Back to the garage for a few hours….
The next item for me is the water system now that the engine is in place.
Firstly the radiator needs to be installed so the pipe lengths can be accurately cut. Just 4 bolts (supplied in the kit) so no problem there, but the cooling fan has me perplexed. I can’t figure out how it is installed, especially since it appears different to others installed on similar Zeros. I will ask Richard@GBS.
Next, the old thermostat housing needs to be removed before it can be replaced by the new GBS one. A couple of hex head bolts and job done – I thought. Unfortunately one of the bolts was heavily threadlocked and I managed to destroy the hex head, so had to resort to sawing a flat-head groove into the top of the bolt to work it free.
With the old unit removed it was time to build up the new one. On my last visit to GBS I spoke to Simon who provided a valuable tip. Make sure the powder coat is sanded flat on the new elbow as any unevenness in the surface can cause water leaks. You can see from the photos that I have made sure that the top and bottom surfaces are sanded flat before applying the instant gasket and the gasket itself. There is no need to remove all of the powder coat, just to make sure that the surface is perfectly flat. Also make sure that the powder coated steel gasket (upon which the thermostat sits) is sandwiched between the paper gaskets.
Once the new thermostat housing is in place, the water rails and pipes can be installed and cut to size respectively.
The coolant overflow tank was another straightforward install. 4 stainless rivnuts mounted to the engine mounting plate. Connecting up to the small bore stainless overflow pipe is simply cutting the pipe to length and securing with jubilee clamps and tie wraps. The longer of the two pipes emerging from the overflow tank is connected to the thermostat and the shorter is vented to the road – or at least directed in that direction.