Two minor problems at the rear of the car were fixed next. Firstly, the rear suspension developed a slight creaking noise, mainly at slow speeds, or when getting in and out of the car. The noise was caused by the rear springs bowing slightly when compressed and rubbing on the shock absorber bodies. Robin, another Xtreme builder that I've been in regular contact with, has had the same problem with his rear suspension and told me the cure. I had to take off the rear bodywork, remove the shock absorber and spring assemblies and slightly reprofile the top spring mounting collars on the shock absorbers, so that the springs stayed parallel to the shock absorber bodies over their entire travel. Luckily, I was able to do this with the springs still in place, as I don't have any spring compressors to remove them.
The second problem was a slight fuel leak from the filler cap, especially when tackling S-bends or roundabouts at speed. The donor's fuel filler neck was slightly damaged on the seat for the filler cap, allowing fuel to pass the cap's rubber seal. I should have noticed this when dismantling the donor car! Rather than just getting another neck from a scrapyard, I treated the car to a flush-fitting, lockable, aero-style alloy filler cap from those nice chaps at Merlin Motorsport. As the rear tub was already off to allow access to the suspension, it was very easy to fit. The new cap and filler hose have no provision for a breather, so I blocked off the larger of the 2 breather outlets on the tank using a short length of hydraulic hose, an aluminium blanking plug and two hose clips. The smaller outlet on the tank is now the only breather. I used the original small breather hose from the Sierra on this outlet, routed it to the highest point I could on the chassis above the fuel tank, then connected it to an in-line, non-return breather valve. This valve is mounted vertically and held in place with a P clip pop-rivetted to the chassis. The new cap doesn't leak and looks at least 10 times better than the original Sierra item!
With the rear bodywork back on, I made a pair of drain tubes for the U-shaped channel between the edge of the boot aperture and the lip that the boot lid seal sits on, as this area always fills up with water whenever it rains, or when the car is washed. I bought a couple of bicycle inner tubes fitted with chromed, brass, fully-threaded Presta valves. The valves were removed from the tubes and the valve innards were drilled out. After drilling a hole in the left and right side of the boot channel, the valve bodies were inserted from above, with the valves' original nuts and washers below to hold them in place. Two gaskets were cut from the now ruined inner tubes and fitted between the washers and the bodywork, to stop any leaks into the boot. Some leftover new fuel hose was fitted over the valve bodies, routed and secured down the inside of the boot and passed out through two holes and grommets in the bottom of the boot, to let the water drain out onto the ground. I've washed the car several times since fitting these drain tubes and they've worked well.
There's a useful shelf at the front of the boot, which I've used to mount a fire extinguisher, a set of spare bulbs and fuses, a chubby screwdriver to remove the the bonnet with and a bottle of lead replacement/octane booster. There's still some room left on the shelf, which will probably be used to hold a torch, or perhaps a mobile phone. The bottom of the boot now has a thick rubber mat and there's enough room inside the boot to hold the soft top, the sidescreens, a small scissor jack, a wheel brace, a tool roll, my camera, a large umbrella and a medium sized sandwich box!
I managed to work out a way of securing the spare wheel, number plate and lamp. Two lengths of 12mm diameter stainless-steel studding are bolted to the rear of the rear tub (108 mm apart), using stainless washers and nuts on the outside. The external lengths of studding are long enough to just stand proud of the spare wheel when it is mounted. On the inside (in the boot) is a 2 foot length of the slotted channel (with rubber sheet bonded on the load surface) to spread the load on the fibreglass, which is secured with more stainless nylocs and washers. The centres of the outer ends of the studding are drilled and tapped with a 5mm thread. The spare wheel is fitted over the studding and held in place by 2 more stainless 12mm nylocs and washers. The nuts are then tightened up to effectively "sandwich" the rear bodywork between the spare tyre and the rubber-faced Uni-strut. With the spare wheel secured, an aluminium plate that carries the number plate light is secured by 5mm machine screws screwed into the end of the studding. The number plate is then held to the aluminium plate by self-adhesive Velcro, leaving no visible fixings.
I've had a custom-made car cover for several weeks, but haven't photographed it until now. My very kind and clever neighbour Dee (Rod's wife) made it for me. I had previously asked Rod where he bought the cover for his immaculate TR6. When he told me that Dee had made it, I thought no more about it until two weeks later, when a new cover magically appeared for the Quantum! Dee made it by sewing together offcuts of hot air balloon material, obtained from the world famous Cameron Balloons factory in Bristol. Dee then cut out and stitched on the letters to form the word Quantum. Smart isn't it! The material is ideal for an indoor car cover as it's heavy enough not to blow away in the slightest draught, but light and soft enough not to mark or scratch the gelcoat. It must also "breathe" as well, as there's no problem with sweating or condensation. The cover helps enormously in keeping the car clean and shiny by keeping dust, cobwebs, fly droppings etcetera off the bodywork. It's surprising how dusty the garage is, even with the doors and windows kept shut. I'm also aware of the fading effect of sunlight on gelcoat, especially red. By keeping the car covered when not in use (my garage has a transparent roof panel) and with regular cleaning, polishing and waxing of the bodywork, I intend to keep my car looking good for as long as possible.
The new filler cap from Merlin Motorsport.
The new filler cap from Merlin Motorsport.
A nearly-full boot. With careful loading, it will hold the sidescreens, the soft top, a small scissor jack, a wheel brace, a tool roll, a large umbrella, an SLR camera case, my build diary photograph album, a lunch box, a vacuum flask, a waterproof coat and hat, a fire extinguisher, spare bulbs, fuses, points and condenser, a bottle of lead replacement/octane booster, a notepad and pen and a torch!
The spare wheel, number plate and light fitted.
My very effective custom-made car cover. Thanks Dee!