The Final Stages

The front tub The front tub moulding is attached to the main tub using four bolts into the main tub and a single bolt and spacer to the front subframe drop bar. The apertures for the spot lights and indicators have yet to be cut out.

The rear tub The rear tub moulding provides the boot and rear bumper. It is attached to the main tub using four bolts. A bracket bolted to the rear subframe supports the floor of the rear moulding and is held secure by another two bolts. The two square apertures are for the Peugeot 205 rear lamp clusters. This picture also shows the two watertight boat hatches fitted to the main tub.

The bonnet in place Part of the bonnet is double skinned to provide stiffness and to locate the captive bolts for the hinges. The bonnet is hinged from the main tub. In addition to the main lock, a secondary safety catch is fitted to prevent the bonnet from flying open while driving.

The boot in place The boot lid is partly double skinned like the bonnet and hinges from the main tub.

The fitted out front tub The spot lights and indicators are from a Ford Sierra. A black plastic mesh was fitted to the openings low down on the moulding.

The radiator mounted in the front tub The Metro radiator is mounted in the front tub. Air is drawn in by the openings in low down on the front of the moulding. Air is prevented from escaping round the sides of the radiator by aluminium blanking plates.

The towing eye - I hope I'll never need it This picture clearly shows the GTM supplied drop bar fitted to the front subframe. This is necessary to clear the front tub moulding. A towing eye was fitted to the front subframe drop bar. Tiebars were fitted between the subframe mounting bolts and the drop bar.

The engine mounted behind the cockpit This is the 998cc A+ Series engine after cleaning up and painting with red lacquer. As the engine had only done around 20,000 miles, a simple decoke of the valves was all the attention the engine needed. No performance modifications were carried out. The engine steady bars at either end of the engine are from an Allegro.

The fully assembled engine The engine bay starts to become congested once all of the plumbing and ancillary items are fitted. The alloy inlet manifold is from a MG Metro, chosen as much for the fact it helps the SU carburrettor dashpot clear the engine compartment lid as its airflow. The standard cast iron Mini exhaust manifold was modified by cutting off the inlet manifold to leave just the exhaust pipes. A "J" shaped downpipe connects up to the silencer mounted on rubber bobbins to the subframe. The entire exhaust system is lagged in glassfibre tissue and aluminium foil to retain heat in the pipes and reduce the engine bay temperature.

The exhaust heat shielding Even with the lagging applied to the exhaust system, the engine bay was very warm. The worst affected area was the boot moulding which sat on above the silencer on the metal bracket seen next to the silencer. The boot floor would become too hot to touch after even moderate journeys. A stainless steel heat shield was fitted in close proximity to the silencer which has improved things considerably. A large aluminium heat shield has since been fitted to the exhaust manifold to reduce the temperature of the carburrettor, air filter and the vertical surface of the boot moulding.

The wiring loom A wiring loom was supplied with the kit, however the various changes I had made to the car required extensive rewiring and as a result, the size of the loom increased by about 50%. Much of the loom is concentrated around the dashboard. Bulkhead mounted connectors are used for the front and rear tub mouldings.

The dashboard hides everything Fortunately, the wiring loom is hidden by the dashboard moulding. The instrument pod came from a Mk1 Metro and the three gauges in the centre are mounted on a painted steel plate. This setup was not ideal, however - the speedometer and tachometer were partly obscured by the steering wheel and problems with the 12 foot long speedometer cable have since led me to replace the Metro instruments with aftermarket VDO instruments. The new speedometer uses an electronic sensor attached to the gearbox, allowing me to dispose of the long cable.

Send E-Mail to the Webmaster: webmasterATijohnson.demon.co.uk (please replace the AT with @)


	The front tub	The front tub moulding is attached to the main tub using four bolts into the main tub and a single bolt and spacer to the front subframe drop bar. The apertures for the spot lights and indicators have yet to be cut out.
	The rear tub	The rear tub moulding provides the boot and rear bumper. It is attached to the main tub using four bolts. A bracket bolted to the rear subframe supports the floor of the rear moulding and is held secure by another two bolts. The two square apertures are for the Peugeot 205 rear lamp clusters. This picture also shows the two watertight boat hatches fitted to the main tub.
	The bonnet in place	Part of the bonnet is double skinned to provide stiffness and to locate the captive bolts for the hinges. The bonnet is hinged from the main tub. In addition to the main lock, a secondary safety catch is fitted to prevent the bonnet from flying open while driving.
	The boot in place	The boot lid is partly double skinned like the bonnet and hinges from the main tub.
	The fitted out front tub	The spot lights and indicators are from a Ford Sierra. A black plastic mesh was fitted to the openings low down on the moulding.
	The radiator mounted in the front tub	The Metro radiator is mounted in the front tub. Air is drawn in by the openings in low down on the front of the moulding. Air is prevented from escaping round the sides of the radiator by aluminium blanking plates.
	The towing eye - I hope I'll never need it	This picture clearly shows the GTM supplied drop bar fitted to the front subframe. This is necessary to clear the front tub moulding. A towing eye was fitted to the front subframe drop bar. Tiebars were fitted between the subframe mounting bolts and the drop bar.
	The engine mounted behind the cockpit	This is the 998cc A+ Series engine after cleaning up and painting with red lacquer. As the engine had only done around 20,000 miles, a simple decoke of the valves was all the attention the engine needed. No performance modifications were carried out. The engine steady bars at either end of the engine are from an Allegro.
	The fully assembled engine	The engine bay starts to become congested once all of the plumbing and ancillary items are fitted. The alloy inlet manifold is from a MG Metro, chosen as much for the fact it helps the SU carburrettor dashpot clear the engine compartment lid as its airflow. The standard cast iron Mini exhaust manifold was modified by cutting off the inlet manifold to leave just the exhaust pipes. A "J" shaped downpipe connects up to the silencer mounted on rubber bobbins to the subframe. The entire exhaust system is lagged in glassfibre tissue and aluminium foil to retain heat in the pipes and reduce the engine bay temperature.
	The exhaust heat shielding	Even with the lagging applied to the exhaust system, the engine bay was very warm. The worst affected area was the boot moulding which sat on above the silencer on the metal bracket seen next to the silencer. The boot floor would become too hot to touch after even moderate journeys. A stainless steel heat shield was fitted in close proximity to the silencer which has improved things considerably. A large aluminium heat shield has since been fitted to the exhaust manifold to reduce the temperature of the carburrettor, air filter and the vertical surface of the boot moulding.
	The wiring loom	A wiring loom was supplied with the kit, however the various changes I had made to the car required extensive rewiring and as a result, the size of the loom increased by about 50%. Much of the loom is concentrated around the dashboard. Bulkhead mounted connectors are used for the front and rear tub mouldings.
	The dashboard hides everything	Fortunately, the wiring loom is hidden by the dashboard moulding. The instrument pod came from a Mk1 Metro and the three gauges in the centre are mounted on a painted steel plate. This setup was not ideal, however - the speedometer and tachometer were partly obscured by the steering wheel and problems with the 12 foot long speedometer cable have since led me to replace the Metro instruments with aftermarket VDO instruments. The new speedometer uses an electronic sensor attached to the gearbox, allowing me to dispose of the long cable.

Rossa Mk2 Build Up - The Final Stages