MadaboutKitcars

i like the bonnet, do you still keep flip front as well? garyh.

Round arches are definitely the way to go: that picture of the back end with the wire wheel offered up and the 'shoes' lurking in the corner looks like it will end up as pretty as the Spyder (almost), quite a feat given the much bigger dimensions.

Very nice!
That's the first time i've seen one of those bodies in a dark colour (albeit it being the black primer top coat!) and i do have to say that it shows the lines off a lot better than the white primer.
What's the current thought about the colour you're going to paint it?

Looking good CT. You tread bravely ahead where other fear to go..

Any chance you could post a picture with a seat and driver in place to get an idea of how high one would sit above the door tops?

Various

Pat- 1mm cutting discs essential best innovation since expanding foam and cable ties.

Garyh - no the front flip (or as the yanks say "clip") is permanently fixed the only access being through the bonnet, however there is so much room in front of the engine that you can stand in there and work on the engine.

Mister Towed - They are my feet (Peter) in the shoes, not trusted with a camera yet, hopefully she will be a beauty as pretty as her older / little sister the the spyder.

Davecymru - yes the body looks far better in a dark colour our gel coats id "Sunseeker Blue" I believe. Do not ask the final colour as that will be the hardest decision to make we currently have at least 20 colour combinations that we like the chopping up and rebuilding is easy, I dread having to choose the colour!

housemartin - Top of the doors and rear bulkhead are approx 600mm above top chassis rail may be able to drop below the chassis rail but space limited because it was only the footwell for the rear seats, may be able to get 450mm sq seat in there but will be tight. What height is in the spyder with and without the sunken footwells. The seating position with this type of car in the day was always "on top" rather than "in"

Nice work CT The rear quarter looks just right. I intend shifting the doors back 5" as that is how far back my gearstick has moved with my engine/gearbox swap. I am going to cut around the rear of the door opening as you have done but will extend the horizontal cut forwards below the door then up vertically about an inch to the rear of the bulkhead/bonnet joint. After cutting a 5" strip out of the rear deck the whole lot will slide back leaving a gap between the front bulkhead and the dashboard. As I am going to use a mg midget windscreen the scuttle top between the bonnet and the dashboard area will have to be reformed anyway. Doing the cutting this way will let me use the kit doors as there are.

a different way!




Excellent way of doing it wish I had thought of that, I have however relied on the steel side cills to support the body in one way or another as we are chopping. You are using Rover V8 ? I have not checked to distance set back for the gear stick in relation to the driving position just hoping it will be manageable, opps!

We also still intent to use the kit doors as they are, we have yet to move the front bufflehead back.

I still want to use the cut down screen but can see the logic in a windscreen I will watch your development of this with interest.

When are you planning to make the first cut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I see what you mean with the exhausts now. Running them down a recess in the bodywork. That's what I was thinking of too, a la C-Type, but, as I said, I was thinking of a single side exit (although I don't know it that's feasible yet, depending on pipe routing....)

Nope, going smaller/lighter rather than larger/lighter. Engine is out of a nissan primera egt. Gearbox is a 5-speed sierra type 9. The body is still hanging from the ceiling while I check that the engine runs. I have had this engine many years but have never had it running. Today's job is to pick out the essential wiring from approx 20kg of nissan wiring loom to run it with the original set up. If there are no nasty noises I am considering going with 4 separate throttle bodies like the caterham people do as this will be a more compact and tuneable arrangement than the huge manifold/plenum that the nissan came with. I have set the steering wheel position back in line with the gearstick by grafting a herald column which is tubular onto the scimitar upper column which my mate Fred turned down and shortened to suit. A flat machined on the turned down section allows the use of the triumph clamp/grub screw arrangement hat will allow the overall length to be adjusted as on a herald.

Very impressive I am afraid old technology for me, I would have to have an auto electrician on stand by for yours.

I suppose you get the same problem with a four pot as a V8 the engine sits back a lot further than the V6, love the chassis

Exhausts



Yep, exactly like a C Type, cherry bomb under the door exiting just behind. The exhausts under the car would be under the chassis rails, very very low.

The only disadvantage with side exit pipes being my experience of Madmarks, Healy BN1 with a 350 chevy, that the first half hour is a fantastic but after two hours your ear drums are bleeding.

And I forgot most importantly you don't keep grounding out on the crap roads we have here in Surrey, thank God we live near the Sussex border, great roads!

Yes the 4 pot is a bit longer and has the added difficulty of the distributor being mounted on the gearbox end of the cylinder head. When I can get the body on I will be able to see how accessible it will be. Possibly another reason to change to a distributorless system.

Prior Triumph GT6 and TVR Cerbera ownership has put me in good stead for that. I remember one day I'd had the Cerb idling on the drive for a while for some reason. It had sports pipes fitted. I left it running while I went upstairs for a quick pee and I could actually feel the bathroom floor vibrating with the sound of the exhaust. If you timed it right, the overrun would set off car alarms as you passed

Check out the TVR music from my wedge. The last picture is actually a video. You may want to turn your speakers down a bit first

https://picasaweb.google.com/m/viewer#album/115660383436295169415/5723504070771211345

LOOKING VERY IMPRESSIVE ...Like the way these cars are going....

Round arches is definitely an improvement - might have to change that !!

Keep us updated with pics please ....

GOTTA AGREE THE NAVY BLUE DOES SHOW THE LINES OF THE CAR A LOT BETTER....

DARK BLUE WOULD REALLY SUIT IT AS A FINISH COLOUR , OR RED , OR SILVER , OR .......

more cutting




Gary the one thing we are concious of is not to drift to far from the base and not to upset you, thanks for your comments.

We have now rounded the front arch and as you can see this is true to your design as it is slightly flat at the top and slopes forward, so we have retained that stance.

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Having done that late yesterday afternoon we decided to go all the way. I am losing my assistant Charlie for three months on Saturday he is going back to work so we decided to cut it all before the weekend which will then leave me three months to stick it back together bit by bit.

[IMG][/IMG]

So this is the bulkhead cut

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Bulkhead slipped back

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Standing back to get a look!, covered half the village in dust

[IMG][/IMG]

Back in the garage with the offside door gaffer taped in approx position, whilst the rear door shut is not there we were keen to see the line over the bonnet, across the extended bullhead, door and to the rear wing wheel arch, coke bottle retained we think it works well.

[IMG][/IMG]

Cardboard, gaffer tape bit of filler should be OK shouldn't it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bit more cutting tonight should see it done.

silly picture

in reply to a question on seating position and could go into the thread obligatory photo!

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Yeah, looking nice!!

Looks like I need to get a spurt on to catch up! Just wondering about the gear box on yours, will you need to reach through the dash to change gear or has sticking the V8 so far back moved the 'box back far enough?

Looks great so far. I think the round arches make a huge difference. The flat tops were distinctive but rounded is more pleasing on the eye.

What are you doing about electrics, have you managed to reuse what was there?

I need a new loom so was thinking of getting one of these : http://rapidfitlooms.co.uk/modular-deluxe.htm

Wca



Yep the engine and gear box is much longer and the gear stick should just fall to hand, may need slight bending of the stick but no remote extensions although I do have one if needed.

With the electrics we will have a complete loom made, in my case not dissimilar to to a standard Cobra Kit car range. I seem to recall the the old Scimitar was a nightmare with earthing etc and the loom is huge which reflects the amount of earth wires they ran. I would imaging it would be easier to have a new loom in yours rather than pick apart the existing one?

Don't worry I am not miles ahead just some rapid progress!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Looking good. What height is your chassis from the ground at the moment? To get the suspension wishbones and trailing links at the correct neutral position (for a scimitar) I have got mine set on fixed struts. This puts the chassis 6 1/2" from the ground to the underside of the mail chassis rails. This measurement was calculated from the often quoted scimitar ride height of 27" to the top of the wheel arches.

The car is standing on the original coil over shocks well old not a lot of movement in them.

The car is going to gain say another 100 - 150kgs before completion.

The revised wheel arches are 680mm (27") off the ground.

The underside of the main chassis rail is 210mm (8") off the deck under the engine rising to 220mm (9") at the rear

I thinking it will need slightly softer springs than the Scimitar and dropping by about 75mm (3") on the spring length.

What do you think? all a bit suck it and see I think the body would look good with the chassis 125mm (5") off the deck or is that to low or would it work with 100mm (4").

I should add the car is sitting on 14" 70 profile tyres at the moment and the wire wheels I have are 15" 70's. so it will be going higher before we lower it.

Its looking great - the shell will go back together with no problems

I found bonding paste was a great help - think of it of very fine, ultra tough body filler. The back of the roadster was formed with a sectioned and quartered porsche 550 shell and while i wasn't sure when i cut it - it is getting there now.

Good luck - i look forward to meeting it on the road one day soon.