MadaboutKitcars

Thanks Scimmy, I've never really paid a great deal of attention to Scimitars but being newer than Spitfires and Heralds it would make sense for them to be more tunable. A V8? Now you're talking! Lots of TVR's being broken, a 5-litre might just do the job and I know some people capable of getting the best out of them. Do abandoned projects appear very often? I assume the Scimitar chassis required some serious fettling to take a V8?

Lancelot. In my eyes that picture you posted (above) of the D24 isn't as flattering as the head on shot I found and I see Scimmy's point. Reminds me of a basking shark

Single screen? Solid tonneau. All sound interesting. How about throwing in some side exit exhausts?

As for names I never knew that a Spada was a sword. If you go 'foreign' that would work. Unfortunately not many british swords seem to have funky names that haven't already been used. "Hello darlin. Fancy coming for a spin in me Dirk/Spadroon/Claymore?" doesn't exactly cut a dash, does it?

Other weapons? Spear? Javelin? Trident?

Aircraft? Typhoon? Meteor? Kestrel? Tempest? Mohawk? Vulcan? Hmmmmmm, Vulcan. I like that.

I'm not a fan of the huuuge rear overhang on that Lancia, would the Scimitar have to have an arse that big?


PS. How difficult to make a shell fit a Chimaera?

Paul, I thought there actually was a Scimitar with a TVR conversion. Not entirely sure though... There's not that much to be dealt with to fit a V8 to the Scim chassis as far as I know. It's the body that needs most of the work. So, in this case there shouldn't be any problem. Over here in the Netherlands there aren't many Scims around, so no abandoned projects here... But in the UK I can imagine there must be quite a few. Keep in mind though that the chassis Lancelot is using comes from an early Se5(a?) which differs from the later Se6 (a&b) models. Have a look at [url]www.scimitarweb.co.uk[/url]

Basking shark you say... Hm. I see a D-type fin... We could be on to something here


Lancelot, I do like the single screen and especially the solid tonneau! Gives the car just the right 50's Le Mans feeling. Will you be going for the larger rounded screen in the picture or the small single one on the other D24 (with the number 76 on it) on the net? They both look good.

I see your "droopy nose" point btw. We really don't want it to look like a Cobra, definitely don't want that...

Been giving it some thought since my last post. The Chimaera comment was a bit of a throwaway line but it might be worth a punt.

Take a Chimaera with damaged bodywork, buy it cheap, cut off and throw away the broken bits, remove and sell the unbroken bits that you won't be needing such as roof, doors, windscreen and windows, bonnet, boot etc, graft a Vulcan (I'm calling the next model that now whether or not anyone else does :icon_mrgreen body tub on top and off you go.

Imagine. A 50's car with a 5.0 litre V8 putting out around 300bhp. That'll surprise a few people

PAULC ,
When you checkout the wheelbase and track measurements of your TVR , it is actually closer to the SAMMIO , the Chim. is about 90'' wheelbase , my car is 91'' , track on a Herald is approx. 50'' ( front and rear varies slightly ) and the TVR track is about 57''

Basically a SAMMIO body with a widening strip down the centre would fit your dimensions !

The Maserati's , ferrari's etc that were campaigned during the 50's were all around the 90-95'' marks approx. The Lancia was 94.5''...I'm using a SE5 Scimitar which is 99''......but then I'm not looking to replicate anything just draw inspiration from , so the extra 4.5'' doesn't concern me and is far outweighed by the excellent Scimitar base...The later , more readily available , SE6 models are 104'' long , this I feel is just a bit too much....My initial thoughts with the 'plug' body are to use the existing Scimitar floor , if possible and the original bulkhead cut down and moved back into position....I can then graft the quarterized SAMMIO bits in place creating quite a strong shell to work with ....front end will be made up as I go along.
If the project ever progresses from a one off ( time , interest and cashflow being the factors here ! ) I would probably mould it as a complete shell with integral floor and bulkhead to be a direct replacement for the Scimitar shell ( hence my use of their floor , they spent hours designing !!) and steel bracing bonded into the bulkhead to accept the stock Scimitar master cylinders , pedal arrangement etc. as well as being able to relocate the column as well....Keeping my Hot Rod hat on for a minute or two , this leaves a rolling chassis/bodyshell configuration that can accept any engine from stock or even a 1600 Cortina right through to an American V8 .....I'm thinking straight 6 Jag at the moment , but it is very early days...Like my SAMMIO , although they are being offered with a similar building method , no two cars need to be the same...

I am building 2 turnkey Sammio's at present ( I'll post some pics later ) but do hope to pull another Sammio body out and strip my SE5 within the next 3-4 weeks to make a start.....

I'll probably start a seperate thread when I do.....

Gary

Now that is interesting.

How strong a body would you get if you grafted a Sammio onto a modified Chimaera? I'm just concerned that we'd be looking at something akin to a cut and shut that'll burst apart in an impact. I've had one crash in a TVR and it held up well though I feel I've used up all my luck credits

From my very limited experience of building cars I would hope this would be an easy(ish) one needing only the basics reconnecting. No electric windows, no wipers etc. Might even be able to retain some creature comforts like the heating for winter driving. The boot? The Sammio doesn't have one, the Chimaera does. Couldn't gain access from behind the seats because in a Chimaera that's where the fuel tank lives. The hump/fin would be in the way of a bootlid though. Hmmm. Lots to think about.

Gary, rereading the thread I saw your comments about a body swop rather than IVA which is good news. What exactly does that involve?

Finally (for now). If you cut and widened a Sammio that would make it a Vulcan, right?


Edit. Any idea how much the green one sold for?

Paul.....without seeing a TVR Chassis and taking measurements etc. it would be very difficult to say just what would need doing to mate an alternative body onto it.....Its only fibreglass and modified fibreglass at that , so you just modify again to fit !! I would need to see things like radiator location , bulkhead positioning etc. When I did the Spitfire , the cockpit had to be moved to put it in the right position on the shorter chassis ...gearstick positioning isn't very flexible for instance...If you look at the Spit. version , I cut a boot into that one...the lack of headrest helped but our old friend the Lancia D24 has a headrest and bootlid , so its feasible...

For a car to qualify as a re-bodied conversion , it must have a replacement body AND subframe structure that can be unbolted and removed from the chassis , leaving a stock chassis that its original body would refit to....you are allowed minor extra body mounts as long as they wouldn't interfere with replacing with the stock body and you are allowed to drill extra holes....Thats why my framework is bolted to the chassis then clad with the body and bonded in place..if you unbolt my body including the original bulkhead section , a stock Herald shell would go back on without modification....There are a few exceptions , but thats basically the ground rules...The rebodied car then gains the new body name as the Make as it can no longer retain the TRIUMPH name due to no longer resembling a Triumph product , it keeps the original registration though and , if applicable , remains tax exempt...

The green example sold for £5500......

I took some pictures of the SAMMIO thats getting most of my attention right now , today , just ''in progress'' pics for your interest......

The first pic shows a body mod I'm doing on this one....Pattrice , the customer , wanted 15'' wire wheels fitted...I have secured some MGC wheels and have adaptors being made at present to fit them. The larger wheel meant the body was better suited to being mounted slightly higher than standard , the Herald side rails are normally covered by the body tub. In order to rectify this the car is getting deeper cill panels rolled under to look like a bellypan and I have cut the rear panel and lowered it 40mm also....I actually like the deeper rear panel on this one and its a perfect example of how flexible a build can be...



This pic shows my patterning for the solid tonneau cover ....a steel tube has been fitted between dash and seat bulkhead that can be removed , I have cut and shaped a piece of hardboard for the tonneau and a mould will be taken from this ,when moulded in fibreglass a flat tonneau will fit the lines of the car perfectly, the edge will have a nice rolled radius as well......I have fitted a steel hoop to the side of the car as part of the cockpit build and this will be used to secure the tonneau as well as the central tube....it will be easily removable..Solid tonneau's will be available as of next week !! Price to follow...



Final pic for now shows my hardboard pattern for the rear inner arches...the original car didn't have these but I have changed my inner structure design to make fitting these easier...They will eventually be glassed to the shell but for now will bolt on and off for ease of access....



THANKS FOR LOOKING...

Gary

Gary, thanks for putting so much time into this. Those pictures are interesting too. The TVRs already have inner wings of course so that's a saving. I like the way you just say "Cut here....extend there.....roll the edge...". Airfix kits are about my limit.

The Chimaera (and perhaps Griffith, dimensions permitting) would fit the bill then, the bodies are held on to the chassis by about twelve bolts. Body off chassis restorations are old hat with the Griffiths and Chimaeras on which the frame powdercoating was said to be (technical term) crap and because of this jobs like replacing frilly outriggers are common. I would imagine the best way would be to cut off the outer wings, cut the inner bits and bulkheads to shape and bond your tub on top. That about it? (If I write it quickly it doesn't sound hard ) The only way to know would be to start on one I suppose.

One area that might be a problem is the depth of the 'boot' area. I see from the pictures of the one you're working on that there's not a lot between the top deck and the underside of the car. The fuel tank in a Chimaera sits upright in the boot, the other side of the bulkhead from the parcel shelf. I may need to befriend a Chimaera owner and have him pay you a visit so that we can put a body alongside a car and see what might work straight off and what might need fettling.

I've started looking for damaged cars and have a few contacts I can call. If we go much further we'll need to start 'proper' talking to each other. I might come for a spin down to Poole!

Paul,
The method you are describing above is kinda how the Banham range are done.... My only reservation with the Banham range is they are bonded to an inner structure of a monocoque shell , bodies are on for good , I do wonder how this will affect future maintainence issues with those cars...I'd like to think my SAMMIO's will be around long enough to require full restoration one day !!.......My Sammio can have its body removed , if necessary for major work and all components are accessible when it's in place for general maintainence...If using the stock floor etc. from the TVR , in theory the new body can be removed in the same way and accessibility to components won't be compromised....The boot thing could be an issue...it will need looking at , it may be a case of 'tweaking' something...theres always a solution ! I got a VW Beetle engine into the boot of a 1932 Roadster a few years back.....was told it couldn't be done with a stock Beetle lump without compromising the cars looks.........theres always a way !! ( It's actually a whole Beetle with one of my bolt on extender kits fitted under there ! )





You can call me anytime and you are welcome to visit my humble setup anytime as well....I have a customer coming down to see me from Yorkshire on Monday and I'm really pleased he is taking the time to do that...it saves a lot of aggro later on if things go unmentioned or assumed by either party..

I got the rear body mounts in place today on the grey car above and made the inner arches from 6mm ply and fitted them......I tweaked my shape slightly to allow more spring clearance...

I'll put up some more pictures of that car this week as I am going to start mounting the front around abouts mid-week as well as moulding/making a solid tonneau etc....

P.S. I'm still thinking about creating some rear wheel spats , like the mock up ones right at the beginning of this thread......whats the general concensus on those panels ...Porsche favoured something similar and Lotus liked their fared in wheels as well as DMW Cars....I like them , personally , just wondered aloud really !! ?

Thank you

I didn't actually build the Banham. Bought it from some loon who had intended to turn it into an electric car (bear in mind this was about nine or ten years ago). He'd spent ridiculous amounts of money paying back-street bodgers to build it for him before passing to someone with a clue then running out of money. I bought it for a fraction of his expenditure and just about everyone I ever spoke to about Banhams said "Nice ideas, shame about the quality". Stories abound of people having to cut doors in half and rebuilding them.

Spats? Hmmmmmmm, not sure. In my mind's eye I'm hoping for something similar to the D24 with wire wheels and it would be a shame to hide them behind spats. On the other hand if I have to settle for slots (I'm wondering about hub fittings) they might look ok. How difficult would it be to offer them as an option? They'd need to be quick releasing anyway, camlocks or Dzus fasteners perhaps, for wheel changes. Let me search for pictures of a few cars with them and ponder a bit more.

Might take you up on that visit. I work a week on/off roster so am often around midweek. Would call first of course.

I sent you a PM last week with a link to a renovated Spitfire chassis on eBay, did you get it? There are a couple of other interesting projects there at the moment too. A Pilgrim Hawthorn of any interest to you? http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280539608347&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Paul,
I think with the Banhams ( THE 130 SPYDER ) the quality would have been more acceptable if the price was a bit more quality related...There hadn't been too much modification work done to the original M & W body they started with , the stretch was pretty straight forward and M & W bodies aren't too bad in their stock state...From memory the bodies were about £2000 approx 10-15 years ago .....also as the moulds became tired , the later ones were showing signs of that....

My bodies need work , they aren't ''polish the gel and use'' , they will need filler work to straighten out and blend the build process scars etc....They are only £750 though.....I am realistic about the level of car I'm trying to offer.....I feel that their is probably more people around nowadays who are in a position to put time into a build rather than money...Their are other high dollar options available ( Porsche Spyders , Kougar Monza's etc.. ) and if someone wants a high dollar SAMMIO , thats possible as well. I can happily take the car to any level required and have excellent paint and body guys in my network as well as decent trimmers etc.....but a home builder can genuinely put a nice example of one of these on the road for £2000 ......FRUGAL FUN is a phrase I keep telling myself and thats what first motivated me with this project and is the same motivation for the Scimitar based one as well.....

The wheelspat thing is only ever going to be an option , they will always be removeable and , as you say , suited to non-wire wheel option a bit better , probably...

As previously mentioned above .....The solid tonneaus are now available , moulded in fibreglass and shaped to fit perfectly....They are £45 each ....for a limited time I can offer them free to anyone who orders a body package or part build....They are great for creating that 50's race car look......... single screens that can be fitted as a direct replacement for the full width screen are on my 'next' list. It would be kinda cool if you could run a full width , two seat option but with a couple of spanners/screwdrivers , you could convert it to a single seat , single screen style for the race look on those occasions you are driving on your own !!

I have lots of ideas with time and finances permitting !!

.THANK YOU

All sounds good, I'd thought of the single screen thing and was wondering about a quick(ish) change to accomodate a passenger.

Just have to see about selling my current car to finance the project now.

this is cool.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxCEj5v3TG8&feature=fvst

LIKING THE TWO SINGLE SCREENS IDEA....easier and cheaper than the Porsche one I use now !

I'd be more than happy driving a replica of that.

This is way better looking than the single large Porsche screen (not only because it is NOT a Porsche screen)! Detachable screen for the passenger, solid tonneau..., I'll have one today please.

About the wheelspats: I'm not very fond of that idea. They would give the car a more solid look, more like a brick actually. Don't know why, but to me it oozes "German". It would ruin the sporty, nimble look of the Lancia I'm looking for in the Sammio/Vulcan/Spada.

Gr.,
Scimmy

I was heavily influenced by Porsche when I started this car...I really like the Spyders and the screen , headlights , headrest etc were parts that were easily available for me to make a start....The car is very definitely an 'ongoing project' ...it will develop as time goes on , I have the solid tonneau sorted now , this naturally leads me into making decisions about a central cockpit bar dividing the two seats and the whole seperate screens idea etc..I like the idea of the car being built in different styles ...The Hot Rodder part of me wants to change it every time I build...obviously from a commercial point of view , I need to standardize things but a couple of options would be cool...I am going to build a demo car , time allowing , I would love to get it done for the Exeter Kit Car Show end of October...we'll see how it goes..but I may try and incorporate a few changes into my car , to see how they get received...

Demo car underway !

I have started with a '59 Herald , early example with a 1200 fitted....not breath taking engine but I may upgrade it along the way....engine isn't really my priority with a demo car..more interested in the looks...

This ones getting a central divider ,optional solid tonneau , alternative screen treatment ( not sure what yet... ) , some further bodymods along the way......photos to follow.

This should be good.

Little teaser pics for you........

Not sure about the colour

How long did that take?

I think if it was finished in that colour it would look brilliant, it's a classic 50's shade

WE WERE EXPERIMENTING WITH COLOURS OF GEL AND IT DOES LOOK OK IN THE FLESH....As Chris says...very 50's looking...

I reckon , roughly about 15-20 hours in the car at that stage....it has moved on a bit from that now....I'm doing a bit whilst waiting for glass to dry etc on the other one , so haven't really timed it properly...

We put the wires on the French one and lowered the suspension etc yesterday and today as well as starting to straighten her out for paint...started making inner arches for the front as well.....she's shaping up nicely now..I made this one a bit taller , deeper cills etc. to accomadate the wheels nicely and it looks ok for it....IMHO !

The example I'm building for my French customer is starting to shape up quite nicely now.......I am softening up all the lines on her....I have made the screen plinth less 'sharp' looking and curvier deeper cills as well as rounding off the front wings etc. are starting to make the car really look the b*llox.......



I've updated the website a bit as well.....

I am still trying to get extra bits done on the blue example as well....I'm hoping to fit 15'' MGC wheels to that one and I have done a slightly different dash treatment as well ....I'll post some pics a bit later on in the week....

I AM MOVING THE BUILD UP BITS INTO THE BUILD UP SECTION OF THIS FORUM....

Leaving this thread to continue as a debate on styling etc....