It's called a 'diff' because it's difficult to fit...

So after spending yesterday watching Arsene's brave boys mugged by Chelsea back to the build..

Time to fit the Differential, a really good explanation of what it does can be found here in between a lot of annoying adverts...

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential.htm

It is difficult to fit because it is very heavy and because one of you has to hold it at arms length in the middle of the chassis while the other knocks long studs through it to secure it in place.

Duh! well at least that's what it says in the manual - and that's what we see Mark Evans doing in the video ("A Sportscar is born") and sure enough there are two studs supplied with the kit.

A serious numpty moment for us now as I trial fit the studs through the bushes but not the diff (worriedthey will be too difficult to get out), then have a go, many minutes and much pain later Chrissy tries knocking the top stud into place and it get's stuck very quickly - new vocabulary is tried out but eventually have to give up (my back was giving up anyway) and retreat by knocking it back out...

...only to find *this* diff actually doesn't take a stud at all at the top at all it has two threaded blind holes for a bolt each side at the top one of which we have now severely graunched by trying to hammer a stud into it. It should be said in our defence that this is a redundant stud supplied with the kit the sole purpose of which is to fool the unwary who haven't 'measured twice' before they pick up the hammer and drift.

...a phone call to Westfield, to find (a) the ever helpful Mark is now away for 2 weeks (b) probable solution is to drill out and fit a helical, which we are unlikely to get now with the Christmas break so that would mean no building for two weeks - darn!

However the local auto parts store has an apology for a tap and die set (if anyone ever makes a plastic "My First Tap and Die Set" for five year olds, it will probably be less crudely made than this)..anyway it does the job, we lose the first couple of turns of the internal thread, but there is still plenty left (we hope)...

Praying to many deities that the damaged side doesn't strip as we tighten the relevant bolt seems to work and we get the diff fitted and torqued down - to any other builders out there yes the bottom one is a stud, only the top fitting is bolts!

Pictures below,

little further building today as need a socket converter to torque tighten the drive shaft nuts, and can't get that til tomorrow.