This being the first posting of 2011, I would like to first take the opportunity to wish everyone following this blog a happy and prosperous new year.
Installation and fitting of the cockpit panels has been the most challenging so far, so it’s refreshing to think these are the last panels which require fitting prior to the body being fitted.
The splash panels (lower outer, upper outer and transmission filler) have never been fitted or offered up to the frame, unlike the two large cockpit floors and rear firewall which were positioned when the kit exits the factory. The splash panels are a little like jigsaw pieces, however after offering up each panel there is a natural order to how these should be installed.
Interestingly mk3build.com and the Factory Five manual conflict with regard to panel overlap and at this time please don’t take the pictures as an accurate installation as some panels are only shown as a rough orientation to their final position. Later posts will define what I find to be the best orientation.
The initial installation procedure would be to start with both cockpit floors, followed by the panels which cover the X bracing under each door, followed by the rear firewall. The rear firewall may require centering as the temporary positioning at the factory does not necessarily mean this panel is centered.
It will probably take another 10 to 12 hours to finish the final fitting of all the cockpit panels and transmission tunnel cover which will be installed as a removable cover to facilitate maintenance and access to the rear wiring harness.
Tip of the day: Thinking ahead I intend to use bezels were the seatbelt feeds through the firewall, because of this rivet holes were excluded from these areas as the bezels would not fit flush to the firewall due to interference with the rivet heads (see picture).
Build sequence and construction of the car is very much personal choice, hence no two cars are ever the same. This theory very much applies to the fitting and mounting of the cockpit panels. You may recall from an earlier post I was in a dilemma over panel overlap.
Ultimately this became self-evident when the decision was made to make the transmission cover removable as this started to determine other panel overlap. Couple this with the fact that the complete cockpit area will first be covered with thermal and sound deadening material before being carpeted means that any panel seams will be covered. Areas which are visible include the outer splash panel areas in the wheel wells, thus I decided that these should have the cleaner look by having all mounting tabs overlapping in the cockpit.
It needs stressing again that care must be taken to center the rear cockpit wall, I am less than ¼” off center but the difference was enough that adjustments had to be made to every filler panel.
The order of the photos show, completed cockpit, inner splash panel (transmission drive shaft filler), outer splash panels (cockpit), outer splash panels (wheel well).
