Still moving very slowly, but going forwards still, I decided to fit the distributor
properly. This took ages due to the difficulty getting it lined up with the oil pump drive underneath. Still, eventually
it was there. I did some static timing (I had to stop and remember how you do this, it's been so long!) and worked
out where to put the plug leads. This is non-trivial as the V8 has a rather interesting firing order. I wrote on
the distributor cap to try and make it easier to remember where the leads go.
Now I need a coil and a ballast resistor. I was planning on using the original coil but that seems to be spoiling the ship for the proverbial half pence so I think I'll try and get a shiny one this week. The only problem is where the hell the coil is going to go, it's getting pretty crowded in there.
I have finally managed to get the bolts that I need to finish attaching the water pump. (They had sheared off in the original block.) This means that everything at the front of the engine is now actually attached properly, meaning that I'm one step closer to being able to start the engine.
I spent a while today ordering things, such as a coil. I looked into it and found the parts I needed in the Real Steel catalogue. With luck I'll be able to get all this in place this coming weekend.
A bunch of stuff arrived in the post today, including an exceptionally shiny
coil and the associated ballast resistor. The problem is, the coil is a bit difficult to fit and after much deliberation
I decided that yet another bit of stuff welded to the chassis was the best way to do it. So, I cut and welded this
lump of steel to the chassis, after having moved the horn compressor to the back of the bracket I'd previously
added for the oil filter housing.
The reason for the curious slot in the bracket is to allow for the top hose connection for the radiator. It doesn't really need to be this big when the radiator's in, but it needs to be bigger for the process of getting it in, which is all a bit tight.
Hopefully tomorrow, when it's all dried and sorted, I'll be able to mount the coil and resistor.
This business about taking things apart all the time is part of the decision to try and do it all as neatly as possible, or at least nearly as neatly as possible. However, it makes progress rather slow on occasion.
It's taken me ages to get around to writing about it, but I did manage to get the rest
of the ignition system in place and wired up. I ran an extra wire from the starter solenoid to the coil so as to
provide a ballast resistor bypass during starting. I also connected the tacho feed in. The only problem I can see
is that the lead from the coil to the distributor cap is a bit long and pokes up a long way. I might have to find
a way of shortening it.
in case you've got to this frame directly and can't get out, go here.