CJ's Build - Page 2

cbjroms · #1 28th December 2011, 07:24

Mr Towed,

I have not fitted the body shell as yet but understand that it should curve under the plywood floor and align with the bottom of the chassis rail.

Would be grateful for confirmation that I am correct in this.

Chris

Mister Towed · #2 15th April 2012, 11:56

Chris, check your shell is true before altering anything else. The bottom edge of mine is horizontal on the passenger side and inclines up towards the front on the dirver's side, and it's not my chassis, bulkhead or frame that's not straight, it's definitely the body.

davecymru · #3 28th December 2011, 09:27

Third'ed by me!

Now I'm just about done i know i've not done things exactly the way Gary would have and I'm aware of a few boo-boo's i've made that are now "design features"

but any issues i've encountered i've always been ready to simply give-it-a-go and figure out how i want to resolve them with the skills i have.

I think as Gary suggests, our cars are so old and there are so many variations and changes that have been made over the years, no two donors are ever going to be identical and so the challenges we face will all be slightly different. In my case it turned out that my 'Vitesse' was actually a Herald 13/60 with a GT6 engine and box and Vitesse suspension, breaks and other bits.
So when i placed my shell on and it rested fine on the bulkhead but the front end sat slightly too high for the shell to be able to wrap under the front of the chassis rails. I simply assumed this was the way it was designed and i worked with it. I now know different, but you'll only ever know, if you're in the know, if you know what i mean?

cbjroms · #4 30th December 2011, 16:41

Managed to do a trial fit of the main body shell today.

Body 001.jpg
Cockpit seems to be in the right position against the front and rear parts of the frame.
Body 003.jpg
But the offside front of the shell seems to be sitting a bit high.
Body 007.jpg
The web on the left hand side of the photo below is supporting the body and so I will take some height of this web with the angle grider. It is difficult to see on this photo but this fibreglass lip is about 1" above the bulkhead and there is a large 2" gap behind it.
Body 008.jpg
The lip in the middle of the shell (ie where the heater used to be) is flush against both the horizontal and vertical faces of the bulkhead.
Body 005.jpg

Chris

Psycho pops · #5 30th December 2011, 18:34

Hi Chris

Mine was the same - Higher on the drivers side, in order to drop it down I took the following steps
Took the corners off my frame as the body was grounding out on these,
Took the foot of the casting in your fourth photo and took the top off the metal that sits into the moulding (Where the bonnet stops used to be )on the drivers side.
Now the body fits down to the side rail, see latest pics in Stewarts build.
Cheers Psycho

cbjroms · #6 5th January 2012, 21:15

Thanks Psycho pops,

I have made a few 'adjustments' to the web on the offside of the bulkhead and also the foot of the bodyshell that sits next to the master cylinder. Bodyshell now looks to fit well on both sides.

BodyFit 003.jpg
BodyFit 004.jpg
BodyFit 002.jpg

So next stage is to get the engine/gerabox into place and adjust the front springs. Then off to VOSA to get the V5 changed.

Chris

mulberry · #7 7th January 2012, 12:37

that looks better

cbjroms · #8 26th January 2012, 20:00

Just got around to bolting up the plywood floors to the flange on the rear of both floorpans.

I have put my floors on top of the metal flange which, itself, is sitting directly onto the chassis. I know that on the Herald there was a rubber strip between the flange and the chassis, but don't want to raise the plywood floors any higher off the chassis.

Wondering whether other builders have put the plywood underneath the floorpan flange so that it sits straight onto the chassis and is nice and flat?

What is the perceived wisdom out there? Plywood on top or underneath?

Thanks

Chris

Paul D · #9 26th January 2012, 20:45

Crikey, had to go and check that... funny how soon you forget.

We put our plywood on top of the rearmost part of the flange, but set the plywood down onto strip rubber to isolate it from some of the chassis vibration.

Then through-bolted along the flange in three places, with partially countersunk washers let into the plywood to lose the bolt heads flush with the floor.

Hope thats some help.

Paul.

Psycho pops · #10 26th January 2012, 20:53

Mine is on top for max support as are most I believe, not a problem if you are careful with you choice of seats. The alternative being steal drop pans if you aren't vertically challenged like me...
Pops

davecymru · #11 27th January 2012, 08:29

My original ply floorpans are on top of the chassis rails, with a thick bead of Tigerseal between them and the chassis and then bolted in place as well.

But seeing as my legs were designed a bit long to fit the Sammio, i did chop a hole in the middle of the ply and fit a lowering pan, the bottom of which sits flush with the bottom edge of the chassis rail.

I know that another alternative is that Trevor had some small angle brackets welded on the bottom edge of the chassis rails so that his wooden floors sat lower naturally, if that helps?

cbjroms · #12 8th March 2012, 20:49

Just finishing-off a few jobs before the body goes on for the final time.

Fitted the steering column tonight. In addition to the column support that bolts to the frame, there is another bracket on the column that looks as if it might have been bolted to the bulkhead in the past. But as it does not line up directly with any matching hole on the bulkhead I am a bit stumped. Can anyone advise please?

Thanks

Chris

cbjroms · #13 14th April 2012, 13:54

Having had to 'cut and shut' my outriggers to get the chassis true, I have fitted a pair of Gary's new floorpans and put the engine in place to see how the chassis now sits with the body rested in place. Photos below.

Fit1.jpg

Fit2.jpg

Fit3.jpg

Fit4.jpg

Fit5.jpg

Just wondering whether there is an optimum test as regards levelling the body 'fore & aft' and would be grateful for any lessons learned by someone who is ahead of me.

I am assuming that the front of the body is set by the ledge which sits on the bulkhead where the cut-out for the heater used to be. But you will see that I have cut some big slots in the back so that I could drop the rear of the cockpit down onto the frame but that looks too low to me as I feel that the sides of the cockpit need to be parallel to the ground. I realise that there will be no single, correct answer but want to avoid any knock-on problems later in the build.

Thanks

Chris

Psycho pops · #14 14th April 2012, 20:20

Hi Chris
I am still test fitting my body, I cut slots in the rear for the outriggers and dropped the body until it rested on the framework, at the front it is resting on the lip in the centre, however i notice tonight it is slightly higher passenger side so will remove the lip to set it down slightly.
Are you running standard suspension? as your body is sitting higher at the back than mine. I will level mine off by dropping the front suspension a little.
Have twin exhausts at the rear with abut 4 inch clearance at the boxes.

Pops

cbjroms · #15 15th April 2012, 10:51

Pops,

I have Gary's lowering block on the back and have cut the same amount voff the front springs as Trevor did.

You have done exactly the same as me 'I cut slots in the rear for the outriggers and dropped the body until it rested on the framework, at the front it is resting on the lip in the centre..'

But I found that this looked wrong as the sides of the body were lower at the back than the front and photos of other builds look like the side edges of the cockpit should be horizontal?

So that is why I have packed the slots for the rear outriggers back out again, to lift the back so that the sides are more horizontal.

Chris

GazDavies · #16 15th April 2012, 14:02

I had the same issues with my build. In the end I decided to leave it as it is rather than modify anything to drop it. Like you, I made sure that the cockpit was level, which it was so after painting the chassis black it was hardly noticable even when looking for it.

cbjroms · #17 15th April 2012, 17:00

Agreed, the drivers side on mine only just comes down level with the bottom of the chassis rail. Think mine is a bit lower than Towed because I removed the web from the shell that sits on the bulkhead outboard of the hydraulic master cylinders.

BodyFit 002.jpg

I have also found, like tltone, that the front edge of sill on the passenger side sits 50mm further forward than same edge on the driver's side. So like him I am planning a bit of 'cutting & shutting'.

BodyFit 003.jpg

Body 007.jpg

Chris

mulberry · #18 15th April 2012, 17:22

mister towed .......thats one big smile you have...love the grey and orange strips tooo....

Mister Towed · #19 15th April 2012, 18:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by mulberry

mister towed .......thats one big smile you have...love the grey and orange strips tooo....

The smile's because that was the first time I'd got the body on. You should've seen the smile I had on my face when Phil J took me out for a run in his finished Triumph 2500 engined Spyder!

As for the grey with orange hoops look, I think it really works...

Paul D · #20 15th April 2012, 20:14

Hi Chris,

Have taken some pic's to show the alignment we have ended up with. Not saying it's right, but it was the best we could get without major surgery. I think I am happy with it, see how it compares with yours.

Rear body blocked in place - now bonded as seen.

Passenger side front sill end.

Drivers side front sill end.

Drivers side rear sill end.

Passengers side rear sill end.

Hope this might give others some ideas, even if it is just to say where we have gone horribly wrong.

Good luck with your bonding,

Paul D.