May 2008:
Once again, the winter virtually eliminated any quality work on the car. Michigan (the land of snow) had a record snowfall, so you can imagine how difficult it would be to do any work outside. I was able to manage a little work on the new fascia and gauges. I will post pictures of both in the next month or so, but they are coming along nicely. The fiberglass fascia pieces will fit in place of the stock wood panels, but have a more curved, modern look. The speedometer and tach are out of the gauge pod from the original 240sx the engine came out of. They have been modified to fit in the pods the Spitfire gauges came in to give them a more retro feel.

Once the snow finally melted I was able to start work on the car itself again. I had a hell of a time getting the exhaust to work like I wanted, and had to change my plans. The log-style manifold originally designed for the car was scrapped for a pre-made turbo style manifold. I know it is not ideal for a naturally aspirated car, but I figure the engine is too much for the car as is. Not to mention the fact that I plan to turbo the engine once everything else is sorted out and the rest of the car is upgraded to match the power. The exhaust is now getting routed under the car right behind the driver side wheel and out to a side pipe. The side pipe is now installed, and the exhaust connecting the pipe to the manifold is tacked together. It just needs to be welded to make it complete.

I have also been able to put on the doors, the door handles, the front bumper and most of the lights. It's beginning to look like a real car. The headlights are old stock laying around from other Triumph projects over the years. They are just filling in the holes until I upgrade once the car is driving around at night. The taillights and license plate lights have all been converted over to LED for brightness, longevity and the custom look. The only thing left are the front turn signals. The side markers will eventually be filled in for a smoother look on the fenders.As you can also see, I installed all the wheel adapters. The wheels have all been changed out to Honda wheels I had laying around. They are 15 inch. The two tires on the driver side are new Dunlop Direzza DZ 101's size 205-50-15. I like this size for the moment.