MadaboutKitcars

There sure will be now, maybe even a little work to the nose and an air scoop on the rear arch

The yellow numbers with black keyline look good too.

Well I am afraid I'm going to have to eat loads of "humble pie". because I got it all wrong

This past few weeks I have been shocked at the amount of interest still remaining in the Sammio/Ribble bodies.
The little car just won't die!! Gary J must have got it right first time

Already I have taken 2 firm orders hone:, (deposit paid :eusa_clap and are both are from France.
I also have a French chap saying he wants to buy Sammio's on regular basics ( we'll wait and see on that one :flypig.

So the bottom line is the Navigator/Cordite now has to stay in production but we just have to look at "Swiftys", "Viatron", " Paul L", build threads to know how much work is need to make it presentable on a chassis, in fact every thread has some reference to the poor shape of the body.

Andy57 and Viatron tried to make it better but time and money was against them.

After much thought, plenty of Hob-Nobs, a large overdraft and much help from Chris and Dan at TRIBUTE AUTOMOTIVE, I have decided to re-work the original buck where Viatron and Andy57 left it.
The original buck was collected today from Ribble HQ and will be delivered to Chris and Dan next week.
I am hoping the new bodies will be ready late November time but as we all know this might change

It will be called the SAMMIO SPYDER and built around the Spitfire chassis but a LWB Herald version will be available if demand is there.

The body featured in this listing will still be developed and (again hopefully) be ready for 2015 Stoneleigh show.
This will be called the "A1 ALPHA".
Again I have already sold the prototype AI ALPHA to a forum member who will have some in-put on the build.

A change in direction I know but business is all about supply and demand so while the Spyder is in demand I'll keep supplying it

Mike - I look forward to seeing what the new Sammio Spyder looks like.

I am sure the "Cordite MkIII" will finally be the car that I thought I was buying.

Mac and Swifty have certainly provided great guides to what is required to get a good body shell.
( Despite all my efforts, my car will always look a bit lopsided. )

Good luck, Paul.

PS
Do Chris & Dan ever rest?

Good luck with the project, I didn't think there was much wrong with the Spyder body in the first place.

I identified six issues on the body, none of which were serious:

The bonnet wouldn't fit over my Vitesse engine without the addition of a scoop (to be fair I could have modified the engine mounts as my motor sits at a much higher angle than Phil and Barry's donors' engines do);



There was a flat spot at 11 o-clock on the offside front wheelarch;



The nearside cockpit edge had a dip in it;



The rear lower corners of the bonnet needed shaping so they matched the curve of the body tub;



The offside sill didn't drop low enough to cover the outer chassis rail;



The bottom edge of the rear valance was angled down from the offside to the nearside;



None of these proved to be too difficult to rectify, but sort those out and you'll save builders a fair bit of time.

There are other irregularities in the body I got, but none significant enough to detract from the overall effect. In fact, if you don't like random people of all ages and backgrounds gushing about how much they love your car, don't build one of these!

Third time lucky, this time we will try and get it right
Up until now everyone has accepted the "faults" with-in the whole Sammio/Ribble range but why should they.
It is my feeling that every body is pis**ff with the poor quality of the Sammio/Ribble bodies but just accept it, WHY.

The new bodies will look no different just "fit for purpose", fit being the main point.

Well said MrT, these little cars hit the spot fist time, and appeal to a huge range of people but they could be better.
One main area you forgot to mention is the schuttle panel "hump" is off centre (throughout the range), simple things like this really winds me up because it should have been sorted long-ago.

Erm, hadn't actually ever noticed that one. Still, I won't say anything if you don't.

I think you'd be surprised, in a pleasant way!

IMHO a lot of the appeal of the Sammio range (whoo hoo for the reintroduction of the Spyder name BTW!) is that it _is_ cheap-n-cheery and you get what you pay for. And that has always been made clear right from the start and so people embark on their projects accepting that.

Yes i know there are some well documented projects on here that demonstrate some of the 'quirks' of the old girl. my Spyder build included! and others like Pauls that show what is needed if you are after perfection. or symmetry!

But Given that there have been well over a 100 Spyders sold (that i'm aware of) the majority of people that i have talked to that have built them have been more than happy with what they got and most thoroughly enjoyed the 'personalisation'


That said... i can't imagine that a bit more symmetry wouldn't go amiss


Best of luck matey!

As far as the original Sammio Spyder is concerned, I think "cheap & cheerful" is a fair description.

However, the politest way that I can describe the original Sammio Cordite was "cheap & nasty".

Gary looked me in the eye and told me all the small symmetry issues with the Spyder (see Mr T's post above) had been fixed on the Cordite.

So I honestly believed there was going to be less work required on the Cordite compared to the Spyder.

If Gary had not sold the business I would have returned everything to him under the sale of goods act.
( As it was neither as described, of satisfactory quality, nor fit for purpose. )

But as AndyP57 had just taken over, I decided to support his new venture and work with what I had.

Obviously I had no idea just how much work would actually be required, but that is another story.

If Chris & Dan can help Micky1Mo produce a body shell that works "out of the box", with no modifications required, it will be a real winner.

There is still plenty of scope for each builder to add their own individual touches to areas like the dash, cockpit interior, rear lighting, etc.

I'd love to see more Spitfire based Sammio Spyders on the road, as there seems to be a lot of abandoned Cordites out there.

Anyway, I hope that didn't come across as too much of a RANT, as I wish Mike all the best.
( And will update the useful links thread properly when the dust has settled. )

Good luck, Paul.

I agree Paul, i'm sure it has put many people off... ashame, as we would have some builds on here.

DAVECYMRU, I think there have been nearer 200 Sammio/Ribble bodies sold
You are welcome to come and have a nose around my workshop anytime, kettle is always on

PAUL L, That's an honest answer, thank you.

GARYH, I think a re-worked body sold at a far price will attract a few more forum members.

Mr T, Have you checked your hump yet.

Looking at it now I see that the original bonnet bulge isn't quite central. The overall undulating shape of the body hides that asymmetry though and I'd honestly never noticed it before.

The addition of a random scoop here and there further disguises the issue and nobody's ever commented on it to me.

You wouldn't believe the positive attention these three amateur built specials get when we're in convoy or parked up together or individually. Sammio Spyders really are great looking cars, despite all their inherent irregularities -

Fully agree with you Mr T.

The first time I saw "66" in a magazine it hooked me so completely that I joined the forum and look where that lead me.

I've always loved those photos of you, Phil & Barry and dream of the day I can join your convoy.

Cheers, Paul.

Being a fan of the Vintage style of car I always thought the AF Sports was a lovely car so would love to see it make a come back. Was kicking myself a few years ago for passing up on an unstarted kit that came up for sale on Madabout, was only £500 at the time but funds were going elsewhere.

What are your thoughts with regard offering it again, based on a Triumph chassis or do you have the chassis jigs as well?

John

I also fully agree, builders turn them into great cars.
But why should a buyer spend (what is to some) a large sum of money, accept what is a sub-standard projuct and then spend time, money and pleny of effort trying to putting it "somewhere near right".
Why not make it "somewhere near right" in the first place


Without the "accepted inherent irregularities" or should I say "built in faults" they can only be better and maybe attract more builders.

The wheel base is about 110" so Reliant GTE chassis would be the next best thing.
The moulds are here so may-be next year unless you want a body laying-up over the next few weeks ?

Would love to say "yes please" to that but I've got a Daytona bodykit to sort out first and its a long term project. I just wish I had unlimited space and funds to do all the builds I want. The AF is such a good looking car though, it deserves to make a come back.

John

Know how you feel but pennies are tight.
Got to sort out the Sammio Spyder moulds first, followed by the A1 Alpha moulds, then may-be the AF Sports

Still waiting for the Pilot/Spyder moulds to be dispatched from the old Ribble HQ so in the mean time the A1 Alpha has been moved forward.

Last week I delivered a Spitfire to Chris and Dan @ Tribute Automotive to be used as a dummy for the A1 Alpha.

To my surprize they email me today with a whole bunch of photos.

I wanted it to be built in the same way as there A352 for several reasons
1, it's a quick simple build
2, it uses most of the cars original body work so less effort required by the builder.
3, as the new body is placed over the top of the original body/floor pan so every thing should line up better.
4, all the original seats, wiring, clocks ect are left undisturbed and all fit as they should.
5, at no time during the build is the car disabled, so it can be driven in and out of the garage while it's being built.

Here's a few photos

The original Spitfire ( keep your eye off the "D" type in the back ground it's mine)

The cut down body


Where the cuts where made


The body in place

Where it fits




Not a bad fit at all
Looks pretty good in my opinion.




This is what Chris had to say about it.


First batch of pics attached. The A1 looks the dogs doodahs on the
spitfire!! The front edge of the bonnet opening will need enlarging to
access rad and raising to clear six pot, but everything else fits a
treat. Have moved the petrol tank down and back to get the rear end
down. The seating position vs the side depth of body means you are sat
right down inside, not sat on top like the Sammio's. I almost want one
myself, but maybe on a Reliant SS1, with a bigger engine.....

Regards Chris.

Note it's built to run with 14" wire wheels running 175/70/14" tyres right from the start so no nasty surprizes later.

All-in-all we think it's coming along nicely

Mike – I’ve always liked the Tribute A352 build approach.
So I think the Alpha A1 will make a great addition to your Sammio range.
I am convinced that the “easier” the build, the wider the potential market will be.
Good luck, Paul.

Looking very nice!
I have to ask what that Red/Purple kit in the background is? As i notice that the bulkhead is already bonded in place! Is that an A352 body with a Sammio bonnet?

Dave the Red body in the background is the original Navigator MKII Buck, although after speaking to Mike I think it must have been stored on its corner as its twisted like a pretzel :-(

Mac

It's been a while but I finally spent some time (well several days) with Chris and Dan at TRIBUTE HQ working on the A1 Alpha.

It the past the body was stretched and widened to fit the Spitfire chassis so It was just a case of continuing the work already started.


You will notice the rear baulk head is tall and round this is to make the seating position look lower and give room for the fuel tank which has been mover forward in front of the rear axle. It actually bolts on to the original rear cockpit frame.



There are some wheel arch issues but we'll sort then later. This one is how I would like them all to look


The rear end fits well and it makes sense to make a boot. The boot lid is an original MGA lid found by Chris.

The boot is now bigger than the original Spitfire boot.


We wanted to make the fitting of the body as easy as possible so used the front sills and original bonnet shut line as a reference points.



The finished mould will have a flange designed to sit over and butt-up against these points thus making the task of lining-up the body easier.

There was always going to be a flip front but Chris decided to make it a little rounder
.



We think the curves make it look a softer fit.

After much work we rested

At some point after this thing went a crazy
I think it was to much posh chocolate, but the resulting changes really worked.
I'll post the photos tomorrow

Great work everyone.

I firmly believe that designing the kit to fit over a cut down down body shell is a great idea.

If the donor car was a runner, it could remain one throughout and that is one less thing to worry about.

I'm looking forward to seeing what this ends up looking like.

Good luck, Paul.