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Have done quite a bit more but not got round to downloading photos. So here's a written update, photos to follow;
1) frame has been fitted, maybe one out of ten pre drilled holes actually corresponded to the chassis. All had to be red rolled, with long bolts thru the chassis. Would have been nice to have had more accuracy on the frame and have used the captive nuts where the spit shell would fit, but hey ho. Donor wheel arches and boot floor have been chopped out and fitted beneath the frame, these seem to fit well to the body and should save loads of time.
2) brake and clutch pedals fitted, had to modify the mounting brackets. the moulded bulkhead on e cordit body adds the thickness of the fibreglass hence the bracket is too long. Frame could be modified simplyby moving the pre drilled holes back 5 mm (a common theme), but my brackets now shorter and in two halves, seem to work OK.
3) clutch slave and master now in and bled. No dramas, but master touches the bulkhead so only just fits. again, possibly the problem with having the first kit. Because you can't actually see any movement not entirely sure if this is working as engine has yet to run. No fuel system yetas tank will go in after suspension is lowered (really really should have done that first!
4) brake system all in but yet to put fluid in. Includes a new servos fitted to bulkhead, sideways on right next to master cylinders. will go under the bonnet here. Yet to service the calipers and fit them too.
5) pondering where to fit the battery. spit battery is on the bulkhead but the cordit bulkhead has no place for it. might have to chop this out as there are few other options. At the rear is an option, would he with weight a bit but would have to go behind the tank, which would mean to remove or disconnect the tank would have to come out! Not great. did consider putting a trapdoor in the boot floor which would allow the battery to drop out from underneath. All in all, likel to be up front where they are on the spitfire.
6) forgot to mention that when body fitted over the frame it was obvious there bar behind the dashboard would impinge on the obvious place the speedo will go. I have modified mine to move it higher. I reported this to gary and I think he is going to modify the design for the future.
7) doors have arrived, look like they will fit OK but will need quite a bit of work. Such is the nature of Sammio that whilst they will fit to the body, they're definitely not mirror images of each other. All adds to it's unique appearance in the end! still waiting for floors and grille, but have not pushed too hard as I know gary is stretched and I don't need them just yet.
Also the wife wants the water feature in the garden finishing!
Sounds like your making good progress. Look forward to further updates especially the door fitting etc. as my Spyder will have doors. I too have water features to finish before I am allowed to even start stripping my donor. One she's named 'bathroom' the other 'ensuite'!!!!! Have a good holiday. Don't forget the photos ------ of the car not the holiday!!!!!!!
It's good to hear you are making progress with the Cordite.
It seems the Spitfire is as variable as the Herald chassis with regard to the dimensions and hole placements as the jig was built to fit the sacrificial donor chassis.
Just a thought. Would it be preferable to have the Cordite / Spyder frame delivered undrilled so each builder could drill to match their own chassis? If the consensus is that it is preferred, I'll ask if the fabricators could make them without holes other than those needed to hold the frame sections together.
Hi, I'll let you know on the lowering block. Have ordered one from Canley Classics who have been three weeks delivering? trouble with supplier apparently. Piece of square metal would've been cheaper and I only ordered from them cos I tought it would be quick? You live and learn!
That's unusual, I've always found that Canley's provide an excellent service - often next working day delivery - and they're often around 30% cheaper than the other suppliers.
I did have to wait about a week for a back ordered front footwell, but they filled the rest of the order immediately and kept me in the loop with the expected delivery date, which they met.
It would be a shame to criticise Canley's if their supplier is causing them problems. Any business can suffer from unreliable third parties tarnishing their reputation - just ask Gary J about his trimmer and the mysterious case of the missing tonneau cover... (which is all sorted to everyone's satisfaction now btw).
Just a thought. Would it be preferable to have the Cordite / Spyder frame delivered undrilled so each builder could drill to match their own chassis?
From fitting my frame to the Vitesse chassis I'd say it's fine to drill the holes in the average places before delivery to the customer. Mine needed one hole moving about three quaters of an inch and one of the 'down arms' that bolt down onto the top of the diff carrier needed stretching out about an inch and a half (if I was doing it again I'd have cut it off and rewelded it). If I hadn't had any holes to start with I wouldn't have had any reference points to decide what was out of alignment, and that would have made the job harder imho.
I think i agree about the holes, but then i disagree.
Speaking with the confidence i now have in chopping and changing things, i think i'd be fine on a 2nd build with blanks that i drill myself.
But when i was at that point on this build and i wasn't totally in the Sammio mindset and TBH i'm not sure what i would have thought? It was nice to have holes as a reference, but then as mine were 'out' i did worry that i was doing something wrong. But that is when i really started using this forum and talking to GaryJ i realised that the judicious use of a large 'ammer and an angle grinder/welder is all part of the fun
Ref Canleys, i've used them and Rimmers and never had a fault with either so i'd agree that if they say it's down to a 3rd party then it is.
Personally i tend to order from Rimmers as i order most of my parts on-line and i prefer their web site as it makes it easier to look up parts and cross reference them amongst models. Which is especially useful if you have a 'bitsa' donor like i do
It's good to hear you are making progress with the Cordite.
It seems the Spitfire is as variable as the Herald chassis with regard to the dimensions and hole placements as the jig was built to fit the sacrificial donor chassis.
Just a thought. Would it be preferable to have the Cordite / Spyder frame delivered undrilled so each builder could drill to match their own chassis? If the consensus is that it is preferred, I'll ask if the fabricators could make them without holes other than those needed to hold the frame sections together.
Personally, I would say leave the hole to be drilled by the buyer, or even give the option on order. Not wishing to be critical; it may be as much my fault but in some cases the chassis hole isn't even under the plate on the frame! I know due to pressure of work gary outsourced some of the fabrication, won't get into detail but it is clear that some of the error is in the fabrication. Not really moaning, as i accept that this is part of the package. If you would like to do so to discuss for the benefit of future customers I'm happy to do so off line.
It would be a shame to criticise Canley's if their supplier is causing them problems. Any business can suffer from unreliable third parties tarnishing their reputation - just ask Gary J about his trimmer and the mysterious case of the missing tonneau cover... (which is all sorted to everyone's satisfaction now btw).
Never used them before so not really being critical, but they haven't kept me up to date like they said they would. Part has still to arrive. Given what others have said here i'll give the benefit of the doubt, but tend to use ebay in any case, seems to be the cheapest way.
...
It seems the Spitfire is as variable as the Herald chassis with regard to the dimensions and hole placements as the jig was built to fit the sacrificial donor chassis.
Just a thought. Would it be preferable to have the Cordite / Spyder frame delivered undrilled so each builder could drill to match their own chassis?...
Hi Andy,
Is there a set of measurements from the original Spitfire chassis used for the jig?
Would this allow us to check how our own chassis compares to what the frame expects?
Clearly you shouldn't change the frame if the chassis is out of line (or vice versa).
But based on other builds, a small amount of "persuasion" to fit is not going to cause any problems.
However, is there a minimum number of bolts required if, like Simon, one fixing plate is a complete mis-match?
Or does that depend on which part of the frame is causing a problem?
I guess I will have a much better idea about all this shortly, cheers, Paul.
The issue appears to be that no two donors were built to the same specification. These days, we're used to cars built to exacting standards by computer controlled robots. Our sixties and seventies donors were built by beer swilling militant mechanics in the West Midlands. Or mine was anyway judging by the panel gaps.
As for how far the mismatch is and whether it matters, the worst place mine was out was at the back, where I should really have cut and re-welded it. As it happens, I went with stretching it and I seem to have got away with it.
It was also about 3/4" out on one side, which just needed the hole extending to match.
And an issue of my own creation, having moved the bulkhead back 20mm for better tyre clearance, was that the front mounts didn't line up with the door hangers. After an hour or so's fiddling and filing I managed to get four bolts in each side out of the six holes provided, which I think is good enough.
Ultimately, fitting the frame to the chassis won't be beyond the abilities of anyone who's confident enough in their mechanical skills to take on building a Sammio in the first place.
Don't dwell too much on the details, just enjoy the challenge!
I looked at the first pic, and thought you could have moved all the scrap wood out of the way... then i realised what it was! Do you think in a previous life, you may of helped to build Stonehenge? eep:
... forgot to mention that when body fitted over the frame it was obvious there bar behind the dashboard would impinge on the obvious place the speedo will go. I have modified mine to move it higher. I reported this to gary and I think he is going to modify the design for the future...
Hi Simon,
My Cordite kit arrived today, so I took this photo of the bar behind the dash.
It is hard to tell from the angle of your photo below if this is a different design.
But to my untrained eye it looks much higher in the middle.
I'll keep you posted when I get a chance to put the body on.
Hope you had a good holiday & that the water feature is progressing too.
( I managed to get sunburnt yesterday whilst working in our garden )
Even though my kit has arrived, I still need to remove my Spitfire body shell.
However, now I can see & measure things, some of your previous posts make more sense.
... pondering where to fit the battery. spit battery is on the bulkhead but the Cordite bulkhead has no place for it. might have to chop this out as there are few other options...
I also want to keep the battery in its original position, so I will have to do something similar.
If you get the chance, I'd love to see some photos of some of the work you have already done:
... Donor wheel arches and boot floor have been chopped out and fitted beneath the frame...
... brake and clutch pedals fitted ... had to modify the mounting brackets ... my brackets now shorter and in two halves...
... new servos fitted to bulkhead, sideways on right next to master cylinders. will go under the bonnet here...
At first glance, it doesn't look like the brake master cylinder will fit under the bonnet.
Or does the fibre glass need to be cut away to allow bolting straight to supporting plate?
Hopefully as more of us tackle the build, there will be some common solutions.
The location of the battery *is* in the normal position, using the recessed battery tray from the accessories page of the Sammio website here.
A good guide on how it works is here on my Spyder blog.
You will also notice that the frame in the photo a few posts up has been modified so the battery will fit, on the opposite site (passengers side) of the same bar of the frame where the brake and clutch master cylinders bolt on.
eep: 
