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A New Zealander living in Japan - a Professor at Faculty of Design Diverse BLOGS from custom car building to Contemporary Modern Dance

Wheels….and things…

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Monday 8th May, 2017

This has been a very busy past month in the McGregor Workshop and I am certainly one to applaud the progress and take a wheel earned Beer Break

It’s great to have food for thought as all builds hit stumbling blocks which require change in directions that put the build back on track and thankfully Scott has the clear thinking and ability to stand back and find simple but effective solutions. Hubs, studs, spaces and offset all needed to be considered. But it has been solved and wheels and brakes and being attached.

We found a muffler that will work with the system and the radiator core arrived so Scott is really busy making with progress being made significantly this month.

Cool things are beginning to appear, the Fuse and ECU holder plus a little “bling” in an oil filler cap.


Life Changes

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1st April, 2017

This is not really about changes to the build but to my life. I recently turned 65 years old and this is the mandatory age of retirement for professors in Japanese National Universities. So, duly or dutifully I went to my retirement ceremony and then left my keys and walked out of 12 years of being employed at a National Japanese University. Were there moments of concern on my drive home, not one that would detract from the next chapter in my life? However, this may well have been influenced that I was driving my 1986 Porsche Wide Body RUF Non-Turbo home. So cars once again, will gain for more attention as I allow the month of April to settle into this new chapter.

 

Fish’n’Chips + Beer

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Wednesday 1st March, 2017

In New Zealand nothing really compares to a good feed of Fish’n’Chips with beer to fuel the car build. Scott’s project this evening over dinner [fish’n’chips+beer] was to complete the brake lines which by all accounts was a very successful evening….well done McGregor Motorsport 2017!


Back together

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Monday 27th February, 2017

Once the welding was finished it was time to check all the components and begin to re-build the car. Scott has wisely decided after discussions about the build plan to assemble the entire car for testing to complete satisfaction before taking it all apart for painting, powder coating then assembly. I am still looking at door design and overall wet weather options…a nice project indeed.


Thursday 23 February, 2017

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WELDING

I have just arrived in New Zealand, caught with my Beach House yearly visit which was great. Now I am just counting the days until I am once again at McGregor Motorsport with Scott on the build progress. However progress is great with Mark doing the final welds on the chassis…then it’s back over and on its legs once again.

Saturday 4 February, 2017

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Fabrication

The final parts arrived from Speed Science and fitted so time to pull out the motor and gearbox.

Scott is really organized, parts are always clearly stored and not stuffed into boxes and dark places…

It was great to see the motor and gearbox out of the car which allows the belly pan to be fabricated.


Friday 13 January, 2017

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A wet Friday in Japan

Editing the blog is my connection to the build, after each phone call to Scott the mind starts to kick into gear and ideas flow quickly. I was just looking at my four days in Christchurch at McGregor Motorsport and thinking how fortunate one is to be able to have such a project.

I certainly miss the hands on, the sounds so familiar in a workshop, the banter between friends, problems that arise and solutions that resolve them. The sparkle of enthusiasm, the smiles, a sense of accomplishment, all combine to make this so worthwhile. The next few weeks will be very busy with so many small tasks suddenly transforming the build. Our goal is to have a “mock-up” ready for when I am back in New Zealand. This will be the time to start the engine for the first time, a great moment.

So, at my desk a quick edit of my last day in the workshop in December…roll on March 2017!

Sunday 18 December, 2016

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Cardboard Box to Gas Tank

It just takes a fresh set of eyes, open communication that often solves problems. The gas tank was problematic, caused by the entire new chassis with the incorporated roll cage. A quick sketch over morning coffee I showed Scott my thoughts which he was thinking exactly the same concept. So off to the local home centre, buy a cardboard box, and back to the workshop. I never imagined that the box would fit perfectly between the rear roll cage bars, love to say I did! So quick measurements, rapid cutting and tape applied we had a pretty cool mock-up. The tank was also 39 litres which was another bonus along with two very large spaces for assorted luggage space.


Friday 16 December, 2016

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McGregor Workshop

It was great to be met by Scott at the airport then head off on our “to do list” of sub-contractors. I really wanted to use the same people as my first build, staying with them ensured the high quality and continued friendships. The upholstery of a Lotus 7 is always a challenge and given my 30,000km’s of driving I had several major changes that I needed to be made. Brendon Marshall of Canterbury Upholstery was fully on-board with the new changes and certainly enjoys such projects. The plan is to leave the car for a week; this will depend upon the door options. I looked at several cloth samples and settled upon a deep charcoal flat cloth that will add to the new look design.

 

Paint, Wayne is again the painter and now works at UPPER CLASSICS in Christchurch. We were extremely lucky that when we came to look at the paint sample Wayne gave us a tour of the numerous departments of classic car restorations – very jaw dropping seeing the quality of their work and vast array of vehicles in all stages of restoration. The color is exactly what I wanted; the depth is perfect and reacts to sunlight as designed.

http://www.upperclassics.com/

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