http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/ My online build diary of an AC Cobra replica kit car, a Pilgrim Sumo en-gb Fri, 15 Jun 2007 23:53:00 GMT http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss paul@sumobuild.co.uk http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/images/sb_rss_logo2.jpg http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/ 106 60 http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter25.htm As you can probably tell I've really struggled this year to give the car my full attention. Actually - make that any attention. The next big step in getting the car finished is to get some lovely blue paint smothered all over it so here we are in June and only now have I finally waved it off on a trailer. 15 Jun 2007 23:53 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter24.htm It seems an awfully long time since I wrote anything on this site, and I'm ashamed to see it is 5 months since my last update. To celebrate my return I've decided to give the site a revamp - I hope you like it. Let me bring you up to date with the past few months... 20 Nov 2006 20:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter23.htm The last six weeks have seen a lot of rain, the Stoneleigh kit car show and me requiring a short trip to A&E after an accident in the garage. Despite all of this the car is almost ready for painting now, just need to get it booked in! 05 Jun 2006 21:10 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter22.htm The past 3 weeks have seen a fair bit of progress on the car. Good thing too, Saturday just gone was the sunniest and warmest it's been for a while and reminded me how nice it's going to be driving around in an open top motor. I just need to get it off the axle stands and on the road 25 Apr 2006 23:15 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter21.htm I have just been reminded that the diary is lagging behind a bit (thanks Tony!) and I am shocked and frankly embarrassed at how long it's been since the last entry. So what has been accomplished you ask since the beginning of February? Well so far I've managed to sell our house and buy another, go for several job interviews and on the side, fitted some roll hoops (and some other bits) to the cobra. 31 Mar 2006 22:30 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter20.htm . The past month has been a veritable hive of activity in the garage as I'm pressing on to get the car ready for summer. First up was tackling the doors again... 09 Feb 2006 23:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter19.htm Season's greetings to you all, hope you had a good christmas! I managed to coax my wife out to the garage to lend a hand lifting the body onto the chassis. Dropping the body on was straight forward, just lift it over the top and lower into place. 28 Dec 2005 23:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter18.htm The past 7 weeks have been mostly filled with weekends away doing other stuff apart from being in the garage. However, even Sir Ranulph Fiennes would have second thoughts about venturing into the oversized freezer my car now lives in. 23 Nov 2005 19:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter17.htm Well, summer is over and the familiar feel of a cold, dark garage has returned. All the marital goings on have meant the car has sat somewhat lonely and unloved for the best part of 6 weeks, but I really am determined to finish this car!! 02 Oct 2005 12:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter16.htm This week marks the start of the next phase of the build - the arrival of the body. A year of hard mechanical graft has finally given way to making this thing actually look like a cobra. 02 Aug 2005 18:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter15.htm Yes, the big news this week is I have a roaring V8 officially tried and tested in my car. Still sends a shiver down my spine thinking about it! 13 Jul 2005 00:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter14.htm Ooo it's so close to firing it's frustrating! I really thought this weekend would be the one to have the V8 rumble into life. Sadly it was not to be. 03 Jul 2005 00:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter13.htm Now the engine is in, it's time to start connecting it up to hear it run for the first time. This involves bolting on the alternator and carb, connecting the battery, wiring the ignition together, plumbing in the radiator and running the fuel lines. 16 Jun 2005 00:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter12.htm It's finally here! The beast has a heart! Spent a very exciting weekend fitting the biggest part to the car - a very shiny 3.5l Rover V8. 22 May 2005 00:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter11.htm Christmas sort of turned into January (too cold for sitting in an unheated garage) which sort of turned into fitting a new kitchen and organising the wedding for most of Feburary and March and now bugger me it's April! 04 Apr 2005 00:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter10.htm Lots of things gone on the car over the last 3 weeks, unfortunately lots of things going on elsewhere too so I haven't had time to write anything about it. After bolting the rear end together I decided to make a concerted effort to sort the front out. 07 Dec 2004 00:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter9.htm It really is a small world. Seriously. There are closet car builders hiding everywhere. It's a bit like Fight Club, you can't talk about fight club, but the bruised knuckles (oily fingers in my case) allow a knowing nod to pass between strangers... 17 Nov 2004 00:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter8.htm With a list of jobs a mile long, you're probably wondering whether it turned out to be a productive weekend of hard mechanical graft or a dull paint-and- polyurethane-fest. Fortunately for everyone, the former turned out to be the case. 02 Nov 2004 00:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter7.htm Nearly three weeks has passed since the chassis arrived and progress has been a mixed bag of fortune. I haven't got round to the reassembly of the rear brakes, the lure of working on the chassis was too great. I started on what I considered the first proper job of the build - mounting the front suspension. 17 Oct 2004 00:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter6.htm Now it begins in earnest! The chassis was finally delivered last night along with the rest of the starter pack. It's much like Christmas with boxes everywhere and each containing a shiny new toy to play with. I can't wait to start assembling it! 29 Sep 2004 00:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter5.htm In comparison to my last entry, life has quietened down no end. Work has been kind of slow over the past couple of weeks too, so I've taken the opportunity to slope off early and head down to the garage to tackle the rest of the donor bits. 14 Sep 2004 00:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter4.htm "I'm sorry sir, but I'm afraid someone has broken into your car". An otherwise uneventful week turned decidely sour on Wednesday. On a happier note Penny from Pilgrim had called to say that my donor bits were ready for collection. 30 Aug 2004 00:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter3.htm Holy ?@#% the first wallet bashing has occured! After re-checking the budget (cue sucking of teeth and visions of a bread and water diet for the next 12 months) I phoned Pilgrim and placed an order for the starter pack. 19 Aug 2004 00:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter2.htm The big news is that today I went to visit the Pilgrim factory and had a look at the cars in the flesh (or should that be fibreglass?) 07 Aug 2004 00:00 GMT http://www.sumobuild.co.uk/chapter1.htm The search for a donor begins and I've got to find a garage to build this thing! 06 Jul 2004 00:00 GMT