Driveshafts and Visitors

Today I left the house carrying a trolley full of tools and parts plus the driller's case under the arm. I hopped to have everything I could need for the session.

First task was to bolt the front diff support to the chassis. Couldn't do it alone, need someone else to hold the bolt in place... Then looked into the bolts that hold the prop on the diff. Don't have an Allen key big enough for them... It will have to wait until I go shopping again.

Moved to the rear. Before drilling holes to bolt the upper diff support on the chassis, I want to have the driveshafts in place, to be sure where the diff needs to sit. Opened the CV boot box and looked into it: the rubber boot, two straps and a CV grease packet. Seemed easy enough.

Turned the CV inside out, slid it into place, applied the 1st strap, repeat on the other side. Then slide the shaft inside one of the CV joints (Steve from Aries sent them already with bearings inside and greased) and put the circlip on the tip of the shaft, to keep it in place. Steve had packed all four circlips in a small bag, tapped to one of the shafts; can't miss it, it's a great help! The circlips didn't have small holes on the tip and seemed to stay stretched after putting them around the shaft. I'm not sure if I got it right, although it looked like it was. Again, repeat on the other side.

On the first shaft, I filled the CV boots with grease and had a really hard time pulling them over the joints. For the second shaft I used a different and easier method. I turned the boot inside out, filled the cup of the joint and then pulled the boot over it. It was easier and cleaner too!

Having it done, it was just a matter of offering it to the diff and upright and bolting it by hand first. Fortunately had an Allen key big enough for those bolts (it was my biggest one). Repeated it all for the other shaft. And now I have propulsion from the engine until the flanges!

On a side note, I had several visitors on the four hours I spent working on the car. Including the wife and kid. Summing all visits, I believe I did not work for around half-hour. One of the visitors was the father of a neighbor, in his 60s. "Oh, your doing a Super Seven!" It was the first time someone actually knew what I am building! And he new about Caterham, about kitcars... I was amazed!

Another visitor scared me a bit. I was facing the wall, fighting the shaft on the joint and the circlip... My back to the garage. Out of nowhere, a man with deep voice greets me. I look over my shoulder and see two police men looking at me. Ends up a neighbor called the station because she saw a strange man going inside the garage and, since we have had 3 robberies in less than two weeks, they came around patrolling inside the garage. What worries me the most is that if the cops managed to sneak on my back and scare me, a robber could sneak and whack me with my big wrench I had left inside the kit... Maybe I should work facing the garage, with my back against the wall. Cornered but aware... ;)

Next time... Drilling holes for diff support, tightening all rear suspension and arms bolts, fitting rear brakes...