Fettling the Body

Bled the clutch today - it is possible from underneath, as I had hoped, but it isn't easy. The hardest part was fitting the flexible pipe. I didn't want to do it beforehand in case it got damaged in the engine install, but in retrospect it is best to do it first - it is so tight in there it is nearly impossible to get the bolt in - definitely use the Westfield-supplied bolt as it is shorter than the OEM Honda part, and therefore easier to get in. As other builders have mentioned, be careful about the bolts used for the banjo fittings - the longest one (along with thicker copper washers, if you have them) is for the master, and the shorter one is for the slave. They have different threads and you will strip them if you mix them up. You have been warned.

I also bled the brakes while I was at it, but will need more tomorrow, I did the old FART trick overnight to see if that helps. My Mini is parked underneath, so I hope there are no leaks!  I used my trusty Mityvac to bleed the brakes - so much easier than roping in an unwilling spouse.

Picked up some M5x20 bolts and nylock nuts for the handbrake cables - seems to be the easiest way of connecting them, as any cotter pins that would fit would be very thin.

Did some body fettling so I could get the rear on, but it needs more adjusting. I think it is feasible to fit the panels together on the car, rather than assembling them off the car then trying to fit them that way. It actually looks like a car. Doing the cutout in the scuttle for the steering column was a breeze with a grinding attachment on my cordless drill.

By the way, on a LHD car there is no issue with clearance for the steering column with the alternator, so the fact that I had not put the spacer on the lower steering column mount seems to be a non-issue, thankfully. I did test the seating position while I was bleeding the brakes and the steering wheel feels too far away - that will be easy to rectify when I modify the column for the quick-release hub, which should add at least an inch by my estimation.