the steering shaft on the firewall. The only other possible site (given that I wanted to use the original high pressure banjo hose), was the passenger side firewall, which was too close to the exhaust system. Now to figure out how to mount the charcoal canister. I had no idea when I started just how complex the fuel system is on a modern EFI engine!

Picked up the finished tailshaft from Paul Hannel. Unfortunately, it won't fit into the tunnel without either moving the engine forward, or the diff backward. Probably easier to move the diff backwards. Rod Jensen suggested I remove the fuel tank, and insert the prop shaft from behind. That looks like it might work, so as soon as I have the right bolts, I'll try that. I am still waiting to hear from B R Automotive about the cooling pipes. Hopefully this won't be a dead end, and they will be able to do the job.

I have given up on BR Automotive. They don't answer the phone, and don't return my messages. I used up the rest of my 3/16 bundy tube to make new forms for the radiator pipes, then took them to Hi-Tech Radiators at Rocklea. The shop didn't match my conception of Hi-Tech, but they were very friendly, and said they would have the job finished by Wednesday. They asked all the right questions, so maybe I'll have more luck this time. I made a bracket to mount the charcoal canister, and finally got the steering shaft connected to the rack. I may have to revise the steering column support bracket, as the bolts don't line up when the shaft and uni's are all aligned. Mike Kean (auto Electrician) rang to say the engine loom would be dropped off next Friday.

Picked up the finished radiator pipes from Hi Tech Radiators. They look really good. Got them home and trial fitted them. Unfortunately the hot water return pipe is too long, but that's OK, as the pipes are the wrong diameter. D'oh! I asked for 2.5 inch pipe instead of 2.25 inch. How could I have done that? Feeling a bit depressed at this stupid and costly mistake.

Tried to fit the timing belt, but it is definitely the wrong part. The part number I had been given was for a silvertop. After some research, I found that the silver top and black top motors have a different timing belt. The blacktop belt is about 3 mm wider and is shorter, having only 110 teeth instead of 111 for the silvertop. The part number for the blacktop belt is 13568-19185 .

Mike Kean dropped off the modified engine loom. He also took back the front loom, as it had some faulty connectors. Now that the wiring is almost ready, we can work towards starting the engine. As if the radiator pipes were not bad enough, Mike has informed me that moving the radiator outlet to the same side as the inlet was a bad move, as that will mean only half the radiator will be used. So I now have to get the outlet moved back to t'other side!

Mike dropped off the front loom, and we chatted about the O2 sensor. The one from the half cut will not fit the custom exhaust, so we will probably have to get a new sensor. He also recommended I shield the starter motor, as the solenoid lies about 50mm below the exhaust headers.

We bench tested the starter motor today, and it works! That is the first time we've had anything actually moving under it's own power. Picked up a new O2 sensor from Repco, and dropped off our old gearbox at JB's for a refund.

Picked up the new timing belt, and fitted it. It's a lot better. We had a visit from Owen, another prospective builder. I test fitted the handbrake mechanism to the rear wheels. Greg Paget recommends Flexdrive agencies in Coopers Plains to supply the handbrake cable, so we'll keep them in mind. We tried to mount the alternator, but it fouls the steering shaft. After some messing around with the steering column mount, we decided that we definitely have to re-design the steering column mount.

Also, after speaking with Mike Kean, the auto electrician, it appears there is little benefit in keeping the wheel and column from the half cut, as the connectors have to be completely re-done anyway. I have to get more detail on this, but it appears I would have been better off to get an old KE-30 Corolla column as specified, and use the steering shaft supplied by Westfield. Everything seems to be going wrong lately.

Picked up the radiator from Western Suburbs Radiators at Sumner Park. They have moved the outlet back to it's original position, and put in an elbow joint that points back across to the passenger side. Let's hope I don't have to move the thing again.

Mounted the starter motor, and connected it up to test. The battery we used was flat, but it managed to turn the engine a couple of revolutions. We're trying to charge up another battery to try it properly.

Decided the starter motor is not engaging the ring gear properly. This means the engine will have to be pulled again in order to get it seated. Found a guy across town who is selling a KE30 Corolla column, so made arrangements to drop in and look at it.

With the aid of our new engine hoist, we pulled the engine out and Ryan (who is on mid-year break from Uni) will sort the starter motor out. I spent most of the day in bed with a pinched nerve in my neck. In the afternoon, we popped across to see Bruce Window at Ferny Hills and have a look at his KE30 Corolla column. The column was minus the steering wheel, but was already modified for a Westfield, so I took it.

Ryan popped in to see JB to get the dust plate re-shaped for the starter motor. He managed to get it installed and running, although very slowly. Maybe the battery needs a bit more charge. Anyway, at least it is turning over.

Dropped the brake master cylinder and brake line off at All Brake and Clutch at Archerfield. They said the flare was faulty, and re-flared the line. Total cost $11.00. Lets hope that fixes it. Had two trips to Supercheap Auto at Macgregor and Taringa looking for the right hoses for the radiator. Eventually got what we thought was right. Ryan convinced me to mock up the radiator pipe in 33mm steel tube, so we could give the radiator shop an exact copy of what we want. I agreed, and we purchased 6M of black steel tube from Metalcorp in Oxley. Ryan spent the rest of the night fabricating the pipes to match the hoses we had just bought.

Dropped off the mockup radiator pipes at Western Suburbs Radiator at Sumner Park to get them to make the pipes in aluminium. The guy that does the ali work wasn't there on a Saturday morning, so we will have to wait to hear from him next week. Then we drove to Flexdrive Agencies and ATS at Coopers Plains looking for someone to modify the Escort handbrake cable, but they were both shut. Never mind, we went to Hare & Forbes anyway, as Ryan has come into some money and wants to buy a lathe. He is buying a Hafco Metalmaster AL-54. We bought a dial guage and magnetic stand, so Ryan can now calibrate the diff. Basically this means we will know exactly how much trouble we are in with the diff!

We then headed off to British Auto Spares, where we found we had been given the wrong steering universal joint originally. We should have been given the Triumph 2500 manual uni but got the power steering uni! A lot of heartache would have been saved if we had been given the right uni in the first place. The guy at the counter advised us to come back when the boss was there next week, and we could get a credit for the wrong item. However, I am still looking at alternatives to paying their prices.

Spent the rest of the day at John Bosci's place using his equipment to modify the ali panels for the footwell, and propshaft covering. JB advised us not to use the cheap rivets supplied with the kit, but to use aircraft quality rivets. I agreed. If there is any place I'd like the rivets to hold on, it's the floor panels. He is picking up a supply of the rivets and 6mm rivnuts (nutserts) next week, so we will have to wait until next week to get the floor panels fitted. nb the floor panels are riveted on, and the propshaft cover is bolted on into rivnuts.

Heard from Western Suburbs Radiator that the cost of making the ali radiator pipes is $80. That's pretty good. Unfotunately, that doesn't include polishing, so let's see what they look like before commenting.

Also, I have been talking to Merv McCallum via email about his wheels and tyres. He is selling two sets; one set of 13" globe lightweight rims with ACB10 tyres a and one set of 15" rims with Yoko A032 R's (60% worn). Am having trouble making up my mind whether to buy one ot both sets, or get new wheels and tyres. Merv is probably getting sick of all the questions.

The handbrake cable has been modified by All Trailer Spares at Coopers Plains. Hopefully it will work well. The outer casing is broken in one place, so I am hoping it will still work ok. We need to get this installed before fitting the propshaft, as the cable is above the shaft in the transmission tunnel.

Ryan has removed the diff centre, and set the diff up according to the workshop manual. He's been wanting to do this ever since we put it together in the first place. Probably a good thing I listen to him! Also, we started fitting the ali panels to the underneath of the car. We have fitted the footwell and under-seat panels, and drilled in the rivnuts for the propshaft cover. The propshaft cover is only there as a safety measure to prevent the propshaft spearing into the ground in case the unis ever break. I've never had a car with this feature before, so never thought about it, but seems like a good idea.

We re-assembled the diff and axles although the axle bearing seals look perished. We will have to replace them before filling the diff with oil. Then we fitted the handbrake and cable. We found the handbrake locks on if pulled on past a certain point, because the cable retaining clip attaching to the handbrake lever pops up under tension, and locks in behind the hole in the trans tunnel for the handbrake lever. Solution? tighten up the cable so that the clip can't move up that far in the chassis. So handbrake is working. Then we dropped the engine in after replacing the engine mounting bolts with new Hi Ten M10 & M8 bolts.

Bought a new battery, oil, coolant, spark plugs, radiator hoses & cap, clips and fuel container ( and fuel) to get everything ready for the engine start. After attaching the hoses to the radiator pipes, it looks like the rubber hoses may be too close to the exhaust headers for comfort. May have to do something about that. Anyway, we filled the radiator with coolant, and so far there are no leaks. The radiator cap is the highest point in the system, so we thought we that would avoid airlocks. But just to be sure, after filling the radiator to the brim, we hoisted the front of the car up about 30cm, and then could add another 250ml of coolant. So at least we feel confident that there are no airlocks.

The 4AGE is suppose to take 3.5 l of oil, so the 4l container of Fuchs (El Cheapo) oil was able to completely fill the sump. We intend to run the engine on this oil while testing, then change the filter and replace the oil with good stuff. I have been pricing Redline oils. Holey Moley! That stuff is more expensive than Scotch. But it sounds like the mutts nuts of oils, so I'll probably go for that. So far, there are no leaks.

Bought 4 new spark plugs. NKG BKR6EP-11 . That'll be $81.60 thanks. Sorry? I said. Obviously it has been some time since I bought spark plugs, and I didn't expect to pay the same amount that I sold my old EH Holden wagon for in 1980. They better be bloody good plugs.

We hooked up the fuel lines, and filled the tank for the first time with 5l of premium unleaded. Unfortunately, the tank has a leak. A very small pinhole leak, so it didn't stop us, but we'll have to get that looked at by JB. Then we ran up the pump for the first time. It works! We had the fire extinguisher standing by just in case, but so far it hasn't been needed. It doesn't seem natural to have a piece of electrical equipment (the Bosch fuel pump) submerged in petrol. But I guess if it was a problem, someone would have noticed by now.

Mike Keen dropped in about 10:00 this morning (a beautiful Brisbane Winter's morning) and got stuck into the electrics. At about 12:00 we were ready to start the engine. There was a problem with the starter circuit, which Mike sorted fairly quickly. Then he simply turned the ignition switch, and the engine fired up. What a glorious sound! It took a few seconds to clear itself, but soon was running on song beautifully. There were three hoses on the engine that we hadn't identified, but they turned out to be two vacuum sources (eg power brakes) and we think an idle speed bypass. Anyway, we blocked them off, and the engine idles beautifully.

I think I have started the engine about 10 times today, and each time it starts first crank, and sounds great. Wey hey! Here is the sound file (if you are happy to download a 500kb file to hear what a 4AGE blacktop sounds like after waking up from a coma).

I picked up a Toyota Landcruiser accelerator cable from Salisbury Wreckers, along with a cable from a Toyota Hi-Lux. I wasn't sure which cable to use, so I figured it would be cheaper to get both, than to go back and get the right one. Anyway, it was only $25 for the both, and the Landcruiser cable was perfect. Then we fitted the KE30 Corolla column and brackets. It all fits perfectly with the Westfield-supplied steering shaft. We are now ready for the first engineering inspection. Let's hope it goes well.

Swapped 375mm wide seat shell for the wider 395mm shell. Reinhold at Whitepointer was happy to do this, so he is a great guy. Or maybe he was suffering the effects of his recent motorcycle accident going up Mt Glorious! Also while at Whitepointer, found the name of an auto trimmer who did a good job very cheaply for one of the members. So I'll be off to Llledo trimmers asap.

Dropped the seat shells off at Lledo trimmers at Murrarie. Unfortunately, I hadn't assembled the runner bolts, so I had to dash home and fit these before dashing back to the trimmers before they shut at 4:00. Also cut holes in the seat shells for a 4 point harness, and painted the shells black.

Fitted the side panels. I wish there was a less-sticky alternative to Sikaflex. The Cleco pins are great, and make the job much easier. I find myself wishing I had an air compressor and air rivet gun. After about 50 rivets using the manual rivet tool, my hand is pretty much done in.

Picked up the finished seats from Lledo Trimmers. They look the duck's guts. They are finished in a black material used in fork lift seats etc, so they should be well able to stand the conditions in a clubman. The trim is yellow, and I had to choose that colour on the spot when I dropped the shells off. So it looks like yellow is the definite final choice of the car's colour.

Ryan has re-jigged the KE-30 column so the key is underneath the column not on the right. This is a common mod for the KE-30 in a Westie, as the key is difficult to get to in the normal position. I am considering a starter button, as I am sure I will eventually turn the key in the wrong direction one day.

Picked up the wheels and tyres from TyreTech at Bowen Hills. They're Performance Superlight 13 x 6 offset 15 positive, with charcoal centres. The tyres are Yokohama A032 R 205/60x13's. They look great, but I'll have to get longer wheel studs. The clearance looks about perfect, with about 30mm clearance from the inside of the tyre to the trailing arm.

The third anniversary of the infamous attacks on the World Trade Centre. I still cannot watch footage of that terrible event. On a lighter note, we modified the handbrake mechanism to clear the panhard rod, and fitted new (used) shopping-trolley wheels to the construction dolly, in place of the dangerously wobbly SuperCheap wheels. Works much much better now.

We have fixed the scuttle to the frame. This meant we had to fit the main shell (and nose cone), so we can see that it is definitely looking like a car now. The scuttle is attached using three M6 hex-head bolts per side with rubber roofing washers. Seems to work quite well.

Well, the anticipated month of finishing has arrived, but I am still two months from finishing. Still to do is the instrument panel with instruments and switches, some body panels, replace wheel studs and bearing seals at rear, plumb in the charcoal canister, fit air filter, wiring connections for fan and fuel pump, connect and test clutch, fill and bleed brakes, make and fit heat shield for starter motor, attach lights and switches, make and fit aeroscreen, and attach body parts. Plenty of work for two months!

The first inspection. Richard the engineer is new to this, as all inspections used to be handled by Eric Blythe, but he has apparently had enough of the hassle, and doesn't do it any more. Unfortunately, this means we're all on a bendy educational thing, wossname ...learning curve. The inspection was really a first pass, and there are many things which have not been done yet, e.g. lighting, so they could not be inspected. One area of real concern was that the seat mounting bolts were marginal or a fail. They are 4 M8 8.8 bolts, so I can't see how that can be an issue. Hopefully it will be sorted out, and I won't have to tear the upholstery off the seat to replace the bolts with M10's.

Rod Jensen came along to watch as his inspection is due shortly, so it was good to have moral support.The engineer will be giving me a report, and he seems like a reasonable chap, as well as a petrol head, so let's hope we can work it all out. The single impression I got out of the whole exercise is that noone really knows exactly what the rules are. The Qld regulations are currently changing, Richard the Engineer is on the national committee, but the Department of Transport still does things the old way. It looks like the engine should pass ok, but there may be problems with the seats, plus numerous placard requirements. It's all a mystery at the moment. One surprise was the requirement for an immobiliser. I have no problem with that, it seems like a sensible rule. But another problem Richard picked up was the KE30 Corolla column was not case hardened, and the lock could be snapped off. I don't see the point in applying this rule, if I also have to fit an immobiliser. Hopefully sense will prevail.

I am still trying to shake off glandular fever, but I think it brought a few of it's mates along as well. By the time the inspection was over, I was ready to drop.

Neil Barker came around and fitted the clutch hydraulic hose and banjo bolts. So it looks like we have a working clutch now. Also, Mike Keen the auto electrician (technician) popped in to sort out the thermo fan and fuel pump. Mike couldn't get the thermo fan to work under computer control, so we will have to get a separate thermostat and relay to operate the fan. The fuel pump works under computer control now, so it won't run until the computer senses that the engine is turning over.

This means if I ever roll the car and the engine stops, the fuel pump will stop after about 4 seconds. Which is a good thing! Unfortunately, the engine needs a bit of cranking to get started if the fuel lines are not primed. This can be fixed, apparently, by using a 'tachymetric' relay, which turns the fuel pump on for a few seconds when the ignition is turned on. It only took about 3 - 4 seconds of cranking before the engine fired, and that was after a few months lying idle, so I'm not too worried. It's just great to hear that 4AGE running again!

Bought long wheel studs for the rear axles. I thought I'd get these just for the rears to see if the Escort studs fittted the Cortina hubs at the front, which also need longer studs. They look similar, but seem to be a very loose fit in the front hubs, so I'll do come more checking on this before ordering. I also bought 4 litres of Redline MT90 transmission oil from Coventry Auto Parts in Archerfield. I was looking for MTL, but they didn't stock it, so I decided to get the MT90. At nearly $130 for the 4 litres, it's about as expensive as Scotch, so I hope it doesn't leak. The salesman asked if I wanted a sticker. I said they should supply a hat at that price, he said "Yeh, and someone to put the oil in for you." I had to agree.

We also replaced the O rings on the rear axles as they have appear to be damaged and may not seal properly. I will probably get some Redline 75W90 for the diff, although I may be tempted to get something cheaper.

We replaced the axles and poured in the diff oil. There were no leaks, so we filled the gearbox, and also no leaks. The driveshaft was attached to the diff, seats bolted in, there is no reason to put off a drive around the block. We lift the car off it's stand and plonk it gently onto it's wheels. Should it be this low to the ground? I get in and start it up. After 5 minutes, I feel the hot water return to radiator getting hot, so we are up to operating temperature. I engage first, and let out the clutch. The car moves forward over our driveway under it's own power for the first time. The brakes work. I reverse back and stop. I try this again with harder brake pressure. Then back, using the handbrake to stop the car. It all seems ok.

Gently, I drive the car over the mountable kerb and onto the road for the first time. First to second, and I am already at the end of our short street. The man watering his garden at the end of the street cannot stop staring at this strange looking half-car. I take off up the road using first, second and third gears. Not game to use more than a fraction of the throttle. Hardly need to use the brakes. It's so light and responsive. Acceleration is awesome. This thing is going to be heaps of fun!

The brakes work, but need a lot of pressure. Maybe I am used to power brakes, or maybe they just need bedding in. The steering is light and effective. The gears all seem to work. The brake pedal is too close to the accelerator. The car is so light. Hardly used the brake. The clutch is set too far away for comfort. After only a 2 minute drive I felt the pain in my left side from stretching to work the clutch. We will have to fix that. The diff is noisy under acceleration, but maybe the oil treatment stuff will fix that. Otherwise I will have to replace the diff which will be a bummer.

We fitted the rear and quarter panels today. The rear panel supplied by Westfield fitted well, and we only had to cut out the transmission tunnel hole, plus a bit of trimming around the corners. The quarter panels must have been made to fit the independent suspension car, as they were too big, and had to be trimmed a lot. We used John Bosci's bending brake to put a nice 90 degree fold in the panels so they can attach to the rear chassis tubes.

Things always take longer than expected. I hoped to have the panels finished today, but with the trip to John's place etc., we only managed to get the rear panel in place. Ryan has been doing all the rivetting, and he will be glad when it is finished. Too late now to buy an air rivet gun.

Dropped in to SGESCO at Archerfield to buy the speedo sender for the T50. For those that are interested, it is part nr 6006, description SENDER 8 IMP SUIT TOYOTA . It seems to fit ok, but we will have to see how it works in practise.

Finished fitting and rivetting the rear and quarter panels. Our supply of Sikaflex is just about exhausted, so I hope it lasts long enough for the other panel jobs, e.g. side intrusion bars and tunnel covers. Terrible to stuff to work with though.

We dropped in to Salisbury Wreckers, and picked up a battery holder, and fuel tank sender from a Toyota Camry. The fuel sender is the swinging arm type, and unfortunately it is too shallow for the Westie tank, i.e. it will only cover about half the depth. If I bent the arm to give an accurate indication of empty, it would indicate full whenever the tank is over half full. We thought about extending the arm, but it will then foul on the tank's internal baffle. So I'm now thinking of getting either a new sender (expensive) or modifying a used one of the tube type.

Cleaned the battery holder up, and will make up some tags to weld to the scuttle shelf to place the battery. The engine is running rough, and seems to be very rich. Ryan wants us to get a Toyota expert in to check the engine is wired up correctly (especially the hoses). I think that's expensive, so we'll get the injectors cleaned, and see what that does.

Ryan has also traced all the wires from the engine and computer and has identified all the inputs needed for the instruments. Unfortunately, the temp guage is always reading high (even when cold), so something's up there. We tested the thermostat sender by removing it and immersing it in warm water as described in the workshop manual. We didn't have an accurate thermometer and had to rely on a thermocouple with multimeter to read the water temperature, but it seems to operating within it's specified range. Theoretically it should be ok to use to operate the thermo fan. I discussed this with some other club members, and they said they hardly ever saw their fans turn on, as the radiator itself is so effective. It might be different under racing conditions though.

The mobile injector service, Electronic Injector Services came around to clean the injectors for us. Ryan had removed the injectors earlier, as this saves money. Unfortunately, as the fuel rail is pressurised, he was sprayed with petrol when he removed the first injector. Lucky he's not a smoker! I told him he's a real petrolhead (sorry!). Anyway, the engine seems to start and run much better now. Still, it'd be good to be sure we have all the hoses etc connectred properly. I will try to find someone with some knowledge of Toyota engines to have a look at it for us.

I finished cutting out the plywood backing board for the dash. We have been discussing how to mount the Toyota instruments for some time, and have finally decided to seperate them and mount them individually. This gives us more freedom in positioning, but means we will have to work out our own method of illuminating them. We will also have to rig something up for the various warning lights, as the bulbs etc are all on the Toyota instrument binnacle backing plate.

We are using 100mm inside diameter PVC pipe from the hardware store for housing the speedo and tacho, and 55mm PVC pipe for the other guages. This is cut to size, about 21.5mm deep, painted black inside and we then cut out a lens from a CD jewel case and turn up an old aluminium pulley to make the bezel, which is glued with the lens to the front of the pipe. The Toyota instruments are then offered up to the end of the pipe, and will be held there with screws through the extended mounting holes. Anyway, it looks pretty neat, and will look even better when the dashboard is finished in carbon fibre.

Ryan has also been busy making a new aluminium handle for the handbrake. It look s great. I'm exploiting Ryan during his Uni break, as he doesn't have the time to do all this stuff when he's studying. He enjoys it anyway.