Retroanaconda

Due to the depth of the cladding the doors will sit around 45mm proud of the current slab edge. So I think a very gentle slope for around 300mm and then a rubber strip or similar at the bottom of the doors to close against this slope near the top should do the trick. At the bottom of the slope will be a linear drain, and from then on the ground can rise again. That way water will not naturally sit at the bottom of the doors having run down them, it will drain away from the building and into the drain. By gentle slope I’m talking maybe 5-10mm fall over the 300mm run so no issue for moving things in or out.

Yeah that’s what I meant by linear drain, although I’d get a version rated for heavier loads. Slab out front not poured yet. Having the drain means that this slab can be flat, or even slope very slightly towards the garage if necessary. This helps as the ground slopes that way and will drain water away from the house, which is arguably more important.

I’ve thought about a rubber trim on the door that would seal against the slab, if it was positioned well it might work. I’ll have to see once I get the doors made. I’ve not quite finalised plans for the area in front of the workshop yet - there will be a concrete slab there but I’m not sure yet how it will be laid out. When I do the drainage around the workshop I will include capacity for a linear drain across the front of the building which will no doubt help. As will the eventual planned car port.

A brush would work but I’m not sure how it would fair against wind driven rain. Ideally I’d like to not have anything on the floor, so things can roll in/out easily, but I may have to sacrifice this for a good seal. You can get shaped rubber profiles that glue down and then a rubber piece on the door engages with it when shut, which may be an option. Something like this. Still a 15mm ‘bump’ though.

There’s no issue with headroom. A sliding door would need to go sideways to clear the fence, but I’m sure it would cost more than me making a couple of timber-frames hung doors. The only issue with that is sealing them at the bottom, but I’ll see what I can come up with.

I am insulating the rafters yes, and the picture does show the insulation going across the joists but the point being made there was that it shows said insulation pushed right up against the underside of the boarding and so there is no ability for air to flow from the soffit and up the rafter line under the boards/membrane. This image is maybe better - again it has slates rather than corrugated sheets but same principle and it shows insulation filling the full rafter depth with the moisture being allowed to pass through the boards and Tyvek to be taken away by air movement under the roof covering itself: Fully sealed and air-tight roofs are quite common these days, fuelled by the desire for ever-more energy efficient buildings, and the Tyvek system is designed to be able to work in this way. Quoting from the technical manual: This is designed to have a VCL on the inside which limits the passage of vapour into the roof structure, and my internal OSB sheathing will not achieve 100% impermeability in this regard. However this is based on an occupied dwelling, with much higher levels of temperature and humidity than a garage will experience and so I don't anticipate this being an issue. It's all a bit academic really as I will have an airspace above my ventilation anyway - belt and braces.

I see. Well the Tyvek technical manual that I’ve been using seems to think that an air gap between the insulation and the boarding/membrane is not required, and indeed promotes it for a sealed roof system. It states that due to the breathability the air gap is unnecessary. Like this, except I’m using Onduline rather than slates/tiles. I will have an air gap in any case, and it’s a garage not a house so the level of moisture accumulation in the roof structure will be comparatively low. The internal wall covering will be OSB as the increased resistance to moisture penetration is desirable on the inner/warm edge.

The Tyvek is breathable so technically there doesn’t need to be an airspace so long as any roof deck/sarking is also sufficiently vapour-permeable and you ensure that air can move under the roof covering, the ply and Onduline sheets will allow this. However as I’m using 150mm rafters and 100mm insulation there will be a ~50mm airspace anyway which is vented at the eaves and the ridge - albeit through the Tyvek at the latter. The walls will have 100mm insulation right up to the inside of the membrane and then a vented cavity between that and the cladding. Overkill is the name of the game and a legitimate approach

Thanks. Yes, I’ve done the work. Plywood is marginally stiffer for the thickness. It is also a bit more breathable which will help given the roof is to be insulated, though it probably won’t make much difference either way. I also had some ply left over from the forms and so I didn’t need to buy as much.

The Tyvek is UV stable for a few months, which should be enough for my purposes. Was just the wind got a bit much for the battens holding it down yesterday, it popped the screws out of the ply. All fixed back on now, with a little patch on the ripped bit. A few areas of the ply have got a bit wet and might need replacing, but hopefully not too bad. The structure itself seems nice and solid and hasn't moved, though of course the wind can go through it at the moment.

I really hate storms. After driving through several sections of road covered by two feet of seawater I finally returned home this evening to discover that Brendan has forcefully removed the bulk of the Tyvek for me

The bellhousing is easy (apart from finding one - V8 R380s are not common), the bolt pattern on the box is common as you suggest. In fact it's even the same as the LT77 bolt pattern however you can not use an LT77 V8 bellhousing as it's a different length. The input shaft splines are the same I believe, but I'm not sure about the length or the diameter of the spigot bush. Changing the input shaft requires the gearbox to be partially dismantled. The easiest way will be to send your Td5 box to a rebuild place and ask them to put a V8 input shaft onto it, or if you're capable then dismantle yourself and build it back up. You'll need to change the engine mounts as already mentioned, but everything else should be able to stay in the correct position. You can retain your Td5 wiring looms and dash/instruments, with minor modifications.

Indeed - you need the spacer between timing case and bracket, this will allow you to put the alternator bolt through from the front and therefore clear the water pump.

Out at work last summer

Honestly I don’t think it makes any difference, as long as the thing is properly balanced.