31st December 2004
Well it seems I've not updated the website since September! Time flies when you're not doing anything with your car. Yes that's right, I've not really been doing anything to or with the car. The bootbox project kind of stalled, and I remember I did drive it around a bit, but it's only been out a few times in the last few months. Either the weather is rubbish, or I've needed to use the big car, or... blahblahblah...
One thing which has happened over the intervening months is that the spring tour has been announced, and I have signed up. This time it is a (return, for those who have been touring longer than me) trip to the highlands of Scotland.
So, time to get into gear with some mods to the car to make it a bit more tour-friendly. The intention is that these will be mainly sorting out the bootbox, some half-doors, and getting the tonneau modified and fitted. These should make life a little easier for carrying stuff (although I expect to be passenger-free), and a little more protection if the weather is inclement.
Although I did start looking at the bootbox in September, progress stalled, for no particular good reason. But I did realise that even though a box is quite a simple shape, in terms of learning how to GRP, it is quite a complex shape to cut my teeth on, and the mould/buck would be a bit tricky. So, I figure that I'll probably just buy one - I will get a better finish and I'd probably spend as much money on materials getting it wrong making it myself.
However, another item I want for the car, should be significantly more simple to learn how to lay-up in GRP myself, a rear undertray. This is essentially a flatish panel under the rear of the car. The reasons for wanting to fit one of these are:
  • the rear of the car acts like a bit of a parachute, as air flows under the flat floor of the car and is then able to escape upwards into the rear suspension area. This is a bad thing, at high speeds, it will actually tend to lift the rear of the car. With the undertray, the rear of the car will be noticably more stable at speed.
  • the above effect, also causes the rear suspension, diff, etc to get quite dirty. Keeping this area a bit cleaner is a good thing.
  • it should be quite straight forward to make a buck from aluminium and learn laying GRP before tackling the half-doors. And if the GRP finish isn't brilliant, it's under the car and no one will see it!
  • they look quite cool ;-)
  • I want to!
    • So having justified it, time to start work. First thing to do is to work out the shape, which I find easiest to do with some studying, scribbling, and making a cardboard template. Having not done anything in the garage for a while, I spend a few hours getting things tidied up (a new arrival in the other half of the garage means a bit of workbench shuffling), getting the car up onto stands, taking the rear boot cover panels off, measuring and pondering.

    ©2002-2009 David Hackett UDM4