Mike's Cabrio Build

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Picking up on your air flow comment Peter, I may fit some carpet loosely down the side of the heater - it will help keep the IVA man happy covering sharp edges on the heater.
(note I've added a photo in post #134)

If I choose to fix the carpet along its bottom edg to a stand off bracket, creating a deliberate gap from the transmission tunnel top, it could act as an airflow curtain, allowing it to disperse the air flow deeper in to the footwell.

This is how Simon Gregory finished off his foot wells.



I may try and do something similar.

What have other Marlin owners done in the foot wells? And where is the heat required?

Regards

Mike

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Just when I thought the finishing line was in sight, the IVA rules on the Foglight switch have changed.

Previously the rear fog was only allowed to be on when the main lights (dip/main beam) were on - not with the side lights. This was easy to achieve, taking +ve from the main/dip circuits to the fog switch and out to the light and earth.
Now the rules state that when the mains are switched off, and then back on again, the rear fog must not come back on again inadvertently: ie it must be deliberately switched on again.

This is not a simple circuit to solve - I thought a simple latching relay would work, but then I can not switch the fogs off without switching the main off !

The only answer I have come up with is a kit from Cartek:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380693930979&refid=store&ssPageName=STORE:HTMLBUILDER:SIMPLEITEM

This video demonstrates the controls perfectly:

It's easy to install.

The only problem is its £40 including switch and p&p!

[Tony Stott]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Simple push button, momentarily activating -> latch and a back feed to unlatch when h/l's off? I'll give it some thought later! - may have an r/c thingy that could be adapted!
T

[cameronfurnival]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

GOD! Cheers MIke. When did that change?

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

GOD! Cheers MIke. When did that change?

June this year.

I want to get mine through before they make any more changes.......................

Going on holiday for a fortnight on Sunday, but in mid September the final ascent starts!

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Fog Light Control Switch


IMG_4725.jpg


.............doesn't look much for £40.00 does it?

But, I have to have it to pass IVA, and it looks easy enough to wire in.

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Fog Light Control Switch


[ATTACH]4098[/ATTACH]


.............doesn't look much for £40.00 does it?

But, I have to have it to pass IVA, and it looks easy enough to wire in.

It took 20 minutes to wire in - an hour all told to re-tape the wires and then test.
Worked first time straight out of the box: it could not have been easier.

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Latest new part...............

IMG_4731.jpg


Sue has finally started to take an interest in my Cabrio (blimey, I must be getting close to finishing.....!).

We are going to France tomorrow for 10 days, so she decided to invest in a cool box, but only if it fitted in the Cabrio and we could use it next year on our first 'Tour de France' Cabrio style. It fits nicely behind the passeger seat, so I need to add another power point for it, or lose my Satnav socket.

She has more faith in it than I do to be expecting to go next year..............!


..........no more updates for a fortnight, but when I get back I hope we can anticipate some significant progress!

[Tony Stott]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

bon voyage, enjoy Tours etc
T

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Ok - I'm back from a lovely touring holiday around the Loire region of France, and am more determined than ever to make the trip in my Cabrio in the future, so off we go again on the final run in to the IVA test, and all that that entails.............

Sometime prior to going on holiday I'd bought what appears to be a good 3.14 diff. These were only fitted to the very early diesel Sierra's (fitted with the Peugot engine) and are now old, and very rare.





I'd power washed it, had it checked over and new seals fitted by John at Kit-fit, but it bugged me it did not look as good as my 3.38 diff that I had sand blasted myself:

So, while on holiday I decided I would get it cleaned up before fitting it in my car, and this is the result: looks almost good as new............ I'm quite chuffed with how well it has cleaned up compared to when I collected it.

3.14 diff sand blasted clean .jpg

3.14 diff sand blasted clean (1).jpg

It won't work any better of course, but I feel a lot happier about the prospect of fitting it back on to my car.............

With the newly strengthened rear diff support, its now ready to be bolted back in .


IMG_5030.jpg

Hopefully with a four point support fixing arrangement - two widely spaced at the front, and two more spaced apart at the rear, there will be little diff movement, even under hard acceleration, whilst the four rubber mounts will prevent too much noise and vibration being transmitted into the chassis.
The time is getting closer where I'll soon be able to tell......!?!

IMG_5033.jpg

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Its amazing what a holiday can do............started fitting my diff this morning at 5.45am!
Offered up,bolted in and prop shaft fitted by 7.15am.

All torqued up and complete by 9.15am (I needed some breakfast in between!)

I hope this will not move around, nor transmit too much noise/vibration:

IMG_5037.jpg

IMG_5034.jpg

Changing the diff and making a new rear carrier to replace the standard Ford D mount has been quite a lot of extra work, but I am pleased I've done it.The 3.14 diff, with the tyres I've chosen, exactly matches my donor BMW gearing, and the carrier will significantly reduce the amount of diff rotation in both planes, compared to the poor Marlin use of the original Ford D-mount. (In the Sierra the diff is supported in the long rear tube/cradle, with widely spaced fixing points, and used the D mount to support the whole of the rear end of the Sierra, making it much less prone to allowing diff rotation) By comparison Marlin's diff cradle fixings are much closer, and the rear mount has no suspension load on it, making it prone to allowing significant wind up under load.

This may all sound theoretical, but the limited clearance I have in my narrowed transmission tunnel has made it very real, and absolutely necessary.


There is not a lot of clearance around the standard Marlin transmission tunnel arrangement around the propshaft / diff U/J.............
IMG_5040.jpg


..........or to my tunnel and fuel lines!


IMG_5038.jpg

[danny_nelson]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Hi Mike,
Looks like a good bit of kit .
Danny.

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Altough generally pleased with my Audi A4 seats, I was niggled by the side air bag outline showing through the leather where I had tried to hide them, so I've had an upholsterer prepare them properly, by removing the air bags completely, and filling the void with various types of foam, and a scrim layer on top, before refitting the leather casing. They look much better now.

IMG_5042.jpg


Before I went over to collect my seat I made a pair of rear quarter panels out of thin aluminium sheet, and covered them in a dense foam: these will be covered in the remaining leather I have left over from the seats and other panelling.

IMG_5041.jpg

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Another long hard day, but it has been worth it.

My carpets are now all in and glued down - except for the two footwell carpets, which, having seen Peter Licence's Hunter at Donington, I decided to leave loose in case they get wet.

They would not win any prizes, but I am pleased at how they have turned out - better than I thought I might achieve.


IMG_5051.jpg

I added 1/2" felt throughout the cabin, except down the sides of the seats where it is already too tight for width. It should help keep engine and exhaust heat from the cabin, and isolate some of the drive train noise as well as removing the potential for the chassis to vibrate/drum.


IMG_5049.jpg

I had planned not to have any carpet under the seats as it would not be seen, and would be a water trap, but since I had some bits left over I've filled in the gap between the runners. To ensure my seats remain as low as possible I've still left the runners to sit directly on the floorpans.

The seats have now been offered into place (I was too tired to fight getting the bolts into the runners to fix them down tonight!) - and I want to make and install some thick stainless load spreader plates to fit under the floor pan, as my seat belts are mounted to the seat on both sides, as per the Audi arrangement making their fixing a little more important. (I have done away with the Marlin low level chassis mount) This allows the seat belt to slide forward with the seat, making it fit the same easy fit wherever the seat is positioned.


IMG_5054.jpg

Seeing these photos brings back good memories of my A4 Sport seats - they were the best car seats I ever sat in - really supportive, and so comfortable over a long journey. Can't wait to get back into them!


IMG_5053.jpg

I have had to recline the back of the seats a little to ensure the tops of the seats are below the horizontal level of the seatbelts.

IMG_5058.jpg


IMG_5057.jpg


And I've test fitted the rear firewall panel - (I need to buy some chrome dome head screws and counter sunk washers, as the black ones look awful).

I am really pleased with the Marlin embroidered logo:


IMG_5060.jpg

[Mike]

Re: Mike's Cabrio Build

Whilst cleaning the carpet glue from my pedal covers I was reminded of what I thought was a nice idea, and thought I'd share it.


Marlins generally have restricted footwells, with very limited space between pedals, making it difficult for the driver with wider feet to clear the adjacent pedal.
Vauxhall must have thought the same about their early Corsa's and came up with this brake pedal cover.



It helps to prevent the inside edge of your right foot getting caught under the brake pedal as you lift off the accelerator.

So simple..............like all the best ideas.