More doors stuff

Almost done! Both sides are together and seal perfectly well. Got a pop out window which gives great extraction from the cockpit, like a vacuum cleaner (now has seal)! The doors have a non standard way of fixing the inner weather strip, an inverted flap. After the pics I found some hardtop front seam finishing seal, like doorseal without the seal, just the fixing part that slots over panel seams, this seals thousand times better used a a window weather strip, also holds the window in shape along the base as the 4mm polycarbonate sheet is flexy.

The entire passenger door complete weights 5.9kilos now. Drivers is 250grams heavier. These are light doors, remembering the fact they seal perfectly and are ok road use and daily driving this has to be the best system surely? I could find another 50grams I think but thats it.

I am relieved its worked - as usual with my creations I never plan anything on paper before I do it, I just think then act. When I have pumped in over £550 in raw materials and fixings + up to 100hrs on these doors they simply had to work 100%. Also I now uninterested in backtracking on anything in this project, it has be the end solution and work right first time. Its so easy to throw masses of cash at these things and not do quite what you wanted etc.

Also the doors now fit really really well, the gaps put the fit of the old panels to shame from every angle. I have a few mm's to find in one door at the front bottom corner but its there to sort out. I like things to be right!

The doors are rather flexible without the inner skin, but this caused no issues and the doors close and hold station fine once shut.

Just need to bond the braces in now and paint them. Then I can move onto this bonnet. I will be glad I have put alot of time into these doors and my motivation for them is limited and almost out. I have had the buzz from the extra performance/handling saving over 30kilos gives now I need more.

I think I will firewall the boot soon and stick the battery in there, thats a good shift in weight dist and gives me some bulkhead space.

It pained me to add the door bar as this weighed a bit (3kilos) and hadn't been fitted before, but thats life...I couldn't see 2kilos anywhere to compensate, its bare.

Been so cold the refitted DCOM's seem to want 140mains and 180 correctors, I think its a bit rich at the top though, smells a bit, honks on though its not lean here. Added some octane booster to a tank full of 95 pap the other day saw 6900 in top today, thats calculated @ 111mph...The rev limiter came on.

Since taking so much weight off the rear and so little from the front its really in need of the whole suspension setting up again, its great it handles ok - just crap over rough ground due to the awful suspension - i can't wait for suspension adjustable at all points, rack height change and setup as little bump steer as possible - on the nose. The bonnet is needed to return a balance weight wise, with an 180HP 83 kilo (17lighter than the 1300four pot) K-Series mounted as far back as possible 7" or so (maybe a CDS cage around the flywheel? I want to be walking in old age not hobbing) - the balance will be really sweet, it will be insanely fast. Its pretty quick atm, with much more torque and another 70HP it will be very effective.

Interesting to go back the DCOM after the DCOE, DCOE use shit loads of fuel twice as much, never really that good in traffic. The DCOM has less punch in early acceleration/mid range but the outright WOT power seems the same. The DCOM drives so sweetly in town and on progression, much less work and far more refined. It is however evident that at cruise it runs much leaner on DCOM and has occasions of very minor surging that I cannot seem to cure. This doesn't bother me much, its more the exhaust note goes lumpy with a quiet one you'd barely feel it.

Overall the DCOM is vastly superior in my eyes for road use.





Few pics of the doors. Enough waffling for now!