Reintroducing a Thermostat

As I am not happy with how the cooling system is working (over-cooling) I am going to re-introduce a thermostat.  One option is to add a lower water rail and connect this to the bypass outlet of the thermostat housing.  Only problem with this is that the sensor for the coolant temperature is mounted in the main cooling pipe and would not read properly, especially during warm up.  I've read that the thermostat housing can be drilled and tapped so that the sensor can be mounted here, but I don't want to take a chance trying to do that with something made of plastic.

In the end I've gone for the option some other Tiger owners have adopted: a thermostat with a bypass hole for the warm-up phase.  I've used a 88oC thermostat from a Ford Focus 1.8 diesel (part # QTH316K).  Prior to fitting a 4mm hole was drilled through the outer edge.

The Tiger provided radiator fan switch was a 87oC type, so that was changed for one that operates at 92oC (Intermotor part 50200, used on Alfa 33's, Audi 80's, etc.).  I took the car out for a spirited drive yesterday afternoon.  55 miles approximately.  Once warmed up the coolant stayed very steady at 88oC.  When I stopped in traffic it rose to 92oC, at which point the fan was running.

So far I am very pleased.  I'd just like to test the car in colder and warmer conditions, with a bit of time stationary to make sure it's not going to get too hot.  I've got the temperature warning light on the Acewell digital dash set to 95oC so that should alert me if there is a problem.  There's also a coolant overheat warning displayed by the ECU warning light.  This is via the temperature sensor that is screwed into the engine block.  I don't recall at what temperature this activates.

During this whole process one thought did occur to me: if your car does not have a coolant warning light it would be easy to add one by using the second (higher) temperature setting on a dual-temperature radiator fan switch.

Sunday Drive

Had a great drive today with a fellow Avon owner.  130 miles in all.

Very cold to start with, especially on the hills, but it warmed up later on.  As I was still concerned about over-cooling of the engine I made a shield to block the airflow slightly to the radiator.  Can be seen in this picture taken at the breakfast stop.

Even with the grille partly blocked off the engine was still running too cool, so I will have to sort it out properly.

Fitting the Boot Lid

The Mark 2 Avon body tub comes with a boot.  This is a welcome improvement on the original design.  As part of the body work kit the boot lid is provided.  However, this requires quite a bit of manual work to fit it.

As supplied the boot lid has quite an uneven edge - I assume where it has been cut out of the mould.  First up was to trim the edge down to an even 20mm depth.

The lid still seemed to catch slightly when fitted in the boot.  I thought about trimming more off (as it is at a shallow angle it would have made the overall dimensions smaller).  In the end I decided not to trim any more and see how I got on - I've cut too much off things before!

Next I cut slots for 25mm chrome hinges.  I used a small drill and a needle file to create the slots so that one half of the hinge would sit flat on the inside surface of the lid top.

  

Grip Fill used to 'glue' the hinges into the lid.  The other half riveted to the body tub.

Cam lock bought of eBay fitted.  Dog leg added to locking arm to ensure the arm cleared the lip of the boot lid.

Blu tak used to gauge where the locking arm strikes the rear inside of the boot cavity.  Of course all the while making sure the boot lid was flush with the upper surface of the rear body tub.  A slot was cut for the locking arm.  Later on I'll make a aluminium surround to finish it off better and protect the rough fibreglass edges.

Tiger advised me to add some 'stops' inside the boot to stop the boot lid going in too far, e.g. if somebody leaned on it.  At this point I found the the boot lid would not quite sit flat.  When locked one corner was raised a few milometers.  If this was pressed down the other corner would pop up!  I needed something to hold the corners down.  I came up with the idea of magnetic cupboard fasteners screwed into the corners.  These double up as 'stops' and also hold the corners down.  After a few days the boot lid settled a lot anyway and the magnetic part is almost not needed.

The other half of the magnetic set up was glued to the inside of the boot lid lip using epoxy resin.

Finished boot.  I may add a third, central, hinge at a later date to add a bit more support.  The lid opens nicely  and the lock locates relatively easily.  When I find some I may add a small piece of black automotive carpet to the floor of the boot.  Will stop things sliding around and look better.

First Drive Today

Not much to say really, apart from AWESOME! :-)

Car performed great - didn't miss a beat.  Steering wheel needs centering better and there is a slight sound from the back end which I am hoping is the new brake shoes wearing in. Close shave, literally, with a low lying cobble speed hump-ette.  Need to be more careful.

With an air temperature of about 11oC the engine coolant was running quite cool (high 60's).  This is without a thermostat in the circuit, of course.  I'm interested to see what it runs at when the air temperature is a bit warmer.

Clocked up 26 miles in all.  Looking forward to the next spell of good weather and then I'll be out again.

Front Registration Plate Brackets

To mount the front registration plate I fabricated two aluminium brackets and riveted through the bottom of the nose cone.  The plate itself is attached using 1mm double sided adhesive pads.  I might add self tapping screws if it shows signs of working loose.

The rear registration plate is just attached using the adhesive pads.

Registration Received

Yesterday afternoon I called the DVLA in Swansea to inquire about my registration application.  They told me the local DVLA office would call me back within two hours.  They did call back and they confirmed that the registration had been posted just 10 minutes before.  Great news.  Even better news, the tax disc and registration  paperwork arrived first thing this morning.  The registration number has been advised to the insurance company. Next its off to get some plates then it'll be time for the first drive.  This is what its all been building up to.  More later.

DVLA Inspection

Went to the Reading DVLA office today for the Tiger's inspection.  Chassis number and engine number were checked.  The paperwork should be completed and then I should receive by post a tax disc and a registration number.  The V5 should follow later, from DVLA HQ in Swansea.  Hopefully not long now until I can hit the road.  The waiting is painful.

Updating the Dash Warning Lights

There are two warning lights wired into the Webcon loom: one for the RPM warning (shift light) and another for the ECU (warns of Throttle Position Sensor error or coolant overheat).  I'd always wanted to put these on the dash where I could see them.  Only problem is both are just plain red lights, and I didn't want to stick labels on the dash.  In the end I came up with a solution: 3mm Letraset and spray enamel.

The best method seemed to be to apply the letters to the warning light and then to add one quite thick coat of enamel.  Just enough so that it did not drip.  I tried two coats on another light and the second coat melted the first and it looked a mess.  Also I found that the Letraset had to be rubbed very well onto the light or the enamel would lift the areas of Letraset not properly in contact with the warning light surface.

Here is the end result, all four key warning lights right in my field of vision, or peripheral vision if I am looking at the road.

The dash doesn't look this scratched in real life.  Its the camera flash that seems to be very unflattering.

The alternator warning light was the original from Tiger.  I didn't have this fitted originally as I was planning to use the low voltage warning on the Acewell digital dash, but I hadn't realised that the alternator will not charge the battery unless the warning light is in the circuit.

The oil pressure light was added to replace the one on the Acewell.  I was not happy with the Acewell one as it was fairly small and partially hidden behind the indicator stalk.  I wanted this important warning light right where I could see it.  Only problem was they are only available in yellow.  Any production car has them in red, and so they should be as this is a warning as opposed to a caution.  My solution was to get a blank red warning light and add the word 'OIL' myself.

Colour Scheme Applied

So got a bit bored waiting for the DVLA inspection so decided to try out some sample vinyl stripes that I had bought of eBay.  I was very pleased with the effect so ordered some more and finished the job.  I was going to get the car professionally wrapped, but in the end decided to have a go myself with individual stripes.  Very pleased with the result and all done for a lot less money.

Was going to stripe the sills and maybe get a 'Martini' logo made up for the bonnet, but I think it was going to look too busy, so won't bother for now.

Also I sprayed inside the nosecone where the grill mounts.  Looks much better now.