MadaboutKitcars

^^^^ what they said ....

JG, Welsh One, Roadster, Dave & Lancelot - Thanks chaps.

The fact I can still drive the car makes a big difference, as it is such a joy to be out in it.
( Even today, when I had to swap my flat cap for a warmer beanie pulled over my ears. )

So I will find the time to fix the mess I made and carry on.

The really good news is that removing the lowering block was definitely worth doing, see below…

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The Tale of the Tape:
Despite the foggy morning, I went out for another short drive to help settle the rear suspension.

Then I headed back to the Sainsburys' car park to remeasure the gaps…

Rear Silencers:

Before - 10 cm to ground



After - 14 & 14.5 cm
( As I still need to straighten up the passenger side silencer, after the car landed on it. )



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Driver's Side:
( From the top point of the wheel arch opening to the ground. )

Before - 58 cm



After - 61 cm
( Sorry the photo is blurred. )



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Passenger Side:

Before - 62 cm



After - 65 cm



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I know the two rear wheel arches are not in the same position relative to the horizon.

But, overall, I think the car sits much better with the lowering block removed.

Then it was back home to join my daughters for some pumpkin carving.
( As there will not be enough time to do this tomorrow. )







The family line up.





Until next time, take care, Paul.

looks good paul move on now with it ....i no what is like when you put all that work in ... good job

With those whittling skills, it will be a carriage and horses for the Christmas pantomime, and next year, you'll be on the Tribute payroll. ;-)

Glad you survived the incident Paul. Cars can be fixed, people less so, so take it easy and be safe.

Marc

Phil, Barber & Marc - Cheers.

I really do like the way the car now sits after the lowering block has been removed.



Which certainly helps with the motivation to repair the damage I caused.

But I will definitely be using big blocks of wood to support the car, rather than axle stands.

Cheers, Paul.

PS
Can't believe it is the 1st of November already, where has the year gone?

Got to agree Paul the car sits much better now, i did something similar removing the lower block which improved the overall stance of the car. As the saying goes on wards and upwards, keep your pecker up matey.

The ride height looks good Paul
Looks safe to take a hefty mate out for a spin in it ........

Triumph Swordfish 1500

Swifty - Thanks.

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Roadster - Cheers, the cockpit is pretty small, but you are welcome to try the passenger seat.

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Wind Chill:
Another busy week at work, but squeezed in a short, but refreshing, blast around in the Swordfish earlier today.

My head and hands switched to their 'Autumn' wardrobe.



But a t-shirt and (lined) golfing jumper were enough to keep my body warm.

Although I was quickly reminded of my motorcycling days as I slowly lost the feeling in my exposed face.

Just one quick photo opportunity…



But I had to make a quick stop at the local 'corner' shop on my way home.

I was just paying when two of my 'workshop regulars' popped in, a Hungarian grandmother and her English grandson.

The granny's English isn't great, but she has often stopped for a chat and loves the car.

Her grandson is a typical young lad with lots of questions whenever he is with her.

I was particularly impressed when he remembered the car was called a Triumph Swordfish on his last visit.

Anyway, the granny asked how the car was and was pleasantly surprised when I pointed at it sitting outside.
( They have only seen it on my driveway never on the road. )

So I offered to give the grandson a quick spin around the block.

He almost exploded with excitement and kept repeating "It's my luckiest day."

The granny took loads of photos and by the time she had walked to my house I had arrived via the scenic route.

It only took a few minutes around a couple of streets, but that takes spreading joy to a new level.

So until next time, take care, Paul.

PS
During one of the low points of the build I treated myself to a WWII style flying jacket to raise my spirits.
But I think I will need to upgrade my hat and gloves to that sort of standard for real winter driving.

Winter driving

Hi Paul ,sorry to read about your mishap with the 'Swordfish' , but you can still drive it and enjoy , a few years ago I had an Elan and really enjoyed those crisp winter mornings when i could go out for a blat with the top down !! Pete.

Slickshod - Cheers Pete.

Although, I haven't passed another car with the roof down during the last couple of days.

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Crisp vs. Cold:
Squeezed another 20+ mile drive in this morning, but it seems I have turned into a Soft Southern Jessy.

Either that, or old age / spending too long outside building the car is finally catching up with me.

At some point I will have to check the heater, because it doesn't seem to be doing much at the moment.
( I did wait a long time before finally switching it on. )

Mind you, even after an hour of driving, the heater gauge still hadn't reach the 1/4 mark.



So the car's extra large opening (compared to the Spyder) and the extra wide radiator might be too good at cooling the engine.

A few photos from my travels.







The trip was enough to break the '500 miles since my 1st MOT' barrier.

My 'real' work project is reaching a big deadline in the next few weeks.

Which means I could be "stood down" for a short period, which would give me some "car time" to play with.

But, for now, other chores are calling me, so I'd better go.

Cheers, Paul.

Worst thing is not being able to properly plan things. The car looks splendid with the lowered suspension. Well worth the pain (?)

Paul i wounder if you have a problem with the stat no closing as you should be getting up to temperature. The engine on mine takes about twenty minutes to reach working temperature and the heat generated off the engine/gearbox heats the foot wells no problem, had the car out yesterday in temperatures of 3 degrees with a warm heater.

It looks sooo much better for having the back raised. Have you ever considered 14" steels on it? I've used 5.5Jx14" MGF (spare) steels on my Triumphs: they locate well on the 3/8ths studs.

Back on the 23rd May 2016...



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This became a running joke in the months that followed and he even "complained" to my wife I was still taking too long.

Unfortunately, neither of us had seen him since I finally got the car on the road and you know when you get that sinking feeling…

Well, this evening my wife spotted this posted outside our local church and his funeral is tomorrow.



Gutted.

Belated replies...

Barber - This is my first self employed contractor role, so the ups & downs take a bit of getting used to.

Oddly enough, I am happier that the car was damaged during work that made it look better in the end.

As it would be a complete nightmare if after all the problems I then had to re-fit the lowering block!

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Swifty - Thanks for sharing your experience.

I've ordered a new thermostat just incase and will have a proper look at this next time I'm working on the car.

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Triumph Special - Cheers.

I liked how it looked 'before', but part of me knew it didn't look quite right, as if a small (and invisible) elephant was sitting on the boot lid.

So I am very happy that by removing the lowering block, and switching to a "C" reg, the car's stance looks more period correct.

As for the wheels, I really like both GaryH's approach…



And Oxford's...



But one of the reason I got sucked into this whole build madness was finding a perfect donor car on ebay with brand new wheels and tyres.

So the donor car effectively dictated my style of wheels, and saved me the expense of getting some wire wheels too.

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Until next time, take care, Paul.

Paul, your low temperature reading could be the sender. I've tried two senders - the first constantly read very high and I spent loads of time/money trying to sort out the cooling. It then dawned on me that it had never actually boiled over, which is when I changed the sender. The new one read very low all the time, but the engine felt the same temperature as it always had.

As for your heater, I believe you have a micro heater the same as mine? They are very small and will just take the edge off the chill inside the cockpit, the matrix just isn't big enough to toast your feet. I've never had a problem with cold inside the car though, even wearing just a tee shirt on a cold morning (no strides, just a tee shirt). Rain on your face at speed is like being stuck with hundreds of needles though, so I do have an open face helmet with a full visor for winter driving.

Paul, it may be worth checking the sender / gauge with the sender in a bowl with a thermometer and adding hot water until you get to the required temperature, then see what the gauge reads vs the thermometer. My Stag always runs at just past M on the gauge (TEMP where M is almost in the red), but on checking it is spot on normal running temperature ! so puts mind at rest

Paul , sorry to hear about your neighbour ..glad to see the cars back out and about though ...

As well as following various builds on here and watching peoples cars progress ..I love the fact that something I created has given many people an opportunity to own a style of car that wasn't reachable easily for most of us , but , just as cool , is the fact that friendships , relationships and events have been created from the builds as well ...
Towed's hook up with Phil and Barry for example ....they probably would never have met before S*mmio.....And your Hungarian Grandmother and Grandson etc...only , maybe a 'morning' as passing if the car wasn't there ..if that even ...That young lad will remember that drive for a long time , I remember well my first rides in some local Hot Rods when I was about 12 ...

Paul you've come a long way this year.
I cant believe we are talking about the finishing details on the build, goes to show how your mind set has changed now you have got it off the drive and driven her.

So by now you know that it doesn't matter how you paint it, you will not be able to go anywhere without drawing peoples attention. Which brings me onto your wheels.
When I coloured in your pic to give you an idea how it would look painted I had a vision for it but I thought it might be too much.



How about painting the mini lights yellow?
Add your name in yellow vinyl, and a few period decals.
My inspiration was this

More Belated Replies…

Mister Towed T & MikeD - Thanks for the temperature gauge sender and heater feedback.

Mr T - Unfortunately, I know all about the disadvantages of 'weather' from my motorcycle days.

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Lancelot - The fact I was building the car on my front driveway really increased the interest of passers-by.

Others seem to be just curious about the "interesting" shape under a cover when I'm wasn't working on it.

Those people appear to be very happy to finally pass by when the covers are off and they can actually see what it is.

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Roadster - Without doubt, diving around in grey primer is really helping to remove OCD from the painting process.

I still intend to do the best job I can, but if the paint ends up a bit rough and really, I know the car will still turn heads.

As for the finishing details:
- I have got a few "sponsor" stickers & a couple of enamel Union Jack badges for the bodywork to go with my #7s.
- Whilst those yellow wheels do look good, I'm going to leave my wheels alone for now.
- I will not put my name to the side, although I'm tempted to add John Surtees or Sterling Moss instead.
- Every time I see photos of the Le Mans Spitfires, I'm also tempted to extend the yellow nose band.
( But at this stage I will only do that if I've made a mess of the BRG on the bonnet. )



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Quick Update:
Still very busy with work and it is chucking it down with rain outside at the moment, but the forecast for tomorrow looks promising.

So until then, take care, Paul.

Perfect day for Swordfish driving by the looks of it here ...

Gary - A lovely day here too.

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Remembrance Sunday:
I managed to get on the road just before 10am this morning, driving as quietly as possible to avoid disturbing the peace.
( By this time I'd already spent almost 3 hours on my work laptop! )

Decided to wear my flying jacket for the first time today.



The sheer bulk of the jacket may take a bit of getting use to, but it is very warm and looks the part too.

Decided to drive to a couple of remembrance memorials.







Via a trip to the B&Q car park in Watford.





Parked up along the way to observe the 2 minute silence at 11am.

Then stopped off at Halfords to pick up a rear wiper for my wife's car.



The BMW that pulled up behind me looks like it could swallow my little car whole!



There was just one final stop off at Sainsbury's on the way home.



It was such a lovely day, I could have carried on driving for hours.

But, unfortunately, I've got a lot more 'real work' to do today for a big deadline tomorrow.

So until next time, take care, Paul.

Cold, but Happy:
After another long week at work, I was really looking forward to my weekly blast in the car.

Stayed out for just over 2 hours and clocked up just over 40 miles.

That included a short section of the M1 before I got stuck in traffic in St.Albans taking the scenic route home.

It was only while I was inching along in traffic that I started to get cold, but once I was cold, I stayed cold.

So I think it is time to find my thermal long johns and some warmer gloves.

However, it was a real pleasure to be out in the Autumn colours.
- Spotted two other hardy souls with their roofs down.
- Lost count of the number of 911s I saw, but close to twenty.
- Saw two Bentley Continentals in close formation with a 'normal' car sandwiched in between.
- As I pulled up to some lights I spotted two bi-planes playing around in the sky above and that is a rare sight.
- But the highlight was the driver of an exotic black Ferrari going the other way doing the full jaw open double take as I approached.

Anyway, before I froze solid, I stopped in a local park for a couple of photos.





I had to park across the street to move my wife's car off the driveway when I returned.

Still really happy with the big improvement to the stance that removing the lowering made.



That's all for now, so until next time, take care, Paul.

Fantastic!