Busy days again the Fraser factory with a combination of exciting and downright frustrating jobs coming through the shop.
Good news first! Stephen’s 3STGE powered Fraser is coming along nicely. We have come up with a solution to fit a working handbrake and the Wilwood rear calipers, this means that we can fit all the rear suspension for the final time and get the car on the ground for wheel alignment and set up. There is not too much more to do before we can get Scotty the trimmer to come in and work his magic!
We have now completed getting Gary’s 1992 Caterham road legal and it is quietly sitting under a cover awaiting its ride home. We look forward to seeing Gary out and about in it over summer.
Darren’s 1971 Dodge Demon 340 is nearly complete. We have designed, built and fitted an offset brake booster system to increase the stopping power of this old girl. We have also fitted aftermarket upper control arms to increase the caster and get it handling a bit better along with a general service, seatbelts and a few other tweaks here and there. It’s hard to make this car much cooler though!
Bruce has been hard at work on Bryan’s 72 Valiant Charger cutting out the rust in the rear window frame and rebuilding it back to the way it should be. This is a pretty good example as these things can rust! Being a Valiant owner, I know this all too well! We are starting at the rear and working our way forward, dealing with things as we find them. Hopefully we don’t uncover too much more!
The front suspension is now in Geoff’s BMW 2002 restomod and the focus has now shifted onto the steering. We are using a custom made Woodward power-steering rack which gives us the ability to choose ratios, lengths, mountings etc to get just what we want. They have then sent us a 3D model which we have now 3D printed and are currently fitting to the car. We can then work out all the bumpsteer and geometry before confirming the order of the rack so we can ensure it all fits and works as it should. Ain’t modern technology wonderful! While this has been happening the fuel tank has also been designed and we are waiting for it to be delivered from the laser cutter and folders, ready for us to fit together and weld up soon.
Mike has had his 1983 Burlington kit car in our shop for the last few months. This was owned by his father in the UK and Mike has now inherited it so it has sentimental value to the family. We have been employed to get it road legal and it had quite a long list of work required to bring it up to current LV standards. We have been working through the list and done the lion’s share now. We have a bit more to go but we can see the end now and look forward to handing it over so the next generation can enjoy it as much as the last!
Now for the bad news… Unfortunately things don’t always go to plan and this was the case with Rodney’s F150. We have fitted a 450hp crate engine to this along with lots of other custom work but when it came time to start up and dyno tune the engine, number six cylinder is not behaving as it should. We have narrowed the problem down to something mechanical but are still working with the engine suppliers to find the exact source of the issue. We are gutted as this job has been going so well and we were all looking forward to getting out and driving it. Fingers crossed we can sort it soon and get things back on track.
As Christmas is knocking at our door, now is a great time to grab some of our new merch to spread the Fraser love! We have a cool new design with tee shirts available in cypress (green), chestnut (brown), and coal (dark grey) or a mid-weight sweatshirt in ink blue. Drop ida@fraser.co.nz an email and she will hook you up quicker than a fat man climbing down a chimney!
