Hmmm, maybe "of the week" is somewhat optimistic, going on past progress! ;-) So I present Tool of the Month:
Yes, the de-burring tool, used to (wait for it) remove burrs. In common with many tools using it is an acquired skill, and I should have achieved an acceptable level of competence in another 2-3 builds time. ;-)
Having got the marked out floor panel back to the CMF, it was cut out using a jigsaw and the rough edges filed until smooth.
Then is was loaded onto the CTV (now the Component Transfer Vehicle), and delivered to the VAB where it was clamped to the Rocket chassis.
The next step is to buy a compressor and some air tools to do the drilling and riveting.
The search for a suitable donor vechile is also underway but contary to everybodies belief, a 1.6 Category D Focus is not that easy to find.
After my accident when I was attacked by the front hub (who left that hanging from the roof?) and saw stars for a few days, I finally remebered that I am supposed to be writing a blog.
So, where were we?
Having painted the front hubs and finished building the suspension units we decided the chassis would be easier to work on if it was raised up a couple of feet. A hunt round the garage, or CMF (Component Manufacturing Facility) produced a lot of old wood and a frame was fairly quickly built. Continuing our NASA analogy it was named "The Crawler" and casters added to make it movable.
Then it was mounted on the CTV (Crawler Transportation Vehicle) 
and taken to the VAB.
Before the Rocket could be positioned, the floor panel had to be marked out ready for cutting back at the CMF.
Here we see an engineer skillfully marking the panel..
Hi all/both,
this week's theme is "parts that stop the wheels from falling off". First up we have a sample of the completed suspension bushes. Cliff may need to re-mount his vice, but otherwise I think everyone got through the whole lot unscathed. If only we could say the same for the next step!
Here is one of the uprights dad was cleaning in the last update, after brushing and Hammerite-ing (other direct-to-rust paints are available). It's just hanging around drying off, out of the way... or so we thought! If you look closely you might spot traces of blood on it! Yes, dad has managed to get run over already, and we barely have any parts together yet!
Hopefully he'll be along soon with another exciting update, assuming that he's stopped seeing stars!
I thought I'd better clean the front uprights and steering rack. These are some of the second hand, or "classic" as we prefer to call them, parts used in the build.
Next the uprights will be wire brushed and painted and the rack relubricated and fitted with new gaitors and track-rod ends.
Most of today was spent in Cliff's garage/workshop, cleaning up the wishbones & bushes. As you can see from the picture, we got as far as popping one set together!
:-)
I'll admit there was a bit of workshop envy going on (so much space... and he has his own lathe!). :) Back again tomorrow, unless the predicted snow is bad enough to trap us all indoors. In which case we'll probably be online for a race (or as I like to think, practice!).
:-)
On Saturday we did some "research" in B&Q, then went to the VAB to wrap some protection around the chassis. Should be enough to keep it safe from getting scratched by our clumsiness! We also picked up the wishbones, which I have brought back to Sheffield to prepare. Dad took the used parts (front uprights and steering rack) to clean up, he's also going to be cleaning some of his tools (hopefully he will post with some exciting toolbox pictures!).
:-)
Cliff (necessary plug) popped round tonight to drop off some tools he thinks we'll find useful. All a bit technical for me at the moment, but I believe a deburring tool is used to remove burrs. Who'd have thought?
:-)
The necessary picture is of the one bit of the kit I brought back to Sheffield: the instrument panel, or as I like to call it, the dashboard. It had a manual, so seemed like a gentle introduction for me. I've set the clock (progress!), and am now wondering if I could install the temperature sensor in my shower hose...
As you can see Tom is ready to drive away but has yet to source a steering wheel. 
Hi all (or possibly both). ;-) We had intended to start this blog earlier, maybe even with a vote on car colours, but "pink" was mentioned too many times! And then we kept forgetting to take a camera when clearing out the garage, so I'm afraid you'll never see the tangle-weed growing from the roof or the new breeds of spider we discovered! Anyway, the blog starts here:
We went and picked up the kit from MEV on Saturday, and brought it to our very own VAB in St. Annes. As you can see from the picture the driveway was a bit of a squeeze! Then it was back on Sunday for a quick inventory - all present and accounted for. Looks like I'll be stuck in Sheffield for a few weekends over Easter, so time to do some reading and planning.
