Hi there,
Just started a new project, it's a Reliant Kitten with a kawasaki ZX10 engine. I know it's been done recently but I love the idea too much and when I got an engine with all the ancillaries for 160 notes I couldn't turn it down!. It's the first "major" project that I've done so I though it would be a good idea to do a build diary to keep me motivated on the cold, dark evenings!
I picked up the engine a couple of weeks ago from near manchester (I'm near brighton) and took it back in the boot of a metro, the handeling was interesting with the hydrospastic suspension lifting the front right up in the air! Then last weekend I got the car, It fitted nicely in the back of a van!
Getting it in was fine, the guy I got it from had a set of dolly wheels to replace the rear axel that was missing so we just roolled it straight in only took 10 mins! Getting it out was a bit more sketchy ..... No rear wheels and only three of us to lift! In the end we had an engine crane on the tow bar and a massive jack propped up on some doggey bits of wood under the front and drove the van out from under it!
So this weekend I've taken the body off the chassi,
I was dreding this bit after reading how long it had taken a couple of people, with horror stories about every single bolt being rusted on solid but my one was a piece of cake Only four rusty bolts which snapped off and the rest just need a little tweek with the ratchet and then they just came off by hand!
After that came the easyest engine removal in history! Four bolts and then just lift it off by myself!
The chassis's really nice and clean, just surface rust and it's all nice and square! Got out there last night and started taking the rust off with an angle grinder and some hard core rust removing chemicals, then gave the bits I've done a coat of red oxide.
Just started a new project, it's a Reliant Kitten with a kawasaki ZX10 engine. I know it's been done recently but I love the idea too much and when I got an engine with all the ancillaries for 160 notes I couldn't turn it down!. It's the first "major" project that I've done so I though it would be a good idea to do a build diary to keep me motivated on the cold, dark evenings!
I picked up the engine a couple of weeks ago from near manchester (I'm near brighton) and took it back in the boot of a metro, the handeling was interesting with the hydrospastic suspension lifting the front right up in the air! Then last weekend I got the car, It fitted nicely in the back of a van!
Getting it in was fine, the guy I got it from had a set of dolly wheels to replace the rear axel that was missing so we just roolled it straight in only took 10 mins! Getting it out was a bit more sketchy ..... No rear wheels and only three of us to lift! In the end we had an engine crane on the tow bar and a massive jack propped up on some doggey bits of wood under the front and drove the van out from under it!
So this weekend I've taken the body off the chassi,
I was dreding this bit after reading how long it had taken a couple of people, with horror stories about every single bolt being rusted on solid but my one was a piece of cake Only four rusty bolts which snapped off and the rest just need a little tweek with the ratchet and then they just came off by hand!
After that came the easyest engine removal in history! Four bolts and then just lift it off by myself!
The chassis's really nice and clean, just surface rust and it's all nice and square! Got out there last night and started taking the rust off with an angle grinder and some hard core rust removing chemicals, then gave the bits I've done a coat of red oxide.