MadaboutKitcars

Winter Is Coming...



So this evening I peeled away half of the car cover, so I could start up and run the engine for a bit when I got home from work.



Then, once the cover was back on, I added my big tarpaulin over the top for an extra layer of protection.



So at least if the snow does arrive tomorrow, the car is as ready as it is going to be.

Cheers, Paul.

Brrrrrrrrrrr!
Initially the weather forecast promised a cold, but clear, day.

Unfortunately, it was grey and miserable until gone 3pm when it finally cleared up enough for a quick spin.

I was hoping to get a bit more filming done, but the sun was setting so fast it got pretty dark pretty quickly.

I did manage to get my first bit of footage from a side of the car view.



But generally I just froze my ar$e off over the course of around 20 off miles of driving.

Also, the cold weather is not helping me to convince my wife to stand around filming some exterior shots of me driving the car.

Still, the good news is I paid the grand total of 79p to get "On days like these" in a digital format to add to my video.

Funny how just removing all the original rattling sound recordings with Matt Munro's singing makes the whole thing miles better.

Although I do have a cunning plan to record the engine noise for the beginning of the film before the music starts.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

Hi Paul, I couldn't watch your youtube link when you first posted it (my rural internet connection couldn't cope) and I've just got round to watching it this morning.

Nice drive and a very pretty town, but, as you mention it above, what exactly is all that rattling and clonking?

I only ask because mine, Phil's and Barry's don't sound like that and I'm concerned something important might be loose.

I know it's early days and it was a shakedown run, but I'd advise you to check all your nuts and bolts are secure before your next run.

As for winter driving, so long as I'm wearing suitable clothing for the weather, the only bit of me that gets frozen is my face. I addressed that with a 'ped crash helmet from Caberg, open faced but with a full visor -

Mister Towed - Good call on a full nut and bolt check.

I have done the odd check since I've been on the road, but a proper check is probably overdue by now.

Thankfully most of the annoying noise on the video footage is actually due to the camera rattling around its protective housing.



You can see a small white "anti condensation" pad in the photo above.

I fitted a few of them between the GoPro and the plastic housing for subsequent shots and the camera noise was dramatically reduced.

Although I will be using a different housing that allows me to fit an external microphone for some future 'engine noise' clips.

And I really hope that will give a better reflection of the noises coming from the car itself.

Unfortunately, the biggest noise I get from driving along and hitting any bumps comes from the HSBC bag full of tools I have in the boot.
( Ignore the shopping. )



Finally, I remember liking the 'double visor' arrangement on your crash helmet the first time I saw it.

Cheers, Paul.

PS
I hope your broadband will be able to cope with The Wembley Job when it is finally released.

Fresh Friday
I didn't have much 'real' work to do today, so I was based at home, rather than an office.

So with clear blue skies outside, I tried to finish as soon as possible to squeeze in a quick run.

But given there was still frost on the car cover at midday, I knew it was going to be a bit chilly.



Managed to collect a few more video clips along my local twisty section.



I also took some scenery shots.



And I finally managed to get a decent engine noise clip.



Now I just need to convince my wife to brave the cold to take the last few exterior shots that I need.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

Paul if the wife can't be persuaded, I will stand in the cold and collect your remaining shots.

Roadster - Thanks for the offer.

My wife is very happy that she wont have to do it!

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Short Sunday Session:
Before Roadster actually arrives to help me filming, I needed to clean some of the muck off the wheels & arches.
( So the car looks a bit more presentable for its "close ups". )

Before:





After:



Also, there was one bolt not fully tightened up during my inspection.



Which was an easy fix.



I also checked and topped up the engine oil, as I need the car to be parked on the road to do this.
( Did I ever mention I have a sloping driveway? )

Later on, just before the sun went down, I was able to sneak out for a very short blast.

Here you can see the setting sun adding a warm glow to the car.



And this was the view from the other side.



By the time I got a bit closer to home the sun was almost gone.



Note:
One day I will finally remember to balance out the passenger side after I've climbed out to take a photo.

Until next time, take care, Paul.

Looks and sounds superb Paul and you really seem to be enjoying it as well brilliant.

Deggsy - Cheers.

After such a battle to build the car, I still can't really believe that I am actually able to drive it around now.

Also, during my build, I took a lot of encouragement from seeing photos of other forum members "on the road".

So I hope I am doing my bit to help others (like yourself) still battling with the winter weather to build their cars.

The amazing positive reaction these kind of cars generate will make all that effort seem worth while in the end.

Take care, Paul.

Hi there

Can I ask have you got a heater in this ? , only you seem to be feeling the cold ?

I am building an open car with Aeroscreens , however I am thinking of putting a simple heater in with maybe a one speed fan ?

regards Paul

Paul_N - Welcome to my build thread.

I actually went to great lengths to plumb in a micro heater that would direct hot air into the footwells.
( These photos were taken looking up from the cockpit floor. )





I originally fitted a 3 speed switch, which then "blew".

So it now has a 3 speed dial that works on a simple on/off basis at position "I".



Unfortunately, all this work has resulted in something that makes a lot of noise, but no heat.

However, this may be linked to the fact my temperature gauge reads very low when it is cold out.

So I've bought a new thermostat value to see if that will fix two problems for the price of one, but haven't fitted it yet.

I certainly think it is a good idea to have some hot air around your feet, especially when it is barely above freezing outside!

Good luck, Paul.

PS
What are you building and do you have a build thread anywhere?

I used one of these Item No. HEAT2 from car builders solution's, there not too bad with three speed settings only thing they come with a plastic black knob which i replaced for a ally period knob.

I think i may of posted a picture of the heater in situ on my thread Swiftys Navigator.

Hi there

Yes and no :-)

It is not a kit car so I don't have a thread on here.

However there is a thread here :-

http://www.rodsnsods.co.uk/forum/garage/tribute-edwardian-aero-engined-cars-land-speed-record-cars-1920s-471162

as i need lots of ' technical advice ' and only ' appear ' to know what I am doing !

regards Paul

Hi Paul I managed to fit a spitfire heater in the passenger side foot well of my car with no problems did you try it on yours?

Swifty - I think your heater is the next size up from mine and sounds like a better bet.

As when I checked the website where I bought my heater yesterday…

Mine is now recommended for de-misting windscreens.

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Paul_N - Spooky!

I don't tend to reply to many build threads on Rods 'n' Sods, but I do like reading them.
( As I am always amazed by the high standard of fabrication work that is on display there. )

So I have actually been following your build with interest without realising it.

Especially, as it reminded me a bit of Medusa, which is one of my all time favourites.

By chance, I was actually thinking about posting a reply regarding your radiator question the other day.

As I was going to reference Mister Towed's experience of switching to a smaller, modern, radiator on his build.

In the end, he had to replace it with a new 'old fashioned' one, as it had better cooling properties.

You will find more details of his experience starting here:
http://www.madabout-kitcars.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4482&page=21

Good luck with your build, it should be amazing when finished.

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Deggsy - The funny thing is that I still have the original Spitfire heater in a box somewhere.
( Along with a few other bits that I must get around to finally selling on Ebay one of these days. )

The original build plan for the front end of this car was a metal framework and fibreglass bulkhead.

So, in the absence of a standard bulkhead, I wanted to fit a smaller heater instead.
( This was more for helping keep the engine cool if stuck in traffic on hot days. )

My heater's dimensions are the same as this box I made to compare it to the original Spitfire one.



In the end, I recycled an old Spitfire bulkhead for my Frankenstein build approach.

By which time, I was convinced the micro heater was going to be OK, so didn't even consider refitting the original.

Hopefully, when I finally get around to sorting out the low engine temperature reading, the car heater will be fine.

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Friday Night
No car news, but we went on a family trip to see The Lion King last night and was a great show.



With a bit of luck I will be able to get out for a short drive this weekend if the weather holds.

Cheers, Paul.

Thanks for this most useful.

yes Medusa is an inspiration , mine may be called Magnum Lignum Bestia

A friend around the corner restores TR's and currently has a 4a in bits radiator looks a likely candidate so I will borrow that and see what it looks like.

I hope to recycle the Sherpa heater by stripping it down to it's bare essentials , as pointed out a 'proper ' car heater and fan can help in marginal cooling situations.

I don't really know where I am going I only have the destination in mind ! whether it will live up to my expectations remains to be seen !

Sorry for the thread hijack Paul

Hi Paul_N, liking the flying bedstead build, always loved those massive post WWI era, aero engined record attempt cars myself -



And yes, I have one of those micro heaters in my Spyder. Initially it was extremely effective and pumped out quite a lot of heat for its size, but that was while I was running an aluminium 'racing' Honda Civic VTEC radiator that turned out not to be capable of properly cooling my cast iron inline six (there was quite a dialogue on my 'on the road' thread about why copper is a more suitable medium to build radiator cores from than ally).



As Paul L alludes to above, my micro heater saw more service as a supplementary engine cooling device to stop the engine boiling over in traffic on stiflingly hot summer days rather than as a heater. Once I switched to an 'old tech' copper cored radiator the overheating problem went away, but so did the amount of heat that the micro heater could produce.

Mine is still in-situ and it does help to take the chill off during winter driving so long as you're dressed appropriately, but wouldn't really cut it as the sole heater in a car used regularly in a cold climate.

Good luck with the current project.

Roadster's Return:
A massive thank you to Mark and his son Owen for helping me film the final clips needed for The Wembley Job.

I'm currently processing all the video footage, so will write a proper update (and reply to the posts above) later on.

Cheers, Paul.

It was our pleasure - Owen now considers himself to be the next James Cameron

He also enjoyed his ride in a sports car. Thank you

I am sure that the "Wembley Job" will have sequels and I am more than happy to lend a hand.

I need a lie down…
OK, I've spent so long editing the video clips together that my head hurts.

And now the programme has just crashed as I've tried to export the final film.

So please come back tomorrow for the premier screening of The Harrow Job.

Note:
I decided I should really change the name, as no part of Wembley features in the final film.

In the mean time, here are a few new scenes taken with the camera mounted on Roadster's van.





And here is one of the many 'out takes'…

"Is the camera filming?"



Until next time, take care, Paul.

The Italian Job:
Year - 1969
Car - Lamborghini Miura
Engine - 3929cc V12
Location - Grand Saint Bernard Pass, The Alps, North West Italy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-tLiNqmGoo

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Prologue:
I think the original opening sequence of The Italian Job really captures the pure joy of driving…
A lovely day, a beautiful car, great roads and scenery, accompanied by a soundtrack to match (V12 engine + Matt Munro).
Unfortunately, I don't have a Lamborghini, there are no mountain passes near here and I'm not as good looking as Rossano Brazzi.
On the other hand, I do have a car I spent many years building myself and finally being able to drive it is worth celebrating.
Whilst I couldn't make a decent 'frame by frame' replica of the film, I did managed to include a few tribute camera shots in places.
And without wishing to give too much away, I can confirm that I didn't die in a ball of flames in a dark tunnel at the end!

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The Director's Cut:
My original plan was to keep the whole thing under 3 minutes to match the timing of the film.
I'd even made cuts to the 'On days like these' sound track to match, as the original song is much longer.
So the middle section was pulled together with this in mind and is a lot of short clips.
However, after all the effort Mark & Owen put in earlier today, I've used longer clips at the beginning & end.
Which means I used the full length version of the song and ended up with a running time of a shade over 4 minutes.
But please ignore any clunky edits, dodgy continuity, etc. and just enjoy my first attempt at making a car video for what it is…

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The Harrow Job:
Year - 2017
Car - Triumph Swordfish
Engine - 1493cc inline 4
Location - Harrow Hill and roads around North West London

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzPNRvlshGI

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Can't get it to play Paul, is it just me?

Pops - I've just tried the link on both a Mac & a PC and it seems to be working for me?

Try searching YouTube for "Triumph Swordfish" and it should pop up.

Cheers,

Paul.

Trés cool!

Well done Paul, totally captivating!