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Rear window is already with Chris so just waiting on parts supply of rubbers and trims to get there as well. Hopefully some photos in the next week, spoke with Chris last night and all the body panels are on a trial car being fettled/changed/adjusted so that the final panels can eventually be produced. Can't wait to see how it is forming up and how the windows will be looking. We are making a few changes in a few areas so I am hoping when able to show you it will be a fine looking beast with some surprises.
I am buzzing!
Hi Barber, unfortunately not really. Chris is behind with the production, a few projects on the go, a bout of illness and the work involved in making the buck has been a bit more than expected.
I have seen some photos of panels on the mule changing them to reflect the final buck but way off yet. The areas for the windows hadn’t been worked yet and the rear window is being raised in the rear panel to be more like the original. Rear bootlid is getting widened as well. The original grey panels from Kidges kit are being sliced in certain areas to make the profile changes for the window transitions/changes work.
Chris is back on deck 2nd Jan so hopefully once spoken with him I will have a better view on it. At present we have agreed a January production date, hopefully by third week if all goes well. Cheers! Enjoy the new year!
Hi guys, quick update on what is happening my end.
Chris is behind, but totally understand with the changes we are making, the amount of work he has on and the Xmas break etc. So we are in this position.
Another set of hands coming into chris’s Workshop for a while who is tasked with getting the buck ready and mould/panels well underway. End result we are hoping panels will be finished and crated in about 5 weeks.
So for me delivery will hopefully now be approx mid March. Look forward to sharing photos in the next fortnight when I have some, but the changes we are doing with the rear panel/window, recessed lights and fuel filler, the boot lid sizing and the windows being standard should be exciting! Keep ya posted!
Sounds like progress is being made, we are looking forward to seeing the special work you are having done. Has Dan got any updates on the convertible 275 project ?
Sounds like progress is being made, we are looking forward to seeing the special work you are having done. Has Dan got any updates on the convertible 275 project ?
Hi lucky, yup we are moving forward. The work being done will hopefully mean the standard windows are a viable option in these kits and I know is what Barber has specified for his Z3Gato so will help there. The other changes should make the GT lines/boot lines flow really well on the rear panel etc.
No discussions with Dan so can’t really help on the convertible front, but would assume once the hard yards are done on the coupe, you would hope that both coupe and convertible are viable. Maybe drop Chris a line to find out more? Cheers.
we are making progress. Here is a wee preview of the magic that Chris and Dan are cracking on with on my "Italia 275GTB".
You can see below they are working on the L/H side of the car, to get the changes and lines right before they transpose to full buck and then eventually panel production.
You will see we have raised the rear window lines on the car, making slight changes to the roofline to fit the new profile. Bootlid has been widened to keep the lines of the rear arch flowing into that transition. Side Window shape is coming on, you can see we have kept the Z3 window but have put in an infill panel that once finished will reflect the lines of/tribute to the original 275 window shape. Chris/Dan are also working the rain gutter lines to reflect that shape as well and protect the new window setup.
Love the work going into this, it is not easy and it needs skills that certainly don't sit with me to be able to do, so I can only thanks Chris and Dan so far for their dedication to get this project this far and eventually to completion. - Will update you once I have spoken to Chris for thoughts on when will be finished and when buck will show what the finalised panels will be like. I am a happy man!
Great news, for you and me. The new roofline and windows work are needed for my car too, so I am happy for the development so far. As the planned capacity increase did not work out as planned, my front end work has largely been pushed back behind the 275. The rear cannot be done until the roof is finalised. But I am content for Chris and Dan to do the right things.
I did a quick visit to Tribute last week to get a few pointers which were very helpful. I can't believe how much progress they have made in a week on the roof and door window area.
Have sold myself on a Zagato convertible so am trying to save up some beer tokens.
Having got a lot of pointers from Chris it has fired up my enthusiasm again which had been suffering due to the cold weather. Have managed to spend two whole days out in the cold working on my project and am making some progress.
Looking very good , liking that ......The cold weather is a right bast@rd for working on the cars , I . like Chris and many others , work with the door open , valuing natural light ...so sometimes I actually go outside to warm up !!
Looking very good , liking that ......The cold weather is a right bast@rd for working on the cars , I . like Chris and many others , work with the door open , valuing natural light ...so sometimes I actually go outside to warm up !!
You are bang on! Spoke with Chris last night about the temps and they are battling on. Seems to be able to cope with it but wary of getting ill all the same! Chris is hoping buck will be in a “close to completion” state somewhere around the end of next week/start of the next. I agree that it is looking very good from what I can see, can’t wait for the next installment. I know that Chris is using this as a good development opportunity that will assist Barber, but likely to flow onto the wider kits they produce. The good news for me is all the changes have made the roof higher and wider which will assist in fitting in my pink crash helmet! Cheers!
I did a quick visit to Tribute last week to get a few pointers which were very helpful. I can't believe how much progress they have made in a week on the roof and door window area.
Have sold myself on a Zagato convertible so am trying to save up some beer tokens.
Having got a lot of pointers from Chris it has fired up my enthusiasm again which had been suffering due to the cold weather. Have managed to spend two whole days out in the cold working on my project and am making some progress.
Good to hear some progress your end jag, the Zagato is a very nice car! The progress is only one side at present and the guys still need to work out the window infill/sealing areas for the glass. They are on to it now tho and progress should come thick and fast. I am struggling to wait but I know good things come to those who wait!
Looking very good , liking that ......The cold weather is a right bast@rd for working on the cars , I . like Chris and many others , work with the door open , valuing natural light ...so sometimes I actually go outside to warm up !!
It used to be like that at my father in law's house in Yorkshire.
Here's a few photos that I received from Chris in respect to progress to the buck. (End of last week) Hoping for some more expansive views of the car soon! I am liking how it is forming up though, think it will turn out very well.
Hi guys,
Heres the latest in the Italia 275 project. Buck is well underway now, working on final sanding/filling and sealing of the shape and then onwards towards splash moulds and panels. You can see still a little work around the windows but the overall shape and how the Z3 window will look in the shape is there. I think the wheels that I have currently (18") should fit well in the space at least whilst I am building it/developing it - it should muscle the car up a bit which will then give me a decision between that look and the preferred vintage look. Still have touches such as rear quarter recessed filler, frenched in lights etc to work through which will really set the car off. Bumpers as well as the sill fitted will certainly help. Liking how it is forming up now.
Will be talking to Chris now on all the final bits and pieces to mould and final panels and how it all comes together to take a trip over the seas!
Barber can now see his roof line that will match up with the 250 SWB rear.
Mark,
That is shaping up nicely. How long before it is ready for moulds, a couple of weeks? Shipped in April? What colour are you going to plump for as final finish? It looks like it would be amazing in black, especially if you go for the muscle car look.
Looking good but not keen on the doorstep approach to the side window area, it looks as if it has been fitted with the wrong glass. Personally, I would like to see it blended in so it is not so obvious.
Mark,
That is shaping up nicely. How long before it is ready for moulds, a couple of weeks? Shipped in April? What colour are you going to plump for as final finish? It looks like it would be amazing in black, especially if you go for the muscle car look.
Hi Neil, not sure on the final finish date, but Chris did tell me once the buck was complete then final moulds and panels is the easier/controllable bit which should come quicker. But certainly hoping for an April ship which will mean I will get it in June sometime and may mean back on the road by Xmas.
Final colour is going to be dark metallic grey. Love the vintage grey look and potentially going to have an offset silver racing stripe down the length over the roof. That is only potential at this point.
Still planning the vintage/wires or Dunlop racing look wheels, but once the kit is on who knows, I may just like the muscle look. Cheers.
Looking good but not keen on the doorstep approach to the side window area, it looks as if it has been fitted with the wrong glass. Personally, I would like to see it blended in so it is not so obvious.
Each to his own jag, but the lines now give options. It can be emphasised, it can be coloured similar to the glass coloration to blend into an original window shape, or can be painted full car and just give a nod with a shadow line to the original window.
If none of that works it can always be filled later on. What we wanted to make sure we had were options, I don’t think we can make a call on that until we see the panels completed and the car in full colour so things don’t clash as much.
Cheers tho!
Looking good but not keen on the doorstep approach to the side window area, it looks as if it has been fitted with the wrong glass. Personally, I would like to see it blended in so it is not so obvious.
If it was filled, there is space for a couple more vents forward of the existing. This would maintain the visuals, if not the model design accuracy. For the Z3gato I would prefer it filled in as we are going to fit a quarter light where the vents are now.
Hi guys, a few pictures paint a thousand words so below is where we are at.
Buck is finished (sealed and primed yesterday) and is undergoing moulds being made this week. Next week is planned for panels being manufactured along with the ancillary bits I am having done and the following week packing/crating and ready to ship. Great to be at this point! A nice bit of work has been completed on the buck which means the panels/roof crown is looking sharp, transitions and body lines/panels lines look good and stock window seal carriers are able to be fitted which mean standard windows all the way. More pics will be coming soon!
